By Lisa Breslin
Cindy Sommers has walked the walk when it comes to beating cancer and caring for others who want to face their own death with dignity and a keen sense of what is happening.
Sommers beat breast cancer and is now a member of a growing number of other survivors and fighters. Her parents – mother, Dottie Sommers, and father, Harold Harper “Harp” Sommers – taught her how to live and how to die.
“They were married for 46 years, and my father had his first heart attack when he was 60,” Sommers explained. “Shortly after that, he had another heart attack followed by a stroke and remained homebound until he died in 1990. My mother died in 1994, after a five-year battle with cancer. From my parents, I learned not to be afraid of death. From them, I discovered that perseverance and grace are inspiration to keep going.”
As the director of life enrichment for the active lifestyle community at Franke at Seaside, Sommers inspires others to persevere gracefully as well. Franke, a nonprofit ministry, is a continuing care retirement community focusing on the enrichment of resident, client and patient lives. “I wake up every morning eager to make a positive difference in people’s lives,” Sommers said. “My life is faith-led and filled with compassion, which makes my job here beyond ideal.”
Sommers enjoyed working with various churches for 26 years before she joined the Franke at Seaside family. When she worked in educational, family and older adult ministries at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Charleston, she was selected Educator of the Year by the Christian Education Network of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This national award focused not only on her work at St. Matthew’s but also her volunteer efforts in the Charleston area as a facilitator for Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children program, which trains adults to prevent child sexual abuse and helps congregations create policies to protect children.
After leaving St. Matthew’s to help with a mission congregation in North Charleston, she shifted her interest and passion to the senior community. “I’ve been at Franke for six years now, and I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people,” Sommers said. “They inspire me. They come with a wealth of life experiences, life stories and memories. Though my job is to provide learning experiences and engaging activities, I learn from them.”
In her spare time, Sommers draws inspiration from a community of cancer survivors who paddle with Dragon Boat Charleston. She has paddled since 2005. “When I left my first early practice, I drove home across the Grace Memorial Bridge,” Sommers recalled. “As I saw the sun rising over Sullivan’s Island, I had a sense of exhilaration. I also had a new sense of hope to know that so many other people survived cancer and were supported by the community. … I have been paddling ever since.”
Her personal and professional life enable her to show others that ultimately, as people age, they are in the same boat supported by the love of many.
Cindy Sommers
Franke at Seaside
1500 Franke Drive, Mount Pleasant
843-216-2222
frankeatseaside.org
