Lisa Schiller

At the center of my life is my daughter, whom I adopted from India when she was 5 years old. As a single mother, I've had to learn how to juggle a career, child care, household management, pet care, and my sanity. In the middle of it all, life through me a curveball almost five years ago when I was diagnosed with a massive, life-threatening brain tumor. Thanks to an incredible surgical team, I was given a second lease on life but had to learn to live it differently. What keeps me grounded is my faith, my incredible village of friends, family, and neighbors, and most of all, my hysterically funny and brilliant daughter who is attending Princeton University. We're both therapy dog handlers with our massive Newfoundland dogs and I've had to learn to manage each day with crippling head pain and short-term memory challenges. I believe from the bottom of my soul, that we each have a purpose in this life and for me, that purpose is taking all of my crazy life experience and passing it forward through inspirational writing and sharing animal therapy with others who are in need of hope and healing.

To learn more about Newfoundland dog pet therapy visit: https://newfietherapy.org/