If it wasn’t for Mary Huston’s endometriosis surgery in 2021, there is no telling when she would have been diagnosed with cancer.
Often, follicular lymphoma cancer is detected through routine upper GI scoping when patients reach their sixties. At 38 years old, this wasn’t a diagnosis Mary, or her doctors were expecting.
It is difficult for Mary to distinguish between the two chronic illnesses as they both present similar symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, and weight loss. Luckily, regardless of which illness is causing her pain, Wellspring helps Mary manage both her cancer and endometriosis symptoms.
Programs that make a difference
Mary has taken many online resources through Wellspring, saying they, “All work together to create a momentum of change for my healing and wellness journey.” They include online coaching sessions, counselling sessions, the Healing Journey Program, Skills and Strategies Workshops, and Nourish Program sessions.
“After attending the Nourish Program, I noticed a huge difference in my symptom management. Making small incremental changes to my diet has been helpful and I really believe in food being that pillar to support wellness. But it isn’t just for me to enjoy; there are meals that my entire family can enjoy. I don’t have to eat my food separately. The recipes are bringing my family closer together,” says Mary.
A parent to six-year-old twins, Mary struggled with finding the right words to tell them about her diagnosis. Mary met with a Wellspring counsellor online, who helped her form a step-by-step plan on how to have these important conversations with her family. “The counsellor helped me to explain why I have these medical appointments, and that it is important that we are all open and honest about our feelings. The sessions helped me figure out how to get this team approach to my cancer diagnosis and ensure that I was delivering news in a way that would be supportive for our family and the girls. Because of this, the girls managed my cancer news well, and they’re doing better every day,” she says.
The Healing Journey Program has helped Mary both psychologically and with her physical pain. “I’ve developed a lot of medical anxiety throughout my cancer journey, going into hospitals and getting scopes every three months. But the Healing Journey Program, in conjunction with all the other programs and resources I’m taking at Wellspring, has made my cancer less painful. I can use the skills and strategies to practice mindfulness to take the pain away. They are all key pieces I need to heal,” says Mary.
Living each day
Finding a community of people who understand what she is going through has been integral to managing Mary’s cancer diagnosis. As follicular lymphoma is a chronic cancer with no real treatment options available, Mary is focused on taking every day as it comes, despite the challenges and obstacles she will face along the way. “How do you live your life when you know that at any moment it can change? That’s why I started using Wellspring in the first place, and why I continue to use it to this day. Wellspring has taught me to weave in all these elements to keep going, to keep getting up every day, and to be the best parent to my girls,” she says.
Passing it on
Mary encourages people to consider donating to Wellspring, as we all know someone affected by cancer in some way – even if they don’t know it yet. “Cancer doesn’t just impact the person that has it; it impacts everyone around them. You could be the teacher of a child whose parent has cancer, so you’re also impacted. Wellspring is so integral to not only the wellbeing of people living with cancer, but the community around them, too. Donating to Wellspring will have a ripple effect to everyone in your community in one way or another.”
