Turning pain into seed

By C. Apostolakos

Steel is hidden in velvet. The velvet has been sweetened by loss. So has the woman in front of me, full of strength and optimism, even though life has treated her harshly.

Two years ago she lost her husband, Simon, to lung cancer at 57. She was left alone, with two young children. Two years of hospitalizations, treatments, struggle and suffering, were all in vain. In vain? No, the woman won’t accept that word. She won’t accept it.

And when others would have bended, she made a decision. To turn  pain into seed. To turn  loss into  creation and giving, keeping her husband’s memory unquenched, like a flame of love.

So when the shock wore off, she picked herself up and quickly built Camelot, an anti-cancer fortress; a non-profit organization with a vision and goal to eliminate lung cancer, the number one killer worldwide.

To succeed in its mission, the organization is supported by doctors, oncologists, specialists and psychologists – experts in their fields ; it organizes workshops and conferences, patient and caregiver groups, informs about new drugs, prints brochures, books and so much more.

The team that supports the organization is constantly creative, seeking  sponsors and partners, generating ideas, and opening up new paths. Most importantly, they go to schools and inform students  how cigarettes steal life and eat up youth. They know the saying – an ounce of prevention equals a ton of cure.

If something  important has to be done, this woman – Korina, founder of the organization FairLife L.C.C. – will find a way to do it. As “small” as she may seem, she has so much stature and does so much work. Maybe the pain has increased her stature, I wouldn’t know, I’ve only met her once. I know, however, she’s doing something very important and for that, I tip my hat to her.

With her actions she is changing the paradigm – the way of dealing with the disease. In place of the fatalism and fear that eat away our guts when we hear about a cancer diagnosis, FairLife L.C.C proposes the trifecta: LEARN (since knowledge is power), ACT (along with experts), and HOPE ( as long as I live, I hope, while the future in  cancer research is bright, with new drugs and treatments).

“Growing up means learning to take life’s blows“, writes psychologist Carol Pearson in her book “The Hero Within” and kudos to those who find the courage to turn  life’s relentless blows into giving and a fight for Love. May they be a role model for many more! The world needs it!