Kathleen McNary
Director of Corporate & Member Relations
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
I have a confession to make. Recently I learned how much I am invested in where I work…and it is all because of you and our community. A few weeks before the COVID-19 public health shut down, I began experiencing extreme headaches. Somehow, I managed to ignore the pain while putting all my attention on my family, work and businesses facing COVID-19 related issues.
On Saturday, April 25 I got lucky (at least that’s how I choose to view it). My headache became dramatically worse. Thankfully my sister-in-law was able to watch my son so my husband could take me to the ER just to confirm I was OK. However, a lot happened quickly, and my memory is a bit fuzzy, but my “headache” was actually a seizure caused by a large tumor in my brain. Needless to say, it had to be removed ASAP. Less than 48 hours after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and waiting for my scheduled brain surgery to begin, I jumped into our Chamber’s regular Zoom staff meeting. As crazy as it might sound to jump into a staff meeting, mere hours before brain surgery, this decision brought me positivity as I sat alone in my hospital bed. Interesting…work was extra special for me while in the hospital, about to go into brain surgery?! I continued to receive unexpected outreach, cards, assistance from Carlsbad Chamber members, which added dramatic positive energy to this incredibly frightening diagnosis.
I share this story because I learned a lot. Specifically, we are all in the same boat and need to support each other during an incredibly uncertain and unexpected period. With new challenges laid out for me, I decided I would put all my focus on the things I am able to help create and make positive impacts for others. My perspective of the situation opportunistically diversified. What has been one of the most positive societal outcomings so far, is the need for local people and organizations to focus on each other. From the beginning of the COVID-19 state shutdown, businesses encountered uncharted territories and challenges. What did we do? We talked with each other, identified the problems and more quickly found solutions together than if we had only worked alone.
While there is certainly more unknown to come this year, it is very clear that we need to focus on our local relationships. I am incredibly grateful for the relationships with our members, and community who dramatically helped me in the preceding few months. I was a member before I became a staff member at the Chamber, and the connections created through the years have been extremely powerful in my life (business and personal). Thank you all!
We are in this together.