Jill Schultz knows her gumbo. The Louisiana native, housekeeper and cook at Saint Bernadette Catholic Church in Clear Lake (Houston) has been feeding the parish for more than 17 years. And as a CanCare volunteer, she knows first-hand the importance of feeding the soul, too.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1998, Schultz underwent 44 radiation treatments, throughout which she continued working at the Carmelite Residence at Saint Bernadette’s. “One of the hardest things was losing my sense of taste,” she said. “Eating was difficult and I lost 30 pounds.” She joked that she used to watch professional chef, Emeril Lagasse, on television and dreamed she could taste the food. “For someone like me who loves food, that was really tough!”

CanCare, Inc., an interfaith cancer support network, provides free, one-on-one, long-term emotional support to cancer patients and their families welcomed Schultz and many like her to its annual National Cancer Survivors Day luncheon, May 31, at Houston’s Intercontinental Hotel. Olympic skating champion and television commentator, Scott Hamilton, a cancer survivor, was the keynote speaker.

A single mother of three girls, it was one of Schultz’s daughters who heard about CanCare on the radio and suggested that she call. “At first I didn’t want to talk to anyone,” she said. “But later, I called CanCare and was matched with a young mother who had battled the same kind of cancer I had. It gave me great hope to know that I could beat it too.”

As a survivor, Jill spoke of the importance of remaining positive and having a shoulder to lean on. “Don’t lose hope. Look cancer in the eye. Then you can beat it,” she said. “I tell those suffering from cancer that, with faith and emotional support, you can make it to the other side.

“Sometimes God comes to us in times of great suffering,” she said. “I felt His mercy and peace, thanks to the prayers of my family and friends.”

A woman who likes to stir things up, Schultz put her culinary expertise to work for cancer patients who are obligated to a diet heavy in liver. Working with her oncologist, she developed a short cookbook of recipes including her favorite—liver fajitas. She plans to complete a comprehensive cookbook based on the recipes she’s used at Saint Bernadette’s, peppered with love, humor and Louisiana cuisine. “The Carmelties should get some credit in that book,” she said. “They have been my guinea pigs for almost two decades.”

CanCare’s trained volunteers are survivors or family members of survivors who provide friendship, hope and encouragement to patients and families. Since it was founded in 1990, CanCare has touched the lives of thousands of people. Rooted in the religious community, its services are supported by 80 Houston-area congregations, nine hospitals and 14 corporations. More information is available at www.cancare.org.