I've recently read a piece written by a widower who lost his young wife to breast cancer. He said that October was a painful time for him because of the constant reminders of what killed his wife. You can't walk into a sporting event, grocery store or restaurant without seeing a pink ribbon this month. Breast cancer awareness is a nice idea, but I think that given its incredibly high profile, it is somewhat redundant. OK, maybe that's not the right term, but you get my drift. And for every survivor who celebrates, there are family members left behind of one who didn't win their battle. It's not just about the survivors, and in fact, I'm not sure it should be.
When we commemorate big battles and victories in war, it is most often a solemn occasion remembering those who lost their lives. I feel as though those who lost their battle with cancer are mostly ignored during the month of 'cancer awareness'. And those currently fighting are cheered on, and those who won are celebrated. That seems ass-backwards to me. Shouldn't we be respectful and sensitive to families who have lost someone? Isn't beating cancer enough of a win? Do survivors have to celebrate?
Now that I'm in both camps, I feel pretty qualified to comment.
My Thoughts:
Pink is not my favorite color.
I am not my cancer.
As I continue to live my life, I hope I will remain a mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend. Not a 'survivor'.
I will take from this experience lessons to apply to the other areas of my life.
And I will move beyond it.
I will not forget I lost my mom to this disease and when I think of cancer, 'triumph' is not what will come to mind.
Hang the ghosts in the tree,
Put together the costumes,
Buy the candy I say I'm not going to hand out every year,
Carve the pumpkins,
Roast the seeds,
And debate whether we're going to have a party. (OK, definitely NOT this year.)
But I won't be wearing pink. (Unless I choose a costume like this:)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to send positive feedback. That is all I'm accepting right now. If you don't like my blog, try one of the other 300 million out there.