At SOE the belief is that you become a ‘survivor’
at the moment that you are told of your critical diagnosis. You do not
need for a certain time period to elapse, nor do you need to wait for
test results to become a ‘survivor.’ It is natural to consider yourself
as a ‘victim’ at first, but you need to think of it this way...being
a ‘victim’ is a state of body and being a ‘survivor’ is a "state
of mind."
SOE will provide participants with the tools that enable them to live as a
‘survivor’ and leave the ‘victim’ behind. During the week we will discuss some
philosophical differences between ‘victim’ and ‘survivor.’
Jack Ganster, Founder SOE
Maria stopped her paddle right in midst of a stroke. It hovered over the water next to her kayak as she watched for the little head to peek out. There it was again, a seal in the bay not more than 20 feet away! Yesterday, she watched an eagle soar above as she hiked a trail in the Olympic Mountains. She couldn’t believe that she was close enough to witness such things in nature. Heck, she couldn’t even believe she was alive to witness such things!
A year ago, she had been fighting breast cancer, fighting for her life. Now, she was getting back in touch with her body, with nature and with her goals and dreams. She was participating in Survivor’s Outdoor Experience.
Maria reaches over and taps the shoulder of her boat-mate, Peter. She points to the seal and seeing the cute fellow, he can’t help himself, he laughs out loud. Surprisingly, the noise doesn’t bother the seal. Their leader notices them pointing to the seal and signals the others to alert them. They continue their excursion, working their muscles in a relaxing pristine setting.
Over 1.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. Unfortunately it is anticipated that 560,000 will die this year, or more than 1,500 per day. At any given moment, there are 10,500,000 people living with cancer. Cancer touches everyone at some point, some time.
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© 2009 SOE