Think Pink

Me, my aunt, Teri, and two of my cousins at a family wedding. This picture was taken just a few months before my aunt found out she had breast cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to be honest, in the past I've never really recognized it. I know people who know people that have sisters, mothers, cousins and other loved ones in their lives that have been affected by the disease, but I thankfully didn't have anyone close to me that was diagnosed with it. But that all changed about a month or so ago, when I got a call from my mom that my aunt, Teri, went for a routine physical, and her doctors discovered a lump in her breast. Tests confirmed it was cancer, and if that wasn't hard enough news for her and our family to digest, they found a second lump in her other breast, and later discovered the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and two tiny spots on her liver. She has already had surgery to remove the lump, but will have to undergo a double mastectomy in the coming weeks. Today, she started aggressive chemotherapy and had a PET Scan to see if cancer is anywhere else in her body.

I honestly can't imagine what she's going through. I've had a few scares myself with breast lumps, but they've always turned out to just be fibroids. I don't know what I would do or how I would feel if they told me it was cancer. But I would hope that I would be just as brave and as positive as she has been since finding out the news. She has an amazing will to fight, and is doing whatever it takes to get better. She's already bought several stylish wigs, and is even having a hat party, where all her guests are going to bring her hats to wear when she loses her hair. And at the party, her friends are going to shave her head so she doesn't have to go through the pain of seeing her hair fall out. Just the courageousness of that brings tears of pride to my eyes for her.

It is shocking to see such a healthy, vivacious woman get handed such a serious diagnosis. Teri is slim, eats right and walks like 5 miles a day. It has shown me that a big part of keeping myself truly healthy isn't found just in a fruit bowl or on a treadmill. Cancer and other diseases can happen to anyone, fit or not, and through her experience, I have gained a better understanding of just how important routine physicals and self-checks are.

So even though October is a few weeks away, I wanted to recognize Teri today for being so brave in her battle with cancer. In her honor, I will be participating in the pink ribbon walk my work is sponsoring soon. It may be a simple gesture, but I want her to know I'm thinking of her every step of the way. I love you, Teri!