Coffee that Heals

Hi, my name is Candace.

For being a former fitness instructor and overall healthy person most of my life, I have just come through an unexpected health journey that I thought was going to take my life.

Six years ago, I survived a bone marrow transplant, hip replacement, and an additional handful of surgeries to get me through my blessing of Leukemia. Yes, it's a blessing, because the journey has enhanced my life so that I truly do live for the day.

I'm not here to complain, but rather just stating that Tim Horton's coffee has been a huge part of my healing journey. Why you ask? Good question.

My energy was at a minimum when I was fighting for my life. Cancer tends to drain you of your precious energy - go figure?! However, about every second day, I would literally drag myself and one of my supporters (son, family members or friends) out for a Tim Horton's coffee.

Some days we would take the coffee 'to go' and sit in the car and drink it. As you can imagine, I was not looking too healthy at this time, and was self-conscious of my looks (bald, water retentive face). As we sat and sipped, sometimes not talking, sometimes solving the world's problems, I forgot about the 'condition my condition was in' for a brief moment in time. For a cancer patient, this is a welcome relief - as you become consumed and immersed in the 'c' word. It's rather annoying, really and more importantly drains you of your energy to heal.

Anyway, back to the story... as my healing journey progressed positively, my coffee mate(s) and I would sit in the Tim Horton's coffee shop and have our coffee, people watching, talking about the weather, and overall, melding our lives with one another. Again, over a steaming cup of Tim Horton's coffee.

I truly believe that Tim's was part of my healing journey from cancer. It was some days, my only escape from a world that was so unknown and at a time that I was not sure whether I was going to live another day or not. It was the 'moment' that I had to savour with my loved ones. It was a healing, warm, cup of coffee (with cream) that kept me from overreacting to the small hurdles each day. I truly believe your coffee was something that helped in healing me.

Thank you for letting me share my story.

Peace and Love,
Candace
Kamloops, British Columbia