This is the third in a series of eight a la photo hunt contests that will be held here on Pink for October, in an attempt to get more people involved during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The word (or phrase, in this case) for today is SELF BREAST EXAM.
That’s right. Go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that best describes a self breast exam, obvious or otherwise. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description about it on your blog and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D
The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 12th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Monday, Oct 13th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.
– Pelf Nyok
Whether or not anyone believes we have angels among us, I sure believe! I believe that my sister-in-law, Ellen, was one of the strongest, most courageous angels God has blessed our family with! She was such an amazing woman!
I’ve known Ellen for about 20 years. I came into her family as wife to whom she called her BBB (big brother Bruce). At age 35, Ellen went to have a mammogram and was told she was too young and to come back when she was 40. Well, at age 40, when they gave her, her first mammogram, Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer… I wasn’t there when she got the results, but when I found out the news, I was floored!! I couldn’t believe my ears.
How dare such a deadly disease affect our family! Especially someone so young. I can only imagine how she felt when they told her. And what was going on in her mind. I felt such empathy for her. I wanted to just hug her, cry with her and make it all go away!
Through the years that followed, I watched Ellen go through so much pain and trauma that without the help of God to call upon, she would have not been able to come as far as she did. She fought this deadly disease for about 8 years. What a struggle! Each time it knocked her down, she came up fighting with all her might! As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, while fighting for her own life, Ellen suffered the death of her dad in June of 2006, and her mom, in September of 2007.
Ellen use to call and talk with mom every day of her married life. That was mom’s only daughter and they were really close. We got together as often as time would allow. Ellen and her family, own a cabin here in Berkeley Springs and came up from Woodbridge, VA three seasons out of the four. One of her favorite pastimes was riding the lawnmower.
After mom passed away, I could see how Ellen’s little body was getting more and more tired and weaker as time went by. We were able to be together this past thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a little sadder this year because mom wasn’t with us, but being with family is the most important part of any given holiday! Ellen has touched the hearts of so many people. When I first met her, I knew that I was going to love being a part of this family.
On my blogger site, I wrote a post which I named “Courage.” It was my first post about Ellen. Now, before I go on, I’d like to vent if you don’t mind? It was so very hard seeing Ellen go through this battle for so many years. She was one of the most courageous woman I’ve ever known and loved.
Ellen fought this ugly, unforgiving battle with cancer for the last eight years of her life. She’s gone through losing her breasts and her hair. Through the pain of radiation and deadly chemo. She also came through reconstructive surgery of caging some of her vertebrae because it was deteriorating. She endured having surgery on her brain and on one of her eye lids. She came through the doctors trying to rid the cancer in her spine, and also had to live with it attacking her bone marrow.
That September, just before mom passed away, we got word from Ellen that it came back into her brain. Mom was going through some very serious health problems of her own so we thought it best not to add that on her plate. Ellen told us that they were going to try and shrink the cancer in her brain this time but not to get her hopes up. She was truly living one day at a time. She decided not to go through the procedure and they more or less told her to go home and enjoy the quality of life she has left.
At that time, along with the pain n sorrow we were all feeling, I asked God that Ellen would be able to enjoy one more Christmas with her family. It was beautiful. Very poignant. We were there, her honey, Rocky, was there, all 3 of her kids and her 2 granddaughters shared a very special Christmas that year! Just like the year before we knew it would be moms last Christmas so that year was also most unforgettable. God heard my prayer and granted my hearts desire. What a loving God we have!
Ellen passed away January 12th of this year. She spent her last few days in the hospice section of the hospital. I was very concerned that Ellen has never been baptized, even as a child. I arranged for the Chaplain of the hospital to come in and baptize Ellen. We talked about it for a while but the opportunity never presented itself… until that very time. Her honey, Rocky, her BBB and I were there with her. Along with baptizing her, the Chaplain anointed her with oil and gave Ellen her Last Rights.
I hate this part of life!!! And it doesn’t get any easier to bear each time we have to go through the death of another loved one. I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but with so much pain and sorrow we have no control over, whatsoever, is happening all around us, it’s a wonder how we can pick ourselves up and go on living with that void. Ellen, you live in our hearts and you will sadly be missed!
ELLEN CLEVELAND
NOVEMBER 17, 1959 — JANUARY 12, 2008
You May Be One Person In This World, But To One Person, You Are The World!
If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It!
Your Faith Is A Gift From God!
—Anni
Remember I said we have 4 extra prizes for our contests? I have squeezed whatever little creative juice that I have and miraculously come up with 4 additional contests, and this is one of them.
Here’s what you need to do to win a prize — Share your story.
There is a SHARE YOUR STORY segment where you can share a true story, or encourage your friend / family / neighbour / colleague to share theirs.
All you need to do is register for an account, log in, write your story and Matthew will spell-and-grammar-check your story before hitting the PUBLISH button. Then you wait.
On Oct 31st, I will randomly pick one story that is published this year, and the lucky winner will win one of these prizes. It’s that easy! :D
If you would like some ideas on how to begin writing your stories, these are some that have been shared this year:
My blind grandson found my cancer by Shelly Montgomery
My Nana by Dawn
My Story by FL Hopkins
How do you define a breast cancer survivor? by Dana P.
Good luck! :D
– Pelf Nyok
Before I even knew I had breast cancer… I was blessed with a grandson who is blind.
When he was only a year old I would be holding him and he would lay his head or hand on my left breast (every time I held him) we laughed it off… he would never lay his head or hand on my right breast.
While he was doing this, he had sadness in him that I really didn’t understand at first, he made me feel the lump there by his actions; I would have never even checked. Well after I had the cancer removed, he stopped avoiding my right breast.
Today (he is 3 now) at the Relay for Life he was running around having fun and when it came time for the survivors to lead the walk, he asked me to hold him and would not go with anyone else! So I held him and told him he could be with me. He laid his head on my shoulder the whole walk. As we got about half way around the track they started playing “Your My Hero” and Dylan picked his head up and faced me and said “Nana your my hero” and had a tear in his eye.
Well what puzzles me is, how a 3 year old knew what this was about! To all of a sudden want me to hold and walk with him just then (we were there all day!). First of all, I really think this blind baby is gifted some how, he knew I had cancer before anyone else, and to be 3yrs old and understand what today was about, the older kids didn’t understand…
There is a lot more that has happened with this baby but these two times really freaked me out! I know I have a gifted child from God! After the walk I handed him to Papa and you can see for yourself the tears.
—Shelly Montgomery