Sometimes we go through life feeling lost and strange and other, even in great crowds of people we know. And then, once in a awhile, we meet someone and our heart says, oh, there you are. Eventually you find your tribe. Believe that. ~Anonymous

Cancer – like so many traumatic life events – can make us feel alone. Cut off from our old lives, our communities, and even from our sense of ourselves. Friends and family do their best to understand, but sometimes we need to meet people who have been there.

When we were in India, our Delhi 2015 Tribe talked about how lucky they felt to have met each other. To be around people who “got it” without needing to talk about cancer or to have the space to talk about their fears with people who could relate. We’re grateful to have shared this two-week Indian volunteer adventure with them and excited to share their stories with you. We continue to be so inspired by the people who participate in Our Programs and can’t wait to meet even more of you through our upcoming South Africa 2015 and India 2016 adventures…

Now it’s time to turn it over to them and to you. If their stories resonate or if you want to share your dreams of an upcoming adventure, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Leslie

A writer living in New York City, Leslie shares her thoughts on India.

“First, cancer took the color out of my life. My days became a draining parade of doctors’ visits, arguing about medical bills, and doing grunt work to pay them. Worrying about my future, whether the cancer would come back. Wondering if my identity was now “cancer girl.” Then I arrived in India. Everything was different. Brilliant with color, filled with strange sounds and smells. And then there were the other Fresh Chapter tribe members. I thought I was allergic to groups, then I found myself a member of this amazing family, new friends who had no trouble seeing the new me, because they didn’t know the old, and weren’t burdened by expectations or history. I could be myself, figure out who that person now is. And I found a way to connect again.

And that carried forward into my volunteer placement. I wasn’t sure I was up to teaching English to a group of kids, to handling a classroom, to creating fun ways to learn. It seemed an impossible task, not to mention that I was sure I’d feel like a dork. Then I asked the students to tell me a little about themselves, and what they want to be in the future. They couldn’t. It broke my heart. But by the end of our two weeks, they were proudly standing before the group, stating their goals. And they all had dreams. My hope is that I helped them live into those dreams, and that something of what I tried to convey stuck. I fell in love with each one of them. They changed me forever.

And, most importantly, there were entire days where I did not think about cancer once. My identity is so much more than a disease. I had forgotten that. And now I’m alive, and colorful, again. That would never have happened without A Fresh Chapter.”

Jenny

Jenny on what it meant to volunteer at Mother Teresa’s Home For the Dying & Destitute:

“I met Krishna on my first morning of volunteering. In her mid-80s and confined to a wheelchair, I was overwhelmed with how much joy radiated from her. Each morning, she would call me over with a big smile and would grab my hand and squeeze it tightly – like a best girlfriend or the grandmother you always wanted to have.

She loved to sing and each day, would gesture for me to do a little dance while she serenaded me in Hindi. As I helped Krishna dress one morning, I couldn’t help but notice and wonder about her many scars. I thought of my own post-cancer scars, and I was reminded that our scars tell the stories of our lives, but they are not the whole story.

On the morning I left, I tied a simple yarn bracelet around her wrist and the same one around my own. Even without a shared language or culture, we are forever connected. Krishna reminded me that everyone has their own struggles. I am forever humbled and grateful for my time with her and the other women at Mother Teresa’s.” (more…)