In 2014, Lai Sha Bugado learned that she had aggressive stage three cancer. She immediately worried for her three young children if the worst should happen. Shortly later, she learned that her father-in-law and sister-in-law also had cancer. Bugado could see that her husband was struggling to cope with the situation. She hated the idea of being a burden to him and the rest of her family.

Over the next two years, Bugado and her family members went through the grueling process of treatment. Soon, she found that she was so weak that she struggled to maintain her day-to-day activities. Initially, she tried to keep her health condition as private as possible. But she found that this was impossible. For instance, she had no choice but to divulge the information to her children’s preschool.

In her weakened state, Bugado was determined to do something productive. While she didn’t have much strength, she found that she was mentally sharp and could move her hands with ease. So she took up sewing. Her own mother had sewn, and it had appeared to help her. Soon, Bugado realized that it was an incredibly therapeutic activity for her too. Then she decided, despite being ill, that she could turn her sewing into a business. She founded a company called Kumumea to sell her items. Today, Lai Sha Bugado is coping with her condition and still running the business successfully. Listen to this episode to find out how Bugado found a new lease on life through something as simple as sewing.