Forty feet above the ground, a mother of two young children is balancing her whole body on a wire that’s only about half an inch in diameter, clinging to a rope with white knuckles. Below her, more than a dozen women are yelling and clapping. “You’ve got this!” “Just slide your left foot a little further!” “You’re DOING it!” Though she feels frozen with fear, the cheers fuel her determination, and her hand reaches the next rope.
Healing Odyssey
Without even realizing it, she screams with a mix of emotions, terrified and jubilant at the same time. Now her arms are spread wide as if in victory, each hand grasped tightly to ropes dangling on either side of her. From the ground, it looks as if she’s floating, or maybe flying, with the wire that supports her barely visible. Another woman yells up, “Take a breath and look out! Look how far you’ve come!” She steadies herself as best one can on a wire four stories above the ground, which is covered in pine needles in this clearing of a beautiful forest in the mountains. Her view is of a spectacular landscape with layers of peaks spanning miles in front of her. She’s harnessed and safe, but it doesn’t feel that way from this vantage point. Her knees are wobbly from the exhaustion of the climb to get there. Still, she’s able to absorb the wonder around her: the massive pine trees nearby and countless in the distance, the palpable energy of the women below her flowing with love and encouragement. Moments later she descends, lowered slowly to the ground in her harness. Tears of triumph flow as her supportive crowd envelopes her in a massive embrace.
It all takes about ten minutes, but hundreds of women who have been to a Healing Odyssey retreat will tell you the intensity of the ropes course experience can have a life-long impact. Healing Odyssey is a Southern California nonprofit that hosts retreats for women cancer survivors. The program was developed thirty years ago by an oncology nurse and social worker who wanted their patients to heal more deeply than is feasible in a series of short support group sessions. They curated a three-day event full of meaningful activities and workshops. The ropes course adventure serves as a metaphor for the challenges of survivorship, both physical and emotional. It is just one piece of a whole weekend designed to help women rebuild their sense of self after a cancer diagnosis.
Most of us know a bit about what most breast cancer patients go through, some combination of the three biggest treatments: surgery to remove the disease, radiation to target and attack cells in the area the cancer struck, and chemotherapy to root out rogue cells before they strike again. These major treatment options are well known to be deployed soon after diagnosis, but what’s lesser known is the long term impact that intense treatment has not just on the body, but a woman’s life as a whole, particularly her spirit.
Healing Odyssey’s goals are to help women cancer survivors draw strength from all they’ve conquered and learn strategies to overcome the emotional hurdles in front of them. While the sessions are led by oncology professionals, mental health providers and nurses, some of the most powerful healing comes from within the group itself. About thirty women attend each retreat, and most are eager to have brutally honest conversations with others who can relate to what they’re going through, in many cases more so than anyone they’ve yet interacted with since their diagnosis. The profound feeling of being truly understood cultivates confidence, hope and even joy. Part of the weekend is actually designed to inspire fun! Many women realize they haven’t laughed or felt carefree in quite some time, and the retreat proves how much they need levity to balance the heavy load they carry. Together, the women at Healing Odyssey retreats discover how to move forward in survivorship.
Healing Odyssey’s story provides a great reminder of what we should all keep in mind as pink ribbons surround us this month. Like the mom on the wire who battled to reach that final rope, women cancer survivors need healing beyond infusions and operating rooms. They need experiences to remind them that their bodies are still theirs and capable of meeting challenges unrelated to cancer. That even when things are scary, their spirits are still strong enough to persevere, especially with the support of others. And that it feels good, and is in fact necessary, to stop and enjoy the view, appreciating herself and her victories.
About the Author
Lissa Jordon is the Executive Director of Healing Odyssey, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 that holds retreats in Southern California for women survivors of all cancers. She herself is a breast cancer survivor who underwent a year of treatment following her 2018 diagnosis, giving her the privilege of now living cancer-free. After attending a few retreats in her recovery, she was captured by the power of such events and is thrilled to inspire resilience in other survivors through her role with Healing Odyssey.
The next retreat will be held in April 2026 and is open for registration. The organization covers most of the cost in order to keep the financial burden low for each retreat participant. Encouraging survivors to attend is one of the best ways to support Healing Odyssey.
Website: healingodyssey.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/healing__odyssey
