Finding Strength, Together
Roxie arrived at The Doorways at a moment when everything felt uncertain, and even the smallest comforts mattered more than ever. Supporting her son through a transplant meant stepping into a world she had never experienced before, far from home and full of unknowns. She did not yet know what the days ahead would bring, only that she was doing everything she could to be there for her son.
“From the moment I arrived, I felt at home,” Roxie shared. “The courtesy, the generosity, the people who came in to cook for us. You feel safe. You feel loved.”
In between long days at the hospital, Roxie found quiet moments to sit outside in Dolly’s Garden reading, praying, and reflecting. Those moments of stillness, paired with the steady presence of others who understood, gave her space to breathe during an incredibly heavy season.
Without The Doorways, Roxie knows the experience would have been unbearably isolating. Her husband, Dave, had just completed cancer treatment himself and needed to remain home for recovery and lab work. During the first two weeks of her stay, Roxie cried often, unsure if she was strong enough to face what lay ahead.
“I didn’t think I could do this,” she said. “But every time I needed support, it was there. If I needed to cry, I could cry. If I needed encouragement, someone was always nearby.”
What surprised Roxie most were the moments of connection and even joy that emerged along the way. Shared meals became a source of comfort. Her first evening, she was invited to supper and another transplant mom introduced herself. Sitting down together, sharing food and conversation, brought immediate relief. “When you’re in the same boat, worrying about the same thing, you don’t feel so alone anymore,” she said.
Today, Roxie and her son are back home, and he is doing extremely well. Looking back, Roxie says her time at The Doorways changed her. It made her more empathetic, more generous, and deeply grateful. “There’s so much heaviness in the world,” she reflected. “But here, you see people working so hard to care for others. It gave me hope, and I’ll carry that with me forever.”
