boobs.

i'll be honest. part of me did not want to write {what seems to be} an obligatory breast cancer awareness post. we all know that october is breast cancer awareness month. 

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well, what about the other eleven months in the year? shouldn't every damn month be breast cancer awareness month? after all, november {back in 2006} was the month that changed my mother's life. she found out - on my sister's birthday, in fact - that she had breast cancer. thanksgiving that year was pretty solemn. thank goodness i was dealing with a stubborn {and very constipated} three year old at the time. aidan's poop issues took my family's minds off of my mother's condition. having to deal with suppositories & potty battles was certainly more entertaining than having to think or talk about the implication of my mother's fate.

yes, i said fate. 

you see, my mom's sister {an aunt that i barely knew} had breast cancer, too. she died. she was young, too, only in her 40s. 

let me back track a bit and say that my mom's diagnosis only came about because my mother insisted on a second opinion because her routine mammogram was not very clear. my mother's primary care physician agreed. a better mammogram was done. one that screamed, "you've got some funky cells infiltrating your boob, lady!"

my mother had options. it was detected early enough. the cancer had not spread. chemo? no. radiation? no. wait & see?* oh, hell no.

my mother had a single mastectomy three days after christmas. go big or go home, huh? clearly, my mother knew from the moment of her diagnosis that her left breast was a goner. sayonara, sucka! the first time i saw my mother's scar i pretty much lost it. it ran from the middle of her left armpit down across where her breast used to be and onto her chest. it was big. it was ugly. but, it was filled with hope. 

my mother eventually opted for reconstruction. {she had a prosthetic boob...that was pretty awesome. seriously, it was a detachable boob.}  her new left breast is pretty . . . and cancer-free. so is her right one and, well, so is the rest of her body. i'm very thankful that all the cancer took was her breast . . . it spared me her life.

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so, in the spirit of all things pink & booby-related, please check your girls. raise awareness for the cause. get a mammogram. and, definitely don't think that you're immune because you're young, you have no family history or you're generally in great health. it's cancer, yo. it knows no boundaries. 

*there was no wait & see option for my mom...i just needed to add that for some dramatic effect. promise.

her attitude helped me.

it's cliche, i know, but whenever i am asked about an influential woman in my life i immediately think of my mother.  she's not just the woman who gave me life, but she's the woman who taught me how to live my life.

she and i have a pretty typical mother-daughter relationship.  it's not a perfect relationship, but it's definitely a loving relationship.  she and i are so alike that it's scary {at least that is what my husband tells me}.  it seems that we get a little closer the older i get.  and, now that i am a mother, i am finally understanding the reasons why she was so hard on me & my sister as we were growing up.

i think the thing about my mother that has influenced me the most is her attitude about life...and death.  nearly five years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  the news came as a shock.  she had already lost a sister to breast cancer.  the news of my mother's diagnosis certainly sent shock waves through the family.  but, she was fortunate because it was not only caught early enough, but my mother had a doctor who rallied for her and was just as stubborn and demanding as my mother.  my mother did not endure chemo or radiation, but she did choose a radical procedure {in my opinion} to battle the cancer:  she opted for a single mastectomy.

my mother said goodbye to her left breast three days after christmas in 2006.  what most men glorify as a sex object, my mother saw it as the enemy.  to her, losing her breast meant losing something that could have possibly killed her.  i cried and cried when i saw her scar for the first time.  it started in her armpit and ran down and across her chest where her breast used to be.  she did not understand why i was sad.  she said that losing a breast did not make her any less of a woman.

not once did my mother ever show me that she felt vulnerable.  i know that behind closed doors i'm certain she was scared, frustrated and nervous about what could happen.  but, she never stopped being a mother.  even though she was fighting a battle against breast cancer, she never stopped fighting for her family.  she remained positive, encouraging and nurturing.  she was strong.

even today she still has a great attitude about life in general.  she's not scared of dying.  she lives life each day with no regrets and she does all that she can not just for me and my family, but for my kids and for my sister and her husband as well.  she's truly an inspiration, not just to me, but to anyone who is feeling a bit uncertain about their life whether they are battling an illness or not.

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in honor of mother's day, please consider purchasing a gift for your mother {or any other influential woman in your life} a gift from macy's heart of haiti collection.  you can view the collection in its entirety by clicking here.

use the promo code CLEVERGIRLS to receive 15% off heart of haiti and rwanda path to peace products.  the coupon is valid from 5/3 to 5/8.

disclosure:  I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

Cards for the Cure

It's October.

While it might be time to stock up on miniature candy bars & think of the most ghoulish costume to wear this Halloween, it's also time to "save the ta-ta's" and think pink!

In honor of BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, Hallmark was a FREE card {available in Hallmark stores only} that you can pick up {as many as you want} to send to all of the special people in your life.

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I picked up one today & I plan on sending it to my Mommy -- who just happens to be a breast cancer survivor.