Path of Hope Walk
Dear Editor: On behalf of the Sitka Cancer Survivor’s Society, we wish to thank all those who attended last Sunday at the Path of Hope Walk, celebrating cancer survivors. We actually had a great turnout in spite of the recent COVID spike. And the best part is it didn’t rain!
We were able to hold our annual meeting. Annual reports were given by the president and other board members. The 2021 objectives are for future signage to be completed to help guide people to help find the park, needing volunteers in the future to help clean the park, and filling the treasurer’s board position.
We then honored all cancer survivors who attended. Celebrating with them their survivorship. One of our very own board members celebrated her five-year cancer-free survival, graduating from Seattle Cancer Care recently.
We then had our treasure hunt for all attendees, including the adults and the children! We had seven hidden treasures for them to find. It was so fun, as they were hidden pretty well! Prizes were various gift cards.
We want to thank the Sitka Emblem Club 142 for donating and providing the yummy cookies. We also want to thank the Sitka Bottling Company for the donation of the Body Armor Sport Water. Also BIG thanks to the Sitka Sentinel, KIFW, Raven Radio and Sitka Soup for all the great PSA’s for us.
We encourage all in Sitka to take time and walk through the Path of Hope and enjoy this beautiful, peaceful place. The park is for all of us in Sitka. If you missed this year’s event, we hope that you can attend next year.
If anyone knows of someone who has been recently diagnosed with cancer and in need of help with medical expenses, travel and etc., please have them contact one of the following board members for a Mini-Grant application form or pick up a form at Sitka Realty. We are here to help.
Thanks again, Sitka.
SCSS Board Members:
Carolyn Fredrickson, President/PR,
Candi Barger, Vice President,
Linda Janacek, Secretary,
Bonnie Richards, Quilt Sales,
Gloria Scigliano, Treasurer,
Diane Linn, MSN, RN, OCN,
Nurse Educator and
Support Group Coordinator
Guidelines
Dear Editor: It is now getting dark at 10 p.m. Have you noticed? Soon the lily pads and bears will go dormant, the wind and rain will visit us with greater regularity, and did I mention the darkness? Yep, I did, but I can’t emphasize that enough. Ugh.
The coupling of a change in season with an uptick in COVID cases has brought out a lot of visible frustration. When I say that, I am being self-reflective, but if you’re reading this, do a check-in: how are you doing? I won’t be cliche, I won’t remind you that you should always “put on your own oxygen mask, before assisting others.” or with conviction tell you that “things do not get easier, you get stronger.” Nope. Instead I’ll say, welcome to this COVID world where abnormal is the new normal. At least for a while. We flirted with reverting to business as usual when on May 13th the CDC changed their masking and mitigation guidelines. They said fully vaccinated folks could inhale deeply. And boy, did we. But then, in less than two months, Sitka watched their COVID risk designation go from limited, to low, to moderate, and now high which means we are seeing regular COVID positive cases, increased hospitalizations, and even a death. That’s scary, isn’t it?
CDC drew a map. They said when it comes to COVID, cover up your smile with a mask, stop talking to human beings, and stay locked in your house. I’m being facetious, and I do so to stress this, our mental fitness is just as important as our lung capacity. The last year and a half has been exhausting. I am happy to share a bit about how I’ve managed through it.
When I tossed my name into the hat for Assembly, I immediately signed up for free counseling through my work’s Employee Assistance Program. I told my counselor I needed to develop tools to deal with the mud being flung in my direction. Yeah, it goes with the territory but my role on Assembly will NOT give me premature gray hair (I’ll earn that in due time). The election came and went, but I decided to stick with it. The regularity of my sessions is based on my need, sometimes we do monthly, sometimes we do weekly (like now). If you haven’t tried it, feel free to look into it. I’ve benefited greatly! #NoStigma #TrulyNoStigma
My greatest strength comes from my family. As COVID numbers climbed, we moved a birthday celebration dinner outdoors to the rec. What was the menu? It was a turkey dinner with all the fixings. Everyone wore a mask when not eating, the mashed potatoes were only slightly cold, it was quite the sight to see but we did it. Family and friends are important, don’t push them away, pull them in closer, and do so with COVID mitigation in mind.
Whether you find a podcast, go on a hike, watch a stand up comedy special, zoom with your community of support, or even cry it out, you are worthy of self-care. Take care of your whole being, because you are important and you deserve it. Also, kudos for managing thus far, it’s been a tough few years.
Bring your own sunshine or borrow some of mine,
Crystal Duncan, Sitka
