"Help Me To Stand"
Helping a cancer victim at both the individual or community level
requires two things - PLAN and COMMITTMENT. The physician takes a
history, carries out an examination, orders tests, establishes a diagnosis
and then lays out a treatment plan. At the community level there are
plans aimed at bringing about public awarness of early warning
signs of cancer, literature and public events like the breast cancer walk.
However, no matter how exacting the physicians prescription or the
community cancer efforts, a PLAN without COMMITTMENT is incomplete.
Committment is the force that arises between the individual cancer patient
and physician or between many cancer vicitms and the public . Committment
arises from an emotional, non-verbal level. It arises form individual or group
subconsciousness - from empathizing or understanding the individual torment
of a cancer vicim faced with overwhelming dispair, suffering and struggle.
Committment to the cancer patient both individually and collectively causes us to
build a new $60,000,000 Everett Cancer Center as described tonight by Elie
Saikaly M.D., Director of the new Everett Cancer Center or to develop
CyberKnife Technology that will be explained by Marc Mayberg M.D.,
Medical Co-Director with Sandy Vermeulen M.D. of the Seattle CyberKnife
Center or to carry out research protocols and innovate new genetic and genomic
research such as that represented by Greg Foltz M.D. and by our Key Note
Speaker, Leroy Hood M.D. PhD.
Probably no one knows better this state of mind or this feeling of experiencing
overwhelming odds than some of those 350,000 people in need of food,
clothing, shelter and other services that call the Volunteers of America. Just ask Gil Saparto,
CEO/President of the Volunteers of America for 40 years - or Phil Smith, the current
Director of Communications for Volunteers of America - both of whom are with us this evening.
Just ask Fred Taucher, CEO/President of Coroporate Computer, about committment.
Sixty years ago. he was a very frightened young boy packed into a railroad car
with Russian soldiers passing through the gates of the Dachau concentration camp
during the Holocaust. Had the Russian soliders not helped him to stand, he would
have been one of those trampled to death.
Just ask some of the newly diagnosed cancer patients or ten year cancer survivors
that are amongst tonight's guests about committment.
All around the training room at AccurayHeadquarters are large photographs - FACES -
faces of cancer victims along with a caption containing a few words how the CyberKnife
had spared their life. Why the faces and not just the text message? Because Accuray
President Euan Thompson wants us to feel the committment to treat cancer and not just
understand it from words or didactic lectures alone.
To help us comprehend feelings beyond understanding we have with us tonight from Las Vegas,
a master of non-verbal communication, Mr. Dehner Franks.
A couple of years ago Dehner Franks was asked to write a song for the Volunteers of America
to fit with their mission statement - “to reach out and uplift”. To this request Dehner wrote a
song entitled “Help Me To Stand”. But - it just so happened that Dehner’s wife was dying of
breast cancer metastatic to her brain during this time. Therefore, song writing intended for a
very specific purpose, became a unique song that transcended its intended purpose and turned
into an expressive masterpiece. This song, titled “Help Me To Stand” became a profound, Universal
Plea for help of a personal, social or spiritual nature.
Let's allow ourselves, musically speaking, to 'crawl' into the mind of this family
member of a cancer victim so that this evening we can all briefly experience
these universal feelings from which we create the committment needed to help
cancer victims.
Please note that Anita Franks, age 43, died of breast cancer metastatic to the
brain February 3, 2005 without ever hearing her husbands song, "Help Me To Stand"
performed.
Victoria Burnett, who sings "Help Me To Stand" is a two times breast cancer
survivor. Her husband divorced her and many of those that she loved left
her, when the disease recurred. As Victoria told Dehner "I lived the words of your song"
Click on "Help Me To Stand" below and Mr. Dehner Franks will expose to you
"The Force of the Source" of our individual and collective COMMITTMENT in
The Fight Against Cancer.
Regards,
SJW
"Help Me To Stand" (Realplayer Video)
"Help Me To Stand" (Windows Media Video)
"HELP ME TO STAND" Lyrics
HELP ME TO STAND The Volunteers of America - “The Christmas Spectacular”, December 17, 2005
There’s a storm that keeps on rage’n and the wind keeps on blowing.
My heart is aching and my strength is almost gone.
But I turn to you because you know just what to do,
My Savior Help Me To Stand.
I try to do what’s right and I’ve kept up the fight,
But somewhere I went wrong and I can’t, I can’t turn around.
But I turn to you because you know just, just what to do,
My Savior Help Me To Stand.
I tried to make it on my own but it left me here alone,
I need you to stand, precious Lord take my hand.
But I turn to you because you know just, just what to do,
My Savior Help Me To Stand.
I know that through Grace I can make it, if I just remember all that you’ve said.
Despair and distress are behind me but now there’strouble up ahead.
Those that I love have forsaken me, they wait to see me fall in shame.
If I fall as I fall I’ll be reaching and calling out your name.
And now I turn, I turn, I turn to you, you know Lord, your gonna see me through,
My Savior, Help Me To Stand.
And now I turn to you, you know just, just what to do,
My Savior, Help Me, Help Me Lord, Help Me Lord To Stand. -Dehner Franks-
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Special interests include: Aneurysms, AV Malformations, Pituitary Tumors, Complex Brain Tumors, Minimally Invasive Intercranial Surgery, Surgery for Epilepsy and Parkinson's Disease, Interventional Neuroradiology, Complex Spinal Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Seattle Cyberknife Center, Northwest Gamma Knife Center
Everett Neurological Center 2320 Rucker Ave. Everett, Wa. 98201
Phone: 425 259-5121 Fax: 425 252-1322