What do you see when you look at this photo? A group of women, smiling, close, happy, enjoying each others company. What you can't see by looking at this photo... Breast Cancer. These are the women (some of them!) of the Seattle affiliate of the Young Survival Coalition. What you can't detect in the photo is various stages of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation... fear, hope, trials, tribulations... you cannot see any of that, but you can see the LOVE, the WARMTH, the SISTERHOOD :)
We come from every imaginable background, from one end of the spectrum to the other. Various beliefs, education, financial status... some married, some not, some mothers, some not, some at risk of (or already beyond) losing the ability to have children as a spin out result of their Breast Cancer...
What we all do have in common is a diagnosis of some type of Breast Cancer and what we have as a group is a force beyond any other I have ever encountered. We all have different stories, different realities... I like to say "We're all in the same ocean, but have boats entirely of our own"... but in our daily struggles of keeping afloat amid the often tumultuous waters of treatment, we have each other. The bond, the strength, the hope that spreads with this commonality is one that continues to amaze me, and one that I'm very grateful for. Hearing the words 'You have Breast Cancer' throw you into an undertow where you may feel alone and drowning... I'd like to throw out a lifeline... one that I can't imagine having to have gone through this without.
To contact the Young Survival Coalition:
Email: yscseattle@youngsurvival.org
Direct phone: 866-541-1972 ext 4
Website: http://www.youngsurvival.org/seattle
To learn more about YSC National: www.youngsurvival.org
