Manila, Philippines native and current East Bay resident Corazon S., or Lilly, as she prefers to be called, experienced the best day of her life two years ago, instantly followed by her absolute worst.
Extroverted and spunky, Lilly has been practicing ballroom dancing for many years before receiving her most valued honor for dancing from Club Royale, a Bay Area-based, Filipino-American Organization on September 16, 2016.
“I was voted Club Royale’s 2016 queen and, the very next day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I began chemo immediately and, at that time, I thought that was the end of my life.”
Lilly began picking up nutritious groceries from Project Open Hand’s Oakland grocery center that same week.
“Ever since I started coming to Project Open hand, my life changed. I changed my lifestyle and eating habits, and for that I am so thankful. My goal was to nourish my body while on chemo so I could go back to dancing, and the doctors agreed –– it was what I was working towards.”
Lilly dances with partner Luis at Project Open Hand's holiday gala, Hand to Hand, 2018
Lilly has a strong presence about her that is palpable immediately upon meeting. Since the moment she received her diagnosis, her focus has always been on mental health and optimism.
“The reason I was able to focus on fighting the disease mentally is because Project Open Hand was focusing on my physical health for me. This nutrition allowed me to stay positive, there is no negativity allowed here in my mind.”
Every day more than 200 clients visit the Project Open Hand Grocery Centers in San Francisco and Oakland. On arrival, clients receive a grocery list to select preferred items from a variety of fruit and vegetables in addition to pantry, dairy, protein and meat, fish, and poultry.
Project Open Hand staff can only offer the best groceries we are able to purchase with the dollars from your generous contributions. Fresh produce is vital to supporting the health and wellness for all of our clients. Your donation will make all of the difference in what we can offer to help our clients recover and get back to living a vibrant life.