Friends and Angels
I wanted to thank everyone who dropped by our both at Arizona’s Ultimate Women’s Expo in Phoenix last weekend, www.azwomensexpo.com. There was a great turnout, with keynote speakers Valerie Bertinelli and Olivia Newton-John. I watched ladies lining up for Pomegranate Martinis, massages, manicures, shots of Starbucks and a Louis Vuitton fashion show. I could see a belly dancing exhibition from a “Morracan Tea Room,” and scores of women and girls walking by with their freshly coiffed hair from Toni & Guy.
In between all the excitement, many women stopped by our Shop Cancerversary booth. They did a little shopping and a lot of talking! The Susan G Komen chapter of Phoenix had a booth (www.komenphoenix.org), which brought a large contingent of breast cancer survivors, many going through treatment right now. I was privileged to speak with women in all stages of survivorship, along with their friends and family. We shared some laughs, and a few tears. I met a courageous woman who was scheduled for reconstructive surgery the next day, yet she was still living her life, out and about at the show. I also met an amazing woman who had just had her seventh round of chemo the day before. To top it off, she had also done the Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure the weekend before. Wow, to say the least! She had great energy, a positive attitude, and a light in her eyes that shone with determination not to let cancer beat her. I heard stories like these all weekend, women of all ages and walks of life telling me little bits of their own survivor story. Some just wanted to say thanks for acknowledging and celebrating our Cancerversaries, with pride in their eyes as they told me how many years it had been since their diagnosis, and how far they’ve come in life.
Reflecting on the Expo, I could see the common thread that cancer weaves through our lives. It touches so many of us; mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. But the hope, gratitude and love in these women’s hearts shines brightly. It is a reminder that we can survive and thrive!
