I do a lot of reading when I travel. Of course, these days the media has been focusing on breast cancer. I tend to skim over many of these article. Is it just me, or are you also suffering from breast cancer awareness, “pink ribbon” fatigue?
Don’t get me started! I will pay more attention once I see brown ribbons and accessories being worn by football players and flight attendants to help raise awareness for colon and rectal cancer. Or how about bright yellow ribbons and sun pins to help raise awareness for skin cancer? Actually, that’s not a bad idea!
Kidding aside, cancer patients do share a lot in common. Take a look at two profound examples I found in Cure Magazine and USA Today this past week.
“The cancer can live in my body as long as it wants, provided it’s a quiet tenant. And when it gets out of hand, we slap it down.”
Breast cancer survivor, Jill Coner, shared these feelings with writer, Heather L. Van Epps, Phd, in her article, The Estrogen Effect, in this fall’s issue of Cure Magazine.
I love that! It applies to our lives living with multiple myeloma too, don’t you think?
But let’s not stop there. In the Tuesday, October 16th issue of USA Today, writer Lisa Szabo wrote a fascinating article about the rare and very aggressive inflammatory breast cancer.
The article revolves around the story of breast cancer survivor, Terry Arnold. Near the end of the piece, Terry is quoted as saying:
“I don’t see myself as a cancer survivor. I am surviving.”
Terry reacts that way because this type of breast cancer is rarely cured. Sound familiar?
I can relate to both. I think I should add them to my list of “inspirational quotes” that I plan to share with you someday. So if you have any, please pass them along. I will be glad to quote you when the time comes.
Isn’t that “quiet tenant/slap it down” line great?
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat