'Brunch of JOY' honors breast cancer survivors and thrivers at Living Well Cancer Resource Center
After surviving breast cancer at age 39, Naperville mom Joy Harmon started Bringing JOY, a non-profit aimed at providing care packages to patients going through cancer treatment.
Harmon is now partnered with 10 cancer centers across the Chicago suburbs and regularly drops of her Bags of JOY filled with $10 gift cards, hand sanitizer, lip balm, puzzle books, and other self-care items to help bring a little sunshine to patients with cancer.
Harmon hosted her first ever Brunch of JOY, a brunch for breast cancer "survivors and thrivers," helping them to connect with each other. Social workers from the cancer centers that Harmon partners with invited patients to attend the brunch where they received gift bags, make up and nail polish samples, a book and participated in a raffle.
"The aftermath of treatment can be very difficult. You may not be in active treatment, but life feels very different and there are always more decisions to make. Not to mention, there are many lasting side effects from breast cancer; physical and emotional," Harmon said. "I want to be able to connect women who have been through similar diagnoses so they can encourage each other to continue to find JOY in their day."
Sheryl Behm received Bags of JOY during treatment for breast cancer at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital last year and was inspired by Harmon to find ways to volunteer and give back herself. She came to the Brunch of JOY to help process some of the emotions she experienced during treatment.
"I didn't know I would be so emotional coming to the event," she said. "Meeting other people helped me realize that I am still processing everything I went through and it's okay to not be okay."
To date, Bringing JOY has delivered 5,550 Bags of JOY to patients with all types of cancer. Bringing JOY is partnered with Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center at Warrenville, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center at Orland Park, Riverside Bourbonnais, Rush Copley Medical Center, Rush Copley Healthcare Center in Yorkville, Edward Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, and Edward-Elmhurst Health Center at Plainfield.
Karen Adams has been breast cancer free for nine years after completing treatment at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital. She attended Brunch of JOY to pay it forward to other women going through similar journeys. "Hearing Joy's story took me back to everything I went through during that time. It was therapeutic in a way, and it was nice to meet these women and hear those stories. Women shouldn't be afraid to reach out and ask for support when they need it, and events like this are important for facilitating that."
Northwestern Medicine Living Well Cancer Resource Center are located in Geneva and Warrenville. Living Well provides cancer patients, survivors and their families with programs and services aimed at providing empowerment and support free of charge. Living Well offers fitness, nutrition and art therapy classes, counseling and more.