October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

So, I’m a little late to the game but in case you didn’t know, October is breast cancer awareness month. I was inspired by my friend, Ana/Bonggamom, who not only participated in one of many running/walking events to help raise awareness, she and her daughter are wearing pink everyday this month to show their support. If my hips and back could take it, I’d certainly have considered taking part in one of those events. Same thing with the 31 days of pink thing…but I surely don’t have enough pink in my wardrobe to get me through a whole week, let alone an entire month. Oh well. Maybe next year…on both fronts.

So instead, I thought that for once, I’d actually say something…or write something…about it. I do have a family history with respect to the disease. Mom beat it years ago and has been free of it for quite some time now. And being in my forties with that family history, I have to remain vigilant. It’s easy to forget about it until my annual checkup but I know I shouldn’t. It can pop up at any time in my life, though it didn’t hit Mom until her 60’s.

So, for kicks, I checked out what I’d find online if I just searched on the title of this post and guess what, there is toooons of stuff out there – details about prevention and treatment, organizations for support, myriad activities to raise funds for breast cancer research and treatment, and you guessed it, LOTS of stuff you can buy to wear and show off your support. Check out the Breast Cancer Awareness store or the Breast Cancer Awareness Shop or  Precious Promotions or Cafe Press. I’m going to have to spend a lot more time shopping around.

And speaking of shopping, being a photographer, I had the opportunity to photograph a few stores last year for the CRAVE San Francisco book. It’s an urban woman’s guide to things we crave. It’s a very stylish, beautifully produced book that highlights entrepreneurial women and their businesses from consulting businesses to retail stores (real and online) and more. But I digress… One of those stores is called She She Shoes and it’s located in downtown Los Gatos. I LOOOOOOOOVE how Jill (the owner) styled her boutique. Simply put, it’s FAB-U-LOUS! Below are some images I took of the store. Every time I walk inside, I get this sense of chic elegance in a very feminine sort of way. I feel as if my next stop should be the spa.  😉  If you haven’t checked out her store yet, you should stop by.

And if you’re wondering where to get some pink bow pins, check out Heidi’s store in downtown Los Gatos. They’re not the official breast cancer awareness pin but they do have light and dark pink on them for a nice two-toned look. Oh and the jewelry box of charms will probably keep you busy browsing for a little while longer. hahaha

Anyway, one final thought about breast cancer awareness…for this post, at least. If you look back on when and how this all started, you cannot help but believe that hope and love together can accomplish far more than we ever imagine.

An original It’s Never Easy But It’s Always Fun blog post.