Finding My Cancer Community Was a Serendipitous Experience

I found my community of support during my cancer journey in serendipitous way. Sixteen years ago, just after I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer — epithelial myoepithelial carcinoma in my right parotid gland — I happened to read an article about the cancer support group Imerman Angels based in Chicago.

We all know that meaningful connections are essential for our mental health and well-being, whether faced with a life crisis of any sort or the everyday trials of life, a fact that Jonny Imerman was inspired to address when he founded Imerman Angels following his own cancer experience.

From the beginning of my journey, I was blessed to have the immediate and loving support of my incredible husband, devoted family and loyal friends and coworkers. However, none of them could get “in my head,” and my protective nature prompted me to withhold many of my fears and concerns from them. They were also feeling scared and anxious. However, God knew that I needed a connection with someone who had been “there.” He solved that problem by leading me to my former student and now dear friend, Jon Imerman.

I was assigned a mentor angel, Tim, with whom I am still in contact. He was just the connection I sorely needed. He talked to me to me in calming and comforting ways when necessary while building me up during our phone calls. He also kept up a steady stream of emails containing encouraging statements and reminders that we were a team. Tim took my fear and transformed it into a more positive and life-affirming four-letter word: HOPE. He was a salivary gland cancer survivor who had also endured the grueling seven weeks of radiation treatment along with the “charming” side effects. And here he was, gloriously alive and healthy, 11 years out at the time!

Imerman Angels is a true community of support. It offers a gift of talking with someone else who has walked the same, or at the very least, a similar cancer path. Camaraderie, commiseration, compassion, understanding, empathy all come together in a powerful human connection of support.

In the years since then, I have been blessed to pay it forward as a mentor angel myself to more than 14 people, including an American woman living in Turkey. It is an honor to serve as part of the support team for someone dealing with cancer, providing whatever positive energy I can while being a resource that validates the numerous and conflicting emotions that are part of the journey. One of my mentees (now email/Facebook pal) wrote me a thank you note that said, in part, “Your cancer had a mission that you could not foresee. It inspired you to reach out and touch the lives of other cancer patients through Imerman Angels. You came into my life during some of my darkest times. You gave me hope and strength when I needed it most. And for that, I am most grateful.”

Talking about Imerman Angels is second nature to me now. I carry cards in my wallet, refer new fighters/caregivers among my friends/family and in the cancer support group at my church.

Sometimes I am asked how I can “move on” if I stay so engaged in cancer world. The answer is simple. I believe in the mission of Imerman Angels and carry in my heart what that community of support has meant in my life.

Personally, I find it is impossible to thoroughly eradicate the apprehension that my cancer diagnosis caused. Vestiges remain. Some of us may be able to adopt a tolerable a “below-the-radar” amount of unease about the future. When the time for a follow up scan or other test comes up or an unusual new symptom arises somewhere in our body, the specter of a new diagnosis or recurrence may arise. Others may have to work harder to keep their worries in check. The reality is, like other major life events, the journey becomes a fundamental part of the tapestry of our lives. That is the powerful impact of my connection to Imerman Angels that has underscored my personal cancer experience and which, tangentially, still inspires me as it continues to address and support the fighting spirit in me.

This post was written and submitted by Cecilia Vettraino Strine. The article reflects the views of Strine and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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