Walking the Long Road With Courage:
Celebrating Deb Soreff’s 3-Day Journey for Breast Cancer Awareness
Some stories rise like lantern-light—soft at first, then brilliantly undeniable. Deb Soreff’s journey is one of them. This fall, The Gathering Lighthouse proudly sponsored Deb as she took on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk in San Diego, stepping into a 60-mile pilgrimage of resilience, remembrance, and radiant hope.
Deb is no stranger to healing. A Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master at RecoverWell Therapeutic Massage & Wellbeing, she devotes her days to supporting those navigating chronic pain, cancer recovery, autoimmune disorders, surgical healing, and the long shadows trauma can leave behind. Her philosophy is simple and profound: every physical experience adds water to the body’s bucket—when that bucket overflows, chronic pain begins to speak. Her work helps people empty the bucket, one gentle, intentional step at a time.
But before she became a healer, she had to fight for her own life.
In March of 2019, Deb was diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was a harrowing season: a double mastectomy, a severe allergic reaction to silicone from surgical drains that nearly cost her life, a seven-month infection, and the onset of systemic lymphedema. Doctors offered grim predictions… but Deb refused to let anyone else write her ending. Piece by piece, she rebuilt her life with fierce grace.
Her healing path—filled with grit and the refusal to surrender—led her to choose a new horizon. For her 5-year cancer-free anniversary, she decided to take on the Komen 3-Day Walk for the very first time, joining a team of six in Denver. That experience lit a fire in her; the empowerment, the camaraderie, the purpose. It inspired her to step forward once more, this time into the San Diego walk.
There, with a team of three, she helped raise an incredible $9,000 for breast cancer research and support. Alongside 2,000 walkers, she braved three days of twenty-mile treks through rainstorms, flooded roads, and the humbling beauty of collective hope in motion.
Last year, Deb found her way to The Gathering Lighthouse, where she met board treasurer Mariann Valle and discovered a community that felt like home. We were honored to contribute $200 toward her mission this year, sending our love, strength, and solidarity with every mile she walked.
Deb now lives in downtown Batavia and practices in Naperville, continuing her work as a healer, teacher, and luminous spirit whose story reminds us that survival isn’t just a chapter—it's a calling.
To Deb: may your courage continue to ripple outward, touching hearts, lighting paths, and reminding us that even the longest road can be walked with grace.