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Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

A handsome, middle-aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat down. Before he ordered, he couldn’t help but notice a group of youngermen at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him, and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.

The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the smirks began to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye, placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, This?.

With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he addressed said, as he fought back laughter, Hey, sorry man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little ribbon looks against your blue jacket!

The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come over to his table, and invited him to sit down. As uncomfortable as he was, the guy obliged, not really sure why. In a soft voice, the middle aged man said, I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.

Oh, sorry dude. She died of breast cancer?

No, she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as an infant, and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.

Umm, the stranger replied, yeah.

And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife, the middle aged man went on.

And she’s okay, too?, the other guy asked.

Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us, and with them she nurtured and nourished our beautiful daughter 23 years ago. I am grateful for my wife’s breasts, and for her health.

Uh huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also?

No. It’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now. My daughter died of breast cancer one month ago. She thought she was too young to have breast cancer, so when she accidentally noticed a small lump, she ignored it. She thought that since it wasn’t painful, it must not be anything to worry about.

Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger said, Oh, man, I’m so sorry mister.

So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. Now, go home and talk to your wife and your daughters, your mother and your friends. And here .

The middle-aged man reached in his pocket and handed the other man a little pink ribbon.

The guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, Can ya help me put it on?

This is breast cancer awareness month. Do regular breast self-exams and have annual mammograms if you are a woman over the age of 40. And encourage those women you love to do the same. Please send this on to anyone you would like to be reminded of the importance of breast cancer awareness.

A CANDLE LOSES NOTHING BY LIGHTING ANOTHER CANDLE

This is one email I DO ask that you pass on.

2

Well put, but not mundane or pointless.

3

That’s a good story. I remember something that happened on our family vacation one year. I was probably about 17 years old. My dad always gets really embarrassed talking about any kind of “woman stuff.”

Well, we flipped on the TV and some talk show was on. Toward the end of it, they started doing a little piece on breast cancer. They had a woman on that showed how to do the self-exam.

I was just about to ask Dad if he wanted me to switch channels. He looked at me and said, “Do you…um, know how to do that?” I realized that he was referring to the exam. I said, “Yeah. They taught us at school.” He said, “Well, do you do it?” I said that, yes, I did once a month.

He said, “Okay, good…because you never know what could happen. And I don’t want you getting sick like that.”

I just about started crying.

I never hate myself in the morning. I sleep till noon.
–Sig line courtesy of Wally :slight_smile:

4

I agree - but it wasn’t a question or a flame, and I am not interested in debate :slight_smile:

Mostly, this is where most people check in and so will reach the biggest audience. I hope people are copying to send to their friends and family.

Be well.

5

Thank you.
Nanno

6

I should have eleaborated. Someone new in my life has a lump on her arm she’s concerned about but she’s hesitant to have it examined out of fear. She dismisses it with “it’s been there a long time and I’m not 40 yet” but I told her to get it looked at ASAP. I told her I’d take a day off from work and go with her if she’d make the appointment. I finally got her to commit to having it examined but I may need to prod her to set an appointment. I’m not sure if it would help to pass this to her but it will help me to not accept no for an answer on.

7

That is the worst joke I’ve ever heard.

Seriously though, great point. But why do we all care about breast cancer so much? Is it more common than other types? Lung cancer, testicular cancer, prostate, ovarian… I lost an uncle and grandmother to lung cancer, and I doubt it hurts any less than other types.

8

Babar, cancer is cancer, it doesnt matter what kind, it affects us all. I think as women, breast cancer is more prevalent and thus we tend to talk more about it.

My grandfather also died of cancer, it was in his throat. It wasnt any less painful for him than breast cancer was for my mom.

Give your children these two things: One is roots, the other, wings - Wally Wally He’s our Man

9

> BUMP <

10

once more…

11

Me too, reading your story. That is so sweet that your dad could overcome his embarrassment to make sure you were doing self exams!

12

I reiterate what CanadianSue said.

My mother’s bestfriend died last Thanksgiving weekend of ovarian cancer.

My friend Melissa’s grandmother had breast cancer and had a masectomy, she’s been cancerfree for probably 5yrs.

My friend Karen’s mom has had a benign tumour in her brain for 4 yrs, they cannot operate on it, so she takes chemo pills to keep the growth down.

My friend Andrea’s mother is in the hospital right now with a 6" tumour in her colon somewhere that they cannot operate on, she will not leave the hospital alive and well.

I had a mole removed in February that looked suspiscious to me, even now it scares me because the scar tissue isn’t healing like it should.

Cancer is cancer, but even men can get breast cancer(it is rare but does happen).

When he was ready, it was already far too late, to go back.
There will never be another.
He is lost to me, as surely as if he had died.
Standing alone, I stare into the flames trying
to remember what went wrong.

13

I’ve lost a father, a grandmother, and assorted cousins(they had very rare melanomas).

My mother had a lumpectomy/scare last year, my Friend’s mom has just completed Chemo and radiation after having a radical mastectomy(she’s doing great now…her hair’s even growing back :)).

Cancer is such a big thing now, we all need to be aware, and start doing things like quit smoking(Oy, I’m an idiot), Etc.

Cancer being so close to me, your stories have all touched me.

14

That was a wonderful story. I’m going to call my dr. for a checkup right now. Thank you, Sassy.

Alcohol and calculus don’t mix. Never drink and derive.

15

Breast cancer affects one woman out of eight. I’m not sure exactly how that stacks up against other cancers, but it’s pretty darn common.

The other reason breast cancer gets so much press and discussion is that screening methods are available–self-exams, clinical exams, mammograms–that can detect breast cancer early. We can make a huge dent in breast cancer on the preventative end, but only if people know how to go about it. So the best thing we can do is hammer the facts into every female (and every male, as far as I’m concerned) by age 15 or so.

And by the way, guys should do regular testicular self-exams. Testicular cancer is not nearly as common as breast, nor is it as dangerous (if I remember right), but your best chance is still early detection. (Prostate self-exams are not recommended, unless you’re just into that sort of thing. :))

While I’m in patient education mode, a lot of women get overzealous and do their self breast exams more often than once a month. This is not a good idea. If you’re checking every few days, a lump can grow so slowly that you don’t notice it. This far outweighs any benefit of the extra early detection.

Check your breasts, get 'em checked, get mammograms, check the nads, get Pap smears, don’t smoke, eat fiber.

Dr. J

“Seriously, baby, I can prescribe anything I want!” -Dr. Nick Riviera