Summer Camp For Grown Ups!

Today, I am missing about 50 ladies and one man. I recently returned from Camp Mak-A-Dream's Women's Cancer Retreat in Gold Creek, Montana. I don't have room for all the adjectives needed to describe the experience, the setting, and the women!



Montana sunrise!

Oh, about that man, I miss him at least three times day. He's the chief cook and bottle washer at the camp, and he is good at his job! It was an indulgent experience to simply show up at the main lodge and have a steaming breakfast, lunch, and dinner awaiting with the bonus of no dishes to wash!

Camp Mak-A-Dream Main Lodge

 



I met a young lady whose friend discouraged her from attending by asking why she would want spend time sitting around with a bunch of depressed women talking about cancer. The camp experience was in actuality bursting from the other end of the spectrum! A diverse group of women - from twenty-somethings to that age range where it is impolite to ask for a number - came together and didn't do much sitting around!

 

Unless we were sitting around in this hot tub!







Some women had conquered cancer years ago, others were fresh from the fight, and a few were still in the throes of the battle. However, this group was so overflowing with life and laughter that one would never guess. They were open to everyone emotionally and willing to take on just about anything physically. Wheelchairs and canes were cast aside as women old enough to be my grandmother joined everyone else in the big tree house to sail down the zip line! There were hikes, a climbing wall, and an art studio to keep us busy. There were educational sessions on everything from healing after cancer to gentle yoga. Above all, there was a spirit of connection with a lovely group of ladies and breathtaking scenery punctuated by the distant bugling of elk.

Montana sunset!

"Hats, Teeth and Other Misc. Stuff"

I'm in the middle. It's been two weeks since my second round of chemo and it is just  less than two weeks until chemo number three. These are supposed to be my "good days." They are, from a chemo standpoint. However, my mouth has betrayed me. The pain from having my tooth pulled at the oral surgeon's last week is lingering. Way. Too. Long. I don't know what is taking it so long to heal, but a hurting mouth makes everything a little less fun.

I also don't know what to do about my hair. What's left of it, that is. I'm in mandatory hat mode. Without the hat, I look a dog with the mange. I've lost 75 to 80% of my hair. I'm just guessing. I know that God knows the number of every hair on my head. That must be an easier job for him now. For now, I need more hats I guess. My Mom bought me a cute one and my Aunt surprised me by sending me a hat made just for me! It was a nice surprise!

 



I'm also very appreciative of those who have made food for us. It has made life much easier! Thank you to Kristin Steelman for the three frozen, homemade meals! They didn't spend much time in my freezer! Thanks to my Mom for leaving some chili in the freezer! Thanks to Val for always surprising us with dinner! Thanks to my cousin Joni for the Applebee's gift card (we recently enjoyed some 'car side to go')! Love you all!

"Snail Mail Support"

In the age of e-mail, text messages and quickie Facebook posts, I have come to appreciate the age-old form of communication. While, electronic messages are nice too, it is amazing the uplifting feeling you get when you open the mailbox and find that someone thought of you. A snail mail card means that someone thought of you, picked out a card, hunted down your address and spent good money on a stamp! Hey, that's hard to come by these days!

I have many people to thank for snail mail encouragement! Some are repeat offenders (you know who you are)! Some are people I haven't heard from in years and some are people I do not even know. I just received a small package the other day from a women who doesn't know me and I do not know her. She sent an uplifting card and a devotional book called "Praying Through Cancer." It is a book she said helped her in her own journey with breast cancer. I found out she attends church with my Grandparents in Oklahoma.

I got another thick envelope in the mail with a very encouraging note from another breast cancer survivor. I don't know her either, but she knows many of my family members who live in Oregon and she says she feels like she knows me. We are now Facebook friends. She sent me this necklace:

I thank everyone for every form of support that has been sent my way. You may never know how much it helps and how much it means to me! Prayers have already been answered along this journey. I know prayers are powerful and I thank everyone who puts me and my family in theirs.

"What Cancer Cannot Take"

When I got home from the hospital, I had a gift waiting for me from a friend. It was a beautiful mug with the following poem (author unknown):

What Cancer Cannot Take From You

It cannot take away

your faith, shatter

your hope

or lessen your love.

It cannot destroy true

friendship,

invade the soul or take

away eternal life.

It cannot conquer

your spirit.

How true! If anything, it brings out the best in some people and guides you to your true friends. It puts you at the center of of many prayers and that is a humbling experience!