Think Pink
Pink. It is one of those colors that society considers to be girly, so it should typically only be worn by girls. Right? Wrong. Pink represents something so much bigger than it just being a frilly color. Pink represents strength; pink represents power; pink represents hope. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast cancer is something millions of women battle every single day.
I was lounging on my couch, watching a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, one of my favorite shows, when the episode that appeared next was a special episode entitled Say Yes to the Cure. It was a one-hour documentary in which we followed Lori in her fight against breast cancer. For the entire hour, tears never left my eyes. I am watching one woman's battle against a terrible illness, but I cannot stop thinking about the fact that this is what millions of women are facing each and every day of their lives.
One woman who was featured in this episode was a woman by the name of Delese Range. She is a prime example of how hard life can truly become, but even through all of the struggles, she still manages to maintain a positive outlook on life. She was shopping for a wedding dress because she and her husband were renewing their vows after twenty-five years of marriage. However, for twenty-three of those years, she had been battling cancer on an immense level. In 1999, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In 2001, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2012, she was diagnosed with breast cancer a second time. In 2013, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. After all of that, she still manages to tell us, "It could be worse. I could be gone." Wow. We all complain about the smallest of things, but here she is telling us that she still loves her life and she is just so thankful that she is still able to walk on this earth.
The moment a woman hears the words "You have breast cancer" is the moment when her life completely changes forever. From that point on, life becomes about doctor's appointments and research and decisions and pain, emotional and physical. From that point on, she has to be brave enough to ask for help and depend on others to help her feel better. I have experienced a battle like this first-hand ... In 2009, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, her doctor caught it at the lowest stage it could have been found, and she is now proud to call herself a survivor. When she recounts to me the story of the moment she found out, I cannot help but just simply be amazed. Her doctor called her and asked her if she would be able to see him because he had severe news to tell her. She then asked him to just tell her right then, but he said he was uncomfortable sharing this news over a phone call. She replied that if it were severe, she would rather know now, not later. "You have breast cancer."
Most readers of this blog are in their teenage years or their twenties, but this is something I think we should all be aware of. All it takes is a simple mammogram. All it takes is self-awareness. All it takes is your own willingness to take care of yourself. Women are told that routine mammograms should begin to occur at the age of forty, but if breast cancer runs in the family, then routine mammograms should be started at the age of thirty. My mom was not the first person in my family to be diagnosed with breast cancer; it is in the genes that come from my mom's side of the family. I now have to become proactive about making sure I watch out for any signs of breast cancer. This is a genuine reality. One in eight women in the United States is battling breast cancer. For those who become survivors, they then become fighters for other women who are beginning their battle and are being brave enough to ask for help. Breast cancer survivors wear pink to represent the incredibly strong females who are diagnosed every single day. Pink is a symbol for a much greater cause that we should all be aware of. We should all be proud to wear pink; we should all be proud of those who are stronger because they call themselves survivors. Tell me: how do you support breast cancer? Do you paint your nails pink? Do you wear a breast cancer ribbon? Do you know anyone who has been diagnosed? Have you yourself been diagnosed? Tell me how pink has impacted your life.
Stay beautiful,
Andrea