Rachel

Core Compassion Project made me whole again. After my prophylactic double mastectomy, I eagerly filled out the application for the Core Compassion Project. I knew I needed help physically, but I didn’t know how much healing I needed mentally. My instructor, Laura, assessed my needs on our first day together. As she gently took the measurements for my range of motion, I felt the tightness and the all too familiar pulling feeling in my chest. She gently reminded me several times throughout the first session that this would be a journey. It would take the full 10 weeks, or longer, to loosen up and get my range of motion back. By the third session I was reminded to leave the stresses of life at the door. The hour that I spent with Core Compassion Project was for me, no one else. I deserved this time to focus on healing both physically and mentally. It took until my fifth session, the midway point of the program, for me to accept greater challenge. Once I broke through my mental barrier, I could do so much more than I could have imagined physically. It took me that long to believe in myself. With time, Core Compassion Project helped me heal and gain my full range of motion back, but it did so much more than that. My time with CCP gave me a renewed sense of confidence after my surgery. Every survivor, previvor and anything in between affected by cancer, should have the opportunity to heal. In a perfect world, CCP would be global and no one would ever be turned away.