I can tell you the day I started getting Well Again. It was 2010, when I signed on for an "empowering retreat" called Healing Odyssey. This amazing and innovative program for women cancer survivors was designed to reboot our physical confidence while jump-starting our emotional and spiritual recovery. It sure worked its magic on me!

The founders of Healing Odyssey were two "ordinary" women working in cancer care--an oncology nurse and a social worker. They had both seen that the cancer aftercare groups they facilitated just didn't give women a sufficient kickstart to get them dis-identified with their past, i.e., their identities as cancer patients, and reconnected instead with their lives going forward. One of the biggest misconceptions I know is the idea that the trip home from Cancertown is automatic. It's anything but. Donna Farris, the surviving founder of Healing Odyssey, saw this and committed to designing a retreat program that could clear the way and provide a wonderful community experience too.

It's impossible to overstate the genius of Donna's idea and the depth of commitment she and her team have displayed SINCE 1994. That's 22 years of workshops, outreach, fundraising and generally making-a-way-out-of-no-way.

You can donate to or volunteer for Healing Odyssey, and you should. Check them out at healingodyssey.org

BACK ON THE BLOCK

It was a true loss to the cancer community when Healing Odyssey lost funding and had to suspend operations a couple of years ago. But it was AWESOME when a philanthropist came forward to help Healing Odyssey get rolling again.

Here's HO President Donna Farris reading the letter that moved him to action.