Guest blogger- my friend By Misty
Coincidence… or Something More?
Call it what you will… the hand of God, luck, the universe, karma… but I believe things have a way of working out.
There have been several times throughout my life when I’ve thought, “Oh, what a coincidence.”
But as I’ve gotten older and can look back on those moments, I don’t think they were just coincidences. I think there was something more at play.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
A Small Moment That Stuck With Me
Back in college, I remember stressing about how I was going to pay for everything. My tuition and fees came out to a very specific amount.
And somehow… I received that exact amount in scholarships. Coincidence?
At the time, I probably thought so. But now, looking back, it feels like one of those moments that
just worked out in a way I couldn’t have planned.
When Everything Changed
Fast forward to more recent years.
I had been teaching for 20 years, with only five years left until retirement. I loved my job, but I also loved using Canva… both in my classroom and in my personal businesses. I would always joke with my students that the only way I would ever leave teaching was if I got a job working for Canva.
And then… it actually happened.
I applied to be a Canva Learning Consultant, and I got the job.
My last day of teaching was the first day of my new position.
One week later, I went in for my yearly mammogram.
The Diagnosis
That appointment led to another. And then another.
● A suspicious result
● A diagnostic mammogram one month later
● A biopsy the following month
● And one week after that… a diagnosis
Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer.
One month later, I began six months of chemotherapy.
Living Two Realities at Once
During all of this, I was also living what felt like my dream life professionally.
I was traveling, presenting Canva workshops in person, and hosting Zoom sessions with people all over the world. It truly was everything I had hoped for.
And somehow, I was still able to work while going through chemo.
I traveled to conferences. I showed up. I kept going.
Then I received another piece of news… I wouldn’t be getting a new contract for 2026. My time as a Canva Learning Consultant would end in December.
I was devastated.
But I also believed, deep down, that things have a way of working out.
So I kept going.
The People Along the Way
I attended three major conferences with my shiny bald head.
And something unexpected happened.
People noticed… not in a negative way, but in a deeply human way.
They stopped me to say things like:
● “Bald is beautiful.”
● “I’ll be praying for you.”
They shared their own stories. Stories of their battles. Stories of their loved ones.
One woman came up to me and said,
“My husband was just diagnosed with cancer, and seeing you walking around has given me so much hope.” And she hugged me.
Total strangers… impacted not by a story I was telling, but by a story I was living.
Another Turn
At the end of December, I started a new chemotherapy drug.
It was hard.
I honestly don’t know how I would have managed if I were still working full time during those four treatments.
And that’s when it hit me… I didn’t have a job.
But I did have the space to rest. To heal. To get through treatment the best way I could.
Again… things working out, just not in the way I would have chosen.
The Outcome (So Far)
After 15 treatments over six months, my MRI and PET scans showed no evidence of cancer.
The treatment did what it was supposed to do.
Next comes surgery, which will require another 4–8 weeks of recovery.
And once again… I have the time to focus on healing.
What Comes Next?
After that?
I’ll need to go back to work. We can’t live off savings forever, so I’ll be returning to the classroom this fall.
And yes, I have worries. What if I don’t get a job? What if I end up somewhere I don’t want to be? But then I look back over the past year. And I see it.
Every twist. Every turn. Every moment that felt uncertain at the time… somehow working out exactly the way it needed to.
So I take a deep breath.
And I keep moving forward.
Coincidence… or Not?
Maybe it’s a coincidence.
Or maybe it’s something more.
Either way, I’m learning to trust that even when life doesn’t go according to plan… it still finds a way to unfold exactly how it’s supposed to.
And for now, that’s enough for me.