I was compelled to write this blog with October here with a vengeance. We hear so much about breast cancer and its survivors, but to work with these amazing clients day in and day out puts a different “spin” on your own perspective.
I am a Certified Mastectomy Fitter at Pampered Passions Fine Lingerie in Englewood, Colorado and have been working with breast cancer survivors for over eight years.
One day, I wasn’t feeling particularly “happy” with my own universe and had to work that day. My first three appointments were very profound and would change my life and perspective about my own personal troubles.
My first appointment was a woman who was thirty years old, pregnant, and with a three-year-old in tow. She was having a double mastectomy the following Monday and was being fitted for a Post Op Camisole. She was an amazing mother, and her courage overwhelmed me. Her spirit was such that she treated her ailment as a mere “inconvenience.” Life was going on and she planned to live it.
My second appointment was a sixty-five-year-old woman, financially destitute as she had a double mastectomy, many complications, and no insurance. Her life as we know it, the quality of anyway, is completely compromised from here on out and her life would never be the same. She said throughout the meeting with me that her life is what she makes of it, and she was going to make a difference however she might be able to for other survivors.
Lastly, a fourteen-year-old girl who had a breast removed and needed to be balanced out under her clothes. I see this wonderful, magical little girl every six months. She is amazing. She chides about only having one breast at her age. She has a confidence beyond my understanding. Wisdom beyond her years about her body and the “perception” of other people, especially in the girls’ locker rooms.
So needless to say, I was the one having a bad day, or so I thought. My issues after seeing the three clients who had appointments with me were so small. I call them “Paper Tigers.” Paper Tigers are ferocious and mean and eat you, but they are paper, invisible, and not really intimidating at all.
So the next time you go about your day and are upset with the “Paper Tigers” in your life, think twice if the issue is a real issue or just a Paper Tiger!
Happy October! Breast Cancer Month is upon us and Pampered Passions is proud to be a sponsor of many breast cancer charities.
