Watercolor on paper © by Frau Kolb, 2011
How dare I compare myself with Angelina Jolie? She is a Hollywood goddess, right? Who the hell do I think I am to mention that Breast C A N C E R connects more women than one can imagine? We sisters that have faced the HORROR the Horror of fear and decided to take action in preservation and honor of our health can move forward in life to embrace all the joys of being here NOW!
Angelina Jolie is one such woman, stepping up to the world and announcing that one has choices, options, and that making decisions is NOT easy but that one can create a worthy life through making active health choices rather than avoiding preventative measures. The concept that one can avoid facing the death threat of cancer by having the surgery before the cancer is NEWS to me! I wish I had known that I had this option. After nursing my two children I’d have certainly considered taking the same bold step as Jolie. Since I have the same genetic mutation of the Brca1 and Brca2, which made my cancer POP out of no-where and grow—super aggressive and fast—to stage three, which has a 50/50 prognosis, I’d have done nearly anything to avoid the harsh and frightening realities of chemotherapy and radiation. The point really is in being aware that one has options, choices to make, tests to take. I wish I’d known about the gene. I did not. Yet…
Breast cancer and its horrific treatment with chemotherapy was… well only bearable because of some basic life choices I had in place, which made it so that during treatment I had the strength to write a list of 100 things I loved about MY CANCER. The unpublished book, “Cancer with Style,” is the journal of embracing LIFE, LOVE, ART and Adventure as a strategy for life in which I chronicled the ups and downs of embracing life as a means of addressing the breast cancer crisis.
The first solid choice: a great husband. It looks like Angelina and I share this decisive factor at the center of our lives. ONE needs friends, family, and warm fuzzy feelings about living in order to hang on. The next key: great doctors, shop around. Jolie and Frau Kolb both opted for the Pink Lotus Breast Center of Beverly Hills. Kristi Funk is a great doctor and really treated me with the respect and caring one expects in the doctor of one’s choice.
Artist, Terri Amig, posted a mention, a reminder, to me that NOT all women are so fortunate. This is true. However, health concerns are testing grounds for rich and poor, alike. Yet, without health insurance… I think one’s options would be limited. Yet, I’m aware of at least one single (yes she’s gorgeous) woman that made smart choices regarding her health and had a lot of fun despite dealing with breast cancer without health insurance. She rallied her friends, family, and committed herself to a medical treatment, which worked for her. I commend her and all other women to be proactive about their health, their lives. Get check-ups. Get tested for the gene. Make decisions. These steps might be impossible to implement with the same level of panache and glamour associated with Jolie. Yet, IF you are determined to take care of yourself, you can and will make sound choices. By asking questions, visiting public libraries, and doing internet research you are very likely to be able to amass a fortunate of viable options available to all that seek out their own well being.
We all have options. But the willingness to step forward, be brave, and take charge is the height of mastery and I must say I admire Jolie. I always have and as the years pass she only more wins my admiration for her bold decisive nature and continual commitment to being an example of forward thinking open minded savvy which is now legendary. Yet, it is vital to remember that we are all the STARS of our own lives and must find the strength to LIVE, to accept responsibility of our quality of life and to embrace being able to make, even difficult, choices.
So ENJOY your power to make choices, get informed, and be as bold and powerful as any celebrity in your own estimation and proclamation!
Much Love,
Frau Kolb