This piece was submitted by Gutsy reader, Gladys Barnett. If you have an inspiring story to tell, we want to hear it. Tell us here.

"Your life has many chapters ahead and the end is not in sight." That is what my oncologist told me when I expressed my worry over my third bout with lung cancer.

This confrontation has been the most expanding experience in my 70+ years. My diagnosis was over 5 years ago (non-small cell lung cancer - NSCLC), followed by surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and now a promising new drug, Tarceva, which is hoped will block the growth of new tumors.

Do you remember your first day of high school? You undoubtedly agonized over your outfit, hair, who you would sit with at lunch, and wondered how you would ever measure up to the other kids. Carlotta Walls LaNier contended with all of those feelings and that was before she even left the house. Upon arriving at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Carlotta was heckled, had racial insults hurled at her from every direction, and had to be protected by soldiers holding rifles. As the youngest of the “Little Rock Nine”, the memory and fear of that first day of high school will never go away.

It’s another busy day at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore in Santa Barbara. Guest rooms are being meticulously serviced, the restaurant is full, and the concierge is busy making arrangements. Atop this perfectly orchestrated controlled chaos sits Karen Earp, General Manager of not only Four Seasons Biltmore, but also the Montecito Country Club and the Coral Casino Beach and Country Club.

Give Annie Crawley thirty minutes and she’ll change your life. At first glance, Annie is a bubbly blonde with endless energy. She speaks with passion and purpose. But it’s the meaning in her words and the earnest way she talks about her incredible career as an ocean photographer/videographer/educator and enthusiast that sets this gutsy gal apart.

Growing up in Chicago, Annie couldn’t have been farther away from the ocean. Though a talented swimmer, the closest she came to exploring the great deep was dips in Lake Michigan and trips to the Shedd Aquarium. But Annie was blessed with a mother who encouraged her to dream big and a grandmother who “planted the seed that I was going to travel.” With a world map that hung in her grandmother’s kitchen as her guide, Annie laid out plans in her imagination to begin her own great adventure.

After college Annie worked for one year to make enough money for a plane ticket and set a departure date. She turned her dreams into reality through goal setting. Leaving for Australia changed her forever because Annie fell in love…with the ocean. A chance opportunity to try scuba diving brought her up close and personal with a whole new world. “When I breathed underwater for the first time, I felt like I was home,” Annie said. “And once I found

“In my dreams, a monstrous wall of green water races my way, hissing, roaring, towering, inescapable, sweeping me into a cascading aquatic mayhem. I am lifted, tumbled, churned, pushed, and fall, gasping, clawing for air. My toes touch sand; a sweet breeze soothes my lungs. I stand, choking, face the next advancing wall, and leap into it exhilarated!”

Her words mesmerize, her work astounds. Sylvia Earle is one of the most decorated American scientists and yet most of us have never heard her name. Born in 1935 to working class parents, Sylvia was always called to the water. Though her family couldn’t afford a college education, they encouraged their daughter to question the world around her and respect all living things. These little lessons helped Sylvia earn a scholarship to Florida State University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in 1955. While most girls her age were getting married and moving to the burbs, Sylvia set her sights on moving underwater.

This story was written and submitted by Gutsy Gal reader Connie Orud.

As far back as I can remember, two of my greatest life's passions were to be a mother one day and to always have music in my life. 

As a young girl, I played the piano, then guitar and started singing. I wanted to be a rock star! But I lacked the confidence to pursue it. As life got busy and being the "social bug" that I am, I would go in and out of playing music. As I got older and pursued a career as a stylist, I jumped from one relationship to another hoping to find love. I enjoyed life ... not always making the best decisions, but the decisions I made taught me well. 

It seemed like my career was in full bloom as a stylist, but I was unlucky in love. I would continue to allow my music to float in and out of my life. I met someone at 37 who I fell madly in love with and spent the next two years with. It was a questionable relationship to say the least, but taught me valuable lessons. And from that relationship came a beautiful baby boy who changed my life forever in such profound ways. He is the love of my life and someone who I learn from daily. 

Being a single mom has stretched me, strengthened me, throttled me, made my heart jump to the sky, fall to earth with reality, shoot to the moon and made me laugh till I cry. I am grateful to have the gift of this child in my life. I am a better person, a stronger person, a more loving and grounded person because of him. And as for the music being "displaced" in my life ... I have realized not to put your dreams on "hold." Today is for living. 

This article was written by Gutsy Gals guest writer, Denise Berger.

In 1989, Kathryn Keats took a lead role in the musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Theater on the Square in San Francisco. This would be her final performance for 20 years. Someone asked the stage manager if “that was Ellen Munger?” Replying that this was a case of mistaken identity, Kathryn slipped out the back door, and realized that earning a living and pursuing her passion in music would not be possible. That year, Kathryn won a Critic’s Circle Award for best female performance, but would not be there to claim it.

Kathryn Keats, born Ellen Christian Munger, was in a relationship that almost cost her life. During the 1980s, Ellen was a successful performer in New York City. She fell in love with the music director of an off-Broadway show. Together they began a fruitful collaboration writing music. But, the relationship became life threatening to Ellen after her partner succumbed to schizophrenia and began minding the voices he heard insisting he dismember her, leading him to torture her relentlessly. The love they had for one another turned dark, culminating in 54 days of captivity for Ellen. Her sister rescued her and an arduous jury trial began that was to change the legal system forever for victims of abuse. Her partner was given 6 months in a psychiatric ward, long enough for Ellen to go into hiding and, with the help of the Victim Witness Assistance Program, Ellen changed her identity to Kathryn Keats. Ellen Munger ceased to exist.