Meet Patricia Callahan | Cancer Resource Specialist & Spanish Services Manager at Cancer Support Community North Texas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patricia Callahan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patricia, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
My willingness to be flexible and welcome creative input from others. I see the support program for Spanish speakers that I have helped grow and shape at Cancer Support Community North Texas as a proud example of a creative solution to meet the needs of an underserved population, and a collaborative and ever- evolving project that prioritizes the needs of our current members. I first took over the program at the beginning of the pandemic – a time that warranted the utmost flexibility and an open mind. It was an unprecedented time for everyone and I wanted to understand what would work for our members. I called each of our Spanish-speaking members and asked them what kinds of things they would be interested in participating in now – a virtual support group? educational presentations? social gatherings on Zoom? Based on what they shared, we got creative. When I look back at the variety of activities we were able to do together on Zoom, I remember how much fun it was! We did things like talk about the curative benefits of laughter and asked everyone to bring a joke to share. Another favorite was during Hispanic Heritage Month. The members suggested that we have a night where people could demonstrate how to do something related to their culture, so we learned how to make “papel picado” (Mexican paper cutouts) and professional-quality piñatas! At Christmas time, we had a musical group perform for us and everyone brought their favorite holiday treats and shared about their holiday traditions. It was a very sweet moment during a time when we couldn’t get together in person to celebrate the holidays.
This year, we were able to have our first annual Hispanic Cancer Survivorship Celebration in-person where members went all out with celebratory dress representing their home countries while listening to and singing along with live performances by two local musicians, one of whom was the 14-year-old daughter of one of our members. We also had a piñata and delicious food donated by Taco Joint in Irving. It was one of our best attended events, and members expressed how special it was for them to come together to celebrate their survivorship and how good it made them feel that Cancer Support Community was celebrating their culture.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have often been told I have a servant’s heart. I love being able to provide care and compassion where it is most needed and am humbled by the trust people place in me when they are at their most vulnerable. I won’t say it was easy to get to where I am today professionally, but it is very satisfying to look back at the experiences that led me here, the choices I made, and the people I met along the way who helped me get here. Having spent my first elementary school years living in a part of San Diego that was very close to the Mexican border, I wanted to learn Spanish from a young age so I could connect with the kids at school and in my neighborhood. More than that, I knew people’s stories, what their families went through, risking everything to provide a better life for their children. It touched me deeply. I also have an aptitude for languages, so following my own passions led to a pretty organic process of getting jobs that required Spanish proficiency. After graduating from the UT School of Social Work in Austin, I worked as a social worker in various capacities for 6 years. I then developed a debilitating chronic illness and was suddenly in the position of being the one that needed help from social services. I learned what it takes to successfully apply for Social Security Disability benefits, sign up for food stamps, and jump through all the hoops necessary to end up on a 3-year waiting list for a Section 8 housing voucher (which I eventually received). I now have an insider’s expertise that gives me a unique ability to effectively assist others with these processes. This experience has also given me a unique compassion for people who are struggling to meet their basic needs and feel afraid and alone.
I was able to heal my health through diligent work on my part and the unwavering love, support and coaching of Greg Baer M.D., author of Real Love: The Truth About Finding Unconditional Love and Fulfilling Relationships, who believed I could be well, even when I didn’t. Fortunately, my illness was something that people can completely recover from. I don’t pretend to know what people who have cancer are going through, but I understand the feeling of suddenly not being the person you once were and the grief and loneliness that can come with that experience. I am most proud of my recovery and the way my illness humbled and changed me. I received a gift of knowledge and experience that led me to the job I have today and to the joy of being able to use what I learned to help others every day as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Cancer Support Community North Texas and as a certified Real Love Coach, loving and guiding others the way Greg Baer and his community loved and guided me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love living in Dallas and am blessed to live close to White Rock Lake, the Dallas Arboretum, and downtown. So, we would definitely go for a walk around the lake and maybe have a picnic lunch of tacos we picked up from Torchy’s. If it was springtime, we would go see the Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum, walking around under the lush foliage breathing in the fragrant scent of zillions of azaleas, roses, and other more exotic blossoms as we took in the explosion of bright colors all around us. Another favorite activity I wouldn’t want my best friend to miss is catching the latest exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art and then getting lunch at the food trucks in Klyde Warren Park, sitting at the little cafe tables on the shaded path around the park and enjoying the fresh air. I would definitely want to spend an evening listening to the rockin’ live jazz at Chocolate Secrets in Highland Park. I often describe their place as part wine bar, part chocolatier, and part French cafe. This is one of my favorite places in Dallas – their caramel chocolate cake is to die for! Next, we would spend some time strolling around in the Bishop Arts District wandering in and out of all the interesting shops and ending up at CocoAndre Chocolatier & Horchateria. Their gourmet flavored horchatas are an artform! We would take in an offbeat, quirky movie at the Angelika Dallas and maybe go downstairs for some cajeta-filled churros at Urban Taco afterward. Lastly, to celebrate our last night together, we’d go salsa dancing at Gloria’s in Addison. At 11pm, they move all the tables out of the way and the restaurant becomes a nightclub with a lightup floor and a seriously good live salsa band.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would have to give credit to the team at Cancer Support Community North Texas. Our team, led by our amazing CEO Mirchelle Louis, has some of the best people I have ever worked with! Our vision of no one facing cancer alone attracts people with enormous hearts and a strong dedication to the work we do. As a small team, there is a feeling of being in this together, where everyone pitches in when someone has a project or a deadline. And it’s more than that, the team brainstorms and creates fun events together for our members; working with a small team on a nonprofit budget brings out people’s imagination and creativity. A perfect example was in 2020, when we had no way to have our annual gala fundraiser due to the pandemic. Instead, we hosted a “Paint the Canvas Red” virtual fundraiser where supporters were mailed a box of painting supplies, wine and hors d’ouevres, and then were led by one of our staff members (who is also an artist) in creating their own masterpiece via Zoom. It was amazing. That’s our team in action – and all in service of our members. One of my favorite “all hands on deck” activities last year was our Trunk or Treat event. COVID numbers were up and down and we hadn’t had an in-person “Noogie” (fun name of our children’s program in homage to Gilda Radner) event in over a year, so we wanted to do something fun, innovative, and safe for everybody. We all dressed up and decorated our cars for Halloween and members brought their kids for trick-or-treating in the parking lot. Everyone liked it so much that we did it again this year, and this time, we had Halloween music and members decided to stick around and treat it like a party.

Website: www.cancersupporttexas.org

Instagram: @cancersupporttexas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cancer-support-community-north-texas/

Twitter: @CSCNorthTX

Facebook: @CSCNT

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSCNTX/channels

Other: https://reallovecoaching.com/trish-callahan/

Image Credits
Cancer Support Community North Texas