I am nervous right now as I type this post. I’m going to talk about something personal and it doesn’t have anything to do with getting in shape. Ever since the age of 12, when I lost my mom to breast cancer, I wanted to do something that will would help find a cure. I used to dream of finding a cure myself, so other kids wouldn’t lose their moms to breast cancer. I always planned on doing all the “walks for the cure” and raising money for breast cancer research, etc. Regrettably, close to 30 years have gone by and I haven’t done one single thing that would raise awareness or help in regards to breast cancer. My hope is that this post will be a start.
[October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S. With 110 women dying of breast cancer per DAY in the U.S. alone…we have a long way to go.]
My Friend Grant, His Wife Steph, & Their Inspiring Story…
I believe you can have life-long friends that you rarely keep in contact with. You may not see them for 10-20 years, but you share a beer and don’t miss a beat. This is especially true if you grew up together in the same town, went to the same schools, etc. Well…I consider Grant to fit into this category. He was a slight over-achiever in school (in a good way), a 4.0 grade point, popular, and actually nice to everyone. I went to school with Grant from 5th or 6th grade all the way through 12th grade. He went to college in California and didn’t hear much from him after that, but always figured I would run into him again. Fast forward 22 years and he contacts me on Facebook…
“My Wife Just Started A Blog About Her Battle With Breast Cancer”
Grant told me the title of the blog was called Bald, Fat and Crazy. He knew my mother died of breast cancer and simply wanted to share how his wife beat the disease. He also didn’t tell me the story behind the name. His wife Steph puts it best on the front page…
“The title of my blog and this first page warrant a bit of explanation. Clearly, I was Bald. And clearly I was Fat. However, when you come to realize that my baldness was caused by chemotherapy and my ‘fatness’ was caused by being pregnant at the same time, then the mere fact that I was smiling in this photo is evidence that I was also Crazy. Add to this scenario the pending adoption of a baby girl and the Crazy goes to a whole new level.”
Click Here to Read the Rest of Steph’s Inspiring Story —>
Note: I didn’t want to summarize her story of beating breast cancer here. She does an incredible job on her blog, with photos and music, etc. If you can spread the word about her site, that would be great. Her goal is to give people hope, even when circumstances don’t look so great.
I don’t want to sound like a blind optimist, but I think we are on the verge of something big when it comes to health. I’m subscribed to Dave Kekich’s newsletter and he really inspires me. Off to read Steph’s blog now!
this article was motivational and inspiring. i really liked reading this article.
You are simply a super brave women..I cant stop myself to appreciate you.Since then you have been striving to bring the awareness in all about the dangerous breast cancer.At initial stages we can do something. Identifying it in initial stages is an important aspect.Thanks for it..Keep going….
Nice to read these inspiring stories. It gives women with breast cancer hope.
Hey Rusty,
Thanks for writing this post highlighting and spreading awareness of breast cancer and the impact that it is having on women.
Sorry to hear about your mother passing from this.
All the best,
Alex
My 43-year-old wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in August. Thank God it was caught extremely early thanks to her annual mammogram. She had no risk factors and is in very good shape. Everything has worked out great so far – surgery is over and she’s now going through radiation (thankfully no need for chemo). She’ll be fine thanks to early detection.
There is a lot of talk among health care folks that women don’t need mammograms until they are 50. I’m not so sure about that. If it is caught early, it is very treatable with close to 100% survival rate. While our ordeal has not been a fun experience by any means, it hasn’t been nearly as bad as what a lot of women endure for their treatment. The only way anyone would know my wife is going through this would be for her to tell them.
My daughter’s paternal Grandmother had breast cancer that haunted her for years. She eventually died from complications of heart disease. Cancers are a devastating disease that we or loved ones hope never to have to get. There are things we can control and some things we can’t control to possibly prevent breast cancer. May be this article will be helpful:
breastcancer.org/risk/index
Hey Rusty,
Thanks for sharing your experience and the link to Stephanie’s blog.
What an incredibly inspiring story of survival she has (not to mention an excellent writing style)! I posted a link to her blog on FB in the hopes that my FB friends will spread the link around so that it can get in front of the eyeballs of people who are going through this/have gone through it or can relate in some other way.
Ray
Rusty,
I was just in New York & Chicago interviewing Baby Boomers to learn about their changing attitudes. I expected to hear positive attitudes about conquering aging, instead I heard fear and disappointment that time was running out.
Imagine how this fear would be amplified if they got the news that Steph received.
You inspired a new post – thanks.
Darren@Moreprimetime.com
Totally understood what you meant about the life long friends and touching story. Glad you shared it.
When increasing awareness of breast cancer, we should also be increasing awareness of the role of adequate vitamin D levels and it’s role in preventing breast (and many other) types of cancer.
Slyvie Foortin ran a campaign for Breast Cancer in 2008 and although this terrible disease had no bearing upon my life, I stopped and considered how a donation would ease the burden of sufferers. Whenever a worthy cause confronts us, as one voice, we do have the power to transform lives and make sudden changes just by combining and sharing our love.
Bu then, there are also other times that we cannot contribute financially, just a small note of encouragement is enough to give them the strength to carry on.
We see and hear all of you.
I lost my 40 yo sister @ age 40 to breast cancer. She underwent open heart surgery at age 16 for a serious birth defect, unrepairable till then. Did this early surgery seriously impair her immune system? There is a growing movement that we all carry cancer cells but the wisdom of our bodies rids us of this scourge repeatedly before it grows to the “noticeable” stage. billions of cells. See David Servan-Schreiber’s “Anti-Cancer” for ways to help yourself stay cancer-free.
Hey Steph. Rusty fitness encouraged me to make a comment. Although I have never experienced breast cancer, my brother, at the age of 21, died of colon cancer. Since then my mom has created a small charity event that gives its proceeds to the local hospital located at the Orangeville, Ontario Dufferin County. So far the event has raised over $30,000. The money goes to helping residents, with life threatening illness, get needs that are not covered by health care. This may include gas cards, and internet service to allow communication to friends and family. We will be having our fourth event in 2011.
Rusty, thank you for this. My friend was just diagnosed. 30 yrs old and a single mom. Crazy. I am glad you are speaking out about this and I am very sorry for the loss of your mom…