Hello, everyone. I am very pleased to introduce myself to everyone. As we know, all women love the color “Pink”. Even before we are born, we are presented to a world awashed in pink. Inevitably, we become so accustomed to thinking pink that throughout our lives we all want to adorn ourselves and our environment with pink, even long after we have finally ‘grown up’.
However, that is not the main reason why I opened up Pink Works. My real motivation comes from having lost my father in 2010 to cancer. He was unfortunate to have suffered from not one but three forms of cancer - lung cancer, lymphoma, and brain cancer. He endured so many hardships and challenges, along with undergoing countless chemotherapies, serology test kits, radiation therapies and surgeries. My grandfather and my dad’s sister also passed away from cancer as well. My mom’s sister has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she is fighting so hard to beat the disease every day of her life. Also, my mother-in-law was afflicted with breast cancer a couple of years ago, but is presently blessed as a survivor.
Cancer is not something anyone can easily cope with, or withstand with anything less than courage and determination. No one can possibly understand the hardship or adversity unless they have walked in the shoes of the victim, or their family members. No one can truly imagine how difficult it is, both emotionally and physically, to face the trials and tribulations one has to go through. As a family member, it is quite a heart-wrenching journey to support them in their brave efforts to defeat the cancer, or in the end, when the battle is over, to bear witness as the loved one’s time to finally go is at hand.
I, too, discovered a lump when I was in my early 30’s. I really had no idea that I was supposed to do breast self-examinations on a regular basis. Unwisely, I thought I was still too young to be concerned, and thinking breast self-examinations and mammograms were for people in their 40’s. Needless to say, I was absolutely wrong to think this way. My doctor told me to have a mammogram, and from that moment on I was terrified until the day I got the results. Fortunately, it was a harmlessly benign fluid-filled sac of tissue. I am still attentively checking and making sure that lumps are not growing at this time.
Because of my experiences and background, and being around family members undergoing the terrible realities of cancer, I always want to support the cancer non-profit groups any way that I can. I believe with all my heart that if more research was being done, better medicines would be found to fight, and one day cure, this devastating disease.
Today, about 1 in 8 women in the United States, which represents almost 12%, will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. Breast cancer death rates are higher than any other cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between ages 40 and 55. As frightening as these statistics are, cancer should not make us fearful, only fearless. Cancer in many cases can be prevented and ultimately defeated if it is discovered in its earliest stages. My sincere prayers go out to all the breast cancer patients who are still fighting, and my love and eternal optimism toward all who have survived. And lastly, let us continue to be proactive in own breast self exams, especially those who have walked in my shoes.
I promise to continue my work creating the outstanding products that we all love. Furthermore, I want Pink Works to become a growing and vibrant community where we can all share and listen to your stories, and offer the courage and determination needed to fight cancer together. We can all fight like a girl and fight cancer with a punch. I honestly believe our punch can be quite strong if we really have faith in ourselves and our mission. Thank you everyone for reading my humble story, and I am looking forward to hearing all your stories as well.
Sincerely,
Linda
P.S. If you would like to share your story with the Pink Works community, please click here