Elephants and Tea - March 2022 - 9

CACTUS CANCER SOCIETY Finding Peace in the Divine
When peace like a river attendeth my
way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me
to say
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Whatever comes my way, whether that
be peace or sorrow, success or struggle, I
take comfort knowing that God is taking
care of me. I adopted the title of that hymn
for a blog I wrote to share about my cancer
experience, and the name served as a
frequent reminder to approach my cancer
journey with open hands, accepting whatever
came my way.
One saying that I loved during treatment
was, " Sometimes the Lord calms
the storm; sometimes he lets the storm
rage, and calms His child. " I felt this fully
during my cancer treatment. With multiple
appointments at the cancer center each
week, different side effects that would pop
up, the subsequent puzzle of figuring out
how to manage them, and scans and tests
with varying results, life with cancer felt
extremely chaotic. But I felt that God had
given me a calm and a peace in the midst
of all the chaos.
One thing people don't know if they're
not familiar with cancer is how treatment
can affect your digestive system in often
painful ways. About halfway through my
treatment, I was extremely constipated. If
this has happened to you, then you know
how absolutely painful and miserable it
can be. My aunt, who was going through
chemo at the same time as I was, told me
the constipation caused by her treatment
was worse than childbirth. Well, it was the
middle of the night and I was in the worst
pain of my life and just praying that I would
be able to relieve myself so the pain would
go away and I could get some sleep. Maybe
it was the solitude of 3 a.m., or maybe it was
the soft glow of the moonlight coming in
through my bathroom window, or maybe
it was in response to my prayers for relief,
but as I was sitting on the toilet in pain,
it struck me that the pain Jesus suffered
on the cross was far, far worse than the
pain I was going through. They say that
crucifixion was designed to be the most
painful form of torture known to man; it's
where we get the word " excruciating. " But
it struck me that Jesus suffered all of that,
and he did it for my sake. Christ suffered, so
he knew exactly what I was going through
and was there with me through it.
Whether you believe in Jesus or not, I
think it's easy for anyone to look around
our world and see that suffering is universal.
Although it may take many different
forms, we all suffer. For me, it was a great
comfort to know that Christ had suffered
too and that I was not alone in my suffering.
And if you are suffering now, I hope
this brings you some comfort too - that
you are not alone in your suffering. In fact,
through suffering, you are participating in
what it means to be a human being. And
there are many of us out here who understand
what you're going through. We can
empathize with you, we're here to support
you and bring you comfort, and to tell you
that there is relief on the other side.
Even if you're not a Christian or don't
believe in God, some of these truths may
be helpful for you to hold onto during the
difficulty of cancer.
* There is a plan and purpose for your
life.
* Everything happens for a reason.
* Good things can come out of cancer.
* Suffering is a part of life that everyone
experiences.
* You are not alone.
I hope some of these things will bring
you comfort, as they did for me. But if not,
I encourage you to identify some of your
own beliefs that you can cling to during
your most difficult days, and that by doing
so, you will be able to feel calm and at peace
in the midst of life's chaos. l
" Suffering is universal. Although it may take many
different forms, we all suffer. For me, it was a great
comfort to know that Christ had suffered too and
that I was not alone in my suffering. "
LAUREN CREEL WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKIN LYMPHOMA AT THE AGE OF 23. AFTER
TREATMENT, SHE WAS INSPIRED TO USE HER PERSONAL CANCER EXPERIENCE TO HELP
OTHER PATIENTS, SO SHE RETURNED TO ACADEMIA, EARNING A MASTER'S IN PUBLIC
HEALTH AND A MASTER'S IN SOCIAL WORK FROM SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY.
SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, SPECIFICALLY ISSUES OF
ISOLATION, RESILIENCE, FEAR OF RECURRENCE, AND ADVOCACY FOR AYAS WITH
CANCER, WHICH IS WHY SHE IS THRILLED TO SERVE AS THE CHIEF OPERATIONS
OFFICER AT CACTUS CANCER SOCIETY. PRIOR TO HER TIME AT CACTUS CANCER
SOCIETY, LAUREN WORKED WITH CITY OF HOPE NATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, THE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CANCER ACTION NETWORK, STUPID CANCER, AND UC
SAN DIEGO MOORES CANCER CENTER TO PROVIDE PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND TO
ADVOCATE FOR THE NEEDS OF CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. LAUREN ALSO
CO-FOUNDED STILL WATERS CANCER RETREAT, AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES
FAITH-BASED RETREATS FOR YOUNG ADULTS FACING CANCER.
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
MARCH 2022
9
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Elephants and Tea - March 2022

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