Acts of Kindness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight women will receive the diagnosis of breast cancer in their lifetime. That is a staggering statistic. 

The gals from the "Waves of Hope" have just exploded with activity. Awareness is what "Waves" is about. First up was the "Run for the Cure". The way these women go for it, it was of no surprise that they were the top fund-raising group at the event. 

Three days later several members were special guests at the Manitoba Legislation. They were witness to the discussion of a Bill, regarding the self-referral age for mammograms. This Bill had been discussed many times and plans were to lower the age to 45 years by 2025. The Waves group had gathered signatures on petitions. They were added to an overwhelming number of petitions presented to Legislation to consider. The petitions indicated that the people wanted a better result for women than what was proposed. Following a discussion, Bill 221 was passed later that evening. Starting December 2026, all women aged 40 will be allowed self-referral screening in Manitoba. 

The Wave group has committees for everything. One group suggested that during the month of October, every paddler do an act of kindness. A forum would be set up on the website to share ideas and encourage others.  

The beast was unleashed within me on this one. I can easily get caught up in anything pink and how I loved being part of this initiative. I needed to stop the swirling of ideas and grab onto a starting point.  

I have been admiring the chemo hats that my gym pal wears. She and her daughter are accomplished seamstresses, and I knew they had made them. I decided with winter coming that I would like to make one of those cute little hats. "Oh, they are easy to make", is what my friend told me. I am pretty sure she saw my eyes glaze over, and she quickly suggested a u-Tube site. You can make a chemo hat out of a T-shirt, with zero sewing. I went to a thrift store and purchased 7 different colors of shirts and prepared them by cutting the tops off. My plan was to sit with one of our Wave members while she received her chemo. I made brownies with pink sprinkles for the staff. I had just received the perfect handmade cards, and I was excited to write on them. I packed it all up and away I went to Cancer Care. My friend and I had such a nice time. I got caught up on the history of Waves. We tried on the hats and spent considerable time getting them to look just right. The possibilities were endless with the addition of scarves or jewelry. Clearly, these scarves were not designed for people with hair. They didn't sit right on my head, but my friend rocked them. I am familiar with the chemo department from when I worked on Palliative. This time it was different; I was the visitor. Visitors get coffee and a sandwich if any are left after the clients are served. Something that came naturally to me for so many years was now my focus. I was cautious so I didn't get tangled in tubes or heaven forbid upset something like an IV pole. I had a true appreciation for the role of a visitor, and how important it is you just sit in the chair provided. There was no way I could have described my morning any better than saying, "I simply had the most delightful time".

                         

I had such a warm and fuzzy feeling about my "act of kindness". It has nothing to do with what I did, it was what I have received in return. Chemo has always been a "Becan of Hope" for people with cancer. I was reminded how courageous and strong people are as they get their treatments. The day I was there, there were very few visitors sitting. Every medical need was dealt with in an efficient and knowledgeable manner by the staff. The volunteer was just a delight as she interacted with everyone. I knew three people that were getting treatments that day, and I was reminded of the reality of cancer. At the end of the day, it was hard for me to put into words how I was impacted by this experience. Yes, my friend went home with chemo scarves, but I went home with so much more.  

If you are a breast cancer survivor this is your month. If you are a woman, this is your month. Wear pink with pride, you simply can't wear enough pink in October. Take it on, do an act of kindness in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  There are so many people that need us; they need us to brighten their day, and we need to brighten our own day.