Chapter 7
Connection: Collaborate to Innovate
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
—George Bernard Shaw
In early 2011, in developing a plan for combating her lymphoma, my mother built a rich constellation of help from people throughout her network, community, and personal history to help her. In addition to the chemotherapy and medicinal therapies employed by the doctors and oncologists at the hospital, friends with medical training were called in to advise on various medical issues depending on their expertise.
For physical therapy, yoga instructors were summoned to build physical restorative plans and stretching exercises. For nutritional therapy, chefs and gardeners appeared with dietary plans and meals for nourishing her body. Her pastor and church members gathered at her bedside to guide in spiritual therapy. Artists and musicians would often appear with healing tokens or musical presentations for cultural therapy. One of my personal favorite activities was to help find and deliver jokes or funny movies to support the daily laughter therapy.
Through the rich network my mother called “Team Hunter,” each individual applied his or her own talent and expertise to support my mother through her cancer journey.
An innovative effort based on trust, with appreciative inquiry, great aspiration, and deep ...
