Hingham, MA
by Melissa Sileo (LIVESTRONG Staff)
Happy LIVESTRONG Day from New England! My event took place during the evening of LS Day so my posting is a bit delayed.
This event was not only inspiring and motivating, it was emotional. During the viewing of the LAF manifesto to start the evening, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.
This event took place in the town hall of Hingham, MA (pop. 20,000). The organizer was Mellie Hutchinson who is a cancer survivor and previous LIVESTRONG Day delegate.
The event was focused on providing a forum for cancer survivors in the Hingham community to share their cancer stories. Mellie did a great job of providing a range of perspectives. The chief of police shared his experience as a parent of a child diagnosed with cancer, a young adult shared his battle with a brain tumor and the fundraising efforts he’s begun through www.healgooddog.org. A woman shared her role as a community activist and support to cancer survivors through her program Road to Recovery that provides transportation for cancer patients to and from their appointments. And finally, a man shared his experience of losing his wife to cancer this past year.
We also had two of our partners from WGBH (PBS Boston affiliate), Elizabeth Cohen and Rosie Kaczmarick drive from Boston to join us, which was really great of them!
Despite the fact that this wasn’t a fundraising event, people kept donating money at the LAF booth. We collected over $100 of unsolicited funds from this small town.
Everyone was so committed to sharing their stories, getting involved and making a difference. It was inspirational to see such a small community so actively involved and they were so appreciative of our presence and support. This truly defines a grassroots movement and I was honored and thrilled to be part of it.
