You Matter More Than You Will Ever Know....

Mom and Me - First Flight

I had a busy day all mapped out today but it seemed the Universe had a different idea and I decided to follow.  All around me were strong feelings of presence by my mom and my sister.  Then my niece texted that she was having trouble starting her car and it took an hour and then she looked up and the car that was helping her was registered in 11/11 - it started.  Her mom, my sister, believed that when the numbers 111 were present it meant an angel was watching...and she used to see those numbers on cars. A LOT. 


Sometimes I feel that they are both saying LOOK! WE ARE HERE!  And today it made me sad because for all the cancer advocacy I do, and my desire to make a difference, what I really want to shout to the world is "MY MOM MATTERED. MY SISTER MATTERED." And I want them here to laugh with and hang out with, rather than mourn. Both met such untimely young cancer deaths.  My mom was 62. Two months before her ovarian cancer diagnosis, she beat every single one of us at tennis.  She didn't get to experience full retirement or the joy of becoming a great-grandmother.  


My sister was 43. She still had a 12 year old daughter at home and had two young daughters on the edge of becoming phenomenal women.  She didn't get to see her daughter bloom into a beautiful teenager driving for the first time;  the joy of a child's wedding or the birth of her first grandchild; or her entrepreneurial daughter make it big in the world (can I say it?...she is DJing  a party featuring a very famous HOT actor tonight!).

 Lauri and Me..Thanksgiving in HHI

So I hope when you see me on TV talking about early detection, or you read my blog, or you admire my strength in adversity - I want you to know that I got it from a wonderful role model and person - my Mom, Jeanne Swain - and from the inspiration of my sister Lauri Swain Campbell, my fellow breast cancer warrior.  I want you to know that I do it to honor their memories and to make their lives count.  I really believe they are with me and hope that by making a difference, I am making them proud.


Interestingly as I am writing this, niece #2 just called to share a story of a young friend, age 32, just diagnosed with breast cancer and she wants to help. HELLO LAURI - you are working hard today at getting all of us to see you. WE DO.


Sometimes the silver linings of cancer are tear stained...lives lost are tragic and sad; but lives that inspire others to make a difference turn that sadness into a brilliant burst of graceful giving. My wish is that every one of you reading this will inspire or be inspired by someone else to make a difference.


“The world is not interested in what we do for a living. What they are interested in is what we have to offer freely - hope, strength, love and the power to make a difference! ” Sasha Azevedo (with thanks to Robin Rice for that quote today - yes Mom, I am listening).

Sick and Tired of PINK?

October is breast cancer awareness month...what? You didn't know that?  It's kind of hard to miss. I recently heard someone talk about feeling sorry for the other cancers that are not pink.  I hear lots of people talking about "pink fatigue" and being "tired" of pink. ME TOO!!  It's not even my color.  I wish pink was just a color again.  Though here I am going SURVIVOR GIRL PINK. IN MY HAIR!

WHY?

Pink isn't just a color - it's a symbol and a visual reminder to talk about the previously unspeakable topics of "cancer" and "breasts" in the same sentence.  Did you know that when Nancy Brinker held her first race for the cure, 29 years ago in Dallas, TX (SHOUT OUT) the Dallas Morning News covered the event but could not write the word breast in print.  29 years ago - that is in most of our lifetimes.  She writes in her book "Promise Me" about asking companies for their support of the cause and being turned down because they didn't want to be associated with cancer.

Where would we be if one woman's promise to a sister didn't send her on a crusade to pink the world so somebody, anybody would take notice of this disease?  Let's face it, women's health hasn't always been at the forefront of medical breakthroughs.

So all this pink...it's a big, bold statement of how far we have come!  Big burly football men are even sporting it, which is causing little boys to start wearing it and most of all, PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT.  It's only when we talk and share that action happens...and we're not there yet but I have to believe we are on the edge of figuring this cancer thing out. And if the advances are made in breast cancer or prostate cancer or ovarian cancer or lung cancer or leukemia...I have to believe it will unlock the mystery and help everyone.

I hope that all this pink makes every woman, man and child going through this experience know they are not alone. ...and that one day, we will figure this thing out and say "remember when people got breast cancer."

