Each year as spring approaches, I start impatiently looking forward to the AOSW Annual Conference and the inimitable experience of spending time with the other attendees. Each year, without fail, that time together is enough to remind me that I am part of an extraordinary and fierce community. During those three days I see glimpses of the possible better futures that may result from the collaboration of so many hearts and minds and it fuels my hope.

This past March I got an early start to my excitement when I was invited to represent AOSW at a meeting for the Biden Cancer Initiative (BCI). My response was, of course, an enthusiastic acceptance. I felt privileged for the opportunity to hear what Dr. Jill Biden would have to say and to learn more about how OSWs can support the initiative within our local communities. What I did not anticipate is that Dr. Biden and Lisa Simms Booth, BCI Senior Director of Patient and Public Engagement, were not there to teach or direct per se. They were there to hear what we, the local community, had to say with the goal of learning from and with us.

The meeting was held in a cozy, neighborhood café where we sat around a large rectangular table. In addition to Dr. Biden and Ms. Simms Booth, there were 10 others representing a variety of survivors, caregivers and healthcare providers, and advocates gathered from different corners of the Boston metro area. Everyone present was encouraged to share their background and identify what they perceived as the greatest challenges currently facing the oncology community. Several themes emerged (e.g., financial stress, access to care, access to supportive resources) but what impressed me the most was the uniqueness of each person’s experience and perspective.

Photo (left to right): Dr. Jill Biden, Leora Lowenthal, Lisa Simms Booth

Following the meeting I was asked to write something for the AOSW Navigator and, again, accepted with enthusiasm. I went back over my notes and thought about what each person had shared. I looked for insights and suggestions that would be important to communicate with my oncology social work colleagues. What I concluded, repeatedly, was that everything was important and yet nothing was surprising. The challenges, obstacles and gaps that our group identified ranged from the smallest of practical details to the grandest of existential quandaries, but they all echoed refrains that would be familiar to any oncology social worker.

For me the question then became, “What happened in this meeting that allowed 12 strangers with such varied experiences to engage one another with such trust, compassion and open dialogue, and how may we recreate that on a larger scale?” Looking back at that day a few things stand out as essential to the process. The first was that by inviting each person to share their story in an open-ended fashion, Dr. Biden and Ms. Simms Booth helped ensure that every participant would feel seen, heard and equally valued for their input.They did not attempt to compare or rank with regard to difficulty; rather, the message was that each unique narrative can teach us something essential about the work that remains to be done.

My second observation was that rather than simply assuming that cancer would be enough of a shared experience to create community, Dr. Biden and Ms. Simms Booth acknowledged the power of cancer and grief to make us feel profoundly isolated. They listened to stories of pain and loss and gently explored where commonalities and dovetails would appear within the conversation. They validated feelings of vulnerability and helplessness and reflected on times when they themselves had such feelings. In essence, by recognizing that we were not yet a “community” when we walked through the café doors, they allowed us to find our common ground and even some common goals organically.

Finally, there is this: following the meeting the group received a beautiful email from Lisa Simms Booth and each participant received a personal card from Dr. Biden. I cannot guess what may have been written on other cards, but suspect others may have felt as I did after reading mine—witnessed, appreciated, valued, engaged, even a little hopeful, and ready to be part of the Biden Cancer Initiative.

The 2018 AOSW Annual Conference honored Joe Biden with the ACS Quality of Life Award, and Ms. Simms Booth accepted it on his behalf. It was a lecture I looked forward to attending, but this time I did not expect to simply listen and learn. The spirit of the Biden Initiative includes repeatedly asking ourselves what needs to happen, what our roles in effecting change can be, and how we can best partner with one another in pursuit of shared and often lofty goals. The video message they shared can be found here.

Links for the Biden Cancer Initiative:
https://bidencancer.org/
https://twitter.com/BidenCancer
https://www.facebook.com/BidenCancer

Link to local news story:
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20180323/dr-jill-biden-visits-natick-to-talk-with-cancer-patients-and-caregivers