Thanks to a caring community
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Editor,
It with deep heartfelt thanks that I write this letter to thank all of you who attended a recent cancer benefit for my family and me. A cancer benefit is something I would not wish upon anyone, yet that Saturday night I wouldn’t trade for anything. The outpouring of support and caring by this community was beyond words.
For over 12 years I have acted as a chaplain in hospice and oncology settings. One of the main messages I have given to people is that when you are thrust into cancer, you need to accept help and support. Most of us in our lifetimes have been great “givers.” To be a “receiver” is both difficult and humbling. I have emphasized that to reject help is to reject gifts from people who care about you deeply and want to support you in your time of need.
And then I was thrust into cancer. When I listened to my own advice (and it wasn’t easy) I felt like a dance teacher who suddenly had to actually dance. When I was initially diagnosed, I immediately thought I could get through this by myself. The night of the benefit, I got cold feet. I really didn’t want to attend because I assumed it would be all about me. How wrong I was. It was about us, this community, not just me. The benefit was about being supported by a loving and caring community; it was about you and me on a journey toward wholeness.
Thanks to all who made this event what it was. It will be forever etched in my mind and I will never forget.
John Payne
Polson
