Wellspring Member Tammy Gunn recently published a book about her cancer experience, in which she mentions the impact Wellspring had on her life. The following page is an excerpt from her book, Dancing Through Diagnosis, which is available to buy online.
Let’s Get Connected
I was first introduced to the Wellspring programs when I was about to start chemotherapy. Wellspring programs are a resource of support for someone going through cancer, supporters of someone going through cancer and more. The programs reminded me that I am not alone. That there are people out there who care and have created programs to help people live better lives with cancer and beyond.
This is a non-profit organization with centres in Toronto, Oakville, London, Niagara, Brampton, Edmonton, and Calgary. The pandemic made it so many of these programs became accessible online.
During my treatment time, I took a nutritional class and an online yoga class. And after all my treatments were complete, I knew I wanted to sign up for the coaching program on cancer transitions that was available.
The coaches in this program were either cancer patients or caregivers at one time. They understand where you have been because they were there once too! I got so much value out of this program. I was committed to quieting the noise in my head that had cancer still screaming at me from time to time.
At the beginning of the program, I set goals with my coach. My goals were being able to sleep well, eat well, and to be able to travel without worrying about a recurrence. Specifically, I wanted to have the tools in place to manage my thoughts and my body’s responses to my concerns about recurrence.
The calls with my coach were amazing. I felt heard and understood according to where I was at each week, and it was validated that I didn’t need to worry all the time. I walked away from this program knowing that my inner voice may sometimes be worried or scared, but when I combine the powers that I have of shifting my mindset; physically standing tall and strong, and using the words I speak to myself that I am healthy, happy, confident, and free to be me in my everyday speech, I can manifest happiness for myself.
I never realized until my diagnosis how many people are affected by cancer daily. When one person has cancer, it easily affects a minimum of one other person if not entire families or the communities who are there to support that one person.
Getting to connect with others going through this experience made a huge difference for me in not feeling so alone.
Physically, I was never alone. I know that, however, there are moments when dealing with everything that because it is in my body and nobody else’s, it feels lonely. Wellspring has a way of interrupting that and having me see the greatness, compassion, and generosity in sharing myself and having others share with me.
