Still Beating, Still Here

December 4th marked six years since I received my pacemaker and defibrillator. I’ll never forget the feeling — both physical and emotional — of realizing my heart needed mechanical help to keep going. But here’s what I’ve learned over time:

Just because your heart needs help doesn’t mean your story does.

There’s no shame in needing rhythm. There’s no failure in being supported. And there’s still purpose when the beat slows down. This holiday season, I’m honoring the gift of another year. Not a perfect year, but a present one.

🎄 Wrapped in scarves that speak life.
💝 Surrounded by presents that tell the story.
🫀 And holding the truth: I’m still beating. Still here.

To every woman healing quietly this Christmas, who’s carrying grief, recovery, or uncertainty in her chest — I see you. Your survival is a celebration. Even if you’re tired. Even if your heart needed CPR. You’re still in this. Still writing. Still worthy of joy.

So this December, I say to you what I had to say to myself:

Tell your story. Don’t let the scar silence the testimony. Don’t let the machine mute the miracle. Don’t let the season steal your strength.

You’re not just surviving the holidays — you are reviving in them.

🕊️ Still beating. Still becoming. Still here.
And that’s more than enough.

With love and breath,
Shawnise Chantell
Founder, Moments Collective™ | “My Scars Tell A Story. But My Voice Tells the Victory.”

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