Each one of us has a uniquely inspiring path in life that has brought us to where we are today. When a cancer diagnosis is added to the mix, our paths can seem to head in every direction except the one where we wanted to go.
Storytelling can provide an anchor for both patients and caregivers during treatment and survivorship. There is something cathartic about telling your story and being heard. Going through the details of when something happened, who was there, how we felt at that time and how we feel now reminds us of how far we’ve come — and how far we can still go!
Cancer survivor Louise Muscato knows how that feels. The daughter of boxer Joe Muscato —who's honored in both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame — Louise told her story through Roswell Park’s Life Recorded program. Afterward, she said she was relieved, lighter and more inspired than ever to express her feelings to her loved ones. “I come from a fighting family. Well, now I’ve got my dad’s gloves back on. We’re going to knock this out — TKO.”
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Sign up!If you’d like to tell your own story, we invite you to take part in Life Recorded. Based in the Spiritual Care Department and generously funded by the Jayne and Phil Hubbell Family, Life Recorded gives you the opportunity to be the star of a 40-minute audio or video recording — free of charge. You may choose to have a family member or friend interview you, or one of the program’s professionally trained and compassionate facilitators can guide your session. Either way, you’ll have support throughout the entire process.
After the recording, you’ll receive a CD, DVD and/or digital file of your session to keep for yourself or share with family and friends. You may also choose to share your story with the community at large to inspire others who are going through the same experiences you’ve faced. Your story might be about your cancer journey, life accomplishments, travel memories or family stories. You can express how you feel right now, at this point in your life, or reflect on another time. It’s up to you — after all, this is your story!
To learn more about Life Recorded, please call the Spiritual Care Department at 716-845-8051.
Editor’s Note: Cancer patient outcomes and experiences may vary, even for those with the same type of cancer. An individual patient’s story should not be used as a prediction of how another patient will respond to treatment. Roswell Park is transparent about the survival rates of our patients as compared to national standards, and provides this information, when available, within the cancer type sections of this website.
