What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer cannot destroy my faith.  I have always believed that what is meant to be will always find its way.  It is so true.  Eight years later I am still involved with Camp Quality.  What started as a search on the internet to find a camp for children with disabilities has changed my life in ways I cannot even express to you.  I am so thankful that the MDA camp turned me down and had "too many" volunteers.

This year I started as program and activities coordinator and then moved over to healthcare coordinator in February.  I got really nervous as camp was approaching because no nurses had reached out to volunteer.  After I approached our executive director, hours later she had a husband and wife who wanted to help out.  Coincidently, they were from Wyandotte too.  What are the chances?!?  We ended up meeting in person at training, and holy moly, the friendship that has formed is amazing.  Sister Chandler and Home Skillet joined me in the nursing cabin this year and honestly, we could not have a better team, (we also had guest appearances by Hash Brown on busy nights).  These two have such big hearts and have opened themselves up to the CQ family just as I had done seven years ago.  I am so blessed to have gotten to meet them and develop the friendships we have with each other, they truly are some amazing nurses/friends.  It is so great to meet people who have the same kind of heart that you do, not many young adults are willing to give up a week of their life to provide service to others.

It was hard being healthcare coordinator.  I am used to working 3 12 hours shifts a week, not 168 hours in one week.  Honestly, it is a 24-7 job.  We had campers sleeping in the nurses station, calls for us to come up to cabins in the middle of the night, oncologist calling my phone all week, it was busy.  I was so nervous to be responsible for the health and well being of 49 children, but it was well worth it.  When the oncologist called and started talking oncology, I was confident, I knew my stuff.  Thanks to Henry Ford and all the info that has been drilled into my head the past year.  I do miss being with a camper one on one, but I do love getting to know ALL the campers now.  

Cancer cannot destroy my drive.  It is childhood cancer awareness month so a few of us were posting facts about childhood cancer to make those more aware and a person told me that I needed to post a good fact.  What is not good about a childhood cancer statistic?  Even if it is negative, it is making one more person aware, and maybe that will trigger one more person to donate a little more, volunteer their time, or reach out to a child or family who needs it.  Plus, these statistics are more promising than they were just one year ago when we were celebrating childhood cancer awareness month.

Cancer cannot destroy my compassion.  I found out yesterday one of the campers I have gotten close to with both camp and For a Day Foundation has three new tumors in her brain and there is nothing they can do about them here.  Surgery is not an option.  St. Jude's clinical trial is the only hope.  When the camper needed to talk, I was here.  I will do anything for her that I can and she knows that.  Sometimes all they need is someone to listen, someone to care.

Cancer cannot destroy my ambition.  Ironically, I read the campers caring bridge after I had gotten done watching a movie, The Heart of Christmas.  It was about a young child who was being treated at St. Jude's and then ended up not making it.  Watching those nurses there, I know that is where I belong.  I want to be there for those children and their families when there is nothing more that can be done, or when they are finally in remission.  I want to know their favorite foods, their sleeping habits, and what kind of clothes they like to wear because they are there for months.  I got online and applied to Pediatric Oncology positions from Philadelphia to Houston.  I pray that I end up in Pediatric Oncology someday, it is my ambition and I will not give up.