Survivor's Outdoor Experience
Maria stopped her paddle right in midst of a stroke. It hovered over the water, next to her kayak, as she watched for the little head to peak out. There it was again, a seal in the bay, not more than 20 feet away! Yesterday, she had watched an eagle soar above her as she hiked a trail in the Olympic Mountains. She couldn’t believe that she was close enough to witness such joys of nature. Heck, she couldn’t even believe she was alive to witness such pleasures.
A year ago, she had been fighting breast cancer, fighting for her life. Now, she was getting back in touch with her body, with nature, and with her goals and dreams. She was participating in Survivor's Outdoor Experience.
Maria reaches over and taps the shoulder of her boat-mate, Peter. She points to the seal and seeing the cute fellow, he can't help himself, he laughs out-loud. Surprisingly, the noise doesn’t bother the seal. Their leader notices them pointing to the seal and points out others to them and the rest of the group.
They continue their excursion, working their muscles in the relaxing pristine setting.
In 2006, 1,399,790 new cases of cancer were discovered in the U.S. In 2006, 564,830 people died from cancer. At any given moment, there are 10,000,000 people living with cancer. Cancer touches everyone at some point, some time.