Filed under: Uncategorized
My Muddy Buddy & Office Spouse got their butts up early yesterday morn to join me at the 7th annual Keep Abreast 5K. My friend Kev said it was "a terrible pun for the name of the event-what would they call a run for testicular cancer?" (We had a gleeful time coming up with some possibilities which I shall not suffer upon readers-but use your imagination). At any rate, the three of us now have lovely tees that say Keep Abreast across our chests-if it raises awareness, so be it.
I hope next year we can bring enough friends to organize a team. The run took us into Coyote Hills park where we ran near the bay,identifying flocks of waterbirds on a beautiful trail. Numerous Breast Cancer survivors stood at the mike to announce their years of survivorship, and they released white doves. I knew there was a dove-launch scheduled, and when I read about it it seemed sort of corny. But on that clear day, surrounded by women and people who love them-the doves were so very beautiful, and it brought my heart up into my throat. My mother is a Survivor too. And so is Tim’s sister. And so are two of Sue & I’s most beloved office mates. And we have had clinic patients die of breast Cancer in recent years.
Patty & Abigail acoustic duo provided fab live music-making me long to see Indigo Girls in concert yet again. We got free massages, Panera provided pink ribbon shaped Cherry Vanilla bagels, and we pigged out on free hot dogs, chips,fruit, and Luna bars as well. One survivor was gifted with a very sweet & pricey lookin’ pink driver (golf). The 1st place female runner was a whippet of a lady in tiny shorts who somehow managed to be the mother of 3 boys. Raffle prizes included very cool techie stuff from Logitech, and then our favorite announcement was "The next winner gets a bottle of the Dominican Sisters’ Special Home brew".
Hmmm. Those nuns are making moonshine?!
Nope. The prize was "Extra Virgin Olive oil". Tim starts to crack up about the "extra virgin" feature of the nunnery oil, and we can’t help but follow suit.
It was such a positive and family friendly event, that amidst the pink foo-foo one might forget the seriousness of the cause. While it is true that Breast Cancer survival rates are now fairly high-it is also true that it’s still a killer, and the battle for survival is a brutal one.
We picked up a batch of little silicone mini-breasts at the HERS booth-for our clinic patients back in Oakland. What does one do with a mini-boob you may ask? Well, it’s quite ingenious really, there are 2 types of lumps inside the little silcone blob so its a teaching tool. Practicing on this thing provides a point of reference for a self-exam (answering the "what in heck am I feeling for anyways?" questions.
So ladies, do what you know you are supposed to do! Check yourself, and count your blessings each time you do. Guys, check your partner if you have one. I imagine it’s the most pleasant of chores that you can assist with. And Truth be told many a man has detected Breast Cancer in his Girlfriend/significant other/partner/lover/spouse before she did.
And that’s my PSA for today.
Salud y’all. To paraphrase a wiser person whose quote I again can not credit due to my impending dementia: Those who do not make time to care for their health-had better be prepared to make time for illness.
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
