The concept for You Gotta Friend originated from a combination of my mom’s life and experiences. They are two fold. First, she had a great network of friends that helped support her throughout her life. Secondly, she had an incredible battle with cancer.
As many of you know, my mom, Janice M. Anderson, passed away a year ago this week from breast cancer. First diagnosed 15 years ago and given a very poor prognosis, Janice pursued traditional treatment methods - chemotherapy and mastectomy. While her treatment was quite successful in eradicating the tumor, lymph node biopsies revealed that although she had no known metastases, she had active tumor cells within her lymph system. Her traditional oncologist offered little other than a complete stem cell transplant.
To my mother, enduring another bout of chemotherapy that was certain to damage healthy tissues a stem cell transplant did not seem like a viable option. She began looking for alternatives and after much research found a program that made sense to her, the Gerson Therapy. She also found a holistic MD that agreed to work in conjunction with her traditional oncologist. I believe that this treatment program gave me an additional 13 years with my mother.
When I first came up with the idea to for You Gotta Friend, I wanted to find some way of increasing access to alternative care. Traditional fundraising did not seem like something that would work for me and it appears that there are numerous groups out there doing the same thing. Then I was introduced to the idea of a Shakti group. Basically, it is a group of women who get together to honor themselves and each other. It really struck home with me and felt like a great way honor the spirit of my mom.
Every week, my mom and her friends would meet at a local cafe or coffee shop to reconnect. This group of women shared a lot of things - the celebration of life experiences, the release of cares and troubles, the exploration of questions of spirituality, connectedness and belief but most importantly, I feel that for these women it was a place where they could truly be and express themselves. People came and went, but the essence of the group remained.
As my mom declined in health, the group eventually began bringing their coffee and lunches to her place, allowing her to be involved as much or as little as she chose in the conversations. I know that this group of women meant everything to my mom, they were her best friends, and it helped her through a very difficult time. I don’t know what she would have done without them.
All of this - my mothers battle with cancer and the strong support of her friends - has brought me to what I would like You Gotta Friend to be. My objectives for You Gotta Friend are, first and foremost, to establish supportive and nurturing friendships. As we nurture who and what we are as individuals, we can begin to reach out to the community. The problem with alternative treatment programs is that they are expensive, difficult to access and many are not covered by insurance. My hope is that, through donations of time, services and/or money, You Gotta Friend can provide information and assistance for those seeking alternative or complementary treatments.
People can involved in this group as much or as little as they would like. It is a means of support. If you’d just like the company of other women, please join us. For those who would like to do more, we can find ways to create access to care through various means. You can choose how, when or if you will be involved in each meeting and/or project. There is absolutely no obligation. Check back here frequently for updates on our activities and progress.
If you would like more information on this organization, please email me at thebodydefined@gmail.com.
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