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 On
April 20, 2008, our founder, Mary Soergel, passed away at the
age of 83. Mary was an inspiration, and her beloved Stillwaters,
has, and will continue to be a gift of hope for thousands of
individuals.
Mary founded Stillwaters because of her personal experiences
with cancer. Scott, the first of her five children, was
diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at the age of 14. Then in
1987, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. A year after she
had surgery, she and her husband joined a local therapy group.
When the therapist was ready to start another group, she asked
Mary to co-facilitate. That was the beginning of Stillwaters,
not yet named or organized.
Today, Stillwaters services and programs focus on encourage
healing of the whole person. Our services facilitate community,
hope, and personal growth for people with cancer and those who
care about them. And in keeping with Mary's vision - all
services are provided at no-cost to participants.
We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to honor Mary at
last year's Harvest Ball, and to thank her for all that she had
done for cancer patients and families in our community.
When I met with Mary last year, she shared the story of her
vision for Stillwaters with me. This vision included the
creation of "a retreat center in a beautiful, peaceful, and
healing rural setting, for people facing the challenge of
cancer, and those who care about them. The center would allow
closeness to nature and be a place where people would come
together to feel safe, and experience the acceptance, support
and encouragement they needed to help them identify their own
physical, emotional, and spiritual strengths."
Although we are not yet housed in Mary's ideal vision of a
center, Stillwaters provides all the services Mary envisioned.
As we plan for the future, we will continue to keep Mary's
vision in the forefront of all that we do, and hope that her
dream of a stand alone retreat center - dedicated to serving
individuals with cancer - will someday become a reality.
- Danelle O'Neill
Executive Director
Stillwaters services are offered free of charge and without
obligation.
Our Vision
Stillwaters
exists so no person affected by cancer will feel alone in their
journey.
Our Mission
Stillwaters is a community for persons with cancer and those
who love them. Stillwaters nurtures, supports and encourages
healing of the whole person; mind, body and spirit.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I couldn’t believe it. I
was so terrified. My greatest need was to know my family and
friends were there to help me through the terror. I also had a
great need for resources. I wanted to read everything I could on
this disease. I needed to learn how I could live with cancer
instead of being defeated by it. I also needed to talk to other
survivors. I needed to know I had a chance to beat this.”
-
Cancer Survivor
 
Stillwaters Cancer Support Services is a community-based,
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) agency providing supportive services
for cancer patients and their families. Our services focus on
helping people to understand that they are an important part of
their healing process and offers opportunities to share common
experiences, learn effective coping skills and make necessary
life changes to promote wellness.
Stillwaters offers cancer patients and their families a
personal approach to cancer support. Our programs complement the
efforts of medical professionals and other cancer organizations
by providing psychological, social and emotional support through
a community of professional staff, volunteers, patients and
their families.
Stillwaters offers a range of services and programs to help
individuals manage their stress and cope with the existential
crisis called cancer. Most of these therapies are based on a
mind-body-spirit approach to healing, with the focus on the
individual. Through Stillwaters programs and services
participants learn new skills that are integrative and
empowering.
Stillwaters services include professional counseling services
for individuals and families, professionally facilitated
retreats, workshops and groups, mentor matching, bereavement
services and programs for children impacted by cancer. In 2006,
Stillwaters served approximately 600 individuals from Waukesha,
Milwaukee and surrounding counties in Wisconsin.
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