I was at my supplier searching for supplies for my “Hope” jewelry today. I am currently working on the green items, which I affectionately now call by their respective cancers. I had already placed several styles of kidney and n-h lymphoma in my cart and was desperately seeking my Hope ribbon charms.
Fortunately, there was a lady busily restocking the area, so I asked for her assistance. At first she looked like I had just asked for free elephants. I amazed myself when I remembered the manufacturer and then she knew what I meant. They are silver ribbon charms that have the word “Hope” cut into them. She tells me they no longer carry that line (I remember the pickings were slim last month or two ago when I bought every pack they had). She lets me know they have not carried then for at least 5 months. Oh well, time flies. I asked if they had anything comparable, anything cancer related and she thought and thought and then said no. Disappointed, because I didn’t get my way, I stared at the now useless rows of stuff I didn’t read. She then turned to me and said the most amazing thing,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Besides, that month is over anyway.”
I wish I could see your faces right now. Happily, I am almost always armed with a snappy come back and yesterday was no different. I really wanted to shout, “Hooray! No more cancer for 11 months! It’s over everyone! Now we can get on with our regular old boring non cancer lives”…okay so I know what she really meant: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IS OVER…everyone can go blissfully back to their respective states of unaware.
What I really said after a stunned second was, “Honey, cancer is never over, it goes on all year long.” She was feebly trying to correct her faux pas but I kept going, spreading awareness whenever I can, “I know pink is the most recognized, that’s because the breast people spend so much money on advertising.”“Look in my cart; I make cancer awareness jewelry for all kinds of cancer; right now I’m working on Kidney cancer and Lymphoma.” Her eyes grew wide and then like a little kid she said, “They have other colors?” I explained a couple more, making sure she heard about anal and colorectal cancers. She asked what the color was for Melanoma. I told her it was black. She said her mother died of it recently. I told her how sorry I was and to make sure she gets checked often, she assured me she did. I reminded her that everyone she meets today will likely have a story, a connection or be someone like me, who has cancer right now.
Did I do my duty and help one person yesterday? I don’t know for sure with her, I’d like to think so.
