You Are Important

Survivor
Originally uploaded by salyx

Last night my mother told me that her friend, Joanne, had passed away. Joanne was a vibrant, loving person. She had an amazing energy around her that I really enjoyed. My mom loved her dearly.

Joanne put off getting a pap smear for eight years. She didn't seek medical attention until she had been hemmoraging for two weeks straight. She made it through a round of chemotherapy, but the cancer came back and spread so quickly. Mom was lucky enough to spend two days with Joanne right before she died. Mom told me that Joanne's legs kept moving like she was trying to get out of bed, but mom would calm her and say, "Yes, sweetie, you are going to leave... but your body isn't coming with you."

I am sharing all of this because you need to know that you are very important. If you weren't around, someone out there would miss you very much. Even if you can't afford medical insurance to cover the cost of a visit to the doctor, there are many low-cost clinics out there that can help you.

It is amazing how quickly "It's nothing" can turn into "I'm dying".

A few days ago one of my best friends contacted me, asking that I make a pair of earrings for a colleague of hers that has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. They are the earrings in the picture, and I hope they do some magic.