(Creston, Iowa) — Terri Stephens-Higgins helps people share their journeys at Southwestern Community College in Creston as the marketing director. Now, she is sharing her story.

A year ago, she had her first of two surgeries to remove brain tumors. There are still five smaller tumors that doctors are monitoring. The days since her diagnosis were not always easy, and she turned her experience into advocacy. She wrote a children’s book, “Bella Bean on Blueberry Lane: The Puppy Wonder,” published last month. She is making a complicated topic like brain health easier to process.

In honor of her anniversary, Stephens-Higgins went around campus handing out 100 sunflowers, known as Operation Sunflower. It’s her way of spreading joy and kindness.