Cancer Took Everything from her...
...Except her Resilience

Submitted by Tenisha Davis
Retail Recruiter
Goodwill of Greater Washington

I had the opportunity to meet a woman with the most powerful story that I have ever heard. One of Goodwill's trainers referred a woman to me by the name of “Jeannie” who applied for a part time Sales Associate position. It began with an informal interview, but ended with a couple of tears on my cheek.

The interview started off with an introduction about Goodwill's mission. Before I could proceed to the questions about Jeannie's work experience, she began telling me how Goodwill's mission and her testimony are intertwined.

Jeannie initiated telling me about how two years prior she was working at a bookstore as a book-keeper/ customer service representative. While working there she started to have neck pain. At first she didn't give too much thought about it, until she started feeling numbness in her fingers.

Jeannie's husband encouraged her to go to the doctor. She hesitated for several weeks until the pain became unbearable. After several tests she had a CAT scan. Soon after, they found a tumor on the tip of her spine and one on the lower end of her brain. She was devastated; the surgeon told her that the chance of survival was very slim without surgery. If she did happen to survive, she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.  Despite the grim picture the surgeon painted, she went forward with the surgery.

For months Jeannie could not feel the lower half of her body. Little by little she regained feeling in her legs. She had to go through physical therapy for over a year and is still doing so. During the healing process she endured so many adversities such as her husband leaving her because of the severity of her illness. She lost one thing after the other. Through it all, she never lost her faith and is still holding on to this day.

Jeannie ended her story by telling me that because she had built such a wonderful relationship with one of the doctors at the bookstore and provided such wonderful customer service, this doctor referred her to a specialist who referred her to a Physical Therapist that she would not have been able to afford otherwise. 

By the end of the interview I was so touched I had tears in my eyes. This woman has overcome such adversity and still manages to wear a winning smile and have such a positive attitude!!

Jeannie is now employed by Goodwill of Greater Washington and is working part-time in one of Goodwill's retail stores. It is because of Jeannie's excellent customer service that she found herself in a position to have received the life-changing referral.

Your support for Goodwill of Greater Washington can help people like Jeannie fulfill their dreams of independence and self sufficiency. By making a cash gift to Goodwill of Greater Washington, your donation will have an immediate and lasting impact on the lives of people like Jeannie; people who just want someone to give them an opportunity to prove they have something to offer.

• A $25 gift will pay for a student's transportation costs to and from Goodwill's job training centers
• A $100 gift will pay for a student's books and materials
• A $500 gift will help Goodwill pay for the recruitment materials necessary to reach and inform more people like Jeannie about Goodwill's education and career training programs.

Thank you for supporting Goodwill in the past and for giving us the resources we need to help people like Jeannie. With your continued assistance, we can give hope to more people who once thought it unimaginable.

Please consider making a generous cash gift to Goodwill of Greater Washington today. You will be making an investment in someone's future that will last them a lifetime.