June 3 is National Cancer Survivors Day. It is a time of celebrating those who have faced cancer and survived. There are over a hundred new cases of cancer in children expected this year for Arkansas alone. Early detection of cancer gives the best odds of beating the disease.

Kids with cancer are the focus of TAB Learning Systems in Arkansas. My partner, Tom Bowen, started the organization after his daughter, Vicky, died of cancer three years ago. We reach out to the families of kids with cancer and help them meet their needs. Whether it is to help fulfill a wish, pay an electric bill, or help with funeral expenses afterwards. We feel that the devastating effects of cancer should not be faced alone.

In honor of those who have fought and won, and those who are still fighting against this terrible disease, we are having a Cancer Survivor’s Day event here in Russellville, AR especially geared for the kids. There will be a magician, speakers, singing, and booths for entertainment.

Get in touch with your local American Cancer Society to find out if an event is planned for your area. You just may want to help sponsor one next year.

Good Luck and God Bless.

I once attended a seminar on death and dying given by Barbara Karnes, RN, who was then the Director of Hospice and Home Health agencies at Olathe Medical Center in Kansas. Her presentation was compassionate and insightful, based on her years of experience working with the dying, and her eloquence moved me. As I listened to her speak, she said something that raised the hairs on the back of my neck, a profound statement of truth I have never forgotten. She said, “People don’t just die.” She went on to explain that there are only two ways people die: suddenly, as in the case of a tragic accident, or when they decide to let go. For the majority of us, we will decide when to die.

“I am a traveler on the journey from one life to the next, and I need a place where I can be welcomed and looked after and cared for and be myself on that journey.” So spoke a dying patient to Dr. Cicely Saunders, founder of St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, England.

Oftentimes when someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness it changes their entire life. What has happened from one day to the next? What happened between yesterday and today when you received the dreaded news? The label you were given changes everything. Why does that label have so much power?