After six months in Texas receiving treatments at M.D. Anderson in Houston for a very rare and aggressive form of colorectal cancer, how can I write anything except about The Incredible Journey?

In late September, the pathologists in Maine diagnosed me with a poorly differentiated, high-grade, neuroendocrine cancer. The scary word was “neuroendocrine.” Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc., died on Oct. 5, 2011 with a neuroendocrine cancer. My family in Texas said, “With a diagnosis like that, you have to come to M.D. Anderson in Houston. It is rated No. 1 in the nation for cancer treatment.” My husband, Keith, and I checked his insurance plan for coverage with some modification, I am covered. We began preparing for the 2,000-mile trip. In four days we pulled out of our driveway. The Incredible Journey began on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, and we arrived at my home in Tyler, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011.

The following story illustrates the meaning of family, the meaning of community, and the true meaning of life:

Yes, I have a second home in Tyler, Texas. It was my part of an amicable divorce about 27 years ago. The house has been rented out all these years, but it has been well-maintained. However, before my diagnosis, my daughter, who lives near Tyler, began doing more refurbishing. She was preparing it for the next tenant. Little did we know the next tenant was to be Keith, our vagabond cat and me. When we arrived, my entire family, including my ex-husband and his delightful wife, greeted us at the door. We found the home completely furnished by my family, down to linens, food in the cabinets, a new refrigerator, washer and dryer (installed in the house by my sister for me), and pictures on the walls. This was to be my Healing House, and two handmade signs proclaimed it to be true. My ex-husband and two granddaughters created them for me. There was soup on the stove and Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer. We had a party!

Cards, letters and e-mails arrived daily in our mailbox. Phone calls or visits from my family kept me smiling through the coming ordeals. Keith was my chauffer, my chef, my listening friend from beginning to end.

M.D. Anderson is 5 1/2 hours from Tyler, Texas. We made many trips from Tyler to Houston on lovely, rolling Texas roads. Pastoral scenery flowed by that is until we reached the outskirts of Houston. With guidance from various family members, and with grinding teeth, Keith found his way to the hospital.

The pathologists at M.D. Anderson came to an astonishing conclusion. My diagnosis had a new name. It is still a high-grade carcinoma, but it has poorly differentiated neuroendocine features. This subtle difference made a world of difference in the regime of treatment. I began 5 1/2 weeks of a combination chemo and radiation, all by doctors in Tyler, who had trained and worked at M.D. Anderson. On Feb. 15, the 7 1/2 hour surgery at M.D. Anderson was deemed a success. No more tumor. When I told my surgeon, “You saved my life,” he replied: “No, you saved your life by coming to this hospital.”

For two weeks, cards and e-mails continued to arrive via family couriers at my hospital bed. One day a large handmade book with almost 100 well-wishes arrived from my church in Portland, the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church. The doctors were in awe of the loving thoughts on each page.

The doctors recommended we stay in the Houston area for two weeks following the surgery. Another daughter owns a time-share two hours from Houston. She arranged for us to live there for two weeks free of charge. She and my granddaughters came often to prepare gourmet meals for us and helped Keith care for me.

We left Houston and returned to my Healing House in Tyler for another two weeks. Then, after two more days at the hospital in Houston, Keith, the cat and I left for the 2,000 mile trip home. We arrived home on Saturday, April 7. Our tenant/friend, who had stayed here all winter to care for the chickens and keep the woodstove burning, had prepared a delicious meal for us. The next day, Easter Sunday, Keith and I attended church. I was hugged, kissed and fussed over like one who had arisen from the dead. Which is too-near true.

I learned many lessons on The Incredible Journey. Life is about family coming together helping family. Life is about being a member of a community with socially redeeming values, a community with loving members who care for each other. Life only has meaning when one gives of oneself to another or to some cause for the greater good.

I am on the receiving end.

Sally Breen is happy to be home in Windham with her chickens and her woodstove.