This Started With Suzie

Suzie had a special gift – an undying belief in people
– especially when they had a hard time believing in themselves.

 

During her battle with ovarian cancer, that same
spirit of encouragement became one simple drawing and a little mantra that
carried a profound message!

One Small Drawing - One Mighty Message

When Suzie was diagnosed, she drew the little muscle-bound stick figure to remind herself that she was stronger than this cancer.

 Throughout her cancer journey, Suzie also received weekly phone calls from a son who reminded her, “You can do hard things”. She adopted those words as a mantra that helped her walk that year with incredible
courage.

Her Drawing Transformed into a Message of Strength

In preparation for a benefit event being held for Suzie, she refined her little image of strength, paired it with her mantra, and created the centerpiece of a T-shirt that would be sold at this event.

What began as a fundraiser soon became something much greater than we ever imagined!

Everyone is connecting with the message, because at some point in all our lives, we are sure to face really hard things.

And this small reminder of strength is becoming a powerful force, sharing HOPE far and wide!

You can Carry the Message!
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More Than a T-Shirt

The message began to travel from state to state! 

It’s being worn by people facing cancer, grief, loss, depression, fear and some of life’s most difficult moments. It is being
gifted to friends who need encouragement and people who simply need reminded:

 “You can do hard things”.

Suzie passed away on October 21, 2025, but the message of hope that she shared did not end with her. 

Neither did the values and understandings that
she treasured and nurtured

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Shop the Message

Suzie's "Happy Journals"

Suzie wrote in her “happy journals” every day for many years.

Those pages became an unexpected gift to her loved ones-a place holding and sharing her thoughts, encouragement, hope, gratitude
and her deeply held belief in living a life with intention.

Today, many pieces of these journals continue to inspire the stories and messages we share through Suzie Loves.

It’s why a simple journal in this collection means so much to us.

Suzie understood the power of putting thoughts on paper – and how the simple act of writing can give those thoughts a life beyond the moment in which they were felt. On the pages, they become something we can revisit and reflect upon, while lending hope, wisdom, and greater understanding to all who may one day read them.

Before she left us, Suzie instructed her loving wife to “Put all my happy journals in the little blue suitcase. The one you gave me years ago that’s covered in stickers. Pass them around to all our children, and to anyone else who wants to know me better”.

Today, that little blue suitcase still holds her journals, just as she asked-years of Suzie’s words waiting to be read, shared, remembered, and perhaps to become exactly what someone needs to hear.

Maybe your words can become that kind of gift, too.

Write about the ordinary days and the extraordinary days. Write what you’re learning, what you’re grateful for, what you’re struggling with, what makes you laugh from the gut, what you believe, and what you hope the people you love will always know and understand about you.

Because the words you write for yourself today can be held by your loved ones, a lasting connection to you, when your presence is deeply missed.

Meet Suzie in Photos!