Marsha Nixon-Powell grew up in the Richard Allen Homes in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the schools in the Philadelphia school system and with persistence and hard work, graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration at the age of fifty-two. Nixon-Powell is a twenty-five-plus-year cancer survivor. Throughout the past ten years of her life, she has endured years of chronic and ongoing medical conditions. Throughout the book, Nixon- Powell has shown how to turn negative and possibly devastating medical conditions to a positive and encouraging outcome. She has shown that many obstacles and setbacks can be overcome through prayer, supportive family and friends, and positive thoughts.