Is it Spring yet??? What a crazy February we had here in Cincinnati! We set the record for the most snow ever!!! It really did snow every day for weeks. At first it was fun and the kids were all out playing and loving the snow days….I even had a few snow days from work which I LOVED!!! A few weeks later I think we are all “over it”….let’s hope March is a little easier and that warmer days will be here soon.
I had a follow up with my plastic surgeon last week. She has given me the “all ok” to start exercising again. I have been going to the gym for a few weeks now but only doing treadmill, bike and some leg machines….I have been dying to start using all the arm machines so hopefully I can hit it hard now and get rid of some of this extra menopause flab that has been added to my upper body!
This past weekend I attended the 10th Annual Young Survivors Conference in Atlanta. I don’t think Atlanta has ever seen that much silicone in one place!! We had over 700 attendees. It was so great to meet up with friends that I met last year and to meet new friends. In the art therapy session I met two young girls in their 20s..it was obvious by their appearance that they both had recently completed treatment. They told me that they met each other at their local Race for the Cure….both very pregnant and undergoing chemotherapy. They became very close and delivered 2 healthy babies just three days apart! Those are the good stories you love to hear but it also is sad to think of women so very young fighting this disease every day. The conference does a great job of offering a variety of workshops to meet the needs of women that are newly diagnosed and those that are survivors just trying to get back some sense of normalcy in their lives. Most of the sessions I attended were dealing with long term side affects of treatments, emotional issues such as fear of recurrence, updates on the prevention of recurrence, etc. We had a session with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz of Florida…..she is incredible. She is a young breast cancer survivor and is now heavily involved in what is called the EARLY Act and overall healthcare reform in our country. She is so energetic and passionate about her work. We all felt very fortunate that she was willing to attend the conference and speak with us…one other thing – if she were to ever run for president I can tell you where the female vote would certainly go!!!!
It really is a fascinating thing how you can walk into a conference and instantly feel a sense of calm and acceptance. These conferences offer so much more than just the sessions and workshops. This is where we come together and go from stranger to friend with just a smile or a hug. This is where you know that you are surrounded by people that really understand the journey you are on. They understand the good days and bad days because they too have been there. Last year I described it as a life changing event and I heard several other first-timers express that same sentiment this year.
At the conference we also have an expo area. There are all types of booths from local cancer centers to people that sell “anything pink” and so many non profits that support breast cancer causes. I spent a lot of my free time speaking with the different non profits and really find it inspiring to see how many people are working so hard to raise funds for this cause and they give so much of themselves every day to do that. It makes me wish I was more of a risk-taker and could find someway to give back like that. One of the women from my online support group started a foundation that offers financial assistance to young women during treatment. She helps with bills, house cleaning or anything that is needed. It was so awesome to walk in there and see her booth and see the pride on her face. She also let all of us bring in scarves, wigs or hats that we no longer needed. She had these items displayed so anyone newly diagnosed could take anything they might like and need. As I was working my way back to her booth I met a young woman that is currently going thru treatment. We talked for a few minutes and then I asked if she wanted to look thru my items before I donated them. She picked out one of my favorite scarves and put it on…she looked so pretty and I was just such a great feeling to see her smile. I also had a great conversation with a woman that does free cosmetic tattoos for survivors. She has perfected the art of creating a 3-D nipple tattoo and her work is incredible. The only problem is that she is in Ft. Lauderdale and it takes 2 sessions to complete the tattoo…..I guess there are worse places in the world to be “forced” to visit if I decide to go this route!!!! She was such a nice person…she has her own salon and has been doing permanent make up for years. Now that she is doing more and more work with breast cancer survivors she is even thinking of creating a non profit organization so that she can work with more women….
My favorite moment from the entire weekend happened at the dessert and dancing social on Saturday night….we thought that named sounded boring so we called it the Pink Tassel Lounge!! They had a DJ there and everyone was having fun dancing. They played the song “I will survive” and the dance floor was packed with several hundred young survivors. We were all dancing and singing the words with our arms in the air….halfway thru the song I just looked around and had to hold back the tears….it was an incredible moment and one I will never forget. There are many sad moments during the conference as we remember the young women we have lost over the past year but for just a few minutes it was like time was standing still, all the worries and pain were forgotten and we were all living in that moment and celebrating our bond, the connection that brought us together, and the amazing gift of being a survivor.
Once that event was over a group of us went to the Metro Café. It’s a karaoke club…luckily, not too many were doing karaoke so we did a lot of dancing. Not long after we got there a young blind man got up and did a song….he was amazing. I went over later and introduced myself and told him about our group being there and how much we enjoyed his song. He asked me if any of us were looking for a “blind date” and told me about his mom being a cancer survivor. He was so upbeat and friendly, and obviously had a great sense of humor. He sang another song later and dedicated it to all of the survivors there that night….once again I felt fortunate to meet someone so upbeat and positive even though he faces a very tough obstacle in his life each and every day. We danced until the club closed at 3 and then went upstairs to their 24 hour café for breakfast. Great concept, huh?? We finally made it back to the hotel and into bed around 5 am….needless to say Sunday was a long day…..my body was sore from all the dancing, my voice was almost gone from all the talking and singing but my heart was full from a weekend of wonderful experiences.
Another perk of the weekend was going down a day early to stay with Annie and Tim. They were moving into their newly renovated home the same day so things were hectic but I loved spending time playing with Izzie and Ben and helping out a little with the unpacking. Their house is awesome. They had an entire second story added and many updates to the original main floor area…I am so happy for them! Linda came over that evening and the three of us went out for a great dinner….I miss our friends in Georgia and cherish any amount of time I get to spend with them…
Well, I think that’s enough for now….it’s back to reality. I have been forced back out of the little cocoon that I was able to escape to for just a few days…..time to put the boxing gloves back on and jump back into the world of stress and negativity….