Women of Strength-The PinkTealies

Wednesday night I had the honor of attending and receiving an award at the 1st annual Pink Tealies Awards Symposium. The symposium brought together women all backgrounds, uniting us and acknowledging our individual journey's with breast or ovarian cancer. There were twelve us who were highlighted for our work and effort in leading the fight against cancer. I was honored to be one of the twelve.

There was a moment in the evening that forced me to step outside of myself and the moment. Dr. Kendrick, a gynecologic oncologist from the Florida Cancer Institute was giving a presentation on Ovarian Cancer...symptoms, statistics, & risk factors. That's when I tried to make my mental escape. I don't care how many times I hear those statistics(especially when delivered to a mass audience) I'm forced to remember that this isn't just general information, this is my information. This is my life, my journey and for the life of me I still can't figure out how I got here. I found myself fading in out of the present and visiting the past. The place where Ovarian Cancer wasn't a household name. The place where I dreamed big and out loud without limitations. A simpler, quieter time...it's scary,two years later and it's still scary. It's scary to hear the statistics on how many women don't survive. It's scary to think hear about how many women struggle with ovarian cancer for the rest of their lives.

Before I took myself to the point of no return, I took a good look around my table. There sat five wonderful women. Five Ovarian Cancer SURVIVORS. A combined total of 57 years kicking Ovarian Cancer's butt. There sat five women who are defeating the odds in a big way, including a 26 year stage 4 survivor. A living miracle and an inspiration to many. I'm keeping my eyes on the prize and I'm staying focused, not on statistics but on what's in front of me.