Just over three decades ago, Commonweal co-founder Michael Lerner walked up the makeshift gangplank of a houseboat in Sausalito to meet a woman named Marion Saltman. She was a 70-year-old sand tray therapist, and that day she became the first person to sign up for the Cancer Help Program—a retreat for those with all stages of cancer—now celebrating its 30th year.
“When we started, it was a huge experiment,” Mr. Lerner said of the program.…