Celebrate International Women’s Day

On Tuesday, March 8^th, we celebrate International Women’s Day “which celebrates respect, appreciation and the empowerment of women all over the world”.  For me, I have chosen to honor this day by focusing on breast cancer, and in particular, directing all women to the “Susan G. Komen for the Cure” website at komen.org 

The reason for this is that my last 3 years of writing a weekly blog and having a website were inspired after being diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time and I wanted to make a difference for others who found themselves in the same situation.  I was so overwhelmed with the diagnosis that I couldn’t even think straight.

I would like to encourage everyone to go to the Susan G. Komen website so that we can all become familiar with all of the resources that are available there.  Armed with knowledge like this, we can be equipped to help and support one another in every way possible when breast cancer touches our lives from whatever source.

I was so grateful for the wonderful doctors who did the double mastectomy and then the reconstruction.  I had no idea where to turn or what to do for information and I checked out some medical sites that were not only of no help but were also extremely outdated.  I don’t want another woman to ever feel as frustrated as I did when it came to knowing where to look for current information from experts as can be found on the Susan G. Komen website. 

Over the years, I have received all types of questions regarding breast cancer, from women who had been diagnosed, from children and grandchildren whose family members have been diagnosed, from those who want to know how to support their wives or significant others, from those who have lost loved ones and from those who want to know what they can do to help others.  I have communicated with those who are afraid to have testing done, with those who do not have insurance or the resources to afford the testing and with those who feared the recommended treatments that were prescribed by their doctors.  

In each instance, I have spoken many times from my own experiences and from the gratitude that I have for all of those who have helped me with my own experiences.  But, I do not have many of the pieces of information that one would need in order to make informed decisions about their own situations, what resources are available both for testing services and support services and what the latest research may hold for the future. 

In addition, if you are like me, I want to help financially as well but I don’t have the resources to contribute all that I would like.  Therefore, it is important to me to find ways to raise funds through programs such as the “walks” that allow for me to be sponsored in such fund raising events or to help sponsor other participants who have their own reasons for participating.

Therefore, I would like to encourage everyone to go to the Susan G. Komen website so that we can all become familiar with all of the resources that are available there.  Armed with knowledge like this, we can be equipped to help and support one another in every way possible when breast cancer touches our lives from whatever source.  How better could we celebrate International Women’s Day?

Share a COMMENT