Follow The Yellow Brick Road To The Dempsey Center | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Arts Entertainment

Follow The Yellow Brick Road To The Dempsey Center

Dempsey Center channeled their inner 'Wizard of Oz' for 2018's National Cancer Survivors Day

1409
Follow The Yellow Brick Road To The Dempsey Center
Jessica Bowden

The Dempsey Center, located in Lewiston, Maine, held their annual National Cancer Survivors Day event on June 7th and it was a hit. Every year they come up with a different theme, this year was "Follow The Yellow Brick Road." The evening consists of socializing and refreshments, along with some live music by Jim Merrill, followed by a few guest speakers, before choosing 2 out of the 5 workshops to attend.

Jessica Bowden

Ashley Bowden

Ashley Bowden

Introducing this year's guest speakers was Glinda the Good Witch, known on a daily basis as Maureen Higgins the Cancer Health Outreach Educator for the Dempsey Center. She discussed the Wizard of Oz and how each of the characters relates to different aspects of being diagnosed with cancer.

Ashley Bowden

One of this year's guest speakers were Dr. Eleni Nackos, a medical oncologist. She opened by talking about how far we have come in cancer research and advancements in treatment. The rates at which people pass away from cancer continue to decline. She praised the patients and the caregivers and the Dempsey Center. She compares getting diagnosed with cancer to feeling like Dorothy in the tornado. Your whole world flips upside down and it's a spiral of treatments and scans and appointments and so much more. However, you're not alone. You have a support system to help guide you to the end. You may get ambushed by monkeys on the way, whatever those monkeys turn out to be, but always remember that in the end, the witch is defeated.

Ashley Bowden

The other speaker was Chris Parrish, founder of the Purple Iris Foundation, and last years recipient of the Amanda Dempsey Award. The award is presented to a cancer survivor every year who stands out in their passion for helping those affected by cancer in Maine. She was funny and kind and talked about how we are all a miracle. Being a survivor is to live. She quoted David Weaver who said, "A survivor is anyone living with cancer or anyone who has been cured of it." The minute you are diagnosed, you are already a survivor. You are still here, fighting, living.

Ashley Bowden

You can watch both speeches here, I highly recommend you do; get the experience of listening to them talk and also hear the two remarkable stories that Dr. Nackos talked about.

The first workshops my family and I went to was "Unmasking the Wizard," which was healing mask art. The class was run by Kerry Irish an oncology counselor and psychosocial service manager. This was an expressive art class. You got to pick out a blank mask and decorate it however you see fit. They had so many different kinds of materials you could use. It was interesting to look around and see what other people were doing and what came to their minds. For me, it was Pride Month. I chose a purple mask because it's my favorite color. I decided to start by making small rainbows below both of the eyes. I tried thinking of a few different ideas, I had a small pile of stars, different stickers, but nothing really stuck out to me. In the end, I settled on a couple of rainbow stars and another large sticker. My sister, however, got a bit more creative than, me adding some string around the eyes and a few more marker designs. I'm a little jealous of how nice hers turned out.

Ashley Bowden

Jessica Bowden

After finishing our art, we made our way over to the "Lollipop Kid Kafé," a healthy cooking class by Stephanie Buswell, Linda Merchant, and another volunteer, all of whom are chemotherapy nurses at St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, Maine. The treats that they made were delicious. We were shown how to make a pineapple banana milkshake, roasted vegetables, and a yogurt dip. They talked a lot about healthy eating and simple things you can make. They also talked a little bit about their work and shared some stories and it was all very nice. They were lovely women and I really enjoyed the workshop. It's always nice to find some quick and easy treats that are good for you.

Ashley Bowden

Ashley Bowden

The other three workshops going on that I didn't attend were; "Tinman's Gentle Heart Yoga," a gentle yoga class led by Tish Caldwell, "Auntie Em's Lotions," which taught you about herbal salves and lotions and how to make them led by Judy Donnelly, and "Where Bluebirds Fly," which was acupressure led by Kathleen Wing. All of which I'm sure was just as amazing and I heard some people talking about them who attended and how much they enjoyed them.

We managed to jump over to the Healing Garden to have our picture taken together, and I love how it came out, and the fact that it was a Polaroid.

My sister and I jumped out into the hallway during the last little bit of the second workshops to have a little fun taking pictures by the yellow brick road.

Jessica Bowden

Perhaps my favorite part was having my picture taken with Dorothy (Juli Kane, who does imaging at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine) and the Scarecrow (Morgan Nichols, a Client Services Specialist at the Dempsey Center). I also got to take a picture with Karen Page, the Cancer Resource Coordinator at the Dempsey Center and also the facilitator of Living Well, the cancer support group I attend.

Jessica Bowden

Jessica Bowden

Jessica Bowden

By the end of the night I was happy and had an amazing time. The Dempsey Center never fails to do great things. So here's to them, for all of their support and for making a difference. Here's to many more years of Cancer Survivor's Day.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

85420
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

11167
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments