Breast Cancer and me... and you too.

We are halfway through the month of October.  If you folks don't know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you must have your head buried in the sand.  Everywhere you turn this month, be it television, radio, print media, the internet, or from a friend like me with first hand experience, we are reminded of this horrible disease.

On January 31, 2009 Breast Cancer tore the love of my life for over 30-years from my arms.  The facts being that she survived two battles with the beast over an 8-year period, then cancer returned ravaging her body and taking her life.

Everytime I see or hear the words Breast Cancer, the memories flood back for me.  Folks let me tell you from the point of view of a man that had to stand by and watch the mother of his sons, and the grandmother of his granddaughters, be destroyed by it.  She could stand toe to toe with me for decades, but when the dust settled, she couldn't have her hand raised in victory over Breast Cancer.

Dianna's mother is a Breast Cancer survivor.  She has five (5) sisters, and Thank God not one of them has been diagnosed YET.  Dianna bitched at her sisters all the time about getting their annual checkups.  Knowing what their chances were to follow in her footsteps.

Tears flood my eyes writing this, and especially recalling the moment the photo above was taken.  I call it "goodbye time".  I hate to hear anybody having to endure the pain that my Dianna, and our family went through.  But yet it happens every hour of every day. Breast Cancer kills. Breast Cancer destroys families.  Breast Cancer must be stopped.

I thought about writing about Dianna's entire battle, from her first diagnosis until we lost her.  Holding her hand during the painful surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments, seeing her beautiful hair fall to the floor.  However, I have covered that ground before, and feel less may be more in my writings today.

What can we do?  We can start by you ladies out there getting the checkups that your physicians tell you to get, and do for yourselves in the privacy of your home.  We can start by us men hounding the ladies that we love, until they do the right thing.  We can donate to the Breast Cancer groups out there, and they are not hard to find.  My personal favorite is the Susan G. Komen (click on the name) For The Cure Breast Cancer Foundation.

I miss my Dianna more than words can tell.  It's been almost 21-months, and it seems like yesterday.  Please don't let it happen to you, or to the ones you love.  Catch this beast at it's earliest stages.  Do the right thing, whatever that may be in each of your individual situations.  Just do something....

Be Blessed.
~Percy
www.PercyPringle.com