A True Appreciation For The Pink Ribbon

Who knew that Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2008 would mean more to me than 2007. My 88 year old mother, Maxine, is a breast cancer survivor of one year. Last Sunday afternoon, out of the blue, she had a seizer and I immediately called 911. They took a CT scan and found a (very) small mass in her brain. How was I going to tell this wonderful woman that she was going to have to endure 10 radiation treatments and that she would lose all her hair (because they are using radiation on her entire head). She had already gone through so much and thought she was through the worst of it.

She has been very blessed because of her age and the type of cancer that she has (breast), she can take a little pill every day and it keeps the cancer from growing. That's it. That's all...and it seemed that life would go on as usual until last Sunday.

The wonderful doctors at the Cancer Center in Augusta, Maine told her that one cell must have gotten into her brain before they put her on the pill and it has taken all this time to get big enough to see (she had a CT scan in July and nothing showed up). Dr. Healey tells her that 90% of all people with this type of cancer in this location, at this size, never have a problem again after the radiation. I pray that he is correct.

When I told her she would lose her hair, her little eyes filled with tears but she was strong. It amazes me that even at 88 years old, women still care about such things. She said, "At least it's winter and I would wear a hat anyway when I go out."

Yesterday, after her treatment, we went to the Cancer Center Boutique and purchased three hats for her upcoming hair loss. My sister-in-law is coming tomorrow to give her a very short haircut so that it won't be quite so shocking for her. She will no longer be alone (although she insists on being in her own home, my two sisters and I take turns staying with her) and she will no longer be as independent as she once was, but we are praying that her strength will return and that she will be able to do some cooking...she loves to cook for her neighbors!

When I made 4 little pink ribbon knitting bags this month and listed them in honor of my mom and sister, who has just finished 6 1/2 weeks of radiation treatement, I never dreamed that they would end up meaning so much to me.

For those of you out there who have loved ones stricken with cancer of any kind or if you yourself are going through an ordeal like this one, know that there are people out there, like me, praying for you and wishing you well. I do pray every night for those who suffer from this disease and pray as well that a cure will soon follow.

Thanks and Good Luck

Thanks to everyone who partiticpated in my questionnaire! Your participation will help me more than you know in designing a new knitting bag for my shop. I hope to have it done before Thanksgiving and I may put out a new questionnaire to name the bag (I like to name my bags!!).

Also, I would be interested in finding out what, if anything, everyone is doing for Thanksgiving weekend to drive traffic to our shops. I was in a forum on Etsy last week and people had some interesting ideas. Everything from free shipping to give aways was mentioned in order to get customers. There was even talk of banning together to create some sort of buzz. Someone else was going to print out some fliers and pass them out as well as offering coupons and discounts to previous buyers. All good ideas but I would be interested in hearing more if you would like to share.

In the meantime, keep creating, posting, and relisting...always going after the next sale. Thanks!!

Heading to Maine

Well, it's that time again. Time to go back to Maine to relieve my sisters and take care of my mom for three weeks. I've been really trying to get my Etsy shop up and running and I don't want to put an away message up so my daughter, Hillary, is holding down the fort for me. I don't think she will have much to do because sales have been way down. The economy is so bad and people are really being serious about how they spend their money. I can't blame them, I'm doing the same thing. I see lots and lots of things I would like to purchase, but I'm holding back until somebody figures out what is going on.

In the meantime, I'm going home and enjoying the cool weather. The leaves will have probably already turned and fallen off for the most part but the California weather has been brutal here. It is supposed to be cooling down. Maybe by the time I get back things will have cooled down weatherwise and heated up on Etsy.

Good luck to all my fellow shop owners. Hang in there ~ better days are always ahead.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October

Well, it's here again ~ Breast Cancer Awareness Month ~ and I'm offering a great little Pink Ribbon Knitting Bag that includes a $2.00 donation (in your name) to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This is in honor of my mother and sister, Rae, both breast cancer survivors. I'm so happy and amazed to see so many pink ribbon products on Etsy.com. It is great to see that so many great craftspeople, artists and designers getting involved in the cause. It only means that a cure will be found that much sooner. Leave a note telling me about your Pink Ribbon product. I'd love to hear how you participate in the effort to raise breast cancer awareness!