{"id":2080,"date":"2018-09-28T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2080"},"modified":"2018-09-28T15:44:38","modified_gmt":"2018-09-28T19:44:38","slug":"the-value-of-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2080","title":{"rendered":"The Value of Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorblind Caring <\/em><\/h1>\n

By Kate D. Mahoney<\/em><\/p>\n

What if, in the month of the pink ribbon, we were color blind? What if the patient with the diagnosis was given a marketing budget, resources, treatment protocol, financial assistance and an invitation to be a part of a conversation \u2014 before there was any cancer to define their level of worthiness?<\/p>\n

In a time when division is getting a lot of play in our culture, what if we committed to elevating each other, in all phases of wellness and illness? What would that really look like? What if everyone always felt welcome?<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to share remarks at the Great New York State Fair on Women\u2019s Day. I offered some insight: while it\u2019s a tricky business, women have been the CEOs of humanity for a long time now. So, why are we still so comfortable with letting what we do or don\u2019t have define us?<\/p>\n

Even though the noise around it is often the loudest, jobs, money, neighborhoods and even cancer aren\u2019t what make women great leaders, mothers, teachers or people.<\/p>\n

Love, respect, dignity \u2013 that\u2019s at our core. We don\u2019t always ask for it. We don\u2019t always acknowledge that we need, or needed, more of it. We don\u2019t always believe we deserve to give or receive it.<\/p>\n

We are deeply engrained in a system of have and have not; so much so, I think we forget it\u2019s actually a framework of members and guests. In crisis, what we choose may feel like the only option we have. In reality, the truth doesn\u2019t always match the hindsight. We have the power \u2014 and dare I say, the responsibility \u2014 to invite one another in. We are the world\u2019s welcome wagon. Twenty-six years ago this month, I was diagnosed with stage 4 germ cell ovarian cancer. I was 14.<\/p>\n

Cancer was kind of like an unexpected visitor, one who arrived on the doorstep unannounced and invited itself to stay for few days. Mail arrived in its name. Furniture was delivered. Rooms started being taken over and, before I knew it, cancer had made its home in my life and my family. In our collective vulnerability, my parents and I decided to welcome cancer, setting in motion a chain of events in which we often became the spoils and it the victor.<\/p>\n

Surviving cancer \u2014 in a world in which many do not \u2014 challenged my belief in my\u00a0own worth. I\u2019ve doubted my deservedness to be loved. As a professional, I\u2019ve questioned my capacity to command respect. I neglected to see cancer as something I could collaborate with. I forgot to welcome myself. I forgot that I wasn\u2019t cancer.<\/p>\n

Today, my travels take me all over the world sharing and hearing people\u2019s stories. My favorite moment continues to be the one in which a person realizes they have been given a seat at the table, just as they are.<\/p>\n

Amidst fundraising and fighting words \u2014 not only for cancer but upcoming elections as well \u2014 consider looking not at what someone or something will give or take from you, but what both sides might benefit from. Engagement and responsibility go hand in hand. We are all patients and caregivers, regardless of medical status. We are all members and guests, depending on circumstance. You are welcome. SWM<\/em><\/p>\n

Stop by to visit with Kate and pick up a copy of her book, \u201cThe Misfit Miracle Girl: Candid Reflections,\u201d at the Junior League Holiday Shoppes at the New York State Fairgrounds on Nov. 9, 10 and 11. <\/em><\/p>\n

Kate D. Mahoney is a speaker, actor\/educator, patient & caregiver ambassador and author. Her book, \u201cThe Misfit Miracle Girl: Candid Reflections,\u201d is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To continue the conversation or book Kate for an event, email MahoneyKateD@ gmail.com.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Colorblind Caring By Kate D. Mahoney What if, in the month of the pink ribbon, we were color blind? What if the patient with the diagnosis was given a marketing budget, resources, treatment protocol, financial assistance and an invitation to be a part of a conversation \u2014 before there was any cancer to define their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[101],"tags":[195,695,262,694],"class_list":["post-2080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-kate-d-mahoney","tag-october-2018","tag-syracuse-woman-magazine","tag-the-pink-edition"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/syracuse-women-magazine-logo-jan-17-1-e1485623317278.jpg?fit=889%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1292,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1292","url_meta":{"origin":2080,"position":0},"title":"A Year in Review","author":"Staff","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A Year in Review from my Rearview Mirror By Kate D. Mahoney\u00a0 I am old-school, often one with my car stereo, a blend of trepidation and optimism when I hit the road to share my story and hear the stories of others. 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It\u2019s the Wicked Witch!\u201d Somewhat blinded by the stage lights \u2014 and my desire to give the people what they wanted \u2014 I stood in my lavender footie pajamas in my elementary school auditorium, and a powerful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3346,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3346","url_meta":{"origin":2080,"position":2},"title":"Q&A: The Personal Meaning of Health and Nourishment","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"October 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Interview by Lorna Oppedisano We sat down with local author Kate Mahoney and nutritionist Emily Tills to get a preview of their upcoming event, \u201cHealing from the Inside Out,\u201d during which they will interview each other about what nourishment can look like, how health helped shape their purposes, inform their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Q&A"","block_context":{"text":"Q&A","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1300"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Emily-Tills-headshot.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Emily-Tills-headshot.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Emily-Tills-headshot.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Emily-Tills-headshot.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Emily-Tills-headshot.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2051,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2051","url_meta":{"origin":2080,"position":3},"title":"Mary Kate Intaglietta","author":"Staff","date":"September 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"From Volunteer to Executive Director By Carol Radin |\u00a0Photography by Paul Carmen Viggiano When the opportunity to become first executive director of Paige\u2019s Butterfly Run presented itself, Mary Kate Intaglietta didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cI wanted something that tugged at my heartstrings,\u201d she remembered. 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Krahling\u00a0 Stress. Whether it\u2019s the pressure of an impending deadline, caring for an aging parent or schlepping to the grocery store for the third time in the same week, we all deal with it daily. 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Patterson \u00a0 \u00a0 Kate Rolf has spent her entire career in health care. 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