Dana Leigh Hewartson
Mom to Jacob, age 29, Brooke,
age 25, Sydney, age 24, and
grandmother to Brock, five months
Leesburg, VA
Leigh doesn’t let her cancer
diagnosis define her: She’s a
successful small-business
owner, mother and grandmother.

Although she’s recovering, she’s
committed to helping her family
and herself grow.

Occupation Settlement agent at my own
company, Pride Settlement and
Escrow located in Ashburn, VA. I have
owned this for over 8 years, but have
been in this business for 30 years.

Breathe—time passes so quickly.

This is an adventure that you must
be present for.

What advice would you give
to new or expectant moms?
Breathe—time passes so quickly.

This is an adventure that you must
be present for.

Who is your role model?
How has motherhood changed
your outlook on life?
This life is not about me; it is about
them. I started as a teen mom and
struggled for a long while.

What goals do you have
for yourself?
My current goals are to now
heal from my recent thyroid cancer
diagnosis without missing anything,
possibly going back to school to
finish with a college degree and get
back to a “regular” day. Cancer has
set me back a bit.

My father, Mike Curtis. He is
currently on disability, but as I grew
up, he worked two full-time jobs just to
keep our family going.

What goals do you have for
your children?
All have accomplished more than
I could have imagined. Jacob has
become a new dad and is doing a
wonderful job with our first grandson,
Brock. Brooke is an office manager
at our lawn care business and my
youngest, Sydney will be pinned a
nurse in May, which will be amazing!
What would you say your
secret is to balancing life/family/
work/motherhood? This has always been a constant
struggle. Motherhood started when
I was 16 years old. I did marry my high
school sweetheart, Darrin. We are now
reaching our 29th wedding anniversary
in May. With my family’s help, I was
able to graduate and begin a career
and have my family. Everything that
I have done has been for my family.

Hands down, I would do it all
over again!
washingtonFAMILY.com May 2017 17