Life’s Greatest Lessons: Dr. Rebecca Timlin-Scalera

The “Inspired” segment of ‘A Paige From My Book’ is a place where I will share with you a story about someone who has inspired me (from friends, to family, to community members, and well-known thought leaders). They will be featured on the last day of each month.

There are some people who seem to transcend the average human experience and truly live a life so beautiful and special that it is impossible to not be inspired by them. They are those one-in-a-million people who impact all that they meet (and even those they haven’t). I feel compelled to share this story with you all, because it truly changed my perspective on life. 

We are inextricably connected. That is the greatest gift that we as humans have. I am amazed at how human connection can have such an impact in our lives. It is not only those whom we know who can have the most profound impact on us. Sometimes it comes from people we have never even met. I can speak from experience. Today I want to share with you the incredibly beautiful story of Rebecca Timlin-Scalera. While I never had the opportunity to meet Reb, it feels in some ways that I have. I have learned some of the greatest lessons from the way she lived her life. I met Reb’s sister Vivian last year. Truly two amazing sisters.

Reb’s life was taken far too soon by metastatic (stage four) breast cancer in December of 2019. A true fighter for the cause, she created a foundation called “The Cancer Couch”, that has raised nearly 4 million dollars purely for research for MBC. Reb was all there was to be and more- a neuropsychologist, mother, wife, former division 1 soccer player, writer, stand-up comedian, and true friend. She was described as the last one to the party and the last one to leave. She never wanted the fun to stop. An accomplished, inspiring, and loving soul.

I have never known of anyone quite like her. Reb was someone who clearly embraced life and had this unique understanding of what really matters. She stated, “I started noticing how amazing small, ordinary moments can be, and also see the love and humor in almost every situation. It was always, and had always been right there, all around me, all the time. You just have to tilt your head so to speak, the way you look at things, the tiniest bit and you can see it so clearly”. 

In her husband’s words: “Reb was born inside out, her soul was on the outside, you could immediately feel it when you were in her presence  A true force of nature and a whole-hearted lover of everybody and everything in this life. She lived a daily life of passionate enjoyment — to Reb everything was amazing. And while she did not have very much time on this earth in this form, she enjoyed it twice as long and twice as hard as anyone I know.”

Reb is someone who we can all learn from. We can learn that life is about living in each moment and knowing that we all have only one shot at it. Say I love you to the people who matter. Don’t hesitate to show your gratitude towards this life and the people in it. That is why we are here, and the truth is, none of us know how long our journey is. Life is a blessing, and Reb always knew that.

Thank you, Reb for teaching so many the greatest lesson on how to live. 

P.S. Reb was a big lover of the ocean, just as I am myself. The ocean is something that connects us all- another sign of Reb’s awareness of connection. When you look at next time, think about her legacy.

Love,

Paige