Shades of Pink

You've had to be living under a rock if you haven't noticed
that (the new mini iPad is coming) and October is
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

 

My husband and I caught this site over the weekend in my hometown and it inspired me to write a little about Breast Cancer today.

I've been lazy.

It got colder and a little rainy after the Akron Marathon, and my knee is still a little achy... which was a fantastic excuse to cut back on running. So naturally, I've been eating lots of Insomnia Cookies in the middle of the day. And it's budget-training-end-of-year time (I left 25 other 'times of year' out to save space) at work so I've been drinking more coffee and getting headaches and back-aches from not getting up to walk around enough. I will not give up the heels, sorry.

The work-home-wife-mom-thing is exhausting. It just is. I'm not exercising as much and eating pure crap (Motts gummies are really good, ok?) so of course, I have less energy. I am irritable when the chocolate milk spills and when the dog wants to go out for the 5th time in two hours. Do you see where this is going? Exactly. Nowhere. So while wallowing in my own self-pity about being a lazy-junk food-eating, grouch... I went to my source of zen: my blog list, to see what else might be happening in the world that could be a bit more interesting than me. It turns out there is a lot.

As you know, I follow AndersonFamilyZoo on my blog list - a fellow mama blogger who is battling breast cancer. She has opened my eyes wide to this disease, the horror of the news, the trials and tribulations of treatment, the tragic, raw emotion of living with Cancer and still trying to be a good wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend... I read her posts several times a week and wonder, what can I do? And how does she do it? How does she find the energy and gumption and bravery to keep writing - well, I get it. It's therapeutic for me, too.

On top of this, our good friend Jaime Lenhart featured a young family on her photo blog, This Is Life, with a new baby girl who's mama underwent a mastectomy while pregnant and just started chemo after the birth of her daughter. What amazing memories they've captured in these photos, and you look at the love radiating from her face and her husband's smile and their daughter's beautiful expressions and the emotion of it all just reaches out and shakes you through the computer screen (as my pal B in Columbus would say).

I would say that 2012 has been a banner year for promotion of Breast Cancer awareness and infiltration of pink in sports, fashion, media... I've seen and heard more about Breast Cancer awareness than ever before, which is so amazing. "Pink" is front and center this year in the NFL. What a great move to get the message out there.  Nothing better than seeing big dudes crashing into each other with pink socks and gloves on. Why they didn't incorporate pink tutus is beyond me. Now that would have been MUST. SEE. T.V.

All of this pinkness got into my system and since I've been strapped to my chair-computer screen-keyboard (compound word because it feels like I am one with the chair-computer screen-keyboard these days... Dell should just sell corporate units with an espresso machine built right in... yes, it's like that lately). But I digress. I've been zoning out lately, that was a moment. I think that once you or someone in your family has experienced any kind of Cancer, you feel this kindred connection to others who also endure, suffer and are impacted by the disease. Any Cancer that you, a family member or friend has endured is the worst kind. We're all in this together.

I thought I'd take a break to write about Breast Cancer and what pinky things we can learn, do and make others aware.

Here are some facts, thanks to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In 2012, it is estimated that among U.S. women there will be [35]:

• 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer (includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors).
• 63,300 new cases of in situ breast cancer (includes ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), of those, about 85 percent will be DCIS). DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer and LCIS is a condition that increases the risk of invasive breast cancer. Learn more about DCIS and LCIS.
• 39,510 breast cancer deaths. ]
• Don't forget, men can be diagnosed with Breast Cancer as well.

And there are many variables, including age, ethnicity, family history as well as a myriad of other health factors to consider. What we do know is that there is much more research to be done to help find a cure for this disease and its many forms.

Before the end of the month, I wanted to share some local things that you and your family can do - little things that won't break the bank, to help this battle that affects at least 2-4 people you know. Seriously. It's very sobering to think about just how many family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, you know who are dealing with this devious disease. Let's get out there, buy pink, walk, talk, run, and of course, ladies - doing the monthly check. It's a necessary evil - but get to it.

Here are some fun and fashionable things to check-out... cool products to get your message of support across and some in which proceeds go to breast cancer research: (I've ordered them my what I think is the chicest or most fun and unique.).

1.  Rockin' BC Awareness Tee-Shirts from Cafe Press.
2.  Aveda, Bobbi Brown and Scunnci all have pink products to benefit Breast Cancer Research this month. Search any of these products on-line, or check our Marie Claire, which featured some of the cutest in their October issue and at Marieclaire.com/
3. Local retailers and organizations with official Pink products, including the University Hospitals gift shop.
4.  Cream cheese with that? Cleveland and Pittsburgh Panera's have been battling it out all month with their Pink Ribbon Bagels. Go grab one before they're long gone.

Breast Cancer is not just an October thing or a spring-thing when the 3 day walks pop up, but an all-the-time, all year-long thing and an every day thing for many women (and men). I admit I don't think about it a lot and we all should. For you and the ones you love and even for the ones you connect with through the computer screen.

Pink it up!