Because I have this little corner of the web, today I want to share my support for the Dear Jack Foundation and encourage any visitors to check it out. The foundation was started to support adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer, and they have two main programs: LifeList, a wish-granting program for adolescent and young adult cancer patients, and Breathe Now, a program to help young adult survivors heal the mind and body and restore balance post cancer.
This organization is close to my heart for so many reasons. I don’t talk about it much, but as a young adult, I lost my mother to cancer. While that is the primary wound, the one that still aches the most, cancer has been a cruel villain throughout my life. It’s taken two grandparents, an uncle, and my father-in-law. And earlier, when I was a teenager myself, our family lost my sweet cousin, Morgan, to childhood cancer.
There’s something sharper and even more terrible when cancer strikes a young person. When I was teaching, one of my students fought a long battle that she wasn’t able to overcome, and now one of my son’s classmates is going through the same fight. Nothing makes me feel as helpless or powerless as this dreadful disease.
So, why support this organization? Dear Jack was founded by Andrew McMahon, a cancer survivor who has given so much back to the world with his art, his enthusiasm for life, and this organization. While it’s not much, I started a fundraising campaign. If you’re willing and able, please consider showing your support:
