V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

Edit by: Vicki
Oct 26, 2016

Her Point Of View: Sande Chase

Her Point Of View: Sande Chase on the blog


I think many of you know, Sande.

Where do I start?


Sande and I met through blogging. She was the author of ‘A Gift wrapped Life’. We met when blogs were beginning; when they were about community and voices. We started an “internet” friendship; the first for me. We were both exploring unknown territory; she to showcase her love of gift wrapping and me to promote ‘French Essence’, a book I wrote to celebrate life in Provence. ‘A Gift Wrapped Life’ was one of my favourites and Sande was my new best friend. This was 8 years ago.


Sande is bright, engaging, open, honest and very, very fun to be with. We simply clicked and even though our worlds were continents apart it didn’t matter. I never questioned our long distance relationship; it worked from day one.


In all these years we have met only a handful of times but they have been the best. The first time we met I remember telling my family I was off to Paris to stay with a friend I met on the internet. They questioned my confidence; I knew we were going to have the most wonderful time and we did. I never had a moment’s doubt we were cementing an already strong friendship.


There have been several trips and each better than the first. She is brilliant company and her enthusiasm for life is infectious. Sande came to stay at home in Provence, she was like a small child in a candy shop, she couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I can still hear her asking me what planet we were on. She made me smile.


She still makes me smile most days.

Except last year when she told me she had developed Glioblastoma brain cancer. I can still picture where I was and exactly what I was doing when I read her message. She was heading into her first surgery and texting me from her bed; wanting me not to be worried and reassuring me. Life changed so suddenly. This doesn’t happen to vibrant women with the world at their fingertips; this doesn’t happen to my beautiful friend, Sande.


We, who have had the privilege to grow up know, it does.


Before we continue,

Sande has the cutest little dog called Daisy. Daisy is a Miki, a breed well known for their gentleness towards children and the elderly. A little time before Sande’s diagnosis with GBM, Daisy would curl up and nuzzle into the top of Sande’s head, where the tumour turned out to be. Daisy had never sat like this before but for two weeks prior to diagnosis, that’s where she was. She watched gently as Sande lost the use of her left side, the warning that something was very wrong and she continued to protect Sande’s head. When a second tumour emerged; Daisy did the same thing. Daisy knew Sande was in trouble long before the doctors.  


The last year has been the fight of Sande’s life and she is an extraordinary woman. She is not only a beautiful woman inside and out but she is beyond wise and inspirational. She is strong, determined and a true fighter. This disease is in no way getting the better of her and I love her for that.


She makes my day every day with her witty commentary, her thoughts on life and her most generous and precious gift of all, her time.


Here she is,



Sande Chase, Windsor, ONtario Canada 2016

How would you describe yourself?

I am a hippie girl from way back and that mentality seems to be reasserting itself. Generally I am intuitive, creative, relaxed, calm, loyal, introspective, adaptive and inquisitive.

 

I am a really good listener and keeper of secrets, and a very hard worker.

 

 

 

Tell us about your day-to-day life?

Since my diagnosis with Glioblastoma in August 2015 my body rules my day. I do whatever it tells me.

 

My day starts early, about 4 am when I sit outdoors on our Lanai and watch the sunrise and listen to the lake. I text, scroll Instagram, and get lost on Pinterest. I love starting my day with beauty and communication.

Then Daisy and I go back for a wee nap and cuddle. Sleep is very important for brain cancer healing so I go for a nap several times a day. I accept them for what they are, healing. As a side benefit I have the best dreams for some unknown reason.

 

It is a totally different vibe than my younger days when I was a creative nighthawk and my day was go, go, go. In the afternoon, my son takes me to my numerous medical appointments; having cancer really is a full-time job. Late afternoon I begin dinner prep and cooking and baking which brings me some feeling of productivity. There are only the 3 of us but I have always felt the importance of a sit-down homemade dinner to connect after the day, especially during the busy years. If the weather permits we go on our boat and always make time to watch the sunsets, which I have become fascinated by as a gift of nature that is shared by the whole world. I take them as a message that we need to share our world, not divide it. We have somehow mixed up citizenship with ownership of our countries and the world. This saddens me for the generations ahead.

 

 

 

Are you the woman you imagined you would become?

Yes, I think so.

