BEYOND OCTOBER

When I was younger, I remember being super excited about breast cancer awareness month. Don't get me wrong, I still am but I definitely have a different perspective on the month of October. It could be because it's my mom and brothers birth month ( Both of whom are now my guardian angels) and it could also be because I got to witness first hand that breast cancer isn't something we need to be aware of for one month ( 31 short days) of the year. The women who fight this disease and families and loved ones who are affected by it are "aware" every single day. When my mom was alive, I loved that during the month of October she was uplifted and celebrated among the many other survivors, when she passed I began to use October as the month to celebrate her legacy. In February of 2014 when I lost my aunt, who was by my side in the final days before my mom passed, I realized again that October was definitely not enough time to be "aware". Another child, my cousin was now forced to go the rest of his life without his mother, something he's not only "aware" of during October

We shouldn't only get checked and examine ourselves in October, going on a fun-run walk isn't enough to say we are leading an active lifestyle to lower our risk. And paying $10.00 for a pink t-shirt or band just won't cut it in supporting the cause.

I lost my mom when I was only 14 years old. She didn't see me graduate high school or college, and she didn't see the evolution of Bowflex Barbie and Bowflex Barbie Fitness. She wont see me walk down the aisle and she won't get to meet her grandchildren. All things she told me she was fighting so hard to be able to see. I remember holding her hand at her death bed, tears streaming down my face, she looked me in my eyes and told me " I worry about you the most" . This is breast cancer awareness. This is the pain that breast cancer gave a mother, her mother ,her daughter , son, husband and many others who stood around her bed. This is the stain that breast cancer left on my life, and indeed played a part in shaping who I am today. Breast cancer awareness goes deeper than the pink ribbon and the sunflower. It's about preventing loss of life - preventing the pain of a mother telling her kids " i worry about you " and a mother having to watch her daughter be laid to rest. We need to be our best selves while encouraging and helping women on the front line in the fight against cancer as much as we can and in every way possible, every single day- Not just in October.I challenge everyone to think PINK beyond October and to dig deeper , beyond the surface of the ribbon, the walk, the t-shirt and the cute paraphernalia that October brings. There are women and families affected by breast cancer every single day.

To the women who celebrate every day of life as a gift, and the ones we uplift in prayer who have gone home to the heavens after long hard battles, I bleed pink with you every single day . To the daughters and sons who lost moms too soon, and husbands who held and hold their wives hands every step of the way, and to the mothers who had to watch their precious daughters earn their wings, I bleed pink with you every single day. As October comes to an end, breast cancer and the imprint that it has left on so many lives is far from over. Let's be aware, get tested, stay active and help our fighters survive.

Forever in my heart

Love You Mummy & Aunty Rornie