I’m at it again! For the seventh year, I’ll be pitching a tent in downtown Northampton to raise $$$$ and awareness for Cancer Connection! This year the campout is happening earlier than ever: February 27(!). That’s a holy crapsicle for this heat-loving Sicilian. So I’ll be bringing a ridiculous number of wool layers along with a duffel of warm sentiments to the old courthouse lawn. Deep winter and I may have a complicated relationship, but it’s easy to feel gratitude for being able to honor my mom and her legacy of love, while also supporting a haven for people living with cancer.
I first heard about the Cancer Connection Camp-Out just a few months after my mom passed away. I knew it was a golden opportunity, in some small way, to turn the dark sorrow of her leaving into something beautiful, to use my grief as a gateway to grace by simply being of service. I could camp and raise money for a healing sanctuary dedicated to the physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of cancer warriors and memorialize my mom’s brave battle.
If she had a place like Cancer Connection during the last years of her life, I know her experience would have been less lonely and more supported. Through workshops, programs, special trips, integrative therapies, and support groups, Cancer Connection provides people living with cancer and their families the resources and respite to soldier on. And because Cancer Connection understands that people who are in a battle for their lives should not have to worry about paying for services that will enhance their ability to cope and to heal, everything they offer is absolutely F R E E! Grassroots fundraising like this crazy campout ensures they can continue to offer such life-changing, compassionate care.
My youngest was just three years old when I first started pitching a tent in town. He’s grown up with this urban camping-for-a-cause. Even now, whenever we drive by the courthouse lawn, he points to my ‘camp spot.’ So when I asked him if I should do it again this year, he responded like it wasn’t an option. ‘Of course you are, Mom. You’re doing good for people.’ I really can’t argue with that.
The truth is even the smallest kindness makes a difference. And multiplied, it wields transformative power. Each year I camp adds layers of meaning to my experience and deepens what I bring to it. What started as medicine for my grieving process has helped raise nearly $8,000 for an incredible organization and become a way to honor and celebrate everyone I love who has died, survived, and thrived from cancer. I’ve demonstrated to my kids what it means to turn love into action and how to be a conduit for others to make a direct and positive impact in the world. With every dollar I tallied and every night I spent on the courthouse lawn, I spread hope and healing, which in turn nourished my own hope and personal healing. I understand now that the act of camping in the cold and the simple gesture of contributing money delivers an important message to people traversing the perilous terrain of cancer. It says - I see you. I believe in you. And I want you to know you are not alone.
To be here for each other is one of our greatest purposes in life. Consider planting some beauty in the world for someone who needs it. The ground may be frozen, but the seeds of kindness can be sown anywhere and often flourish in the toughest growing conditions. Click the link to make your tax-deductible donation. Cash and checks accepted too - message me for deets.
Thank you for your heartfelt support and generosity!
**If you want to learn more about Cancer Connection's free programs and services, visit their website: www.cancer-connection.org.