Friday, September 29, 2017

Day 29 A month of Teal : Your Verse - My Verse

"What will your verse be? 
Each of us has something to share. A voice, a passion, a perspective. The potential to add a stanza to the world's story.   ..."

Take a few minutes to watch this ad. Don't skip it - listen to the words and look at the images.

Apple - iPad Air - TV Ad - Your Verse from EPC Group.net on Vimeo.

Apple ran this series of advertisements for the Apple iPad Air in 2014 . I thought I might want to write a blog post based on my verse so I jotted this idea down on my blog topics sheet.

As we come to the end of Ovarian Cancer Awareness month I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about my verse.

I have always been interested in science. When I graduated high school the quote going with my yearbook photo was - To the Moon and Beyond. I thought I would become and astronaut.  I never did become one, I became a chemical engineer and teacher, but the science I learned helped me many times on my life's journey.

When I was diagnosed I didn't know a lot about ovarian cancer and I hadn't met anyone with ovarian cancer. I reached out to Cancer Hope Network and talked to a support volunteer who was a 5 year ovarian cancer survivor. Then my gynecologic oncologist recommended I reach out to the Kaleidoscope of Hope Ovarian Cancer Foundation and the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Both organizations gave me the tools to learn more, empowered me to share my story, allowed me to network with other women diagnosed with the disease and gave me hope.

In the time since my initial diagnosis I have spent a great deal of time learning about ovarian cancer from genetics to pathology to histology to immunotherapy to targeted therapies. I have been given amazing opportunities to interact with oncologists, genetic counselors, researchers and other women advocates. I have shared my story with small groups of women and with audiences filled with health care providers and cancer researchers. 

I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to survive ovarian cancer and my verse must include being the voice of those women whose lives were taken too soon by a disease where an effective screening test has still not been developed.

So what is the  stanza I have added to the world's story -

Hearing the word cancer,  
My knees are weak.
With family, faith and expert doctors 
I remain in this world.
Now I take what I love and 
share my "voice,  passion, and perspective
so all will know about this disease and 
those women whose life's journey include
ovarian cancer. 

What is your verse?


Dee
Every day is a Blessing!

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