Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Think Pink: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

American illustrator Anna Whelan Betts 1875 - 1952 - source

Henri Matisse 1869 - 1954 - 'The Pink Blouse' 1924 - source

Tokyo based illustrator Yosuke Yamaguchi - source

Czech painter/illustrator Alphonse Mucha 1860 - 1939 - source

Contemporary watercolorist Marni Maree - source

English illustrator/author Beatrix Potter 1866 - 1943 - 'The Tailor of Gloucester' - source

American painter Milton Avery 1885 - 1965 - source

English Illustrator Mary Shephard 1909 - 2000 - source

As some of you may know, I am a breast cancer survivor, still feeling blessed and fortunate almost a full five years after surgery and a year of chemo. Since October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it may be a good time to make an appointment with your doctor or clinic for a mammogram if you haven't already done so this year and you're of an age where this is recommended. And of course, don't forget your monthly self-exam - that's how I found the lump which led to my surgery which saved my life.

The worst thing you can do is be afraid to check, afraid to know.

I'm the world's biggest scaredy cat and yet I did what had to be done and lived to tell about it. Don't be a wimp. Take charge. Do it.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation, a good place to learn more.

14 comments:

  1. Dear Yvette - I did not know about your breast cancer, but I am so pleased that you were successfully treated.
    My mother had breast cancer but in her day the treatment was very unsophisticated and she actually died from the radium treatment which completely damaged her lung causing it to collapse. Thank goodness things have progressed and successfully moved on.
    You always manage to find some really lovely pictures for us to admire, and the one for me today is the beautiful pink peony, but I loved seeing the little mice too from Beatrix Potter.

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    1. Thanks so much, Rosemary.
      I am so sorry to hear about your mother. Yes, we are fortunate these days to have access to the latest treatment. Though admittedly, sometimes the treatment - even now - caused all sorts of unpleasant side effects. But the important thing is that 'now' is better than 'yesterday' when it comes to breast cancer.

      I love that Beatrix Potter illustration as well. Though I thought it didn't look like her regular work and for a while wondered if someone else had done it.

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  2. Yvette, thanks for sharing this thoughtful post. If you are the world's biggest scaredy cat then you don't know what I am!

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    1. Ha! Oh, but I am, Prashant. I actually squealed the first time I saw a mouse in the house - outside they're okay, but inside, I go all over faint. :) And to think that I love Beatrix Potter's picture. :)

      I've always believed in Eleanor Roosevelt's dictum, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

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  3. I for one am glad you checked and then 'did what you had to do' after finding what you didn't want to find. I'm glad you're here today and thank you for sharing your story. And the lovely paintings!

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    1. Thank you, Joan and you're welcome. I"m glad you liked the artwork. You know how I love to share my favorites. :)

      I'm glad I'm here today as well. Especially since I have two lovely grandchildren to babysit and giggle with.

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  4. Yvette, it's worth knowing and repeating that men also get breast cancer. A male friend of mine who is a breast cancer survivor points out that men die from breast cancer at a rate five times that of women. Certainly women are more aware of the disease (and get it in larger numbers), and I'm grateful for the medical advances that have improved so many women's chances of survival, including you. But men also need to be aware that they are vulnerable.

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    1. Absolutely, Les. Good point. Both women AND men are prey to this invasive disease. But medical advances are remarkable now, thankfully. I am truly grateful that when the Big C arrived on my doorstep it was in the 21st century. Though at the time, I was more angry than anything else.

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  5. Dear Yvette,

    Congratulations on your continuing good health! When I read your message, I immediately thought of your grandchildren, and how good it is for all of you to be in each other's lives today.

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    1. Thanks, Mark. Yes, my grandchildren. I can't tell you how happy I am to be around at this point in time. :)

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  6. Congratulations to you for nearing five years in your recovery from breast cancer. How thoughtful that you did the self-exams and got checked immediately.

    My paternal grandmother died in 1930 at the age of 36 from the disease, in a day when no treatments were available.

    Yet, a neighbor and other women I know are fine years after diagnosis and treatment.

    This is a reminder to get a mammogram and go to a doctor and get a yearly check-up. True.

    And I love the Matisse, Avery and Maree paintings with pink for this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a good way to commemorate it -- with beautiful art.

    Hope you stay "in the pink" for years to come.

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. Yes, nearing five full years. Believe me, I am thrilled to be able to see my grandchildren and know what a wonderful mother my daughter has become - she who earlier said she'd never have kids. Ha.

      I'm fully aware that years ago, cancer was almost always a death sentence. So I'm cognizant of my own good fortune. When I'm feeling blue, I remind myself that things could have been much, much worse.

      'In the pink.' :)

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  7. Your grandchildren are among the most adorable I've ever seen, and look like they provide lots of fun for the adults around them.

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