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The GoodLetter Thursday, September 5, 2002
GoodThings, Inc. :: Stories, actions, ideas, and greeting cards that connect us.
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Greeting Card of the Week
Do Good with Favorite GoodThings Cards
Did you know Sharon Robbins favorite goodthings are featured on one of our new greeting cards (AT RIGHT)? And did you know your online purchase of Sharon's card supports a non-profit cause she's passionate about? Learn more about her favorite goodthings and remember that with all GoodThings cards, you can help increase exposure for progressive actions and ideas around the world with every card you send. (We print all our cards on recycled paper using soy ink.)
Oh, and if you think customized GoodThings Greeting Cards would be perfect for your non-profit organization or company -- or even your family -- to use for the holidays, send an e-mail to cards@goodthings.com and ask us about our card customization program and volume discounts.
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This Week's Feature
Alive and Fishing
by Ellen Cady
With the threat of breast cancer looming ever large, increasing numbers of women of all ages and backgrounds find themselves coming face to face with their own mortality. And for the survivors, a normal life is often elusive. One unique program offers pristine streams, a caring community, and a chance to return to the land of the living.
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Fellow GoodLetter readers,
The image of a fly fisher casting a line over a luminous sapphire-hued stream evokes deep sentiment for me. It reminds me of day trips with my father in the deep waters of the Atlantic, where he'd cast out a fly and let it drift for a moment before deftly stripping it in, the line gathering in a pile at his feet. It also reminds me of a trip to Montana, where -- entering the pages of Norman McLean's A River Runs Through It -- my husband and I fished the Missouri, pelicans hovering overhead, where we floated the Blackfoot, not a soul in sight, and where the river water swirled around our raft, so radiant, so full of life.
Quite literally, I was hooked.
Fly fishing is an art. Form is essential for each and every cast, as is the patient spirit it requires to stand in the cool waters of a trout stream, to cast and cast and cast again. It's not a flick of the wrist; it's a strong and focused movement of the bent arm. "Keep it eleven to one, eleven to one," a guide once told me, using a perfect hands-of-the-clock metaphor. So, these days, I keep it eleven to one, hopeful that my line truly curls and releases like it does in my mind. But, if it doesn't, I don't mind. The strength and vitality I feel, water rushing all around, leaves me content, which is why when I learned of Casting for Recovery, I thought to myself, "Why, yes, of course."
Founded in 1996 by former host of Orvis Hooked on Fly Fishing Gwenn Perkins and breast reconstructive surgeon Dr. Benita Walton, Casting for Recovery is an organization born of hope, one that serves as a therapeutic retreat for women only. The only qualification for attendees is one thing they all share: breast cancer.
That the fly fishing retreat would aid in the strengthening of weakened muscles, that it would bring renewed energy and boost dampened spirits; these were viable prospects. But that it would cultivate lifelong friendships and a love of nature, that it would instill new passions was another. Casting for Recovery has accomplished that, and more.
"I saw fly fishing and breast cancer as...a match made in heaven," Perkins has said. "For me, fly fishing...has been a source of being able to just go out and forget whatever might be bothering me."
She's right. This isn't throwing in a bobber and waiting for a nibble. Tying a fly, casting a line, and hooking a fish require tremendous focus from an angler. Besides, fly fishing is not a game between woman and fish: it's respect for the land, the water, and the life beneath the surface. (Credit is due to the conservation efforts that make fly-fishing primarily "catch and release"; once a fish has been hooked and brought in, a moment is taken to admire its splendor and then, while holding it underwater, its mouth facing upstream for maximum oxygen intake, it is let go.)
Put simply, fly fishing is about living.
Thanks to monetary and equipment donations, not to mention the abundant number of volunteers, Casting for Recovery has held retreats for 600 breast cancer survivors in thirteen states across the United States. Selected from a diverse pool of applicants, participants gather in the streams of places like Maine, Vermont, Illinois, California, or Alaska, to name a few, where they learn techniques such as knot tying, casting, and, hopefully, the landing of a fish. Medical professionals and therapists are also on-site both to teach and to contribute physical and mental support. Still, participants are free to read, relax, swim and enjoy a hot tub, if they choose, for this weekend belongs to them. But, most women, like schoolgirls, can't wait to dive in to the retreat's activities.
All fun and games aside, there is good reason to link fly fishing with breast cancer recovery. Similar to exercises recommended post-surgery, casting helps to build mobility and strength around the arms, chest and shoulders, which can ward off lymphedema, an unwelcome buildup of lymphatic fluid, or other perilous aches and pains.
Perhaps even more profound for the survivors is the time they experience together. When stories are shared, there is laughter and there are tears. There is an understanding between the women. They have all endured, and many will continue to fight.
