You guys!!! God is so good!!

I mentioned Project Athena in my last post but here’s a recap…

Last October Brandon heard the founder of Project Athena speak at a work conference. Project Athena is a foundation “dedicated to helping survivors of medical or other traumatic setbacks achieve their adventurous dreams.” This was at the time my cancer was spreading and we realized I needed to switch to a new medication. After hearing the Project Athena presentation, Brandon told me he couldn’t help but think this would be an awesome opportunity for me. So, I submitted an application.

Fast forward to December. I received a text message from somebody from Project Athena saying they were going to be calling me. I was at one of Nora’s basketball games and I didn’t hear my phone ring and I missed her call. I tried calling back later but didn’t get an answer. We played phone tag a few times and never connected.

The holidays came and went and in February I realized I never heard anything from Project Athena. I went out on a limb and decided to send a message to the woman, Louise, that had reached out to me in December. I never heard anything from her. I let it go and thought it’s just not meant to be.

Finally, in April, I decided to reach out again. I just didn’t want to give up on this experience. This time I was going to call Louise. She answered! She explained to me that they have 10 days to make contact with a recipient and if they don’t make contact they have to move on to the next person. Because we never connected in December, she had to move on to the next person.
She explained that I could reapply but that all of their adventures for 2019 were filled. I could try for a 2020 adventure. I was a little worried because who knows how I’ll feel in 2020. Nonetheless, I submitted another application and waited to hear from someone.

Sooo… TODAY! Today I received a phone call from Louise!! I was on the phone with my sister, Renee, and when I saw Louise was trying to call I told Renee I would call her back because I wasn’t going to miss Louise’s call again. She said she was ready to put me down for a 2020 adventure!! She asked what my activity level was like to try to find the best fit. She suggested the Florida Keys adventure would be great opportunity. I would be biking, kayaking, walking and camping on the beach for 3 days!! I asked what time of year it would be and she said the week before Thanksgiving. So this would be almost a year and a half away. We both expressed our wishes that it could be sooner. She is a two time cancer survivor and she understands that with cancer you want to strike while the iron’s hot. She said she couldn’t help but hear her own mother’s voice saying “There is no tomorrow, we only have today” Unfortunately, this year’s adventure in the Keys was full and there was a waiting list for cancellations. I told her it was ok. This would just give me motivation to keep doing well so I could go in 2020. I just had this feeling that all would work out in the end. She said she would keep me in mind if anything sooner became available. We decided to keep in touch and play it by ear to see how this plays out.

I got off the phone and called Renee back. About 5 minutes later I see Louise is calling again. She said she called the main office to let them know who she contacted today and explained my situation. She asked if there was any way they could add one more to the 2019 Florida Keys adventure. She told them it’s more than likely that someone will drop out at some point in the process. Couldn’t they just add me to the list?? She said there were a few “Well… I don’t know… I’m not sure…” However, she got me in for the 2019 Florida Keys adventure!!! I knew it would all work out but wasn’t expecting it would all work out in the next 5 minutes!! I told Louise, I was going to cry! I couldn’t believe it was all going to work out and I was going to have this opportunity. She said she cried when she got the ok from the main office. She said NOW is the time. We can’t put things off. I told her that is EXACTLY how I have been living my life for the past 3 years. YES, YES!! There is no better time than now!!

God is good ALL the time!!

She said that they would be sending out my training schedule and other information very soon.

So very grateful for this opportunity!

https://projectathena.org/athena-adventure/florida-keys-recovery/