Spreading Joy: A Community Effort
Meredith Knopp
Tis the season! Everywhere you look, there are signs of the holidays- lights and decorations aglow that tell us it is truly a magical time of year. It is a time for dreaming, a time for love, a time for gathering with family and friends, and a time to celebrate.
As we look forward to the holidays, it is also important to recognize and acknowledge that this time of year may also be challenging for people to navigate. Whether facing the holidays for the first time without a loved one, navigating a job loss or maybe a medical diagnosis, the holidays can also be a time of fear, uncertainty, and conflicting emotions.
Most of you who read this will not know this, but I know all too much about it. I hope that by sharing a little bit more of my story, I can help provide a little bit of light to someone who may be searching.
Last year, a routine mammogram turned out to be anything but routine. In fact, September 8, 2023, will be a day that I remember for the rest of my life. What started as routine became a “concern,” which evolved into an “abnormality” that turned out to be cancer. It’s the word you never want to hear. Most of us have heard or experienced what this horrible disease means for those who are diagnosed. It is terrifying if, like me, you have no family history and no real understanding of the “why” or “how” this could happen. I’m not too fond of surprises.
October was filled with scans and biopsies, November with surgery, and in December, my “gift” was a port, surgically placed into my chest. This allowed me to receive almost 5 months of grueling chemotherapy to “fight” breast cancer and, hopefully, save my life. This was followed by 30 rounds of radiation, 3rd-degree burns, and then injections and pills. If leaving a review on Yelp, it would have been “do not recommend.”
However, I also had my faith, my family, and my friends – a combination that proved stronger than the cancer that had invaded my body. This year, on December 5, I went back to where it began to have my first mammogram since my world was flipped upside down. What unspeakable joy it was to hear “clean and clear” and to be able to share this news with my friends, co-workers, and family. All the pain, struggles, and sickness are now officially behind me, and I can honestly say that everything looks brighter as we approach the holidays this year.
I am sharing this because I think it is important to acknowledge that we all will have challenges, setbacks, and dark times in our lives. However, what most influences the outcomes is how we choose to face those times and the people around us who choose to support us. This holiday season, I sincerely wish that we can all find a way to reach out and help one another. Provide a kind word, a warm meal, or support to someone struggling to make ends meet. We never know people’s struggles – as many are invisible. This holiday season, let’s all find a way to be a light to someone going through a dark time. Find a way to spread joy and hope to those we know, or even better, to someone we do not – with no expectation of repayment. This is how we change the world – one good deed, act of kindness, smile, and hug at a time.
Find a way to make a difference in the lives of others this holiday season. We would be honored if you chose to do that with us, here at the St. Louis Area Foodbank, through a financial donation so we can quickly turn that around and provide fresh produce, protein, and dairy products to families across the bi-state region. You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking here.
If not with the St. Louis Area Foodbank, I hope you will find another way to impact this holiday season. Be the change that you would like to see in the world. Do something that matters in the lives of others – for you never know when you may find yourself wishing that someone will be that light for you.
May you and your families have a happy and healthy holiday season!
Always grateful,
Meredith
