A horse, of course, can ease cancer stress
A horse doesn't care if you've lost your hair to chemotherapy or that you've had a double mastectomy and you're only 32.
For Rachael Hanson, her horses played a major role in helping her get through her breast cancer diagnosis more than two years ago, her six rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments.
Rachael Hanson rode her 30-year-old Morgan named Jante Thursday as Hansel, her 4-year-old Appaloosa, cuddled up nearby. Hanson, 35, battled breast cancer two years ago and is now hoping to start Rae's Hope, a type of therapeutic horse program to help others struggling with a health condition or difficult life situation. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.
They possess great big shoulders to lean on, cry on and large ears always ready to listen to her problems and fears.
Now Hanson, 35, is hoping to help others in similar situations who may need some stress-free interactions with horses, large animals who seem well-equipped to handle large problems.
Rae's Hope is a concept that never would have occurred to her had she not been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer on June 6, 2007. She hopes to use her personal story, life lessons she's learned through her horses and her horses themselves to help others.
"I want to empower people to be hopeful and use the horses to do it," Hanson said with a smile. "I want to let people know your life can be hopeful no matter what your circumstances are. My cancer is more of a blessing because then I never would have thought of Rae's Hope."
When Hanson was 11, she said she had no friends, her family couldn't afford trendy clothes and it didn't help that she wore glasses and had frizzy hair and pimples. That same year her parents got her Jante, her Morgan horse who turned 30 this year. She said the friendship she forged with Jante made her feel as though she belonged.
Many years later when she wasn't feeling well because of her cancer treatments, Hanson turned to her horses, Jante; Ollie, a 4-year-old Morgan; and Hansel, a 4-year-old Appaloosa, for support, as well as Jeremy, her husband of seven years, family and friends.
"It gave me something I was in control of," Hanson said of handling her horses.
For 15 years she's worked with youth at Timber Bay Camp, now as a part-time cook but many of those years were spent as the horse program director until that program closed three years ago. She saw what a difference spending time with a horse made on teens struggling with their own personal issues. She also worked at Care Veterinary Clinic in Ironton for the past three years and had to quit in July because of her ongoing problems with lymphedema, a condition caused by the surgery she had to remove cancerous lymph nodes related to breast cancer. She goes to physical therapy twice a week.
It's been a tough few years for the Hansons. She also had to have a hysterectomy because her aggressive form of breast cancer was estrogen-positive and likely would have returned in a new location if she hadn't had the surgery. Hanson said she'd always wanted to be a mother but knew the surgery was something she had to do.
"When you get pushed up against the wall in life, you find out what's important," said Hanson.
Her husband, who was self-employed and "flipped" houses for a living, was diagnosed with neuropathy, a painful nerve disorder and became unable to work. They sold nearly everything they owned, but still lost their Brainerd home a couple months ago to foreclosure. They have since moved to a rental cabin in Crosslake for the winter. Her friends, Mykel and Meg Barthel, have helped her out by allowing her horses to be boarded at their home south of Brainerd.
Hanson serves as youth pastor at Open Door Church in Breezy Point where she also runs the small church's youth group. Her faith in God also has been a tremendous support. Through it all, she has tried to remain positive.
"It's been hard but my joke is that my blood type is 'Be Positive,'" said Hanson. "I think even with what I've gone through, other people have it worse."
Hanson has already conducted several one-hour horse therapy sessions at Timber Bay Camp for small groups of teens, children and older women and so far the response has been positive. She speaks about her own breast cancer struggle and how even though she didn't have hair at one point she was able to braid her horses' manes. Her story touched an 8-year-old girl who had several family members die of cancer and whose mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. Through tears, the girl told her she was scared she was going to die of cancer, too.
"I told her I'm not dead," Hanson explained. "Here she's 8 years old and thinking of dying. I just want to empower people with hope. I don't have any money to give to people but I have hope."
Hanson would like to eventually develop Rae's Hope into a nonprofit organization but for now she's volunteering to speak to any group or individual, with assistance from her horses, if they're interested and in need of a little bit of Rae's Hope. Rae's Hope is for anyone needing hope - cancer patients, especially newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, or other illnesses and other challenging life situations.
For more information, contact Hanson at raeshope@gmail.com.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.