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“Love Letters to Our Bodies” is a free contemplative workshop for Black women living with cancer or cancer survivors, to explore how they experience their bodies, stories they tell themselves, how that has changed since their diagnosis, and how they engage in self-care. The first of three workshops will take place online April 29 & 30.
The incidence of cancer in the United States is highest among the Black community, with the highest mortality and the lowest survival rates of any racial group for most cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, “About 224,080 new cases and 73,680 cancer deaths were expected to occur among Black people in 2022.”
African Americans also have poorer cancer outcomes. For instance, statistics from the National Cancer Institute’s “Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program” reveal that:
- Blacks/African Americans have higher death rates than all other racial/ethnic groups for many, although not all, cancer types.
- Despite having similar rates of breast cancer, Black/African American women are more likely than White women to die of the disease.
- Black/African American women having the highest rates of death from cervical cancer.
- Between 1999 and 2019, more than 1 million Black men and women ages 20 and older died of
cancer(reported in JAMA Oncology May 19).
When confronted with a cancer diagnosis, patients often experience terror, grief, anger, depression, helplessness, hopelessness, and a sense of betrayal by the body.
“We all carry stories in our bodies,” said Gwendolyn Mitchell, Reiki Master and Chief Executive Officer of Moyo Institute, Inc., who will facilitate the workshop. “But seldom do we make the connection between these stories and our overall wellbeing. This is particularly true for African Americans who are carrying both generational and personal trauma,” Mitchell continued. “In Love Letters, we gently unpack these stories so participants can move forward in their journey unburdened.”
The women who attend will be supported gently in uncovering their personal stories. These stories will inform the next steps, including, acceptance, forgiveness, and the creation of Love Letters to their bodies, which will be printed and recorded.
Moyo Institute is collaborating with the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic for Integrative Cancer Care in Oakland, California and the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC. The workshop aligns with the focus of both organizations – providing compassionate, integrative programs that support the healing journey. The workshop is available for free, online, nationwide. Women interested in attending can register at https://bit.ly/LoveLettersApr2023.
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