I'm not talking about cancer, I'm talking about volunteer stuff. I never used to volunteer. I mean rarely did I volunteer. I was too busy having a life, or trying to at least. Ten years ago, I got bit by the volunteer bug and now I seem to fill my life with volunteering.
In the past ten years I have: been on the board of the friends organization for the town library, volunteered at Komen events, volunteered with Relay for Life, volunteered at the local cancer support organization, worked at the annual conference for NEDMA, help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with their website for their annual fundraiser, briefly helped with the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association and one of their annual events, helped NECCS with their annual luncheon and fundraiser, and volunteer with Casting for Recovery. There's more but I can't remember.
So why do I do all this? Because it makes me feel good. I don't do more than I should. For example when I help CFF, they send me an email and say can you please update our website with this information. Or I helped NECCS with their vendor round up. I could do it from home and not have to leave the house.
I help several causes. Many are cancer related but not all. I have decided that is not as important as I previously thought.
But before 2004, I never volunteered. Especially for cancer stuff. I didn't want to be as open about my medical stuff than I had to be.
But now I wonder why I didn't. I volunteer with people and I have no idea if they had the ailment or not. Nor do I care. Because that's not the important part of volunteering. The important part is getting that warm feeling from helping others and see a smile on people's faces when they experience it.
And I can show them how I got through cancer treatment and there is life on the other side. But then I have to admit I had cancer too - and that's part of my healing process too.
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