False Flats
We recently climbed Mount Flora, a 13,145 foot peak, and made it all the way to the top. The
trailhead starts around 11,300 feet and we still had to ascend 1700+ feet in less than three
miles. This was a steep trail! This trail is a metaphor for a cancer journey because anyone who has been on a cancer journey can tell you it’s a steep trail. If you’ve never hiked a steep trail, one of the hardest mental things along the way is a false summit. Our trail to the top of Mount Flora included three false summits. This past week my cancer journey included a false summit. At my previous appointment, my oncologist indicated that the appointment that week may be the last active treatment one. He just wanted to do a couple more tests and then I’d be released from care, except for six-month maintenance follow-ups. The results of these tests indicated that while there is still no cancer, it may be a good idea to do an additional five months of treatment as a precaution. Just like false summits are nothing more than a delay when you’re on a trail, this news didn’t mean that I’m off the trail,
that I need to take a different trail, or that anything is wrong; it just means I’m not to the finish line yet. Whether or not you’re on a trail or you’re using a trail as a metaphor, false summits can be disheartening, but it’s good to remember that the best is yet to come.
Cairns
This is a picture of a cairn; its purpose is to mark a trail for clarity. Among the hiking community if a rock catches someone’s eye or looks like it may be stackable, oftentimes people will pick up that rock and place it on top of an existing cairn. The more rocks that make up a cairn, the stronger and more stable it is when storm winds at high altitudes often exceed 100 mph. On a cancer journey, knowing the right direction is paramount to effective direction and for reassurance to know a patient is on the right path. The fact that cairns are built by hundreds of people you’ll never know is similar to the hundreds of people involved in a cancer journey that the patient may or may not know. The bottom line is the same: it takes more than just the patient or the physician to successfully navigate a cancer journey. Oftentimes, people who contribute to a successful journey contribute to that journey not because they know the patient, but just because it’s the right thing to do. "WOW! Thank you for putting a smile on my wife’s face – she and I are really appreciative. Your words of encouragement and caring run deep as we fight through this difficult time. Please know your kindness and selflessness are making a difference.”
UPDATES FOR DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
We continue to have the same distribution channels, but would love to expand to other hospitals and/or cancer centers as well as hospices. If you know of such a place who would like to give encourage to their patients, please let me know and we can get a conversation started.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF BAGS DISTRIBUTED TO DATE: 1,935
If you know of someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or
is under palliative/hospice care and you would like to send a bag,
go to our website to place an order.
Contact Us
Be Still and Know Inc.
P.O. Box 563
Bennett, CO 80102
616-826-1906
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