Wife to Chuck // Mother and grandmother // Retired science teacher // Former yoga instructor // Gardener and lifelong learner // Advocate for healing spaces // Finds peace in nature, prayer, and reflection // Supporter of Cancer Survivors Park
Jo Macpherson did not arrive at Cancer Survivors Park through her own cancer diagnosis. She arrived through love, grief, and the search for peace after witnessing her mother’s courageous battle with multiple myeloma.
In 2021, Jo visited the Cancer Survivors Park for the first time with her husband, Chuck. As they walked the labyrinth together, something about the space immediately resonated with them. The stillness. The beauty. The sense of reflection woven throughout the grounds. They both knew instantly they wanted to support the organization and help preserve it for others seeking comfort and healing.
A Personal Loss
Jo understands deeply how devastating cancer can be for both patients and families. In 2019, she lost her mother, Ollie Jewell Cavin, after a fight with multiple myeloma.
Her mother was diagnosed at age 82 after doctors initially believed her severe spinal fractures were caused by osteoporosis. Later, during a hospitalization for a heart-related issue, blood work revealed anemia, which led doctors to uncover the cancer.
The diagnosis was emotionally overwhelming. Watching her mother endure chronic pain, fatigue, and difficult treatments was heartbreaking. Jo’s mother, born in 1925, belonged to a generation that valued privacy deeply and chose to keep her diagnosis almost entirely to herself.
That experience stayed with Jo. She saw firsthand how isolating cancer can become and how desperately patients and caregivers need spaces that support not only physical health, but emotional and spiritual healing as well. Looking back, she believes her family would have greatly benefited from a place like Cancer Survivors Park during her mother’s illness.
Finding Solace in the Park
Today, the park has become a sanctuary for Jo.
“My visits keep me grounded, offering a precious opportunity to slow down, reflect, and quiet my thoughts,” Jo says. “It is a sacred space to commemorate my loved ones and pray for healing through life’s unpredictable twists and turns.”1
As a retired science teacher, former yoga instructor, and avid gardener, Jo feels especially connected to the park’s natural beauty and vibrant ecosystem. She spends time journaling, walking the labyrinth, and observing the wildlife that inhabits the grounds, from blue herons to muskrats. The native healing plants2, butterfly habitats, and sculptures continue to inspire her each time she visits.
She also values the park’s educational and wellness programs, which combine community learning with personal healing. Programs like yoga and fly-fishing reflect the park’s mission to care for the whole person.
A Life Rooted in Reflection and Gratitude
Today, Jo’s life is centered around family, faith, and lifelong learning. She treasures her roles as a wife, mother, and grandmother and spends her days involved in church activities, gardening, bridge, centering prayer, and walking the labyrinth.
Through her support of the park, she hopes others facing cancer, grief, or uncertainty will find the same peace she has discovered there – a place to pause, reflect, heal, and remember they are not alone.
1While she has several prayers, verses, and poems she turns to while reflecting in the labyrinth, these are her main ones. “Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10; Dear God, I pray to be grounded in this moment and in the love that you created it for. Amen”
2One of Jo’s favorites includes the Persimmon tree. A beautiful tree native to this area that you can find in the labyrinth area.
Story by Gina O’Donnell
Photo by Sliced Tomato Productions