Not just a wristband

Breast Cancer. A word no woman wants to hear and recently no man either. Scary, dark, depressing, emotional, life changing. Those are just some of the words that come to mind when I think about breast cancer and I haven't even been effected by it. Though, that is not completey true. I am a woman. October, as many of you probably know, is national breast cancer awareness month. A few years ago I bought 5 yellow LiveStrong wristbands when my friend Danielle died of cancer at the age of 23. I told myself I would always think of her and always support the LiveStrong Foundation. A few months after I bought the yellow wristbands I bought 5 pink ones with the quote, "Share Beauty, Spread Hope", on them. I gave both the yellow and pink bands out to friends and family members in hopes that they too would support both Cancer and Breast Cancer foundations. I know many people wore the wristbands as part of a trend, but I wanted to show that I cared. I can't remember how the wristbands came off my arm and why I stopped wearing them for a while. It could have been in part because of the trend it was becoming and I didn't want to be associated with that... in part because I hate trends...everyone looks the same... I dare to be myself. Although I shouldn't have been bothered about the trend, I should have just been thinking of the friend that I lost and the women it effects.

Not even thinking about the national breast cancer awareness month coming up, about a month ago I was doing some cleaning and located my pink wristband. And yes... I put it on. Last week I was watching some footage on T.V. about the 3-day walk and I just lost it. The love, support, courage, heart, and soul that each team has, brought me to tears. Woman, men, children, young, old, black, white... everyone is touched. Even if you have no family history, you know someone who does, or you know a friend of a friend. I wear my wristband and I wear it for them. I wear it for myself, I wear it for my mother, my sisters, my friends, my grandmothers who aren't here, my boyfriends mother and sisters, and for my boyfriends daughters. I wear it proud.