OjaiCARES supported Holly Thrasher in so many ways during her journey with breast cancer. She received oncology massages, reiki healing, comfort in group sessions and lots of caring and support. All FREE of charge. Holly says she is happy to be well and on the other side of cancer…the perfect time to give back!
She […]
Join us in making a difference on June 3, 2017! Special Guest Speaker will be Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. Collectively, our contributions make a huge impact on the lives of those facing cancer in our community.From 6-9 pm enjoy the music of Lucky Dog and a California Style Taco Bar with Wine and Beer. Purchase your tickets […]
For those of us with cancer, it initially hits us as a jolt out of nowhere, and quickly becomes an adventure, with unpredictable twists, turns, highs and lows. It’s as if we’re on a train going somewhere driven by someone else. There are many of us on the cancer adventure train. It was a complete […]
Some of us do things for the glory — laurel wreaths, trumpet blasts, the adulation of the crowd. Some of us do things for the money. Some of us do things for approval. Sometimes outside pressure induces us. Others accept a challenge. Sometimes we do something because it has to be done. But perhaps the […]
In August of 2010, I had launched my wholesale artisanal soap company: Utopia Bath, Ltd, at the New York International Gift Show.
Two weeks later I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and the news kept spiraling out of control. The news was increasingly surreal. After all, I was a woman, with no history of ANY cancer […]
When I met Susan Kapadia for the first time beginning 2013 shortly after being diagnosed with phase 4 breast cancer which had spread from breast to Lymph to lungs I felt I was taken by the hand by a caring mother.
Disoriented and dazed and about to move to smaller living spaces she made me feel like I was no longer alone trying to orient myself in an alien world that was about to become mine.
She gently explained some facts, choices, and potential attitudes. Her attitude of hope and personal contribution to herself in her own healing years ago and now to mine in the years to come made it a lot easier to start with this roller coaster ride.
Survivor
Over a period of six years I lost my voice three times. The first time it happened when I got a really bad cold. I couldn’t speak above a whisper. After weeks and weeks of constant laryngitis I went to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. He told me I had nodules on my vocal cords. Speech therapy was recommended. Several hundred dollars later with no noticeable improvement I asked what else could be done? He told me they could be removed but they may come back. I said “I’ll take that chance. I just want to be able to talk again.”
When first diagnosed, the shock had my head spinning. Talk about having your life plans hijacked. I was self-employed, under-insured, living alone, with all my family living on the East Coast. My friends in Ojai were shocked and overwhelmed as well, but lovingly showed up as “family” for me.
I needed a place to hear myself, […]
