It’s Tuesday. Not the weekend. Not a holiday. Just an ordinary day.
Maybe today you’ll log into your email, check your social media channels, turn on the news while you eat dinner, or listen to the radio while driving.
You’ll see, hear, and read information about what’s going on today, and—let’s be honest—a lot of it isn’t great. Political turmoil? Yup! Natural disaster? Check! Fake news and unimaginable human rights violations? Got that, too!
During October—Breast Cancer Awareness Month—Firefly wants to brighten your Tuesdays. We want to shine a spotlight on the courageous and brave people who make up our Firefly community. People going about their ordinary Tuesday, not even realizing they are the Everyday Heroes that form Firefly Sisterhood. The healthcare professionals, Firefly Guides, women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, Firefly donors and supporters, and the friends and family of our participants.
If you are reading this, that makes YOU an Everyday Hero in our eyes. Join us every Tuesday this month to be inspired and to learn how YOU inspire us.
“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.”
– Maya Angelou
Today we feature healthcare professionals. Those heroic men and women who’ve dedicated their lives to working with us when we are at our most vulnerable—when we’re sick, when we’ve donned a thin hospital gown, when we lay exposed on an exam table, when we’re connected to the chemotherapy IV, or even when we’re going in for an annual check-up.
A cancer diagnosis is shocking, and it can be difficult to take in and remember the important information given to you by your healthcare team. “When someone is diagnosed with breast cancer at our clinic,” begins Jaylyn*, a Nurse Navigator with a local health system, “I go with them to their first appointment and takes notes, which I later review with them.”
Part of this review includes giving the patient a packet of information about their diagnosis and treatment as well as local resources, such as Firefly Sisterhood.
“I always pull out the Firefly brochure and tell them about the wonderful one-to-one connections you make with guides,” Jaylyn shares. “I mention Firefly to every breast cancer patient I meet.”
In addition, Jaylyn also utilizes the Firefly website and social media platforms for her patients and personal use. “I tell my patients to check out your website for great information on many topics that are relevant. I go on it myself to get ideas and I use it as a reference for an (all-cancer) support group that I lead!”
We are so grateful for the tiny acts of kindness, caring, patience, and grace that Jaylyn and other healthcare professionals express to their patients. You inspire us to continue making Firefly matches and to continue blogging and communicating on social media. You are making this world we live in a better place—one person at a time. For this, we call you HERO!
*To protect confidentiality, names have been changed.
Written by Amy Tix, Firefly Sisterhood’s Communications Manager who is eternally grateful to the men and women who dedicate their lives to helping us when we are at our most vulnerable
This Is Living With Cancer