She earned Bachelors’ degree from Vassar College, a Master’s in French Literature from NYU, and a Juris Doctorate from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. She married, had children, and divorced during that time. She met her now-husband, investment banker Reid Drescher, at a chance meeting in Bed Bath & Beyond, as both of their young children played together in the aisles. Now Reid and Aviva have a blended family with four children: Harrison, 10, Veronica, 9, Hudson, 4, and Sienna, 1.

Today, they live in New York, where she is a “part-time socialite, full-time mom.” She serves on the advisory board of CancerSchmancer, a nonprofit started by her cousin, actress and cancer survivor Fran Drescher. It’s mission is to empower  women to become savvy medical consumers, pay attention to their bodies, ask the right questions of the right doctors and, if diagnosed with cancer, be able to detect it in its earliest stages. She is also the official spokesperson for the One Step Ahead Foundation, which helps children with physical disabilities, particularly limb loss, build self-esteem and self-confidence through athletics.

“Being an amputee was not, and has never been, a dominating factor in my life,” Aviva says in an interview with the Foundation. She even chose to have another six inches of her left leg removed in 1997 to accommodate a newer, more lifelike prosthetic. “Aviva is the strongest, most resilient and brilliant person ever,” says her close friend, author Jill Kargman. “She’s warm and nurturing, but she doesn’t deal in BS. She tells it like it is. She’s everything a modern woman should be.”

It’s one thing to survive an amputation at a young age, or a divorce, or any other loss of something precious, without a chip on one’s shoulder. It’s definitely another thing to find the strength to seek other pursuits, other people that can become just as precious, if not more so. Such pursuits require hope and support. Aviva says this to offer hope to others, “Be honest and enjoy life! It is short. Don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t be petty because most of it is all nonsense. Never worry what other people think of you; otherwise you will be always unhappy. In order to succeed, know what you want and stay focused on attaining that goal. The race is with yourself.”

You can read more about Aviva at AvivaDrescher.com.

Fishful Thinking^SM is a program sponsored by Pepperidge Farm that provides resources, tips, and activities for raising happy, healthy children. Pepperidge Farm teamed with Dr. Karen Reivich, a leader in positive psychology research, and a mother of four, to provide parents with resources, tips, and activities they can use to help kids tackle life’s obstacles.

Who do you go to for parenting advice? Join us for a night connecting with other moms to share tips and activities for positive parenting! Join us here at #gno on February 2 from 9-11PM EST with Dr. Karen Reivich, the Mom It Forward gals, and the Fishful Thinking team to share a night of parenting support!

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, February 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #fishfulthinking.)
• Topic: Fishful Thinking: A Resource for Positive Parenting
• Who: @1momof5 @cecilyr @karenreivich @noflashcards @pepperidgefarm @sarah0514 @sitsgirls @springtacious @ssmirnov @reneejross @rockandrollmama @writingthewaves @youngmommy
• Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from Pepperidge Farm Fishful Thinking. Deadline: 2/3
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

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Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.