Members of Embracing Life Cancer Support and Advocacy Group of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer were quite active at the Cook County Hospital of Chicago. They spent a lot of time at the Infusion Center lending their ears to cancer survivors as they received chemotherapy. In doing so, the group learned of the needs of cancer patients. One of the hardships endured by these patients was lack of support which manifested itself in many ways. Some of the patients complained about not having anyone to help them with meal preparation at home while chemo took its toll. Hence, Geraldine Miletich, a founding member of Embracing Life, took it upon herself to prepare soup for cancer patients. With the help of a few members of the group and the support of her church – the Greater Walter’s AME Zion Church in Chicago, Ms. Miletich prepared soup in the church’s kitchen. She took requests from cancer patients and hand-delivered the soup to them weekly.
This was a labor of love that Geraldine Miletich coined “Love in a Pot” because she was delivering love to the cancer patients she had come to know so well and cared so much for. She used her own family recipe of chicken breasts, noodles, celery, carrots, and other vegetables to cater to their needs. Since she was conscious about eating healthy, she adhered to those standards on this project.
Geraldine Miletich was a beautiful, vibrant, fun-loving woman who was fun to be with at all times. She was one of the anchors of Embracing Life. In that role, she touched so many lives and brought energy and smiles to those suffering from cancer. Ms. Miletich succumbed to lung cancer in 2001. |
