Tailwind

Introduce yourself

Hi! My name is Tricia Coghlan, also known as Tailwind. I attended Snow Camp in April 2018. I am a clinical social worker and knew when I was diagnosed that I would find a way to use my experience to help other people. I never could have imagined Project Koru though! 

Personal story

I have never been an athletic person. I was always picked last for every sport I tried. I eventually stopped trying because the perfectionist in me couldn’t stand to keep failing. When I told my husband I had applied to attend Snow Camp with PK, he laughed and reminded me that I hate being cold, hate being cold AND wet and generally do not like sports (all of those things are correct!). I explained that that was the point: to do something outside of my comfort zone. 

My goal for camp was to be able to ride the ski lift and make new friends. While at camp, I tried snowboarding and learned how to ski. It was hard and I wanted to quit. I fell down over and over and over. My Ohana encouraged me the whole way and helped me keep going.  By the third day I was able to ride the ski lift and ski down the mountain! 

Since then, I have learned how to paddleboard, ran my first 5K, racewalked a 10K, cave tubed, ziplined, snorkeled, hiked A LOT, started lifting weights (pre-pandemic) and have pushed my body in ways I never imagined. I’m not perfect at any of it and that is totally okay. I feel so alive when I allow myself to really be in my body, especially outside. 

It was a gift I didn’t expect from cancer. When I felt as though my body failed me the most, I turned around and showed myself how strong I really am.

We talked a lot and listened to music on the way to Mt. Hood each day. One of the other campers introduced me to the song Fight by Taboo. There is a line that states “The fight is never ours alone, We’re all in this together.” When you are part of the Ohana, your fight is never yours alone. We’re all in this together.

Talk about your involvement with Project Koru

I am currently involved in PK’s book clubs, Virtual Campfire and Hangouts. I am also a Farman Fellow. 

Why did you choose to be a leader? What does being a leader mean to you?

I applied to become a Farman Fellow because I really believe in the mission of PK, as well as my passion for being in community with other survivors. During cancer treatment, other survivors really helped me. I felt I could be honest with them and did not have to be “strong” in the way I showed up for my family and friends who had not had cancer. 

I reached out to a woman I barely knew who had had breast cancer. Afterwards she wrote me a card offering permission to cry, laugh, be angry, cry some more and ask for help.

I really appreciated being told it was okay to have all the feelings, and not just the ones society often places on cancer survivors. I hope to do this for others.

What does empowerment mean to you and how does it show up in your life? 

I think a lot about empowerment. I see empowerment as encouraging others to ask for what they need, to find answers within themselves, have hard conversations, listen to their intuition, allow themselves the time and space to feel their feelings, and knowing that together we can do hard things.

What does being part of the Ohana mean to you? 

As part of the Ohana, I know I will always have other survivors to turn to. Cancer tends to take some twists and turns and while my active treatment is over, I have many literal and figurative scars that it has left behind. My Ohana is a group of people who “get it”, who know we did not do anything to cause our cancer and who understand the unique challenges young cancer survivors have.

What advice would you give to new survivors?

I encourage new cancer survivors to allow themselves to feel ALL the feelings. To look at their feelings without judgement and to offer themselves kindness and compassion. I found it helpful to have a sense of humor too. I look at JP drains and continue to be amazed at how we can send humans into space, yet the JP drain is the best we can do after surgery! 

I also tried to find all the “cancer perks” I could. I attended a healing retreat at my local cancer center, got tickets to the local university’s gymnastic meets, gifts from friends and family, delicious meals from friends, lots of care packages and of course a life changing trip to Mt. Hood!! Does this make cancer “worth it”? Of course not, but if I had to have cancer, I am going to embrace the gifts of love from others.