My 2025 took a sharp turn sideways the day after my January birthday when my gastroenterologist called, sharing birthday greetings along with a concerning and aggressive colon cancer diagnosis and a less than positive prognosis. Options for 2026 were available, but they were drastic and limited. Tough choices were made quickly and the journey of survival began. But this column is not about that.
As you may have read in the earlier chapters of my battle, and as I continue to count each new day, I am now eight months cancer-free with no evidence of that dread disease (NED). Each of these months brings a new, quiet, internal celebration of this new, hopefully remaining post-cancer life and reality. Though I lost a few body parts, in many ways I believe I am now a better and stronger person because of that journey, which included a new highlight and peak just recently.
In early spring, among dozens of medical and related emails came a surprising invitation from Kymberly Duncan, Survivorship Coordinator of the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute. Kymberly was about to share another surprising differentiator that validated my selection of Northside Hospital and the Northside Cancer Center for my surgery, ongoing oncology treatment and care, as well as subsequent monitoring and management.
Ms. Duncan was inviting me to join several dozen of my fellow cancer survivors, each ranging from 6-months to 2-years NED for a weekend mountain retreat in North Georgia. There was an application process, but Northside, its Cancer Institute and the weekend’s primary funder, the Northside Hospital-Atlanta Auxiliary, were to cover all costs. Our destination would be the Elohee Retreat (elohee.org) atop Bald Mountain in White County, near Helen.
The group was predominantly women, with only four men, and one of those men was a group counselor. Our ages ranged from the early 40s to mid-80s. No two survival stories were identical, but the threads of our survivorship wove together into a well planned tapestry. Though not everyone disclosed their specific diagnosis, metastatic breast cancer was the dominant cancer among the women, and prostate cancer among the men. All were resilient survivors.
All retreat facilities were available 24 hours a day for guests and our accommodations were individual, comfortable, restful, and serene. Though the itinerary was full of programs and learning sessions, ample time was reserved for communing with nature, a Qigong introduction (cousin of Tai Chi) and a wide selection of hiking trails, which included a beautiful waterfall and an inspirational Hemlock tree.
Juliette on the Northside team was consistently ready to lead hikes on Elohee’s miles of mountain trails. Mona, the Auxiliary President, attended every group session and led the arts/crafts workshop on Saturday. That afternoon I took three hikes with several of my new friends, these varied in difficulty, and by Saturday evening, I had racked up nearly 14,000 steps.
Only the fellowship and the new relationships created surpassed the retreat itself. I am convinced that we all left to return to our ‘new normals’ refreshed, renewed and invigorated. I have said before and will say again: I am here today to share all of this with you thanks to the brilliant care of my Northside medical, surgical and oncology team. I never realized that care would continue post-cancer. But I am here to tell you that much like my summer camp days of yore, I can’t wait to go back, or for the next time I meet up with any of my many new cancer camp friends.
