08.23.16

The Power of Storytelling

Screen Shot 2016-08-23 at 1.56.07 PMThe Power of Storytelling

Are you ready?

Ready for the pink ribbons on everything from t-shirts to watermelons? Ready for the events and races, seminars and social gatherings, fundraising and media coverage? It can be a lot to take in!

Firefly Sisterhood understands that while October can be a month of celebration, support, and connecting with other survivors, it can also bring anxiety and unease. As others question you about your cancer experience, you may feel unsure of where to begin and how much to share. You may struggle to find meaning (and, in all honesty, to find yourself again) in the challenges of survivorship. You may feel that you’re ready to move forward but wonder what “moving forward” means and, perhaps, how your cancer experience might offer a light to others. Whatever the reason, know that you are not alone!

At times, anxiety such as this can move us to seek answers, to find resolution, and to take action. One of our Firefly Guides, feeling she lacked confidence and focus when sharing her breast cancer story, attended storytelling and advocacy training to help with her unease. What she found was an opportunity for profound healing and insight.

She shares that, “During the process, I was guided through written and verbal exercises to help me distill my breast cancer story into a captivating narrative that I’m ready to share in any setting, with any audience. I learned how to maximize the important message of my story to make the biggest impact on others. My training has been invaluable, and has provided me with amazing opportunities such as public speaking engagements, live radio broadcasts, scientific grant review panels, advocacy efforts, and more.”

“The process of writing and storytelling,” she shares, “gave me a therapeutic means of reviewing my entire cancer experience, owning the pain, loss, and negative feelings, and giving myself the freedom to choose what I want to share with others and what I want to keep private. It was such a tremendous gift to myself!”

In September, Firefly Sisterhood is offering a similar opportunity to women who have faced a breast cancer diagnosis. Join our upcoming Firefly Dialogue where local storytelling coach and author, John Capecci, will lead you through written and verbal exercises that will help you to process your own story, gain a better understanding of who you are now, and what you can do with your unique breast cancer story to inspire and support others, wherever you are in your experience. The Dialogues are happening on September 22nd in Minneapolis and September 24th in Roseville (same content at both events). Click here to find out more details and to sign up for one of the times to join us for what is sure to be a healing and inspiring occasion!

Written by Amy Tix, Firefly Staffer and breast cancer survivor.

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