Ministry Reaches Out To Cancer Patients, Families

Leanne Vaughan didn’t start her career with plans to become a counselor. In fact, she began as a middle school teacher.

That changed when several people close to her were diagnosed with cancer. Stepping in as a caregiver, she saw the need people had for counseling support services.

“I would see how many people would go to chemo (alone),” she said. She also saw the pressures everyone in a family faced and the “awful choices” they had to make between being there for a loved one during chemo or working to keep the job with the insurance.

Wanting to help, she enrolled in Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., while still teaching at Walker Middle School in Odessa. She obtained her master’s in professional counseling and is now a mental health counselor intern working under the umbrella of the Life Connections Counseling Center, 4903 Van Dyke Rd., in Lutz. She is also the founder of Blue Cord Ministries.

Blue Cord Ministries provides anyone faced with the stresses of cancer an opportunity to receive up to 12 counseling sessions for $10 each session. The remainder of the costs, $50 a session, are paid for by supporters. Patients, their spouses, children, parents, siblings and caregivers are all eligible for assistance.

“There’s a sense of calling (for) me,” Vaughan explained. “I just know this is what I’m meant to do.”

Blue Cord was founded just over a year ago as a ministry rather than a for-profit, Vaughan said, because she wanted to reach out to those in need.

“The most important thing to me is being faithful to the calling,” she said. “The financial strain on people is really intense.”

As part of the Life Connections Counseling Center, Blue Cord is able to offer not only Vaughan’s services, but also those of other counselors when needed. This means families can obtain individualized sessions if necessary and still only pay $10 per visit.

The work being done by Vaughan at Blue Cord is supported by former Land O’ Lakes residents Linda and David Brendle. Although the Brendles recently sold their home to become full-time RV travelers, they’ve seen Vaughan in action.

Linda Brendle worked with Vaughan to create a group for caregivers of the elderly at Idlewild Baptist Church and now supports Blue Cord's mission to help cancer patients, caregivers and family members, as well.

Linda Brendle said she and her husband both served as caregivers for her parents for years. The need for assistance for caregivers, she said, is strong.

“It’s so important for caregivers to have some sort of support,” Linda said. “Leanne’s ministry does that.”

Caregivers, Linda said, are often misunderstood.

“People who have not cared for someone like that, they just don’t understand how hard it is,” she said. “No matter how well you do it, (it’s likely that) it’s not going to turn out well. It’s hard to keep your spirits up.”

The Brendles are not the only Land O’ Lakes area supporters of Blue Cord.

has also made the ministry one of its focuses.

“The service that Leanne Vaughn offers to anyone touched by cancer (patient, spouse, children, parents, etc.) is greatly needed today,” wrote Ron Day, the church’s pastor, in an e-mail. “So many have to endure the ordeal of the dreaded ‘C’ word alone - without adequate support from others.”

Day also said his church works hard to reach out to the community and helping Blue Cord fits this goal.

“Our church desires to be externally focused by serving our community and helping our community in any way we can,” he wrote. “Endorsing and supporting Blue Cord Ministries is one of the ways that we can be a part of this good addition to our community. We like to applaud those who invest in our community.”

As a cancer survivor himself, Day said he understands what others face.

“Unlike many, I had a network of support and encouragement that took me through the questions, the emotions, and the recovery from surgery,” he wrote. “I see Blue Cord Ministries providing that same kind of positive experience. I have volunteered to talk to men with similar diagnoses as mine or to give pastoral counsel to anyone who desires it through the auspices of Blue Cord Ministries.”

For more information about Blue Cord Ministries, visit bluecordministries.com or call 813-997-0427. Donations to offset counseling costs are accepted online. The organization serves residents in Pasco and Hillsborough Counties.