The photo is a pink azalea I called Heart and Soul. (You can purchase it here if you like it.) I was contacted by Brittany Whittanberg of Women Empowered and Loving Life (WELL) through Etsy and asked to donate that print for an upcoming fundraiser for women with breast cancer. All ticket proceeds go to helping women who need chemo or other treatments, but can’t afford the treatments.
We just found out last week that my sister-in-law doesn’t need chemo. She was recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, which was discovered because her doctor insisted that she have a mammogram before refilling her prescription for hormones. She had minor surgery and needs radiation, but overall, we are all relieved that it was caught early.
She is also my hairstylist. I was sitting in her chair last week, after the surgery but still waiting for the chemo verdict. I measure the journey of cancer by haircuts. This is only the second one. Five weeks ago, the diagnosis was a fresh wound. Now the news has settled in. I listen and learn about all kinds of things I hope to never need to know, like the difference between stage 1 and stage 2, high vs. medium chemo.
She reaches into her cabinet for styling gel, a bottle she just purchased. It’s pink. Like everything else in October. “Wouldn’t you just know that I would have cancer in the middle of breast cancer month?” she said. “All I’m trying to do is live my normal life, stay positive and try to forget about it, and every time I turn around, there’s another pink reminder.”
And what can you say to that?
