In honor of Valentine’s Day I want to remind you that you are the fabric of Adventure Therapy Foundation. Every family we serve and every person who acknowledges the work we do, I carry each of you with me. Hundreds of you have shared your story, called me when making treatment choices, and asked me to talk when cancer shifts your path. These are not just one-time conversations or disconnected dots. I have listened to and woven your story into our mission. I have listened for repeating themes and tried to build programs to support others who will experience similar situations.
We are more connected than you know. I believe we experience emotional responses to cancer that are typical, normal, and consistent; they are the same in each of us. We don’t know it yet because there is so little research on survivorship and emotional well-being. However, I have spent the past five years listening, and I want you to know even if you feel alone, you belong to a kinship of people shaped by cancer.
My life’s work is to connect our dots, to overlap our stories so that the cancer experience becomes apparent. To do that, I have woven your story and mine into a beautiful tapestry. It is the fabric of my heart. Your story is there. Your story in me is made up of my hopes for your future wrapped around the terrible broken moments created by cancer. I carry each story with me because I want to bring these shared experiences to light. I know that if we can identify common emotional side effects of cancer, we can build effective tools to minimize them.
My heart for you this Valentine’s Day is that you know you are not alone. You are not the only one who struggles with broken expectations for life. You are not the only one who is afraid. Cancer’s impact on our lives is hard to process. It is a painful trauma that requires much healing. We are here for you throughout your healing process.
If you feel alone, I suggested you listen to our podcast, Adventures with Scars. You will begin to understand how connected we are as you listen to me walk through my philosophy on the cancer experience.
