In case you didn't know, October is breast cancer awareness month. If you watch football, you might have seen the NFL players wearing different pink things...gloves, etc. How cool is that? But yet so sad at the same time, that after millions of dollars of research, clinical trials, and hundreds of thousands of deaths, breast cancer is STILL claiming lives every day. October is AWARENESS month. Be aware of your body! You know what your tata's feel like, and if you feel something different, make an appointment with your doctor! Don't be afraid of what it might be, odds are it's probably nothing. I waited 3.5 months before I went to the doctor, and if I would have waited 4 more months till my annual exam, who knows how much more progressed my cancer could have been.
As I mentioned in my last post, my mom and I were 2 of the 6 panelists at the TCU Frogs for the Cure luncheon yesterday. The others were a TCU professor (survivor) and her son, and a TCU senior and her mother (survivor). I think we could have gone on for hours about our feelings and experiences because we are all very passionate about breast cancer awareness and want to shout it from the rooftops...or at least I do anyway. :) I left there feeling so good, and I realized it's because I truly enjoy speaking about bc awareness. Everyone knows I love to talk! Having breast cancer gave me a voice. It gave me something meaningful to talk about. When I was going through treatment, people would say "Oh, I am so sorry you are having to go through this." Yep, it is a shame I had to endure all that, but what can I do to make it all worth while? Tell my story so that maybe, just maybe, ONE person doesn't have to go through what I did, all because she heard my story and went home and did a self breast exam.
The year I was diagnosed, I was a featured survivor in the halftime video at the Frogs for the Cure game. The game happened to be the day of my wedding, so I was not able to be there. Yesterday, a lady came up to me after the luncheon and told me that she remembered me from the video. How she watched my story during halftime and cried, and she has never forgotten about me. Wow! I felt very humbled, and something clicked inside my head...maybe I have made a difference in people's lives?!
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to speak yesterday, and I hope I get more in the future. TCU has done great things for not only raising awareness, but raising money for Susan G. Komen For the Cure. You can do your part by going to the Frogs for the Cure website, http://www.frogsforthecure.tcu.edu and buy a FFTC t shirt or super cute pink baseball hat.
They are much cuter in person!
I also believe the TCU bookstore is going to be selling fun pink FFTC pink beachballs. A large portion of all the proceeds goes to Susan G. Komen. Even better, you can come out to the Frogs for the Cure game, next Saturday October 16th against BYU. A cure will be found some day, but it takes money to find it. I don't want my daughter or my two nieces to have to worry about getting what their mom/aunt/grandma had. Okay, I am stepping down from my soap box.
