As a provisional I felt that going to a parlor-style meeting really appealed to me. The idea of going to some place intimate and cozy, while listening to something I’m interested in just speaks to me. Call me crazy, or call me maybe as Carly Rae would say.
Anyway, this month I had the opportunity to educate myself about “The Woman in Pink.” Ashley Snider, the JLC Membership Meeting Chair, hosted a wonderful event on breast cancer awareness. Her aunt, Kim Beverly, is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Kim began with the powerful statistic, one in eight women will have breast cancer. As Kim continued with her story I couldn’t help but be moved by her powerful words. Here was a woman who had not only beaten cancer once, but TWICE. Her personal battle has led her to form the non-profit corporation called “The Woman in Pink” in hopes to provide woman battling cancer with wigs, free of charge. While Kim was battling cancer she dealt with terrible wigs and always said “I look wiggy.” She didn’t want other women to feel the same way since women view their hair as an important part of who they are.
Kim, along with Paige Golding, and Deborah Mull, hope to provide a full-service breast cancer boutique and spa by spring 2013. They would like to offer a variety of services specifically tailored to women in their battle against breast cancer — a place where a woman can feel special and have someone who knows what they are going through there for support. In order to help fund this endeavor they currently offer note cards, stationary, tote bags, t-shirts, and other apparel for sale or accept donations.
The most important piece of information that I took away from the meeting was that “it’s not always on a mammogram.” Neither of the lumps that Kim found on her breasts showed up on her annual mammograms. Doing the breast self-examination is what ultimately saved her life. Please take the time once a month to do your own breast examination; I know I will.
Whether or not you are able to attend one of the parlor meetings, view the January meeting announcements here to stay up to date with JLC news.
