An Education In Pink

 

I had a great conversation with a friend via Facetime this morning. She’s a sweetheart from another part of the country that I’ve only known through social media and today I got to “meet” her. We have this social distance thing down.

 

Some of what we talked about fanned a flame that has been rising in me this past year. I used to roll my eyes in October- Breast Cancer Awareness month. I would think, “Is there really anyone out there who isn’t aware of breast cancer?”, and then proceed to take advantage of buying limited edition things in my favorite color. I’m here to tell you, back then, I had next to NO awareness about breast cancer. Now I have quite the education.

As my friend and I talked about this during our chat, she mentioned, that “Yes, everything is pink all month long, but no one is educating us.” There are fundraisers galore, and I do think that some companies use breast cancer to market their pink-edition items, but she is so right… Beyond that, what, really, are we being made aware of?

I feel strongly about providing support, encouragement and resources for those currently fighting their way through cancer and learning this whole thing called Survivorship… But I also feel a huge responsibility to help change the definition of awareness. To be a part of raising awareness in a way that effectively captures attention and motivates the ultimate type of self-care. This is currently happening to 1 in 8 women in America. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a part of this statistic.

 

I say this, not to cause fear, but to cause awareness. I want to teach women what I’ve learned (some of it the hard way), so that moms, sisters, wives and friends can be proactive and hang out with me on planet earth for a good amount of time. This mission is new for me, and I’ll be learning as I go. One thing I’d like to do is “Friday Facts“. This is a great idea on paper, but I know myself and worry that I’ll be inconsistent. But I’m going to give it a try and you can call me out if I forget!

 

I do have one question: What would grab your (or the woman in your life’s) attention and inspire you or a loved one to be proactive? What would keep you from rolling your eyes as I did? Beauty? Splashy pictures? Personal stories? Memes/Gifs? Videos? What? I honestly want to know. Consider this a sort of poll. If you have any ideas, please comment! Help me help you and the women in your life!

I imagine the majority of people who read blogs that address the topic of breast cancer are people who already have breast cancer. That’s not helpful to those who don’t have or don’t yet have cancer. This blog will cover many other topics, but I want to integrate awareness. I’d love to hear your thoughts!