Friday, January 17, 2014

Five in one blow.

The past couple weeks in Vancouver have been blessed with sunshine, warmer weather, and that revived energy that a glimpse of the summer ahead brings.

Speaking of brighter days, the summer of 2013 brought the most gorgeous, sunscreen slathering weather. My flowers thrived and who cares if the lawn turned from green to crumbly brown. The grass will come back...it always does!



It should have been a summer of celebration on all fronts. But – five of my friends, close friends, were diagnosed with breast cancer. M and I have known each other for over four decades and she has taught me more about life than just about anyone I know. R does my hair and sends me out into the world feeling good about myself. L is a born teacher and recently taught me how to make a quilt. K is a business women and a crafter, someone with many fabulous talents. V is a very successful local business women who many, including myself, often admire. Only one has had a first-degree relative with the disease and, startlingly, she and her mom were diagnosed within a month of each other. Each friend was diagnosed through mammography and even upon being told where the tumors were hiding, two of the women could not feel them. Each has had different treatment programs.

What we have in common is that we are lucky enough to be getting older and to be aware of mammography. And, lucky enough to have friends who appreciate and love them. On top of this, we live in the province that has the best breast cancer survival rate of any province in Canada—91.8%. Despite challenges, we are indeed lucky.

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