Three years ago, when Vera Trainer was diagnosed with cancer, she did what many strong, capable people do first — she tried to handle it quietly. “I really sort of had this thought that I would just do it alone, and I didn’t need to tell anybody.” She kept moving forward. She was “kind of discreet” because...
Part Two ofOut of the Cave: Reflections on Healing, Presence, and the Human Experience of CancerDrawn from the wisdom of Dr. Cobie Whitten — inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Over the course of a three-day retreat, participants often experience shifts that are not possible in a clinical setting. We create a safe, supportive...
Part One of Out of the Cave: Reflections on Healing, Presence, and the Human Experience of CancerDrawn from the wisdom of Dr. Cobie Whitten — inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Cancer has a way of pulling people out of the ordinary story of life. It interrupts, unsettles, and asks questions most of us...
The moment I knew, for sure, I had breast cancer my mind became a blank slate. My past was erased and I had only this instant where there was nothing. I was suddenly thinking of my own death. This lasted for a nanosecond. I told my husband it was malignant and he wrapped me in...
Where the Light Gets In: Kintsugi, Community, and the Art of Healing with Basha Brownstein When Basha stepped into the kintsugi-inspired workshop at Cancer Lifeline, a collaboration with Nicola Davis, Certified Leadership Coach, she did so holding many truths at once: she was both facilitator and survivor, guide and witness, teacher and student of the...
The Healing Power of Retreat: Why Stepping Away Matters on the Cancer Journey An Expanded Reflection on the Harmony Retreats 3-Day Cancer Retreat When many people imagine a “retreat,” they picture spa robes and massages. Harmony Retreats, a program of Cancer Lifeline, holds a different kind of sanctuary…a place where individuals living with cancer come...
The holidays are around the corner and can stir up many emotions — joy, gratitude, nostalgia, and sometimes deep loneliness. For those living with cancer or caring for someone who is, the coming season may feel different from years past. Traditions shift. Energy changes. The familiar rhythms of life can feel uncertain. At Cancer Lifeline,...
