About Chrysalis To Wings

about us

Dr. Francine Zorehkey, founder of From Chrysalis to Wings (CTW), is a practicing Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She created CTW in 2000 with the mission to help individuals cope with malformation or disfiguration of the body due to illness or trauma. CTW prides itself in developing supportive and therapeutic solutions for those who experience psychological and emotional problems after a serious medical diagnosis.
Soon after From Chrysalis to Wings was established, a friend of Dr. Zorehkey, whose daughter died of breast cancer, asked her to get involved in the very first three-day walk in support of breast cancer. The walk was from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, a 60-mile distance. It was an amazing experience for her personally in that during those three days she walked among the strongest women she had ever met. Although there were women of all ages, most who walked by her side were young women in their thirties with breast cancer. She was intrigued by their stories about life after a mastectomy and what that meant to them physically, emotionally and psychosocially. Dr. Zorehkey did not think she was going to participate in the walk again because of the intense training and the time involved. But before the next walk came around a year later, her sister-in-law found out she, too, had breast cancer. So, of course she did the walk again in her honor. After completing the three-day walks three years in a row alongside women with breast cancer, Dr. Zorehkey started to realize she was passionate about how breast cancer affects a woman’s psychological well being. While training, she thought about a program she could develop that would meet the needs of women with breast cancer. She felt that a program was needed to help breast cancer survivors tap into their grief and loss as a result of diagnosis, its invasive treatment, and the stresses caused by the loss of a breast and altered body image. It is a known fact that stress can affect treatment outcome, and that reducing stress enhances the effectiveness of treatment and improves a woman’s overall well being.
Dr. Zorehkey wanted to bring some of her best professional practices in combination with other types of workshops in the hope that the experience would be conducive to healing. Her dream was to offer an experience that would be personal and therapeutic, in particular, issues of body image after a mastectomy. These feelings are often minimized due to the potential death factor that accompanies a breast cancer diagnosis. This lead to Dr. Zorehkey launching in 2003 the first breast cancer retreat, later to become known as A Way Of Life. . . after breast cancer (A.W.O.L.).
There is more to the clinical aspect of breast cancer than just diagnosis and treatment. A.W.O.L. is unique from other breast cancer programs in that it offers a well-balanced program that deals with issues of the heart, the mind, and the body as well as a safe place where women can get in touch with their feelings of femininity once again. Like many other breast cancer programs, one of the main goals is to focus on quality of life. A.W.O.L. is different in that it helps women learn to trust that they have family and friends on their side and that it is “OK” to ask for help when needed.
After attending the A.W.O.L. Retreat, the women leave feeling empowered and worthy of being loved and cared for. They know how to ask for help and have the strength to put themselves first in life. Participants gain the ability to use their new life-saving skills with an enhanced self-esteem and a positive outlook on life.
Read about our Board members.

Francine@Chrysalistowings.com