Those by our sides - even secretly
I just wanted to post and share with you a thought I had this morning. I've noticed that a lot of my friends and relatives (and certainly other folks, like work colleagues) pretty much go back to thinking "we're all done with this, let's move on..." - we've discussed this before.
But, it was my birthday, and I was suprised about how many cards now came to me with the return address labels emblazoned with a big pink ribbon. A relative I barely ever speak to had the biggest with "find the cure," across the top. I certainly don't remember anyone sporting this before my diagnosis.
I guess it was just time for me to think how many people my diagnosis and experience may have touched - perhaps even "secretly," - and how they are now spreading the word and remain in silent support. Made me feel good.
Thanks for listening, Leanne
Comments
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Leanne,
That is nice and great that you picked up on it. I think that so many times we don't see that we have influenced people, not just with bc but with lots of experiences in our lives.
Happy birthday and by the way, cute dogs!
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Happy Birthday Leanne!
How nice your experience is.
It is amazing how many lives we touch or we are touched by
with a diagnosis or happening in our lives.
It shows people are aware. Thank goodness.
Enjoy your Birthday! Have lot's of fun.
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Leanne, what a wonderful thing for your friends and family to do. It is nice to be "validated." Just knowing that they remember what you've been through and acknowledge it in a small way is great. Hope you had a wonderful b'day.
Shirley
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I agree. It is great to know that your struggle is remembered and your continue to be a reminder of how great life is Without bc. It does a family good.
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I recently had my cousin and her husband visit..out of the clear blue HE said as he squeezed me close....you have a big check up soon...nobody knows what you are going thru waiting for that do they ? WE hadn't even discussed bc...I was so touched...that he remembered AND that he was so empathetic. Yes, they do remember................
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I love this post! Often throughout my time on these boards, we talk about how annoying the color pink has become or that reminders of BC are always cropping up, but we don't seem to acknowledge the power of our experiences on others and, perhaps, the degree to which it might motivate others to make some serious contributions to the Cure.
Thanks for posting this, leemarberg!
~Marin
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Sometimes we affect other people's lives and we're not even aware of it.
A few weeks ago an older man came into work, I'm a waitress, and he asked for me, didn't know my name, but the hostess figured it was me he wanted to see. He said I had spoken to his wife, last year sometime, she must have had her head covered and he said I spoke to her and told her I was a survivor and said something encouraging to her, she was going through chemo at the time.
Well, he had tears in his eyes when he told me his wife recently passed away, but he said that it meant a lot to her, you know giving her hope, wishing her well.
Anyways, it made me feel good, that I made her feel good.
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I saw my SIL this weekend and she couldn't wait to show me that she had put a BC awareness license plate on her car. She said she wanted the BC plate because she was proud of me and wanted to make a contribution. I was so touched.
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Happy Birthday!!! Yes, I think we have a lot of silent supporters...People who quietly pray for us, and who think of us often, but are not able to verbally expres themselves to us....our of fear of upsetting us, out of embarrassment..who knows...But they are there...The silent angels who walk with us...
Sandy
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