Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

My best friend, Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2006...we spent 11 years together...inspiring Perseverance, Determination, Triumph and Hope. 

In her memory I share with you "Waiting for the Train"

Perseverance, Determination, Triumph and Hope are represented in the women of “Waiting for the Train.”

My friend, Pam is represented as the only blonde in the painting. Pam purchased the first print of “Waiting for the Train” and commented to me that women with breast cancer are like women waiting on the train. Pam does not have breast cancer. She shares the umbrella and waits for the train with her best friend, Linda. A former Marine. Linda holds firmly to her identity as exemplified by the purse she holds close to her. Recently, Linda was in the grocery store when she noticed a young woman staring at her. “May I help you?” she asked. The young woman answered by moving her cart away and traveling down another isle. A little while later Linda found herself again in the vicinity of the young woman who continued to stare. “May I help you?” Linda asked more firmly. “I was just thinking how young you are to be sick.” The woman commented. Seizing the moment, Linda pulled off her scarf in the middle of the store, revealing her newly bald head. (Semper Fi!) “I have lost my hair due to chemo treatments. This is part of what I have to do to get well.” Pam and Linda represent PERSEVERANCE.

The mother of a dear friend, Nancy (personified in red for the vibrant woman she is) is a recent widow. Just six short months after burying the love of her life, Nancy learned she had breast cancer. Chemo took away her hair but not her spirit. Her grace and poise remain intact as she refused a wig and discovered a love for hats. Nancy is a talented painter and it saddened me to learn that she could not paint because the chemo made her hands shake. The unstoppable “Miss Nancy” wasted no time worrying about what she couldn’t do. Rather, she embraced sculpture and discovered a new talent within herself. Nancy represents DETERMINATION.

I first became acquainted with breast cancer when it interrupted the life of my neighbor and friend, Pat. A busy realtor and the mother of a severely handicapped child, Pat listened to the doctor pronounce her with cancer. “Okay, what is the next step?” she asked. To which the doctor said, “I don’t believe you understand, you have stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer.” Pat made it clear that she understood and she started asking more questions. The prognosis was grim (as evidenced by the baggage surrounding her), but she never wavered. She had a child who needed her. Death was not an option. She just got on the train. Chemo stop. Radiation Stop. T-cells Stop, Mastectomy Stop. This June marks the 10th year of Pat’s survival. Against all odds, she lives and her daughter thrives. Pat represents TRIUMPH over adversity.

The woman in blue is someone I don’t know. It’s someone’s mother, sister, neighbor, friend. The news is so fresh that she holds her baggage close to her as she waits for the train. Fortunately, for her when she boards the train, she will find a supportive network of caring people. Women are not merely surviving cancer. Women are living and thriving beyond disease and adversity. The woman in blue represents HOPE.

“Waiting for the Train” exemplifies choices beyond the harsh reality of illness.