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In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Alana Acereto shares her story, “The Darkness and the Light,” a deeply moving reflection on childhood trauma, generational healing, and her journey as a cancer survivor.

For years, Alana sought healing through therapy, trying to untangle the chaos left by early trauma. She shares that participating in Story Crafting was the first process that truly allowed her to release the pain she had carried for decades. While some parts of her story remain sacred and were shared privately within her small group, she chose to tell her public story through powerful metaphor — describing darkness, light, and the courage it takes to break cycles.

When she became a mother, Alana made a defining decision: the shadows of her past would not shape her daughter’s future. That commitment to bring light into darkness carried her not only through trauma recovery, but also through her own battle with cancer.

This episode explores childhood trauma healing, breaking generational cycles, motherhood as protection, cancer survivorship, and the power of storytelling as therapy. It is a testament to the truth that healing does not erase the darkness — it teaches us how to carry light into it.

If you are navigating trauma, illness, or the quiet work of rewriting your story, this episode will remind you: your light matters — even when it flickers.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com

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Some journeys aren’t flat roads — they’re mountains.

Mountains with loose rocks beneath your feet.
Mountains that make your heart race.
Mountains that force you to stop, breathe, and pray before taking the next step.

Today’s guest, Maryann Fonseca, describes her life as climbing toward the highest peak — even though she’s afraid of heights. Along the way, she’s heard the echo of her sister’s encouragement, felt the steady love of family, endured abuse, navigated motherhood at nineteen, and leaned on the unwavering support of her husband of 37 years.

Then, in April of 2014, she received the words no woman is ever prepared to hear: breast cancer.

Thirty rounds of radiation. Five years of Tamoxifen. Physical pain. Emotional exhaustion. And yet — that was not the summit.

In 2016, at a retreat in Sedona, something shifted. On a run through the mountains, Maryann experienced a spiritual awakening — a moment she describes as entering a vortex of healing. The woman she had been no longer existed. A new version was born.

Since then, she has run marathons. Founded her wellness company, Colorfull Aura. And committed her life to becoming a light for others — especially women and minority women navigating breast cancer and beyond.

She is no longer climbing in fear.
She is climbing with purpose.

This is Maryann Fonseca’s story.

Reaching the Peak.

Support the show

Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com

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In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Maureen Fedge shares her remarkable story of surviving acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a child — not once, but twice.

Diagnosed at just twelve years old with an aggressive form of leukemia typically seen in adults, Maureen’s carefree childhood quickly shifted from Saturday mornings at City Park to hospital rooms, chemotherapy, and a life-saving cord blood transplant at Duke Hospital. After months in isolation and years of treatment, she was declared cancer-free — only to face recurrence again during her teenage years.

Through faith, resilience, and an unwavering will to live, Maureen fought back. Her journey through childhood cancer shaped her into a woman who now sees her scars — physical and emotional — as proof of strength.

Using the powerful metaphor of a caterpillar entering a cocoon, Maureen reflects on how darkness does not mean defeat. Sometimes it means transformation. Sometimes it means wings are forming.

This episode explores childhood leukemia survival, AML treatment, cord blood transplant recovery, faith during illness, and life after cancer. It is a moving reminder that even in the darkest seasons, hope can rise — and miracles are possible.

If you or someone you love has faced childhood cancer, this story will inspire courage, faith, and the belief that your time to fly may still be ahead.

Support the show

Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com