Hello Again Everyone,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank those you have posted, and to greatly encourage those who have not to please do so.
Also,
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to everyone.
Since the conception of this blog, I have spoken to many people and it is truly incredible on how many lives that are touched by breast cancer and cancer in general. I have encouraged everyone that I have spoken with to please post their story....not only to creating the possibility of helping someone else, but also in helping themselves by mere articulation of their account. Sometimes all we need to do is talk to someone about our account and we feel so much better once we have spoken it. If you are afraid to publish your name , then post anonymously......PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY!!
We were actually at dinner last night with very dear friends, a lifetime friend of Deb's, and the wife said she was self-conscious of posting her story because of fears of hurting Deb' or someone else's feelings. I explained to her that this fears was her's and no one else's. When we started letting people know that Deb had breast cancer, Deb and I very quickly realized a sense of abandonment, especially from people who we held dear to our hearts, because people didn't want to accept the fact that Deb had breast cancer. Their minds actually allowed them to dismiss this fact because Deb is such a vibrant and healthy woman....the question was always "How could this be possible?" It is human instinct to completely ignore something so horrific that is happening to a person who has become such an important part of your life, and woven into the fabric of your personal being. The next thing that happens is that you keep ignoring the reality and make up stories to validate your refusal to believe, spiralling downward to what could be the end of a loving, trusting and life long relationship. Fortunately this did not happen, and the relationship is as healthy as ever. The issues lie within the wife's heart.......she needs to post her story. I know that in the long run, above and beyond helping people who read her post from a nurses' perspective, she herself will feel the weight of this fear to talk, that she has been carrying around for years, completely disappear. She will have acquired a sense of freedom, a sense of relief, and most importantly, a renewed sense that she has the power to articulate whatever she wants.
I encourage men, women and young people, who truly understand the impact that breast cancer has on people and families, to post.
PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY TODAY!!
