Almost 25 years after establishing her own distributorship, Maria Brady, owner of Marakae Marketing near Pittsburgh, made the conscious decision to face COVID with her trademark optimism. She launched the I Chose Happy brand last November, with a website and branded product line, and contributed to Twenty Won, a book featuring female entrepreneurs sharing their advice for weathering the virus.

But Brady is no stranger to adversity. In 2013, she felt more fatigued than normal. Being very health-conscious — she exercises regularly and maintains a clean, balanced diet — she knew something wasn’t right. Tests confirmed her suspicions, and Brady was diagnosed not long after with a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Told that it was “incurable but treatable,” she was given just five to seven years to live and was immediately put on the chemo schedule.

It was difficult news to hear, but Brady wanted a second opinion. “I pushed aside the ‘incurable’ part and focused on the ‘treatable,’ ” she says. “I went to another doctor in Pittsburgh, and he said we could hold off on aggressive treatment for the time being to see how things progressed. I accepted the diagnosis, not the prognosis. I accepted the situation, did the research and then built my team for treatment, including enlisting a doctor in Boston who’s an expert in this type of cancer. It’s so important to have a voice in your own care.”

Instead of despairing and worrying, Brady jumped into action. She actively monitored her body’s functioning and thought processes, and tapped into her long-held practices of a healthy lifestyle and positive thinking. When she finally did have to undergo chemo for six months, she made the most of it by wearing fun shoes for each session, like leopard print and hot-pink stilettos. “It was a mental thing, in order to stay grounded,” she says, “but I also wanted to stay stylish and fun through it all.”

But chemo treatments are notoriously tough to withstand, and Brady relied on her employees for their support while she dealt with the aftereffects. She’d normally schedule sessions on Thursdays, so she could recover from Friday through Sunday and be ready for another week of calls and attending industry events. Much of it she suffered quietly and behind the scenes.

“I told very few friends and virtually no clients because I wanted them to still work with us, especially when I’m the face of the company,” she says. “When I was asked to contribute to Twenty Won, I hadn’t yet shared my journey publicly. Everyone at Marakae pulled together. As business owners, we’re ready for facing challenges. Resiliency is built into us, and that’s important for overcoming any adversity.”

“As business owners, we’re ready for facing challenges. Resiliency is built into us, and that’s important for overcoming any adversity.” Maria Brady, Marakae Marketing

Then in August 2020, five months into the pandemic, Brady created a formal holistic treatment regimen in tandem with her healthcare providers that combines traditional medicine with a healthy diet, supplements, acupuncture, meditation and listening to healing music, which studies show has a salutary effect on health. She also makes a conscious effort to control her first thoughts as she wakes in the morning, choosing to focus on gratitude despite the trials she’s had to face. Positive thoughts generate oxytocin, the “feel good” hormone, which improves the immune system, she says.

“It’s so often overlooked, but you have to take an integrated approach to your health,” says Brady. “It helps to boost your immune system, which is especially important during COVID. Plan your tactics, set your schedule to allow for time to rejuvenate with meditation and self-care. And find the good in everything.”

It’s been a long and uncertain journey. But through it all, Brady has maintained her positive outlook, which she says has been critical to longevity and achieving remission eight years after her initial diagnosis (and longer than the predicted timeframe the first doctor gave her). Every day, she prioritizes exercising, meditation and prayer, and refuses to feel guilty for pausing, especially during business hours. Facing reality and staying present one day at a time have been key, she says, in addition to gathering a team of health experts and business associates who can offer their support.

“You have to live your life,” she says. “Embrace the reality of the situation, but don’t dwell on it, and don’t ‘what if’ or you’ll attract negative thoughts. And be your own advocate. It’s challenging to speak up for yourself, but make it something you do regularly. It’s huge.”