Cancer is a disease that can force those fighting it to put the rest of their life on hold. 

But for Tarralyn Jones, it was just the opposite. 

Jones, the CEO of TJ’s Designs and Events in Altamonte Springs, says she refused to let anything, including three rounds of cancer, stop her.

Her first fight with cancer came when doctors discovered she had breast cancer while she was in her thirties.

“Yes, 35.  No clue. Completely caught me off guard,” said Jones, who underwent treatment for the cancer twice, as it resurfaced a few years after the initial diagnosis and treatment.

The third round - a tumor in her brain – nearly proved to be too much for Jones to survive.

“They were prepping my family – I may not be able to speak as well, walk,” said Jones. “They told me if I would’ve laid down that night before going to the emergency room, I would’ve never woken up, ever.  So I’m a miracle.”

Jones is now cancer-free and says she is feeling great. She was in the process of expanding her design and event planning business into a new office in Altamonte Springs when she had to undergo brain surgery.  So as soon as she came out of surgery, she already had her business work on her mind.

“When the therapy team came in, I got up out of the bed and began reflecting on the appointments that I had, and they were like shocked – like you’re not supposed to be doing all this,” said Jones.

“Every time something happens, she becomes better as a businessperson,” said Brian Jones, Tarralyn Jones’ son, who serves as the Director of Client Services and Communications for TJ’s Designs and Events.

“You absolutely have to stay focused, because if you don’t, you start having a pity-party,” said Jones.

In addition, her struggles give her a new perspective on how to treat some of her long-time clients.  Before facing cancer for the first time, many of the events she planned were events that benefited cancer patients.

“I had a chance to see it from both sides – looking from the outside in – and actually being a cancer patient,” said Jones.

Now, it's her turn to enjoy an event planned in her honor. Her family, friends and others are joining her for a celebration of her survival and the expansion of her business. Details of the event can be found at www.tjsdesignsandevents.com.