On September 25th I am walking in the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer walk/race and it inspired me to write this poem. I know that this is not a GLBT issue, but I feel gay or straight, we have all been touched by this insidious disease.
My dear friends, Amy and Niki, are in the midst of this battle. They have been together for 10 years and Niki, who is genetically predisposed to breast and ovarian cancer, is battling a rare form of Stage 4 ovarian cancer. During the past two years, Niki has had a bilateral mastectomy, a hysterectomy, and aggressive chemo and radiation, as part of her treatment plan. Niki is a fighter by nature and at this writing she is in remission.
Amy and Niki have weathered this storm with grace and dignity each being a support to one another and we hope and pray there will only be sunny days and blue skies in their future together. So it is for Niki and so many others that I have in my heart, that I share these words with you.
Hugs, Barbara
TIT FOR TAT
There are many names for a woman’s breast,
Tits, the girls, ta ta’s, and jugs, to name a few.
Some are big, some are little and only few are perfect.
We increase them, decrease them and some of us,
We’re better without them.
And then there are those of us, who when we lose them,
Replace them, and honor our scars, we’re survivors.
Our breasts are used to nourish our babes and titillate our mates.
We have push-up bras, we have minimizers and bras for all occasions,
The Wonder bra, the 24 hour bra, sport bra and underwire.
But at the end of the day what is important is this,
No matter the size or shape, lost or replaced,
Our breasts do not define us.
Rich or poor, powerful or weak,
One common denominator binds us together.
At the end of the day, we take our bra’s off,
All the same way,
One strap at a time my friend, one strap at a time. .
Barbara Mulcahy
In honor of my Mother, Ruth Rosenfeld 1924 - 1988
This is so sweet Barbara. You are so thoughful. My grandma also had breast cancer. I will share with Niki. Also...this month, Spetember, happens to be Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. More women get diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Ovarian cancer, however, has a grim survival rate because there are still no screening mechanisms to diagnose early. By the time symptoms arise, it's usually stage 3 or stage 4. Cancer sucks period and to be honest, I could do without my breasts after seeing what Niki and her family have gone through. And as soon as I can, I want my female parts out too - unless we can find better detection tools. Hate Cancer. Love you!
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