Today marks the first day of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As a very recent survivor, I’m not sure why we only have to be aware of breast cancer for a mere month, but apparently such symbology has its merits. We are a sound bite society, after all, with attention spans the size of a gnat’s.
Before I became a member of this group of survivors (which I AM), I guess I, too, had to be reminded every now and again to “be aware”. We produced several breast cancer marches every year, and I found that being among the bald and frail women who attended the marches brought the reality home (perhaps too close to home?) for me. I carried a pink ribbon key chain, and supported the cause wherever/whenever I could. But I was somehow emotionally insulated from the dis-ease and those afflicted by it.
I was never a “pink” girlie girl, even as a child. Now the color PINK conjures up all kinds of new, some painful and some hopeful, images for me. I find myself at a very peculiar phase of my recovery/survival. Now that the all-consuming focus on treatment is waning, I have more time to reflect on what I have been through and how it will always be a part of my persona. A pink tatoo, if you will. I try not to shrink away when people stare at my shorter than short hair…in fact, a very kind-hearted young man toasted my sassy and somewhat rebellious “do” a few weeks ago as we dined at a popular Scottsdale restuarant. It brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
So my prayer to all is that we respect each other’s bodies and hearts. Get (or encourage) mammograms, be vigilant with self exams, and be proactive with any symtoms out of the norm. But also, we need to be more loving, caring and forgiving to our friends and family. And to perfect strangers that we encounter, for that matter. Stress and negative energy are super-foods for breast cancer cells (and all dis-eases). We need to start practicing the Golden Rule, a life principal that I was raised with and took quite literally to heart. My year on the Pine Ridge Reservation reinforced this universal tenet, where I learned that words are cheap. Actions speak. We all need to start walking our talk and loving our neighbors at least as much as ourselves. So along with awareness, give those around you healing HUGS from the heart. Blessings to all…
Oct. 1, 2013
Judy Richter 