Meet Colleen

Colleen Broughton was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple negative breast cancer in 2013, and she had a recurrence—this time Stage 4—in 2016. She learned that the average lifespan of someone with this diagnosis is 13 months. In 2017, Colleen applied for A Fresh Chapter, not knowing if she would be able to participate. The trip was months away, and she lived life between scans, uncertain of the future. Although she hoped to go on the South Africa Odyssey, she was selected for Peru, a country she travelled to as a teen.

Odyssey participants are offered online programming which Colleen dove into. It is part of AFC’s framework, which begins before travel and continues, when participants return home. “I loved the content,” Colleen said. “I loved having an assignment where you can really process.”  Doing every assignment helped her to show up to Peru ready. Unfortunately, Colleen received negative comments about her decision to go to Peru, which included concerns about her leaving her family for a two-week period. She decided to share her reflections of the programming with her donors. “I wanted them to know this was more than a two-week trip to Peru.” Although she felt vulnerable sharing her personal experiences, they loved it.

The Online Odyssey

This month, AFC launched a pilot program called the Online Odyssey that will allow cancer survivors and caregivers to use the curated prompts, readings and other tools that benefited Colleen so much. Online participants will volunteer in their own communities, meet virtually and receive support from AFC facilitators. Colleen believes the online experience will be just as transformative as her time in Peru.

Two pilot programs are being offered—one national and one in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon and British Columbia). The PNW program will keep everyone in the same time zone. It will also make meet ups more convenient. “There is something about cancer that holds people back from their lives. Being near others helps. A lot of those bonding moments happen in person.” Colleen said AFC works best when people are willing, share the work and feel proud of their accomplishments. The pilot program costs $49, a fraction of the cost of other Odyssey programs. All contributions will be put back into future AFC programming.

Colleen started volunteering for AFC, after her time in Peru. She became an Ambassador, and now recruits and interviews candidates for different programs, including the Online Odyssey. While the online program is ideal for those who are unable to travel, it is also open to those who have other obligations or are simply interested in gaining new tools. Colleen talks about how people need new tools when old ones no longer work. Sharing helps relieve trauma, which she compares to a backpack filled with rocks. While one might not be able to completely remove the weight of the trauma, they learn to let some of it go. “What floats to the top is possibility,” she said. “It’s work.”

Reconnect with your specialness

In addition to learning tools from AFC programming, Colleen also learned a valuable lesson in trust. First, she let go of the idea of travel to South Africa. Then, she requested a volunteer assignment working with children but was placed at Los Martincitos, a center for the elderly. Colleen, a mother of three, says it is easy for her to be around kids. “No one asks you about yourself,” she said. Adults, however, ask pointed questions. Working at Los Martincitos taught her that she was not connecting with adults. On some days, Colleen and her volunteer team visited the elderly in their homes, which let her to see others be vulnerable. Her Spanish skills proved helpful, including the fumbles. “I adored that placement,” she said.

“I interviewed a lot of AFC Odyssey applicants in the past two years and wish everyone could go on a two-week journey to reconnect with their specialness and what makes them valued. The Online Odyssey will allow more people to experience the curated and mind-opening content, personal connection, and healing empowerment that is A Fresh Chapter’s signature experience.”

Colleen Broughton is a self-appointed Pacific Northwest Ambassador and active hugger. In a former lifetime she humanely reigned over an Internet empire while telecommuting to California for 12 years (that weather, though!). Her 25+ years of health writing (along with myriad research, appointments and chats about health) earns her, “are you a nurse? doctor?” and “Hey, Nurse Coco?” on the daily. This year, she continues her role as maître d’ of The Teen Lounge, watches a lot of soccer, volunteers for A Fresh Chapter, is relearning piano, and is adjusting food portions to only feed one chick left in the house nest.