Meet Tyler Jachetta

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

#MyStoryShared: Smith Center brought me here.

Stage III brain cancer. That’s heavy for anyone to handle. And I’m 32 years old. Heavier still.

Though this sounds scary to many people, I’ve found a community that makes it easier to handle: the Young Adult Cancer Survivor Group at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts.

I was referred by a social worker to this wonderful group of my fellow compatriots. As someone who didn’t previously know any other young adults dealing with a cancer journey, the survivors in this group understand what I’m going through without me even having to explain. I walk into Smith Center and I don’t have to think about how I’m presenting to the public; I can live my life as it is right now, pain and all.

Without this group, I have no idea where I would be. I’ve seen people at all stages communicate their feelings, hopes, dreams, fears and be all right, which gives me hope that I can do it too. I’ve made friends who are now the closest people to me. Friends who genuinely care about me, text me to check in, and show up to my home when I have a bad day.

#MyStoryShared represents how Smith Center has changed my life for the better. Young adult cancers aren’t very common and to have representation through this group is incredibly crucial. Smith Center now serves as a constant in my life; I appreciate so much that someone is always here to talk and we’re all in the trenches together.

Tyler Jachetta
Young Adult Cancer Survivor
Historical Fencer

PS: Smith Center impacts thousands of lives each year, like mine, and you can too. With a donation, you have the power to help change lives and make a difference for those living with cancer.

Meet Jane & Erwin Krasnow

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

#MyStoryShared: Cancer brought us Smith Center.

JANE: Cancer has impacted both of our lives more than we ever imagined. I am a 26-year cancer survivor and have dealt with two different cancer diagnoses during my journey. My husband, Erwin, lost his first wife to cancer and met me shortly thereafter.

ERWIN: When I met my wife, Jane, I knew that my journey as a caregiver would never cease. Having years of experience as a caregiver to my late first wife, I knew how lonely cancer could be. On a normal walk through my neighborhood, I passed by Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. Intrigued by the name, I looked online to see what they did. This decision changed our lives forever.

Walking into Smith Center for each class has been like coming to a family that understands exactly where you are at. We’ve explored cooking classes, yoga sessions, art classes, meditation circles, support groups, and more together, meeting new and diverse people each time we come in. From the instructors to staff, to other participants, each person has enriched our lives and added immensely to our joy.

#MyStoryShared represents how Smith Center has changed our lives for the better. We have found a community where we can heal inside and out. The tools and information gathered about nutrition, stress management, and overall wellness are invaluable. The value of Smith Center’s work in the community cannot be emphasized enough.

Jane and Erwin Krasnow
Cancer Survivor and Caregiver
Yoga Enthusiasts

PS: Smith Center impacts thousands of lives each year, like ours, and now you have the power to do the same. With a donation, you have the power to help change lives and make a difference for those living with cancer.

Meet Thea Breite

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

#MyStoryShared: Art brought me a new identity.

In January 2017, I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Three months later, my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. As a wife and mother of three children, the effects were devastating, sending our family on an emotional journey we never imagined possible.

Following our search for information, I came across Smith Center for Healing and the Arts’ Cancer Retreats. Attending this retreat not only opened my eyes to the incredible work Smith Center does every day, but also introduced me to the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery.

During my treatment, I began taking walks in my neighborhood with my camera, photographing the world around me. As I walked, searching for hope and strength, trees called out to me. Their strength, resilience, rootedness and flexibility became my inspiration. I photographed shapes, textures, scars, even fungi, realizing that the images of the trees reflected the story I was living.

When my world was rocked by cancer, I found a new creative outlet that has been so rewarding. Through Smith Center’s Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, I have not only had the great pleasure of exhibiting my first ever art show but have embraced a new facet of my identity: artist.

#MyStoryShared represents how Smith Center has changed my life for the better. Techniques I learned at my Smith Center retreat, my art and exhibiting my work at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery gave me a sense of purpose, boosted my confidence, and provided an opportunity to inspire others searching for healing through art.

Thea Breite
Cancer Survivor
Artist

PS: Smith Center impacts thousands of lives each year, like mine and you can too. With a tax-deductible donation, you have the power to help change lives and make a difference for those living with cancer.

Meet Charity Sade

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

#MyStoryShared: Cancer brought me a community.

Cancer is no laughing matter. I certainly didn’t laugh when I was diagnosed at age 27 with inflammatory breast cancer. I didn’t laugh when my whole world changed and suddenly found myself at chemotherapy. There’s not much to laugh at when you find yourself dealing with things people your age would never imagine in their wildest dreams.

And then I discovered a community of support at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts.

Smith Center’s Young Adult Cancer Support Group became a refuge for me, a place where I could come and share how I was feeling without any judgment. Everyone had different types of cancer, but we shared a common bond with what we were all going through. Having this support system helped to channel my pain into comedy. I had found my love for laughter again.

Now, I help others find their ways to laugh. This year, I taught my first stand-up comedy class with young adult cancer survivors at Smith Center, and we held our showcase this past April with amazing feedback. I’m working with Smith Center on more classes and shows and couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come next.

#MyStoryShared represents how Smith Center has changed my life for the better. It served as an anchor and a place where I can always come back to be replenished and refreshed. Smith Center helped me find a community and form lasting friendships I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Charity Sade

Young Adult Cancer Survivor
Comedienne Extraordinaire

P.S. Smith Center impacts thousands of lives, like mine, each year and you can too. With a tax-deductible donation, you have the power to help change lives and make a difference for those living with cancer.

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

Meet Kiamsha Leeke

Listen to the interview with Kiamsha Leeke here or read transcripts below.

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

Meet Mary Billington

We are saddened to announce that Mary passed on March 9th, 2018. She will be greatly missed by the Smith Center community.

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community. 

Meet Chu Chu Sanders, Patient Navigator

Listen to the interview with Carole O’Toole & Chu Chu Sanders here or read transcripts below.

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community.

Meet Bob Bloomfield, Cancer Support Group Resident Poet

Listen to Bob’s poem “Dogs Barking”

A donation to Smith Center provides programs like Cancer Support Group & Retreats for people facing cancer in our community.