Can Volunteering Save Your Life?

By Kevin Estes

Why So Long

I've been hesitant to share this story because I didn't know how it was going to end.

Clothing Ministry

As I was launching my business, my mom was doing her normal thing - including clothing ministry. Once a week, she'd help home insecure people get clothes.

She wanted to do some more advanced volunteering. Doing so required a physical exam.

Her fellow volunteer is a physician and offered:
"Just come on in. I'll give you a physical and fill out your form."

What She Found

She found a lump.

My mom went in for a biopsy.

Cancer.

It had grown quite large and spread to her lymph nodes.

Don’t Give Up

She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. It was tough.

She was sick for days after chemo. Her mouth was full of sores. Getting her to eat anything was - at times - challenging.

Next came surgery. She had a lumpectomy and three nodes removed.

Results

We just found out that she's cancer free!

Chemotherapy worked perfectly.

So Many Thanks

Thanks to her friends and many others who were always there to help and often lifted her spirits.

She found it uncanny that whenever she started to feel down, someone called. It meant the world to her.

Above all, thank you to her friend and physician who convinced her to get the physical, found the growth, and did everything she could to give my mom the best care imaginable.

Volunteer

Who says volunteering doesn’t pay?

It likely just saved my mom.

Let’s End Breast Cancer

Thank you for helping end breast cancer with:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Disclaimer

In addition to the usual disclaimers, neither this post nor this video includes any financial, tax, or legal advice.