October is a tough month for me. I love October in California, both in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Angeles. Having now lived in both cities for equal lengths of time, I’ve grown a greater appreciation for this state. The weather is great, temperatures have cooled from the summer highs, Fall decorations are in the stores, Halloween is around the corner, followed very closely by the end of year holiday festivities. October is what I view the month that beckons for cozy, quality, family and friends time.
But, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. In addition to the usual Fall and Halloween merchandise, there are shelves dedicated to the Pink Ribbon. On the consumer side, the Pink Ribbon is a wonderful marketing tool to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research. On the personal side, I’m reminded of the friends and family I’ve lost and am losing.
Yesterday, I heard news that a very close friend of mine will not win her fight. This is the third recurrence of Breast Cancer, and all the previous remedies and treatments that worked in the past didn’t work this time around. She’s in the hospital going in and out of consciousness, so we don’t know how much time is left. My heart just aches for her and her family.
I’ve lost count of the number of friends and family lost to cancer. I’ve been fortunate to have religion in my life to get through these tough times. As a child, I was raise both Buddhist and Christian. Today I practice the religion of Scientology while maintaining my Buddhist and Christian upbringing. Without these deep-rooted faiths in spirituality, I can’t image where I’d be emotionally and mentally.
Nonetheless, cancer is simply a terrible disease and I feel takes too many lives too soon. I want to see a cure.
Gainsforth Family Blog 