Oscar Wilde once wrote, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
In many ways, life can feel like that gutter – full of hardship and struggle, whether we face it ourselves or walk beside loved ones as they do. It is an uphill battle.
Perhaps the most devastating of all experiences in the modern world is a bad diagnosis. Our bodies, equipped as they are to help us survive, sometimes turn against us. How can this happen?
Taking time to consider this question can make anyone feel fragile. And for those of us who have experienced firsthand the devastation of a bad diagnosis, or the loss of a friend or family member to cancer, that fragility feels all the more consuming.
Hope Cancer Resources places itself right in the middle of this struggle.
But they make a point to direct our gaze at the stars. As quick as it can be to get lost in the fragility of our circumstances, the preeminence of the human soul does amazing things when it looks not at the long way down the hill, but at the journey to the summit.
In a world of wannabe Luke Skywalkers, Chuck Hyde – President and CEO of Hope Cancer Resources – insisted that the real Luke Skywalkers are the people his team serves (likening his team with the role of Yoda as he did). In other words, our hardships can empower us, and Hope Cancer Resources makes it their mission to show that the darkest of nights only makes the stars more visible.
“There is hope, and we want to make that accessible,” Chuck said. “We are here for the hard days, the healing days, and every day in between.”
Hope Cancer Resources recognizes that every cancer story is unique. Because of this, their services are tailored to the individual to meet their specific circumstances and needs.
At Hope Cancer Resources, all services are provided at no cost to the patient; these include transportation, counseling, support groups, and personal training.
According to Jamie Dietrich, Vice President of Development and Marketing for Hope Cancer Resources, their nine fleet vans travel somewhere between thirty and thirty-three thousand miles a month to get patients to their appointments.
“We’re grateful for every single person that we get to help,” Jamie said. “2026 will have a heavy focus on awareness and sharing our mission so more people can know what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Last month, on October 2, they hosted a Wellness Lab. This was a free event designed to educate people in the community on preventative care and to promote breast cancer awareness.
Chuck stated his gratitude for the team’s ability and readiness to help their patients.
“I’m very thankful we’ve got professionals who are highly competent, high character, and highly motivated to help people,” Chuck said. “Everyone needs to know someone who knows about Hope Cancer Resources.”
The season of Thanksgiving reminds us that there is always something to be thankful for. This thankfulness is available for all of us, no matter how difficult the circumstances of our lives.
In difficult times, it can be easy to forget about all the things we have to be thankful for and even easier to lose hope in the future. That’s why we need places like Hope Cancer Resources. They remind us that hope is most powerful when it’s most unexpected.