I am on the board of directors for Cruising for the Cure, a classic wooden boat show to benefit pancreatic cancer research.
I don't know much about boats. I know I like to take photographs of them. I am not a boat geek like the other board members of CFTC. Truth be told I get nauseous if I sit in the back seat of a car. That has gotten worse after cancer, and even though I grew up 10 minutes away from a lake I only learned how to swim about 5 or 6 years ago.
I don't think I told the other board members about that...
I have been involved with this organization for 3 years now. I love to go out and advocate in public. I love to see where, in even a small way, I have made a difference.
The boat show came at a perfect time for me. I have written extensively about my battle with depression. If my friends haven't read this blog they don't know how hard it has been in the last couple of weeks. I am not sure why that is, stress of everyday life. Maybe because I started a second job to help pay the bills. Either way it has been a rough few weeks.
We had a silent auction on Friday, and the boat show/parade was on Saturday. Both days were picture perfect. The last 2 years I didn't ride in the parade, I didn't have any dramamine, and I would rather not get sick in a classic wooden boat. This year I bought some in the hopes I would be able to ride.
And I did.
I was introduced to Suzie and Bob Davies who own the boat Tango. Suzie is on the board of directors for a local cancer charity. It was a good fit.
We cruised around all of Torch Lake in the parade. It felt great to be outside in the sun, with the wind in my hair and the occasionally splash of water from the lake.
I understood why Jane Thie loved boats, and why she loved that lake.
If every cancer survivor could experience that feeling, that would be awesome.
A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. ~William Wordsworth
Mel is the producer/co~host of The Vic McCarty Show. Listen Live Monday~Friday 10am-noon eastern time on wmktthetalkstation.com
Check out my podcast The Cancer Warrior on Empoweradio.com Available on demand and also available on Itunes.
Hi Mel,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us all. It's great to hear you're actively involved in advocating and spreading cancer awareness--have you heard of the Cancer Support Community? In order to improve the breast cancer experience, we are trying to better understand the emotional and social needs of breast cancer survivors.
Unfortunately, evidence shows that most women experience some form of distress or depression due to their cancer, and often times they feel their emotions are misunderstood. As a survivor and from what you have mentioned in this post (i.e. battling with depression), you know firsthand the impact a cancer diagnosis has on women with the disease, as well as their families.
Please consider joining us and helping us better support women, both emotionally and socially, throughout their breast cancer journey. Any man or woman that has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is willing to share their experience with us can make a difference. Everyone's voice is important--no matter if you were recently diagnosed, undergoing treatment, living with metastatic disease or even years past treatment.
You can learn more and join at www.BreastCancerRegistry.com
We would love to have you join us as part of a national movement of breast cancer survivors, and your help in spreading the word about our project!
Best of luck to you, Mel, and looking forward to your future posts!
Natalie
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate your comments, I cannot participate with your support group when I was kicked out of an online support group run by The wellness community. I cannot be a part of something that did not support me when I was going through a very difficult time during this cancer journey. The link below is what I wrote about my experience with the wellness community: http://thecancerwarrior.blogspot.com/2010/04/you-get-what-you-pay-for-part-two.html