I have joined a new lady gang! The Cancer Cartel! The Cancer Cartel was founded in 2018 by sisters Katy Tinney and Shelly Tinney-Miller, alongside their close friend Kerry Solmonsen. While comparing their individual stories of fighting cancer, these three warriors noticed one commonality: cancer is expensive. Together they have devised a plan to help. Tune in as we discuss how they started their non profit, why they keep going and why they always knew they were destined for greatness.
Show Notes:
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Kerry Solmonsen has spent the last 25 years in the service of others in one form or another. During her time leading sales teams for Nordstrom, she caught the community service bug. From national causes like JDRF and the United Way, to Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation and Bras for the Cause. She never imagined she would be the one in need.
Kerry’s health journey would require more reading than you want to do today, but her battles with spinal meningitis, near fatal pneumonia, skin, thyroid, cervical, and breast cancer- did nothing but solidify her belief that she is here for a purpose.
She also knew the extreme financial pressure that she had felt in her life and knew that she could help others who were walking in those shoes. Cancer Cartel is her passion and cleaning up the cost of cancer is her mission!
Katy Tinney is a lifelong entrepreneur. With humble beginnings at her coffee stand, she grew that business from one location to two, however, The coffee business didn’t fill her heart. She sold the coffee stands and opened a salon, with great success!
In 2014 Katy was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-hodgkins Lymphoma. That is where her story takes a turn. For the next 5 months, she endured intense chemotherapy. She was doing great! The cancer had shrunk, and she was in the home stretch. She had cause to celebrate! But, at her routine checkup in October at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the news wasn’t good. The chemo had failed, and the cancer was growing again.
Her only option for life, was near death. Stem cell transplant. It is the last resort. But she was up for the challenge because she had an army of family and friends supporting and encouraging her. Without these remarkable people, she would have lost everything. That is why she is partners in the founding of the Cancer Cartel. She knows the financial burden cancer creates, and knew she wanted to make a difference.
Shelly Tinney-Miller was a driven career-woman. Her whole life revolved around her big plans- climbing the corporate ladder and she worked long hours and made many sacrifices to get where she wanted to be, but it was unfulfilling. She had success, and accomplished many of her goals, and was not satisfied.
Her world was flipped upside down in 2010 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She knew that in order to beat it, she had to slow life down and that there was something much more important than sitting at a desk all day working for someone else. After her recovery was complete the draw to serve others got stronger and stronger.
In 2016, Shelly walked away from 25 years in the corporate world to stay home with her daughter, who was 3 at the time. She knew it was the best decision she had ever made. People thought she was crazy leaving a six-figure job in finance at Boeing, but she knew that home is where she was called to be at that moment.
Turns out timing is everything, once her daughter started Kindergarten, Katy and Kerry called her to invite her to begin the creation of Cancer Cartel and the rest is history. Turns out cancer can be a blessing in disguise.
