No one expects to receive a cancer diagnosis, but Iho was especially surprised. She worked in the medical field, led a healthy lifestyle, and was young. Despite all of her efforts to be proactive, cancer still entered her life.
Iho was diagnosed with breast cancer one year ago. She first saw a Gilda’s Club brochure at the public library shortly after receiving her diagnosis. She took it out of curiosity, but there was so much happening in her life that she tucked it away without looking closely. She was still reeling from the news of her diagnosis and how to process everything with her family – especially her two young daughters.
One of her friends was facing their own cancer diagnosis at the same time and told Iho about the positive experience she had at Gilda’s Club. However, Iho was reluctant to visit. Iho explains, “In Asian cultures, we keep things to ourselves. We are taught not to inconvenience people. I didn’t want to go someplace where I didn’t know people and be so vulnerable and raw.”
A true blessing
But when that same friend invited her to visit Gilda’s Club with her, Iho considered it. She sat down to look at the Gilda’s Club website, and said it was like, “The universe was sending me a message.” Everything seemed to click into place.
She and her family signed up for Family Night, and it quickly became part of their weekly routine. “Every week we’d look forward to Tuesday evening,” she remembers. “Gilda’s Club became a true blessing for us.”
They loved that they could gather together for a volunteer-prepared meal, before separating into their own support groups. And they loved that their kids were able to receive age-appropriate support.
“We came here looking for hope”
“Without Gilda’s Club, it would have been really hard for our kids to go through our journey. It also helped us understand what we were going through,” Iho explains. “We came here looking for hope. We wanted a place where we could process things.”
“Being at Gilda’s Club and going through the support groups, it made me much more empathetic. I feel so much empathy and love and kindness towards others…people just know exactly why you’re here. They understand without having to ask questions.”
Iho also enjoys coming to Gilda’s Club to just “hang out,” especially before her treatments. “It’s just nice to sit in the library and be cozy,” she shares.
Gaining perspective
Iho is now one year out from her diagnosis, and doing well. She loves to spend time in her garden, and shares that her cancer experience has given her a lot of perspective. “Your perspective in life, how you approach things, totally changes,” she explains.
“I have faith and hope that this darn thing isn’t going to come back and bother me for a long time. I try to take everything day by day and be grateful I’m alive.”