W
No. 2 Vol. 4
mypaperonline.com
April 2016
East Meets West In Cancer Support Group WINGS New Book On Healing
By Anastasia Marchese hen speaking with Randi Jeddis, the treasurer and a founding member of WINGS about the new book that the group recently published entitled, “Let Me Walk Through The Journey With You: Healing Through the Chakras,” the name Lynn Ferrer comes up a lot. It seems that she has been the driving force behind a lot of what happens at the support group and has facilitated a lot of the healing process for the Women of Wings, who co-authored the book with Ferrer. WINGS is an acronym TES STIMA FREE E
which stands for the mission of the group which had its first meeting back in Jan. 2011; Women Inspiring, Nurturing, Giving Strength & Support. Many of the women who are members of the support group have also been patients at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, and have had their lives greatly affected by the help and encouragement of Ferrer, who is the Holistic nurse on staff there. It seems Ferrer’s sphere of influence stretches beyond the confines of her job, as she also has invested deeply in the lives of the Women of WINGS. She is a Reiki pracFULLY
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titioner, which is a form of eastern energy healing. Once a year she offers a free workshop to teach oncology patients Level One of Reiki so they can use it in their own lives to help themselves heal. “Lynn has always wanted to write a book,” said Jeddis, and this book tells the journeys of the founding members of WINGS, while going through each of the energy centers of the body, where healing needs to occur for full recovery and growth. “As you heal the chakras, you heal the rest of the body as well,” said Jeddis, “the energy has to heal in your body.” This energy healing goes on as oncology patients are also undergoing more traditional western medicine treatment. “Lynn brings the eastern realm of medicine to western medicine. She brought holistic health to the oncology unit at St. Barnabas’s.” The group may have formed around Ferrer and the founding members but it has become “a very big group of sisters,” according to Jeddis. On the WINGS website is a quote from Ferrer that explains how WINGS began, “At the end of my first year working in the outpatient cancer center as a holistic nurse practitioner, I proposed a Reiki Level 1 Workshop for women with cancer. This way, they could learn Reiki for personal use and also share it with family and
friends. Most of the women who signed up had been and some still were patients whom I had worked with during their chemotherapy. The response was overwhelming. After the program, a dozen women continued to meet with me and discuss the possibility of starting a support group for women with cancer with emphasis on the Healing Arts. They asked me to be president, but I refused. I told them loud and clear, ‘Ladies you are the experts. You have walked the Journey, I have only accompanied you.’ Thus WINGS was born.” During the interview for this article, Jeddis wanted to be clear that what has happened with WINGS and the new book “All centers around Lynn Ferrer.” That is not to belittle the wonderful contributions of
all the members and the amazing power of their stories of cancer and healing. It is to stress the inspiring power of Ferrer and the strength of holistic medicine in the lives of each of these women. WINGS offers ongoing events and cancer support groups. In March, Ferrer offered a workshop on Meditation which was followed by a more traditional support group. The group meets once a month and is open to women dealing with any type of cancer. “We have about 25 in weekly attendance with one or two new faces every month,” said Jeddis. “They come in rain and snow and everything.” WINGS celebrated receiving their first order of 300 books on Jan. 2. All the co-authors celebrated at Fer-
rer’s house with a champagne toast and light lunch. The group is surprised and excited that they have already had to order another 500 books. The book is available on amazon.com. More information about WINGS and their free monthly programs and meetings is available at www.wingscancersupport. com.