Pink

 

Pink is a symbol of youth, good health, and playfulness.  It is used by breast cancer research as a symbolic color.

As every woman knows October is "Think Pink" and "Breast Cancer Awareness" month. This year the Breast Cancer message is a "knowledge is power" statement for early detection of breast cancer. It is simply put:

NO MORE

KNOW MORE

Pink has always been the color identified with the female gender. I have grown to love pink, although it is not my favorite color, it is up there. Pink is a powerful color, as it makes you notice it without even realizing it. Each time you read my blog; you see the title written in a bold pink header. My bestie was my biggest supporter to get me on my blogging path. She is also a breast cancer survivor. Each time I see that band of pink, I am reminded of all those courageous breast cancer survivors and those who fought hard and lost their battle.    

I always want to crusade for women, not just in October for breast cancer, but always. I am not a person who raises money anymore, I just want to empower others with knowledge, because as you know it is power. Let's start with the stats: 

* Breast Cancer is the second most common cancer in Canada

* 1 in 8 women will receive the diagnosis of breast cancer 

* About 28,600 women will have been diagnosed in a year with breast cancer

* In women, Breast cancer is the #1 Cancer

* 83% of cases occur in women over 50  

Good health or poor health doesn't really care how rich you are, who you know or if you live in a nice home or on the street. It seems we are all programmed to be healthy or not. There are a few habits that we can insert into our daily life to help our health but overall, we are who we are. 

My health belief is that it is all connected, your mind, body and soul are the key components. If one of those components is strong it will help the others to be strong as well. For me, I believe it is my soul that is really strong. My spirituality has carried me a long way in my lifetime. I have a huge Celtic cross in my living room. Celtic crosses have several meanings, but this is the one I choose to associate it with: mind, soul, heart and body. As we age our body and our mind start to deteriorate, but our soul and heart can remain strong to the end. I reflect on my Grandmas. Both lived well into their 90s. We all watched as their bodies deteriorated over time. But their heart and soul were strong and inspirational to all of us. Neither of them ever complained and when their time came to leave this earth, they both took it on with such grace. I have so many fond memories of my precious Grandmas and what wonderful role models they were for me.          

                   

Both quotes are me, so much so, I feel like I wrote them. I have already written about how in my darkest days I got up, I dressed up, I showed up and I never gave up. Giving up is not an option any one of us should ever do. Let's reflect on the second quote, don't you just love bossy women. It always takes a leader and a follower, and I have already written a post on my wisdom on that. I have self-declared I can do either, or flip if needed.  

It only makes sense that in pink month we are reminded of the women that battled breast cancer. Take the time to think about the breast cancer survivors and why they survived. What was the difference between them and those that lost their life? Take the medical intervention and type of cancer out of the picture. Did those women grab onto prayer, did they change their lifestyle, or did they embrace life differently? I have heard that people with a life changing event change how they think. Clearly, their program was set to survivor and maybe, just maybe they had a healthy heart and soul. The bottom line for me is to keep your heart and soul healthy, they will always be with you, even when your body and mind may be failing.