CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. — A cancer diagnosis is tough for anyone, but for people who live in small and rural mountain communities, it can be even harder.
“Most of us are transplants. We don’t have all the aunts and uncles and cousins, so we really become each other’s family, and I really recognize the importance of that,” said Julie Reid, the executive director of Living Journeys, a nonprofit that supports people affected by cancer in Gunnison County. “Unfortunately, being in such a small community and the hospital [having] limited resources, a lot of our community members need to leave the community for treatment.”
Living Journeys steps in to help with grants, transportation and housing help for those who have to travel for treatment, therapy for patients or families and tangible help like meal delivery.
Eric Larsen is a Crested Butte resident who has benefited from Living Journeys’ mission. Larsen is known for his polar expeditions.
“We did an unsupported North Pole expedition [in] 2014," Larsen said. "That will probably be the last in history."
In 2021, Larsen was diagnosed with stage 3B colorectal cancer.
“I had chemo, radiation, surgery – just some pretty tough times overall,” Larsen said.
But Larsen, who is full of daily mottos and mantras, had one that fit this situation perfectly.
“The obstacle is the path,” Larsen said while working on a green cruiser bike in his garage in Crested Butte.
Living Journeys helped him down this new path with a little bit of everything. Larsen said he is the poster child for the nonprofit. He received financial assistance, help with transportation costs, meals for his family and therapy.
“We had to go to Denver, Montrose, Boston [and] Colorado Springs for a good year and a half," Larsen said. "They wanted to make that as easy as possible."
Larsen’s wife Maria Hennesey said she is still overwhelmed by the assistance, which also included help for their two young kids.
“We feel so lucky to live in this community because of Living Journeys,” Hennesey said. “Had we lived somewhere else and had this diagnosis, I don’t think we would’ve gotten through it in the way we did.”
Living Journeys is celebrating their 25th Summit Hike, a climb up Mount Crested Butte, on Saturday. Registration is open now until the morning of the event. Reid said the hike is filled with people affected by cancer, their families and friends.
“Our community comes together to celebrate, honor and remember our loved ones affected by cancer,” Reid said. “It’s such a powerful day. There’s more hugs and tears and celebrating than you’ll ever see at any other event.”