 

I walked through every door of opportunity that came my way. I had my high energy and creative years during my 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. I established 4 successful businesses during those years and that was what I imagined when I was younger. I am entrepreneurial by nature. If I could, I would take another go at it. Luckily I had a spouse who always supported his wife’s latest scheme and let me fly as high as I could.

 

Her Point Of View: Sande Chase on the blog

 

What are the valuable life lessons you have all figured out?

That we really do take time for granted, we tell ourselves we don’t but we do.

 

I have found time can be measured in many ways. I have been given some extra time to tie up loose ends so my boys don’t have to do it and time to say what I should to the people I love and will miss. This helps me a great deal. I have also made time to visit with most of the women in my life, I am saying goodbye in a way and want them to know how meaningful their relationship was to me.

 

 

 

What do you like most about yourself? What do you like the least?

That I can see ahead of the curve. My creativity has been enhanced by that ability.

 

The least favourite is sometimes that ability can mean I take on too much and can’t follow through to the level it demands.

 

I like that I surprised myself with my strength during this cancer journey. If someone had told me even a few years ago that I would get through 2 brain surgeries within 6 months, 30 rounds of radiation and on-going chemo I would have told them they were crazy. Medically I was a bit of a wuss.

 

I faced this epic fight with Glioblastoma head on and I realised I couldn’t control the outcome but I could fight back hard.

 

 

 

What do you like most about getting older? What do you like the least?

I like that I took permission to speak my mind and remove toxic or negative people from my life. It is essential to my wellbeing right now. Ageing in a physical sense or number never concerned me for some reason. It should have, I would have liked to embrace physical activity more instead of always living in my head and I did a few years ago with cycling, which I loved.

 

I can’t say I dislike getting older. I recently accepted that this is my old age right now, I am living it in a condensed and accelerated version and I have claimed it as gracefully as I can. I find I reminisce about all the stages of my life. It keeps me grateful at a time when I could chose to be bitter but I refuse to give into that. I have had a wonderful life supported by love and beauty and amazing people.

 

 

 

What’s your favourite way to dress? Do you have a signature style?

I am ruled by comfort now, more Eileen Fisher than Max Mara. I miss highly stylish and trendy fashion madly but it just isn’t practical. I do indulge my love of style by buying hats, which I always adored. I have quite a collection going and they protect my head and cover the post chemo and radiation hair loss. They also look quite fetching with the pyjamas or hippie style maxi dresses that I wear most days. I do miss high heels like crazy.

 

Her Point Of View: Sande Chase on the blog

 

Do you have a beauty secret to share?

Always wear sunglasses. I have worn prescription sunglasses since my 20’s to drive and see outdoors and I swear I don’t have one eye wrinkle. Other than that, be careful what products you put in and on your body. We are at a chemical and medical crossroads and women have to insist on safety. And you can. There is nothing more powerful than an army of women who close their wallets.

 

 

 

What’s on the bucket list?

I don’t know that I can have the movie-type bucket list at this point in time, it is medically challenging but I do have more of a TO DO list so I can leave my 2 guys prepared for what we know will happen.

 

They were lovingly coddled for many years so the list and instructions are quite lengthy, almost comical. I can accomplish and organise these tasks when I have the energy. I am quite practical in that regard and I want to make things as easy as possible for them. Most of all I want to help get my son back to his new medical residency choice and on with his life.

 

 

 

If you could change one thing in the past, what would you do differently?

I would have asked my parents and grandparents more question about their lives. Our family has discovered a most interesting ancestry and lineage from France to New France (Canada) and I have many questions.

 

I wish I had been more supportive to people going through what I am going through now. I always did something but not enough. I was always worried about being intrusive and I missed opportunities to be more supportive. I wish I had been the first one at their door when something happened.

 

 

 

What age do you feel right now?

In my head, I am that outgoing 18 year old hippie girl, having fun in a footloose way in the summer of 1971. It was a very good year. Despite what is happening, I feel my age of 62 whatever that means. I don’t long to look younger but I do I believe it is more important as you age to keep your head in a really good place.

 

 

 

Who would play you in a movie?

My husband says Kim Basinger. I’m not going to turn that one down.

 



Follow Sande on Instagram, HERE

Edit by: Vicki
In This Post: Lifestyle