She paid tribute to many people whose stories and experiences she had.
The journalist, who was awarded the prestigious Journalism Award, had worked at the station for many years and has experienced hardships.
Doctors discovered a benign tumor in Swensen’s uterus in late 2000. Six weeks before her wedding, doctors advised that Swensen would undergo surgery. Medical advancements helped her have a daughter.
New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Swensen was covering the storm on WWL-TV and her home was being damaged.
Swensen told CBS News’ national correspondent David Begnaud about how this affected her.
She said, “I fell down the rabbit hole for years, just missing our house, the friends that we lost, and the way of living that we had lost.”
Swensen would be leaving WWL-TV to become the morning anchor in Boston. Swensen returned home to the Big Easy after a few years. Her family would soon be faced with another challenge.
“In 2011, we returned to New Orleans. Six months later, my husband was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer… My daughter was nine years old,” she said.
Six years later, John Swensen, John’s husband and New Orleans Police Detective detective, would succumb to cancer.
She said, “I have been through many life changes and I believe if I can make it easier for someone else, then that’s the purpose of all of it.”
This purpose has pushed her to quit a successful television career to start a company called Life’s About Change. Her company makes all of its products in America.
The company sells products created by people who have made a difference in their lives.
Amanda Claridy, Jenna Collins and Jenna Collins were both through their own struggles but are now successful potters and imprint Swensen’s coffee mugs with words to live.
Claridy said, “We are living testimony about how a life can be changed.”
Swensen have a special meaning for candles, which are one of the many products that are available.
The idea for the candles was conceived by a doctor helping my husband and me navigate our cancer journey. She said to him, “I want you go get a candle and then you should watch the wax disappear. The wax and your cancer cells.” Swensen said, “Imagine.”
She stated that she hopes people who purchase the candle will see the flame and think about their inner strength.
Swensen worked at the TV station for several years and searched for candles from special vendors. Some candles were made by veterans.
Swensen stated that she joined the military at 33 because “[She] feels it’s time for her to give back.”
Swensen believes her company is about joy and hope.
Always look for the positive, or at least try and be joyful. It will help you navigate it. We searched for the one who had beat my husband’s illness when he was ill. “When he died, I looked for the widow who smiled still,” she stated.
There are many stories on her website about such things, but one story is missing – it is the one that happened after she had appendicitis.
“So, while I’m recovering, I pull up the pathology reports. I fully expected them to be fine, but it stated carcinoma. I was shocked and said “No way.” They said, “Have you ever had any other pain?” Your appendix,'” Swensen said. “This type of cancer is so subtle that it takes a long time to find. It’s something I hate to even talk about because it gives it strength.
Although she had never spoken about it, she said that the “twist in fate” allowed her to leave her television career.
Swensen stated, “You start to think, maybe it’s the time to untether yourself from the desk and just blindly go outside and just trust in the universe,”
