In the summer of 2018, a few weeks after Cassie was diagnosed, Dan met a guy named Dustin for lunch at the Highland Grill. Dustin’s wife also had Metastatic Breast Cancer and they were already several years into their MBC journey.
Dustin’s story and suggestions were the very first things that helped Dan who was still reeling and feeling completely disoriented. Having someone who was walking this same path and was so willing to share their personal experiences made Dan cry but they were tears of gratitude. Dustin quickly became a trusted confidante and good friend. It’s not remotely an overstatement to say that as Dan’s caregiver mentor, Dustin improved both of our lives at a time of immense crisis.
Flash forward a few weeks to when Dan attended his first “Caregiver Klatch.” He didn’t know what to expect and was actually pretty worried that he was walking into a sad-sack support group that was only going to make him feel worse. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Dan quickly discovered that the Caregiver Klatches are this wonderful blend of empathy and concrete insights alongside a heavy dose of hospitality – think free beer, wine, and food at every gathering.
Caregiver mentors and Caregiver Klatches. These things didn’t just appear out of the blue; they are both projects of Jack’s Caregiver Coalition (www.jackscaregiverco.org) We have mentioned Jack’s in previous blog posts but only briefly and only as part of our periodic gratitude lists. So today we wanted to take just a moment to share more about this incredible organization that has done so much to help so many caregivers – especially Dan.
Supporting caregivers has so many positive ripple effects. It helps strengthen and sustain the caregiver of course AND it also directly benefits the person receiving care. That’s why we are both writing this particular post and not just Dan. We have both learned so much from other caregivers including: how to balance grief with joy, the importance of self-care, how to better navigate the holidays and other special events with cancer, ways to slow down, how to ask for help, and so much more.
Jack’s has helped us, so it’s important to us to help Jack’s! It’s a small (three staff) nonprofit organization. What it has already accomplished with limited resources is simply astounding and it has big dreams of supporting more caregivers in more places. This is so needed and we hope anyone who reads this blog post might help by contributing to Jack’s today. You can contribute through this link: https://www.givemn.org/story/Givetotheklatch
We want to acknowledge that many of our friends and family members have already contributed to Jack’s over these past five years. To all of you, please accept our immense thanks! And, because we are a organizer and a fundraiser, we are asking for your continued support and hope you might consider another gift and help us spread the word today.
Please know that this is a good organization doing crucially important work. We wouldn’t ask otherwise. Jack’s changed Dan’s life by providing support and safe space for him to grieve and learn. That in turn has improved both of our lives and our relationship. As Cassie often says “Caregivers need support too.” Jack’s exists to provide that support and we hope you will support Jack’s today and into the future. Here again is the link to give: https://www.givemn.org/story/Givetotheklatch
In solidarity with all the caregivers out there we say thank you.
Dan and Cassie
