A Moment to Breathe: How Rachel’s Family Found Hope Through Respite

When Rachel (age 51) finished her final round of chemotherapy in October, followed by surgery in November, she carried more than physical exhaustion into the winter months. Like so many patients navigating the long, difficult road of cancer treatment, she had been “fighting in every direction,” as she described it — advocating for herself, caring for her family, and trying to hold on to normalcy wherever she could find it.

In January of this year, thanks to donor support, Rachel and her family were offered something rare: a true moment to breathe. They joined other families on a For Pete’s Sake (FPS) Respite Experience at Woodloch, where the intention is simple yet profound: to help families take a break from cancer.

“When you’re in cancer treatment, you’re fighting in every direction. To be able to let that fight go for even a moment… it’s incredible.”

From the moment Rachel and her family arrived, the FPS team set the tone: warm, attentive, and ready to create connection. Rachel still marvels at how naturally community formed among families who had never met before: “The FPS team brought us all together as a group and it felt like magic.”

For Rachel, the respite was filled with both quiet joy and bursts of laughter. Her kids reveled in snow tubing under a winter sky, walking through fresh snow, and enjoying Woodloch’s famous hot chocolate — complete with whipped cream, M&Ms, and light-up straws.

“The sheer whimsy of something like hot chocolate with M&Ms…when you’ve been in the slog of treatment, it’s wonderful.”

But some of the most meaningful moments weren’t the big activities. They were the small, ordinary things cancer often interrupts, like time alone with her husband, Cyrille.

During the respite, the FPS Facilitators (lovingly referred to by Rachel’s children as “the ladies”) took the kids to the arcade so Rachel and Cyrille could share a morning together. It was their first non-medical time alone in months. They walked a quiet trail, snow still fresh on the ground, and simply got the chance to breathe: “To be out there looking at the sky, breathing that air, and knowing our kids were having a great time… it was incredible.”

Their children, Catherine (15) and Luc (12), gained something powerful as well: independence, belonging, and purpose. They joined activities with other FPS families, helped parents with younger children, and even talked about returning one day as volunteers.

“My kids said, ‘I would totally come work a respite here.’ They felt part of something bigger.” And Rachel describes the Respite Experience as a turning point, “It brings you something that is beyond that week…You’re recharged to go back to your life.” This is the impact of respite and of your support.

When asked what she would say to someone considering supporting a Respite Experience for families like hers, Rachel didn’t hesitate. “It might seem like, what can a week really do? But the ripple effect is so far beyond that.”

She explains that an FPS Respite is not just a vacation, it’s holistic cancer care. It gives families space to reconnect, moments to recover emotionally, and a community that surrounds them long after they return home. “For Pete’s Sake thinks of everything. As a patient, to turn off the self-advocacy for a moment is life-changing.”

This Giving Tuesday, your generosity can make experiences like Rachel’s possible for more families facing cancer. Your gift helps parents reclaim time with their children, gives caregivers a moment to rest, and offers families the emotional fuel they need to keep going. Most importantly, it provides a space where cancer may be present, but it isn’t central; instead, joy, connection, and healing are.

Your Giving Tuesday gift helps more families like Rachel’s take a break from cancer. And if you donate today, the Gene Haas Foundation is matching all gifts up to $10,000, so you can give another family the chance to breathe, reconnect, and rediscover joy.