Reflection & Action

October was Breast Care Awareness Month. People of all ages and products from paper plates to spatulas were sold in the pink of the campaign to raise funds and awareness. Some are blessed to be untouched by cancer. Even if one has escaped personal experience it is a word that resonates with everyone.

In my role as a spa professional people of all ages and experience seek services at Rheal Day Spa. Spa treatments can be very intimate. Treatment rooms are calming and serene to help ease stress and create a safe environment. Even relatively new clients find it a comfortable place to share their life stories in confidence. The first time a female client told me she was a cancer survivor it humbled me to treat and serve someone who had been through so much.

In subsequent years I’ve met people in various stages of the battle with cancer. And then a month ago a client told me she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was scheduled for a double mastectomy within two weeks. In the same time frame another friend’s husband a seemingly healthy, humorous and vital man has been diagnosed with stage three esophageal cancer. Both pieces of news felt like a kick from a mule. A swirl of feelings arise when cancer becomes personal. A slurry of hope and dread mixes to create unease and a sense of impotency.

But we don’t have to be impotent. We can contribute to cancer research, participate in annual cancer walks to raise awareness and be creative in our communities to create our own drives to support services for cancer patients and survivors. We can also be sure that we and our families have a better chance to avoid cancer by living healthy, thoughtful lives.

You know what to do; you’ve heard it a thousand times. Eat more greens, exercise, even if it is only ten minutes a day; don’t smoke, if you drink, do so in moderation and most importantly educate your self about the optimum time frames for physicals. Early detection is your best weapon to fight a cancer diagnoses. Though we have yet to find a cure we have improved treatments and survival rates have risen significantly. This is a war please join the battle.