The arrival of the holidays is supposed to be a joyous time that allows us an opportunity to come together and celebrate what truly matters most - family, friends, loved ones, health, and happiness - but mere days before Christmas, Laura was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With a husband and six children, including four living under her roof, Laura was 'filled with disbelief, fear, anger, and sadness'. Fortunately, her family and friends shrouded Laura in love and support. Having lived in AZ for only 6 months at the time of her diagnosis, Laura leaned into her sorority network (Sigma Kappa) and with the help of a couple of 'sisters', her husband and kids, grocery shopping-to-cooking, school pick-up/drop-off, not to mention, financial support, everything was covered and provided. Chloe, the youngest of the brood, even found she had a knack for cooking and baking, with the rest of the family appreciating her delicious creations. Laura's husband, Craig, even took a leave of absence from his career as a pediatric cardiology nurse to stay home and become his wife's private nurse. Laura felt blessed to receive such beautiful, thoughtful support and encouragement.
New beginnings… Laura was referred to Cancer Support Community Arizona by a friend who, in the past, utilized our programs when she was going through treatment. Though she found all our programs to be wonderful and supportive, Laura gravitated to our Expressive Arts classes and found them to be pure joy; almost quite literally. As Laura puts it:
'All of the art classes have allowed me, to not only realize how much I LOVE ART, but they've granted me the freedom to escape and connect with other survivors. Our instructor, Joy Kockerbeck (Expressive Arts Coordinator) spreads joy to each participant. She brings out the best in each of us by getting to know us individually and intuitively knows how to guide and inspire while allowing for discoveries and the ability to apply our spin to our creations.'
Laura also appreciates that our Youth, Teen, and Family Program, for ages 6-23, provides a space for her children to receive age-appropriate support. In addition to her home cook responsibilities, Laura's youngest, Chloe, attends our Cookies & Community Support Program for Teens which allows her to speak freely and express emotions and thoughts about how her mother's diagnosis affects her plus, Chloe looks forward to seeing her favorite human (outside her family) - our very own Mary Hald, Youth, Teen & Family Coordinator.
As a family, they have attended numerous classes including our community events like our Thanksgiving dinner and annual holiday celebration, Night of Hope. In fact, Night of Hope provided a particularly 'magical' memory. As Laura shares, '…when the candles were held and the caregivers surrounded the survivors…it was moving, heartwarming and not a dry eye in the circle.'
As Laura reflects on her cancer journey, how it's impacted her family and the influence of our programs and services, she says 'I couldn't be more thankful for Cancer Support Community Arizona!'.
For Laura and her family, the exceptionalism of Cancer Support Community Arizona has them looking forward to learning more, sharing more and doing more - all as a family. They're grateful to have you know they've benefited from our programs and services - at no charge to them - because of supporters, like YOU!
With the support of Cancer Support Community Arizona, Laura and her family are empowered by knowledge, sustained by community and strengthened by action.
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