It seems that breast cancer has touched everybody - either directly because it's happened to them, or indirectly because it's happened to someone they care about. I quickly learned that it can create an immediate bond between 2 people who were, until that moment, strangers. During the month prior to my surgery, I exchanged many long emails with a colleague of Pete's. We've never met, but she is just finishing her own breast cancer treatment, and when she heard of my diagnosis, she reached out and offered her support and the benefit of her experience. And it was a very big help to me. Another was a friend of a friend who has expertise in the tangled world of health insurance. He spent time not only on the phone with me, but on the phone with other contacts, to try to answer my questions about certain insurance issues. And then there was a neighbor, someone that I know very casually, but who immediately volunteered to bring us dinner one evening when she heard that I'd had surgery. And there were others - friends of friends - who were willing to share their stories and intimate details of breast cancer surgery with me.
So, I am thankful for the kindness of (former) strangers.
Show Us Your Bra
When Daria brought me the wonderful mastectomy camisoles that Amoena makes, she included a copy of their "Show Us Your Bra" calendar, which features wonderful works of art such as the following. It's called "Spontaneous ComBUSTion" and the artists are Helen Schaefer and Jane Martino:
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