Inspirational Women!

I have met some really amazing women recently and I just wanted to tell you about them!

This weekend I went to a conference for Young Women with Breast Cancer (young being under 45). "Lucky" for me, October is breast cancer month, so there were so many things going on, this being one of them. It was all weekend, but I only went on Saturday, and I'm so glad that I went. Pretty much the conference had a number of different seminars you could attend, and then a few booths around promoting different things like Breast Cancer resources, implants, wigs etc.

I went to the following seminars which were extremely interesting:
1) Breast Reconstruction: Knowing your options --> it'll be nice to get a new boob after this :)
2) Intimacy & Sexuality for Women in Relationships: Rekindling the Flame --> I learnt here that I will likely have menopausal symptoms at 28! (maybe I shouldn't have teased mummy so much about her hot flashes)
3) A discussion on Self Advocacy
4) Healthy Eating for Healthy Living --> I really want to get healthy now, but it seems like its gonna be alot of work!

Anywayz, I wanted to talk about the women there. It wasn't like there were all these bald women walking around looking sickly or noticably one-breasted or anything like that. They were all normal looking, and many of them actually looking quite good! I got to meet a few and hear their different experiences and it was just so refreshing to see how positive so many of them were. Everyone I met had already gone through their treatment, and gave me reassurance that I will be fine! "It'll be hard, but you'll be ok" they said.

I also met another woman this weekend through a friend of mine who sat with me for hours talking about her experience, and I think I was a changed person after speaking with her! Not only did she have breast cancer, but she had lost her husband just 3 years earlier while she was pregnant with her second child. After getting her diagnosis she had surgery and then chemotherapy for a year, and radiation during that time which burnt her skin badly. If that's not enough, she hasn't seen her 3 yr old daughter in over a year! But besides all of this she was so upbeat and had the most positive outlook on life.....it was so AMAZING!!!

More than one of these women told me that breast cancer changed their lives in a positive way. It gave them the chance to reflect on their lives, and realize that changes needed to be made, and that they needed to take care of themselves more (as so many women are always taking care of everyone else first, and ignoring themselves). Some even said that they were happy that they got breast cancer!! I would have never expected to hear that, but I heard it more than once this past weekend.

I guess that after going through everything these women went through, it has taught them to live for the present and to appreciate the small things in life. Lessons that alot of people have a hard time learning. And I learnt that I must be one of the lucky ones! This breast cancer is going to change my life for the better :)