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CELEBRATE LIFE Ladies Cancer Support Group Sara Benson, 941-575-6765, saraben918@earthlink.net

Can you believe that it’s already September and many of our winter friends are back in
town. I hope that whatever you did or didn’t do, you enjoyed yourself this summer.
Now me, I flew to California in June to attend the wedding of my daughter’s best
friend. It was held at a winery that was nestled in the East Bay hills of Livermore. What
a beautiful setting and a wonderful
celebration and great wine.

Besides being able to be a part of
such a special day, I had the chance
to spend an afternoon with my
grandson, Joe. He is now 16, has a
job and asked me if I would like to go
out to lunch with him. Of course, I
said yes. Well, lunch turned into a
whole day and we talked about everything under the sun, including my
cancer. Joe was four years old when I was diagnosed and had surgery.
He and my daughter, Kim, were in Florida when I began chemo and he
reminded me of how he used to sing “You Are My Sunshine” to help me
feel better. How can you not feel better when a four year old is singing
to you, complete with hand gestures?

Now Joe and I have always been able to talk about anything. We are
very close friends and completely honest with each other. So, I was not
surprised when he asked me a very thought provoking question; “What
do you think your life would have been like if you hadn’t had cancer”.
That’s a whole lot of question with a whole lot of answers. I did think
about it for a few minutes and then told him that I felt my life had been
better in many ways. Doesn’t that sound weird? Well, for me, I didn’t
take so much for granted and I made sure to tell family and friends how
much I loved them and how important they were in my life. I also Wedding
appreciated the gift of another day. I’m sure that sounds like pretty trite
answers, but think about it. What
would it be like if something major
(like cancer) occurred in your life?
Seriously, think about it. You’ll be
surprised at what you come up
with.

Cancer did happen and it
happened to all of us in Celebrate
Life. We talk about it all the time
and share with each other the ups
and downs of this lousy disease.
We also talk about everything else
from children and grandchildren,
husbands and caregivers, movies
and books, and, high on the list,
our plans for the future.

Why don’t you come and spend a
little time with us? We’re a nice
group of women with smiles on
our faces and very positive
attitudes. We meet at 10 a.m. on
the first Wednesday of the month
at the Punta Gorda Civic
Lunch at Deans Association, 2001 Shreve Street.
Our next meeting is September 9
and, as usual, we go out to lunch at one of the local restaurants after the meeting.

For further information, please contact Diane Mabey, 941-575-7746 or Sara Benson, 941-575-6765. I hope we have a
chance to meet you.
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