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Wednesday, April 8, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
So grateful I’m not dead
By katy Yoder
Columnist
As May approaches, I
can’t believe I’m coming up
on the one-year anniversary
of finishing cancer treat-
ments. I don’t go back to
see my oncologist until July,
when he’ll do more labs and
see how I’m doing. These
landmarks appear and recede
from memory, making time
move deceptively fast.
During recovery from my
surgery and starting chemo,
fellow cancer warrior Bill
Valenti told me about an idea
he had for a benefit concert
called, “So Grateful I’m Not
Dead.” Being always the
optimist, Bill wanted to have
a group of singer/songwrit-
ers who had all survived can-
cer put on a Grateful Dead-
inspired evening. He invited
me to join them once we both
had made it through the can-
cer maze.
I agreed, not really think-
ing about how my beginner
mandolin playing could ever
measure up to real musicians.
Not to mention, at that time, I
didn’t know how this would
all turn out. So I said, “Yes,”
and decided I’d worry about
the reality of it later — if
there was a later.
We both made it and Bill,
a man true to his word, asked
me to join him at Dudley’s
Bookstore in Bend for an eve-
ning of song and fundraising
for leukemia and lymphoma
research. I tried to resurrect
a few of the songs I’d writ-
ten prior to my diagnosis and
knew right away that I had no
business, on even the small-
est stage, singing and trying
to play the mandolin. It was
time for plan B.
During my treatments,
I began writing poetry to
release deeply buried fears
that kept me up nights. Read-
ing through some of them, I
was surprised to find I had no
recollection of writing them
at all. It was like someone
cracked the door into a time
that felt more like a long-
forgotten dream than my life.
So, I let him know that
poetry would be my way
of contributing to the song
circle. Bill asked that I read
poems that were upbeat, and
after looking over my recent
poetry it was clear I needed
some fresh material. Let’s
face it: digging deep during
chemotherapy isn’t fodder for
light reading. So I wrote one
that dealt with my love/hate
relationship with sugar and
another that reflected on how
important the little things
become when you’re dealing
with the big stuff.
We did a songwriters-in-
the-round format and I read
poetry after Bill’s hilarious
songs. We were all wearing
tie-died T-shirts, and as I got
ready to speak I was amazed
to realize that the moment
we’d talked about so long ago
was happening. Reading my
own work in front of people I
don’t know is not something
I’m comfortable or used
to doing. But a dear friend
taught me something that
has proven to be true over
and over again. She drew a
circle and wrote “Your Com-
fort Zone,” inside it, then
she drew another circle and
drew an arrow to it. In that
circle she wrote, “Where the
magic happens.” I often look
at that piece of torn paper and
use her wisdom to encourage
me to take new risks and see
where the magic will take me
next.
I really enjoyed reading
my poetry to an audience,
and I want to do that again.
Listening to the other musi-
cians, I realized my delivery
may have been different from
theirs, but our intentions were
the same: enjoy telling a good
story and if you can bring a
little laughter into the world
all the better. There’s so much
to be serious about, whether
it’s managing our shaky
health situations or embrac-
ing the countless tragedies
happening around the world.
Laughter and frivolity are
a wonderful antidote to all
those dreary realities.
It was great to focus on
cancer and find something to
laugh about. Bill has been an
inspiring example for me as I
watch him take on his health
challenges with a generous
heart and a will as strong as
steel. I can’t wait to hear his
next song; I know it’ll be full
of witty turns, fresh perspec-
tives and twisting prose.
Bill is one of many ster-
ling examples of how to face
adversity by speaking your
truth, listening to your inner
voice and always looking for
a reason to laugh. Sometimes
dark humor is the only humor
available. It may be hard to
understand to someone who
hasn’t fought this particular
battle, but it sure helps those
going through it. So if some-
one going through cancer
starts telling a joke about how
many cancer patients it takes
to screw in a light bulb, just
take deep breath and laugh
until your sides hurt. It’s a
great release and a way to
shed tears of joy when tears
of sorrow are lurking around
every corner.
Agenda
Sisters City Council
Sisters City Hall, 520 E.
Cascade Ave.
Thursday, April 9
6 p.m. joint workshop with
Deschutes County Board of
Commissioners
• Sisters economic devel-
opment manager sustainabil-
ity plan and funding
• Economic vitality summit
• Deschutes County cen-
tennial celebration
7 p.m. regular meeting
• Amendment to the
McKenzie Meadow Village
annexation agreement
• Planning commission
appointment
• City Parks Advisory
Board appointment
• Budget committee
appointment
7:30 p.m. Convene as
Urban Renewal Agency
• Consideration to award
façade improvement grants
Quality Truck-mounted
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