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Gilda’s Club: A Circle of Friends

Dear Gilda’s Club Community,

This summer, I was walking around Lake Harriet listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Wiser Than Me. The host, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was reflecting on her experience with breast cancer and how her ‘circle of friends’ supported her through chemo treatments, sickness, emotions, and all that comes with treating cancer. Going through my own cancer journey this past year, I thought of how grateful I was for my own friends who did the same for me. It also got me reflecting on how Gilda’s Club is an important part of my circle of friends.   

I got involved with Gilda’s Club back in the very beginning when a mutual friend introduced me to Carrie Puterbaugh, who then introduced me to Dolly Lowery and Jenni Lilledahl, and together we became the women who founded Gilda’s Club Twin Cities. Gilda’s Club’s purpose resonated with me. My mother passed away from breast cancer in 2000 and she and my family didn’t have many support options in rural Minnesota. I was all-in to help open a place where anyone impacted by cancer could find social and emotional support, research and referrals, education, and support in living a healthy life. 

I didn’t know at the time that I was signing up for a long-term relationship with Gilda’s Club, which has turned out to be one of the most fulfilling volunteer experiences of my life. And, as an unexpected benefit, my circle of friends grew as I met many wonderful and talented people along the way as we worked to raise money, remodel a building into a clubhouse, open the doors to the Twin Cities in 2014 and now, in 2024, expand to support all of Minnesota.     

Since Gilda’s Club opened in Minnesota, nearly 4,000 people have passed through the welcoming red doors to find the support they need. It’s been rewarding to be able to tell my friends and co-workers about what Gilda’s offers when they are dealing with their own cancer experience. After adding virtual support during the pandemic, I was thrilled to hear there were people from Pelican Rapids, my hometown, getting support from Gilda’s Club. I was able to apply what I had learned from Gilda’s Club when my sister went through breast cancer six years ago. 

So, when I was diagnosed with (surprise, surprise) breast cancer last year, I knew that Gilda’s Club would be there for me. It was assuring to know I’d have an additional circle of friends to answer questions, provide a referral, teach me about what to expect, or just share time together – without costing a thing.

It was also humbling to hear the medical community and other cancer support organizations praise what Gilda’s Club had to offer. Since finding out that I am cancer-free (woo-hoo!), I have continued to use Gilda’s Club as a resource, learning about how to deal with treatment side effects and developing healthy lifestyle habits that will keep me that way.   

As 2024 and the 10^th anniversary of Gilda’s Club Minnesota wrap up, I ask you to join to be part of the circle of friends that Gilda Club provides not just to the Twin Cities, but now to all of Minnesota. Your donation can help provide critical support group attendance to a person facing a cancer diagnosis, caregiving, or loss; materials for art therapy classes; virtual programming to connect people impacted by cancer across Minnesota; and so much more.

Please consider making a generous gift today. Each gift, no matter the size, plays a role in sustaining and expanding our supportive community, ensuring that no one in Minnesota needs to face cancer alone. 

Thank you for being part of our circle of friends.