The Pink RIbbon

A lot of you look at this ribbon and immediately have an emotion. You are a survivor or know someone that has battled breast cancer. You wear this ribbon proudly as a reminder that as a woman this horrible vulture can take over your life at any moment. Yeah, I didn't have any of these emotions until today. First let me say, I lost my Dad to brain cancer, my Mammaw (Mom's Mom) is in the Nursing Home battling ovarian cancer and my Mama D is a survivor of breast cancer with current lung cancer and my aunt and great aunt are both survivors of breast cancer as well!!! Now, with all this being said you would think when I see a pink ribbon, my world at that very moment would pause. That person is letting us know with a shirt, a pin, or a bumper sticker, they understand what it's like to live life with breast cancer. You might not be the patient, but trust me if you have cancer those that love you suffer with you. The cancer spreads and it spreads fast.

I work around cancer patients daily (again, why did I not feel any emotion from the pink ribbon), I do breast exams very often, I could probably draw you a diagram of the inside of my breast with my eyes closed...that could be TMI, but that's how often I do these self exams. So, last night as I'm talking on the phone with my best friend Amy... perfect time to do a breast exam by the way. I think, that's odd, I've never felt that before, wait a minute yes I have, but it's a lot bigger than I'm used to....am I going to vomit? I interrupt and she tells me not too worry, it's probably nothing. NOTHING???? How do you know it's nothing...you don't know that. So, I lay there for an hour thinking about what if it's NOT nothing. I wake up, I go to work, I call the doctor and I wait all day thinking what if it's not nothing.

Well, it's nothing...exhale!!! I had a good twelve hours though to think about the pink ribbon. Would I have rocked the ribbon or would I have been the one to sit on the sidelines secretly wearing pink ribbon underwear so nobody would know?? I'm not sure, but what I do know is I appreciate that pretty pink ribbon more than I ever thought I could, and the next time I see the bumper sticker, the pin or the flip flops with pink ribbons on them, I'll know that person has a story and to them, that ribbon is a symbol of different meanings, from anger to sadness to faith love and hope, but to me it's a reminder, we are never safe. So I say thank you to all the little reminders from the survivors, to the friends and family members and especially to all the ones we have lost for being so strong and not being afraid to wave your pink ribbon high.

Heather K.