The challenges of living with a brain tumor with Jeri Donovan, Founder of Well Traveled

June 9, 2014

Jeri Donovan a brain tumor survivor and the founder of Well Traveled, one of the few wellness travel agencies in the US joins eHealth Radio and the Cancer Information and Health News Channels.

Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Jeri Donovan discuss the following:

How were you diagnosed with a brain tumor?
What are the challenges of living with a brain tumor?
What are some of the challenges of working with the medical professionals?
Why are second opinions so important, give some examples from your experience?
Talk about the importance of being your own best advocate, examples of the what that might look like?
Share with us a brief wellness travel update?

Duration: 15:29

Jeri Donovan is the founder of Well Traveled, a boutique wellness travel agency that specializes in active adventure travel, spa destinations, yoga retreats, fitness vacations and wellness cruises. She offers wellness vacations for groups, solo travelers and couples. Planning wellness travel truly suits Jeri's soul and combined her insatiable passion for travel with her personal commitment to wellness for herself and for her clients.

In 2011, Jeri was diagnosed with a skull base brain tumor (mere months after completing a century bike ride). Long story short; most of the tumor adjacent to her brain stem was safely removed. However, Jeri’s recovery required lifestyle adjustments, both personally and professionally.

Jeri began to embrace different activities that suited her post surgery life. Yoga was at the top of the list. Long walks and hikes replaced running. And, in lieu of mountain biking, more miles covered by her road bike continued to create a Zen sort of experience.

Leaving her beloved teaching profession also became a post brain surgery necessity as single-sided deafness was one of the repercussion of the surgery that saved her life and left her sound sensitive.

Having long hindered a secret desire to work in the travel industry, Jeri switched gears. She immediately sought specialized training and became the very first travel professional to complete the Travel Institute’s Well-Being Travel Specialist certification program.

In addition to operating Well Traveled, Jeri is also committed to sharing the benefits of wellness travel and gives presentations to corporations, organizations and travel industry events.