"My body is tired," said one recent participant, "but my spirit is renewed. I leave with memories of strong, beautiful women and a new experience to build on. I leave with the information that will help me to continue on as a survivor."
If retreat participants enjoy the sport and continue to fly fish in the years to come, then one of the organization's goals has been fulfilled. But its hopes for the survivors extend far further. The greatest triumphs of a Casting for Recovery participant are simply to breathe in the fresh air and engage in the pleasure of the outdoors, to begin to restore physical strength and to build lasting relationships, and to feel whole -- free of fatigue and sorrow.
:: Ellen Cady
Ellen is a regular contributor to the GoodLetter and Good Gravy. A freelance writer, she dreams of sparkling streams, snowy Saturdays, and the peak foliage in her native Maine. She and her husband Sam live in Seattle. Click here for her favorite goodthings
(Thoughts on Ellen's GoodLetter? Inspired by what you've read? E-mail us -- don't forget to tell us your name, where you're from, and if we can use your words in a future GoodLetter or on our Web site.)
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Readers Respond
Thanks to so many of you for always sharing the "goodthings" going on in your lives. Here are a few letters we've recently received from our readers who are excited about ideas and actions that are making a difference in the world:
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Dear GoodThings,
The mission of the Children's Craniofacial Association is to empower and give hope to facially disfigured individuals and their families. We envision a world where people are accepted for who they are, not how they look.
Jill Gorecki
Brookfield, Wisconsin
:: Children's Craniofacial Association
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Dear GoodThings,
My "goodthing" is Positive Psychology, the science of human character and virtue. Spearheaded in 1998 by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, Positive Psychology seeks to understand what makes for the best things in life, rather than solely focusing on fixing the worst.
Michael Rollock
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
:: Positive Psychology
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Dear GoodThings,
Nearly 60 families a week are touched by Jeff Hay, the founder of an organization called Material Assistance Providers, Inc. (MAPS). Jeff founded MAPS after recognizing the needs of poor, disadvantaged and abused people in our city and surrounding areas reaching into West Virginia for basic household items such as a bed, chairs, table, dishes, flatware, lamps, and small applicances. Jeff has dedicated the past several years to collecting these items and giving them away at no cost to individuals and families who are referred to him by over 200 social service agencies throughout Ohio. My daughters and I visit the MAPS facility weekly to help sort through boxes and bags of donated items, and we try to arrange them on shelves so people who come to MAPS can select what they want. There are some days when Jeff worries about continuing this service to others because of lack of money to cover the costs of utility bills, truck repairs, insurance bills, and staff salaries. But he continues to help many, many individuals and families get a new start or experience the simple comfort of sleeping on a mattress. He provides many families with the ability to keep their children. Most of all, he helps to provide many with the feeling of hope and the good feeling of knowing that someone understands their needs and wants to help.
Anne Partridge
Dublin, Ohio
:: Material Assistance Providers
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We love to hear from you about anything: ideas or situations that are inspiring you or challenging you to think, as well as organizations, programs, and people that contribute to your community and the world everyday. Please drop us a line.
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The Upshot
As Ellen Cady suggested in today's GoodLetter on Casting for Recovery, "Fly fishing is about living." In such a wonderful way, it reminds breast cancer survivors -- and those who care about them -- what it means to be alive. Similarly, there are scores of other unconventional, life-affirming ways people are confronting breast cancer. Here are just a few more to explore:
:: The World Walk for Breast Cancer (getting active for a cause)
:: Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation (wellness retreats)
:: Image Reborn Foundation (retreats that "kindle courage")
:: Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic (relief from side effects of treatment for low-income women) [more]
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GoodThings on Public Radio
Have you been checking out GoodThings on Public Radio? Check out these stories from National Public Radio:
:: "Walking with Pearl" Primus -- A vibrant dance troupe pays tribute to the pioneer who brought the beauty of African dance to rest of the world.
:: A Desperate Fight Against Poverty -- The Academy Award-nominated documentary film "Lalee's Kin" reveals both the cycle of poverty in the Mississippi Delta and the heroes trying to break it.
:: Writing Because It Feels Good -- A new book celebrates the lost art of letter-writing and why it remains important for deep human connection.
:: The Scandinavian Face of Japanese Politics -- Finland-born Marutei Tsurunen brings blue-eyed diversity to Japanese politics as the first foreign-born member of parliament.
:: The Underground Railroad to Canada -- The often-forgotten role of Canada in providing a safe haven for escaped US slaves leaves an important legacy.
:: Teaching Through Playing -- Putumayo brings a wealth of international music into the classroom in a new curriculum designed to make children engaged, positive citizens of the world.
:: "I Wanna Be Like Skip" -- The success of gifted black scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. gives African American children an important male role model.
Visit our site to read full summaries of these stories and listen to your favorites.
Talk to us:
What's the best thing you've heard on public radio?
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