Cancer survivors get venue for sharing
Kelsey McGinley organizing sharing circle in Hay River for patients, survivors, anyone affected by disease
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, September 11, 2017
HAY RIVER
A young woman is launching a Cancer Sharing Circle for Hay River.
Kelsey McGinley was honoured in June 2016 as the Community Champion at the Hay River Relay for Life fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society. She had just returned from chemotherapy treatment in Edmonton. - |
NNSL file photo
Kelsey McGinley said such a group would have helped her when she went through cancer treatment last year in Edmonton and afterward.
"When I got home, I just kind of felt that there wasn't much here as to support directly related to cancer," she said.
McGinley said dealing with cancer is really hard to express in words.
"The journey itself is really hard to explain. It's something that you feel," she said.
"So to be able to connect with people who have been through the same experience is really important when you're healing from treatment."
Therefore, she has decided to host the first Cancer Sharing Circle in Hay River on Sept. 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at She Takes the Cake Cafe.
"My vision is to have a safe, welcoming, compassionate and confidential environment for people to gather and share anything cancer related, to receive support, feel connected and share their experiences," she said.
McGinley said the group is open to anyone who has been impacted by cancer, including family and friends.
She noted the Cancer Sharing Circle and its planned monthly meetings will be the first initiative of the Karuna Group.
That is an organization she is forming in the hope that it will eventually become a not-for-profit registered society.
"I'm hoping that the Karuna Group can extend out and do other events for things that are related to cancer," said McGinley.
As for the group's name, she explained she wanted a name to express a message of compassion. She searched various languages for words meaning compassion, and found the Buddhist term Karuna.
The 32-year-old was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called choriocarcinoma in February 2016 and underwent treatment, including chemotherapy, before returning to Hay River in June of last year.
McGinley said that, during her battle with cancer, she wanted to talk to people who had gone through treatments and faced the fear of death from the disease.
"I was a little surprised that there wasn't something in town because I actually found that Hay River, the community itself, is really great with support groups," she said.
McGinley, who has lived in Hay River since 2005, said that, during her recovery, she felt very alone and disconnected, despite having the support of her family, spouse, her two young sons, doctors and many other people.
One of the people who plans to be at the first meeting of the Cancer Sharing Circle is McGinley's son Deacon Tybring.
The nine-year-old said it was scary to see his mother battling cancer.
"Scarier than anything I'd ever been through," he said.
McGinley has obtained a message of support from Catherine Dixon, the cancer care co-ordinator with Stanton Territorial Hospital and the NWT Health and Social Services Authority.
She offered McGinley information on how to start such a group.
"Kelsey's vision of a safe, welcoming, compassionate and confidential environment for people to gather and share their cancer experiences is much needed in her community," said Dixon.
