When business professionals mull over the idea of enrolling in his stress reduction program, Dal alum and spiritual teacher Timothy Walker says the most common excuse he hears is, 鈥淚鈥檇 like to do it, but I鈥檓 too busy.鈥�
Cancer changes things. Those recently diagnosed with the disease say 鈥淲ait a minute, I鈥檝e got to look again [and question] who am I and where am I going and what is my life about,鈥� says Dr. Walker.
Thirteen years ago, Dr. Walker teamed up with Rob Rutledge, an associate professor at AV俱乐部 Faculty of Medicine, to form what would become the Healing and Cancer Foundation (HCF), a registered Canadian charity since 2009. Having treated more than 3,000 cancer patients, Dr. Rutledge brings the authority of an oncologist to HCF and describes his partnership with Dr. Walker as a 鈥渕arriage of the science with [a] secular spirituality.鈥�
Under the mandate of HCF, Drs. Walker and Rutledge organize public talks as outreach to cancer patients and weekend retreats designed to help those living with cancer or struggling with a recent diagnosis.
Identifying a need
Newly diagnosed cancer patients often don't know what medical services are out there or how to access them, or even whether they are 鈥渕issing out on some home-run, cure-all medicine,鈥� says Dr. Rutledge. They often lack the 鈥渟kills of how to navigate the medical system, to advocate for one鈥檚 self and to make a real difference to one鈥檚 own health through the medical system,鈥� he adds. 聽
Accordingly, a key goal of HCF is to 鈥済et knowledge to people very early in the process [and to help them to] learn these essential skills,鈥� says Dr. Rutledge. 鈥淧eople are under tremendous stress鈥� when they first get diagnosed and this adds to the confusion and sense of helplessness with respect to taking their next step, notes Dr. Walker.
Dr. Rutledge says that while their program involves a mere weekend retreat, participants often describe it as 鈥渓ife altering鈥� and leave 鈥渕uch more accepting, much more positive and much more proactive with how they approach their cancer situation.鈥� The retreat鈥檚 activities enable participants to 鈥渂e open with their emotions, [to] connect with each other, [to] hear each other鈥檚 stories [and to learn] how to approach a cancer diagnosis [with their] body, mind and spirit.鈥�
Much of the weekend is dedicated to mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques offered by Dr. Walker. 鈥淧eople have a tendency to feel betrayed by their body, or to hate their body, or to feel that its a bad trip. So they want to rekindle that sense of loving themselves,鈥� he says.
Recognizing that spirituality and health are not separate, Walker says that mindfulness meditation allows people to love their body 鈥渆ven if its in pain鈥� and to 鈥渞each into the pain itself and change [their] subjective experience.鈥� Participants are encouraged to view their diagnosis as an 鈥渙pportunity to heal on the levels of body, mind and spirit,鈥� he said.
A new documentary
The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation recently awarded HCF a grant to produce a documentary detailing their work. Filming commenced in April of this year and covered a retreat for those diagnosed with breast cancer. The film includes follow-up interviews, conducted in August, with several of the retreat participants. The film鈥檚 director, Dawn Harwood-Jones of Pink Dog Productions, says that the retreat introduced her to many amazing women.
鈥淚 wish I could have followed up with all 50 of them,鈥� she says.
Each of the participants had been 鈥渄ealt the huge wake up call鈥� by first being confronted with their diagnosis, says Harwood-Jones. But Drs. Walker and Rutledge鈥檚 insights were 鈥渋ncredibly helpful鈥� to the group, she says.
鈥淭hey are not only inspired leaders but they鈥檙e so dedicated [and] have such profound respect for the people who come to these meetings.鈥�
A key goal of HCF is to tap into the profound effects that can occur 鈥渨hen a person changes their perspective . . . literally you can be a different person after a cancer diagnosis,鈥� says Dr. Rutledge.
Drs. Rutledge and Walker have even heard participants refer to their cancer as a 鈥済ift鈥� in that it enabled them to radically re-evaluate their lives and priorities for the better.
鈥淵ou learn from the illness,鈥� says Dr. Walker. 鈥淚t teaches you things that you needed to learn.鈥�
For more information about Drs. Walker and Rutledge, The Healing and Cancer Foundation and their new documentary, please visit