50/50

Even though the movie "50/50" was a little close to home and a bit hard to watch at times - there were smiles, tears and a lot of REAL in this movie. I highly recommend it. Seth Rogen is Seth Rogen - at times his humor is crude but this movie does a great job of capturing what it's like not only for the person going through it but for the co-survivors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMaJET7mD0M

I especially love the scene when he wants to talk about dying but no one will let him - assuring him he will "be ok." A complete melt down.  It reminded me of my own blog on said subject.

http://terrisilverlinings.blogspot.com/2011/09/l-word.html

Is anyone else following "The Big C" on Showtime?  This is another great, great TV series that captures what it's like to go through a Cancer diagnosis.  The season closer was a shocker with a great message. Ah, it seems cancer has come fully out of the closet.  We can laugh about it. And people live!

Back to my own Big C...life has turned mainly back to normal. I am training for the Komen 3 day in November and completed a 15 mile walk Saturday. It was tiring but I felt good.  Don't worry my worrying relatives, I'm not pushing myself too hard. We did three five mile hikes with plenty of rest, water and nutrition.  It feels so good to be physically active and I thank my parents for instilling a life long love of physical activity.  Endorphins don't flow in me unless I am outside and physical!

Once again in life, I bought my first bra. I don't really think I need one for its intended purpose but there are certain clothes needing something underneath. Just saying. God Bless the salespeople at Nordstrom -  you can just tell them what you are looking for and why. They don't give you sad eyes or act like it's anything out of the normal...they just direct you to  2-3 and don't let you leave until you find one that works.  And for the first time in my life, I'm a B!!!  And I love that.  I've been able to go down a shirt size on top and many bra sizes.  I know I know. We always want what we don't have right and possibly TMI.

This experience reminded me of getting my first bra.  Dang, I didn't want that thing.  I was a Tom boy who loved running, biking, playing softball and tackle football with the boys in the neighborhood.  I didn't want anything that made me different than my friend boys.  And then bicycling down the road, Kathy V lifted up her top and showed me that she had one and it wasn't too bad.  After this show and tell, we decided to rub poison ivy on our faces so that we didn't have to go to school the next day.  It was a 100/0 proposition of turning out badly.

When you think of it, most days are 50/50.  The silver lining of cancer is making sure you use your days wisely.

Down on Main Street...

Life is getting back to the new normal..well sort of because it's October and that means all things Komen - speaking engagements; media events and gearing up for Race for the Cure in Dallas.  Our team, Support the War in My Rack (aren't we clever?) is a group of strong warriors trying to make a difference. Last year as a team we raised $25,000 - this year we are shooting for $31,000 and are well on our way to doing so.  We had a kick ass fund raising event last Saturday that raised over $10,000. Tension was high - amid our regular jobs, this group of volunteers pulled together an unbelievably successful, well attended, well run event !  I was proud to be one of us  - thank you amazing SGK team and thank you to all of you who have supported us with all kinds of fabulous donations.

(SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION: WE STILL HAVE VERY COOL T-SHIRTS FOR SALE: $25 - just email me Terri@thehrconsultant.net for more details but they look like this. Props to our amazing team member Lori who pulls out a great shirt every year.)

(OH AND THE BEST PART: The back of the shirt!  The image is actually a little smaller and located in the corner. Very cool.   LOOK! ONLY $25 SOFT ALTERNATIVE APPAREL TRUE TO SIZE T. SIZES: 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL - while they last!):

My co-captain Glenna started off as the sister of a long time friend that I played soccer with.  When she received the C news a couple of years back (I'm sure it feels like a distant memory), I was her mentor and shared my Dr. boyfriend with her.  This year, she mentored me back.  During this event, a friend I went to high school with in Taipei, Taiwan stopped by (I know that was like 30 something years ago -  can you believe we ended up living in the same metroplex!).  As it turned out, Glenna used to work with him!  I mean, how does this happen? All throughout the night, friends of friends turned out to be friends of friends that didn't know it.  In this great big world, it makes you stop and wonder about the people who come into your life; the path you take; the paths you cross and how we are part of the great big fabric of the world.

I feel so incredibly lucky to share the planet with these amazing people.


"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it... All things are bound together. All things connect."

~  Chief Seattle 


SUPPORT THE WAR IN MY RACK!  http://dallas.info-komen.org/goto/TSwain