Young Survival Coalition
In Living Pink 2011 – Young Survival Coalition
It sounds cliche to say that women who have faced down a life-threatening diagnosis really know how to embrace life. It is cliche. It’s not even always true. But my girls? My friends? They know how to party. Friday night we celebrated and raised money for the Young Survival Coalition with our annual silent […]
Harmony Hill
I’ve spent the past two days working on a couple projects that have had me knee deep in photographs from the Young Survival Coalition. That’s had me a little emotional, to say the least: memories, faces, friends… One of those projects a presentation on our getaway to the Harmony Hill Cancer Retreat Center. I’ve just […]
It isn’t easy being pink
It’s that time of year when the world is washed in pink, and people prance around in their favorite tongue-in-cheek, boob-aware apparel. But how much awareness does all this bring to the realities of breast cancer, and how much does this just turn our attention to boobs? Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against […]
Who in this room
I went straight to the bookstore after I got the “I’m sorry it’s cancer” phone call; surely amongst all the wisdom coded into letters and words, pressed to paper, and bound to books, would be some little snippet that would tell me how to move forward. Since that day I’ve read a lot of books about […]
Thank You
If you haven’t already heard, we have some pretty awesome news: I just completed my treatment for breast cancer! I am so ready to get on with my life, but first I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who helped get me through the past 16 months since my diagnosis. […]
It’s Not the Same
Yesterday I spent the day manning the door at a wine-tasting representing 16 different local wineries. Every year, this event chooses a different charity to which the proceeds are donated. This year, the beneficiary was the Seattle affiliate of the Young Survival Coalition, which supports pre-menopausal women with breast cancer. Most people, as they came through the […]
Community
Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Reverb 10 – Day 7 / Prompt Author: caligater) I started 2010 with my thoughts on community. I enjoy my friends individually, but I missed belonging to a circle of […]
It Gets Real
She had warm eyes and the sweetest smile, but it was her wit that took my breath away. You had to pay attention because her comments were quiet, under-the-breath, but they would make you snort-laugh and shoot your champagne out your nose. To be honest, I didn’t know her very well, we only met a […]
Pinkwashing and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
As we wind down the end of October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’ve heard a number of complaints that go so far as to say we should just forget Breast Cancer Awareness Month altogether because of all the pinkwashing. What is pinkwashing? When corporate jerks slap a pink ribbon on a product or service […]
Cancer and Marriage
A marriage takes a lot of work; so does keeping a day job (or going to school), maintaining a home, and raising children. When you have cancer, there are times when the fight for your life takes more work than all of the above combined. Since my diagnosis, I have been reaching out to women […]