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When I first came here, I thought "C" stood for cancer. But what a difference my group makes! Now "C" stands for comfort, compassion, caring, courage, and celebration! Especially with birthday cakes, which symbolize the year that might never have come. Thank you! |
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| -- Ernestine Traversari, Participant since 1996 |
| There's an attitude here that permeates -- a warmth and friendliness. You meet people sharing a common problem. You have a great compassion for one another. Camaraderie develops. It becomes part of your everyday life. It's an incredible learning experience. The benefit? People. Interaction. Activities. The experience changes your life. It truly sets you on a new course.
-- Rolland Viti, Participant |
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Kid's Circle is great. It's a kid's view of coping with a family member's cancer. We learned a lot about what to expect and how we can make it better. My favorite part was just being there with everybody and just talking. It's great for kids to get together and talk about how they are feeling. |
| -- Megan Burnett, 11, Kid's Circle participant |
| Ironically, after my husband died, a cherished friend, who was dealing with ovarian cancer, took me to the center to, of all things, help with some office work. I loved it the first time. There's a lot of goodness there. Everyone was so kind and nice to me. They were there when I needed them -- when I was grieving. You'll drive yourself bats being all alone. People there are just so understanding. I come (to volunteer) with my heart.
-- Julia Lazenby, Volunteer |
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As far as the medical community is concerned, your role in life is as a patient. It's nice to come here, where you are first and foremost a person... There's a lot of humor here which I think surprises people. It's not a grim, depressing affair. In fact, we laugh a lot. We cry some, too. I think the people here have taught me the incredible resilience of the human spirit. |
| -- Barbara Barre, Participant, 3-time breast cancer survivor |
