Octobers Past: Infant Loss, Breast Cancer, and Halloween

Octobers Past: Breast Cancer, Pregnancy Loss, and Halloween

By now it's painfully clear that I've been slacking. No posts for an entire month! As I warm up to write my annual Think Before You Pink post, I'll take you down memory lane and share some posts from Octobers past.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day   

Our daughter, Erika, wrote a poem and created the accompanying graphics in commemoration of the four children she lost through miscarriage. These little saints in heaven, known only by God, are waiting for us! [...]

Taking Back the PINK - Breast Cancer and Pregnant 

When we see that flurry of pink in the stores, and even on the football field, our overly commercialized brains have no trouble recognizing that it's October - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Beginning with Susan G Komen - an innocuous enough sounding cause - that pink ribbon has become a beacon of hope for the victims of this deadly disease - and those who love them.

              But hold on! Is that really all there is to it? 

You might be shocked to know that sometimes all things pink are not created equally. What would you say if I told you that there is a sordid bond between Susan G Komen and one of the causes of breast cancer? [...]



I

St. Michael the Archangel Costume for Catholic Boys 

Our two boys are always outnumbered by the girls and their flurry of 'princessy' dress-up clothes and accessories. Preparation for a faith-filled celebration of All Hallows Eve was the perfect opportunity to make this right. Five year old Simon decided to dress as St. Michael the Archangel. He has a real affinity for the warrior angel and often asks to say the prayer throughout the day. I looked around the house and found odds and ends - and the rest was trial and error along the way. [...]

Don't Be Spooked by Hallowe'en 

Once we realize the origins of Hallowe'en, we will find that this is a day to celebrate, not to frighten. In that vein, we Catholic Christians choose to dress as saints or other characters we admire, as well as poking a bit of fun at the devil. After all, his battle has already been lost; Jesus Christ the Savior won that victory when he became man and dwelt among us. He even allowed the devil to tempt him, as an illustration of the power of light over darkness. [...]

PINK Betrayal - Think Before You PINK! 

I’m a cancer survivor. It’s a point of pride for me – and a badge of honor. All of the scars I bear, both physical and mental, were earned in hand to hand combat with an evil monster of a disease. This monster took my grandmother at 42, my mother at 58 and tried to take both my 28 year old daughter and her unborn child in 2009! I’ve been to the bowels of hell and back. I have fought the good fight and, for the time being, I have won! My enemy surrounds me, though, and he is never far from me. He lurks in the corners of my subconscious and seeks to destroy me – if not by eating away at my body, then by eating away at my life of calm control over who I am. He honors no boundaries and his hunger for victims is unquenchable. This formidable foe never sleeps. [...]

Don't Kill Babies to Save My Life! 

What a relief! The PINK month is almost over. Amid all of the superficiality - pink football teams, toilet paper, blenders, and every other imaginable product of commerce - lies an undeniable fact. The PINK lulls the masses into misguided, yet enthusiastic support for death. Yes, death. What they don't tell you, these opportunistic marketeers, is that it's all about the money - even if it's blood money. As an eight year survivor (happy Cancerversary to me!) I have earned the right to make these distinctions and comments. [...]