Surviving

OHIO - I was sitting at a dinner table with a handful of people; thingswere going great. Fun conversation, wonderful company, awesome food.

Then one person says "You know, I HATE being called a survivor. Who made up that phrase, anyway? Someone who never had cancer, I'll bet!"

We were all silent for a moment. We were all either patients or physicians, and we all just looked at her. Then, it started ...

"Me too!" "Gosh, that makes me so mad!" "Why do they think we consider ourselves done? Don't they know we still deal with it every day?"

The outpouring was impressive - I think we all just assumed we were theonly ones who thought that way, the only one who had to take meds daily, who have to wrap our arms to stop the endless swelling, the only one who knows that pain medicine is useless against bone pain. But there we were,all coming to the same realization at once.

Just because we had it once, be it 5 years, 5 months or 5 weeks ago - some of us aren't finished. We still have it hanging around and we wake up to do battle every morning.

Here's to my fellow warriors. Battle on, friends!

Seasons

NATIONWIDE, UNITED STATES - It’s that time of year again – happens every spring. When we used to live in Chicago, my family and I would participate in a springtime cancer walk downtown. Without fail, we would carve out a day, put my mama's name on a little sign we put on our backs, and joined thousands of other people who were equally affected by cancer. Some years I would walk pregnant, some years I pushed a stroller, some years we were all old enough to just walk all by ourselves. It was always a bit tiring, a bit crazy and a huge amount of fun.

It’s a wonderful, bonding experience, these walks/runs that happen nationwide. Worldwide, actually, as I’ve been informed by my online friends overseas. People who have lost loved ones, who have tackled this disease ourselves, who are helping friends go through it. We put ourselves on a little path for one day that makes us feel that we are empowered and able to make a difference. And, we will keep doing so until a cure is found.

So, here’s to all my sisters, brothers, friends and children who are walking, rolling, running, biking and golfing to help all of us with the "survivor" label. Every event that donates to research helps the whole world, and every footstep matters.

Pictures

VENEZUELA - Eva is beautiful. By that I mean “as stunning as one woman could possible appear to be” kind of beautiful. She knew it, too. She was Miss Venezuela, and for good reason. After serving in that capacity, she became a TV presenter. Her other title is "breast cancer survivor."

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so this blog is brief. Look at these photos, and get a glimpse into her world. Not the world of sequins and glamour, but one of the road to recovery, strength and self-esteem. Thank you, Miss Ekvall, for being such an amazing spokesperson for so many.