Hot pink anger

Whymommy is angry. The people who know her and love her are angry. Please go read this post so that she can explain why.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the very least I can do is use my blog to help remind people of that. So for this month, the blog is pink, the button in the top right-hand corner is prominent, and I’m going to refer you over to Whymommy often. It is important to learn, to share, to support, and to care. And, as Whymommy said, pink isn’t enough so I’m going to double the amount of money I normally donate to the American Cancer Society this year. (And if you click on the Fund Free Mammograms button and leave me a comment that you did so, I’ll donate an extra $10 per person, up to $500, to any organization that Whymommy chooses. Click. Comment. Easy-peasy.) Yes, medically we have come a very long way in this fight but as Whymommy’s rare cancer has reminded us, there is still so much we have to learn.

Whymommy is teaching me about a type of cancer that I didn’t even know existed until she shared the information with me. She is sharing what she is learning about chemotherapy and other methods of combatting this disease so that I can be prepared if and when this happens to me. She is describing the physical changes her body is going through so that I won’t look away nervously or stare with pity when I happen upon a bald woman, obviously struggling with the fight of her life, for her life. I know now that I will not turn away, but I will smile at her for being the survivor that she is and if she needs me, I will help her with the door or her packages or lend her my arm because her body is willing but oh so tired. I will be forever grateful to Whymommy for allowing me to view her journey. I am a better person for it.

She is also reminding me of other important life lessons. She is teaching me that it is always possible to use something negative to bring about something positive. That education is key in everything in life. How to find joy in the truly unexpected…and that there really is no such thing as a bad hair day. She is teaching me that is okay to feel down, tired, and angry — but it is never okay to stop learning, stop sharing, or to lose faith. Never. Again, I am forever grateful. Thank you, Whymommy.