The Shift by Chidube Nkiruka, Listener Poet — The Good Listening Project

Origin Story

This poemee struggled naming her “why.” Throughout her 25 years with the American Cancer Society, her “why” has evolved.

She believes that most of those who have connected with ACS began with a personal connection, but then, according to her, “you evolve, and you shift.” Therefore, what is needed most is the ability to adapt and to be resilient. As a leader, she sees her “why” as empowering her staff to find their “why” and shift their “why” when needed.

Chidube Nkiruka, Listener Poet
Our Why: Stories from the American Cancer Society’s Patient Support Team
November 2024
Presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference 2025

The Shift

By Chidube Nkiruka, Listener Poet

floating down stream

on a debris of grief

the river of providence

drew us here

hungry for answers

thirsty for strength

naked for community

arriving on the shores

of serenity

hoping to find treasure

discovering jewels

of purpose and meaning

but after exhausting

our personal motives and fulfillment

many of us found ourselves

searching for new resources

to survive and thrive

on an island not as paradise

as we thought

we were not the exception

to the rule

no nonprofit is a utopia

and all are plagued sometimes with

a mono diet of workplace conflicts

rainy seasons of high turnover rates

and beasts of metrics

that prey and threatened to dehumanize our mission

this made us re-question

our why

at first this seems

like a scary thing

but it’s a necessary thing

turns out it might be the very thing

we need to continually carry out

this extraordinary thing

because whatever brought us here

may not be what keeps us here

we may need a shift

not in location but perspective

contrary to medical opinion

we may need to enlarge our hearts

embrace the entire human stratosphere

not just family members and friends we all hold dear

never forgetting their memories

but engineering bridges extending empathy

connecting personal stories to stories more global

we may need a shift

erecting structures

sheltering our patients

from disease with the best of science and technology

but also sheltering all of our health workers

battling compassion fatigue

for those front line and those behind the scenes

we may need a shift

directing the next generation

to find their way and their why

be available to them

when they feel something

is adrift

we can tell them all is well

You are needed now

more than ever before

the mission continues

congratulations and

welcome to the shift

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