Cancer affects us all. We all know someone who is fighting it and we all know incredible people that we’ve lost to the disease. Dealing with cancer in your family can be isolating and stressful, and Living Journeys is dedicated to providing a supportive community for those who are facing this challenge.
“I wish I could take all the sorrow and pain for you, but for now I offer my hand to hold and shoulder to lean upon.” — Anonymous
“The Living Journeys Youth Group was so helpful for me when my mom was diagnosed and eventually passed away from breast cancer. There isn’t anything quite like knowing you have a group of people that you can turn to who will immediately understand what you’re going through, simply because they’ve been in a similar situation.
Both cancer and death are really stigmatized subjects that most people have a hard time talking about, so one thing I’ve really appreciated has been having a place where talking about death is met with both support and a good dose of morbid humor. Losing a parent young can feel really isolating at times and I’m really grateful for the community Living Journeys has fostered so that no one who has been affected by cancer has to process it alone.”
-Lily Fessenden, Gunnison County resident & former Youth Group member
“The word “cancer” often evokes fear, anger, and other negative emotions. Amidst these feelings, it is often challenging to maintain relationships, normal daily routine, to experience joy or any other positive emotions. For some people the key to remaining positive is finding and connecting with support.
I have witnessed a good support group provide a much needed lifeline, a place to share feelings confidentially, make new friends, and learn from others who have walked a similar path.
It has been my privilege and honor for the past 3 plus years to facilitate and hold a safe, sacred space for people who have survived cancer, who are going through cancer, for anyone providing care for a loved one or experiencing grief and loss. I have learned so much from the people who attend LJ support groups and I am constantly amazed by participants’ strength, courage and compassion. When people with a common purpose and shared life experience come together they are less likely to feel alone, negative, depressed, anxious and symptoms of loneliness and fatigue melt away, if only for an hour.”
-Laura Scales, Marriage and Family Therapist, MA, LMFT