Hudson Ohio "In the Pink"

I have so much to catch you guys up on I don’t even know where to begin! I recently had some exciting book events for Breastless. I was invited to Cleveland Ohio where my publisher is at the Cleveland Clinic to do a book discussion/signing at their local Barnes and Noble as well as a reception for cancer survivor authors at a very charming independent bookstore called The Learned’ Owl in Hudson, Ohio. Hudson is a very cute new englandy type town and all of the storefronts were decorated pink for October. My favorite color and it was just about everywhere I looked. When I saw my book in the storefront window I was so excited! And in such good company!

I was very excited to be there and to be able to share my story of survival with others. However there was a little glitch that we didn’t know about till that nite. The baseball playoffs were going on and Cleveland was playing NY! So the turnout was not as expected. The streets were too quiet for a beautiful Friday nite in downtown Hudson. Leave it to sports! Although there weren’t many people stopping by I did meet some great people and gave some good advice to a woman who didn’t know what to do to help a friend of hers going through breast cancer at only 28. I provided her with some resources including Im Too Young For This! as well as a great book written by Kris Carr called Crazy, Sexy, Cancer Tips which I will blog about in a separate entry cause I have too many exciting things to say about it! So stay tuned for that coming up later in the week! I was tickled to be only a few books away from hers in the storefront!!

I also met another cancer survivor author who was quite an inspiration. She is a survivor of a very rare cancer called leiomyosarcoma and was treated 25 years ago with a drug that is commonly used for breast cancer called Adriamycin or otherwise known as “the red devil”. I had 4 treatments with that and am all too familiar with its potential to cause heart damage. Well, this powerhouse of a lady was treated with it back when it was not even FDA approved and was one of 200 people trying the drug for the first time. To make a long story short, she made it through her treatments, beat cancer, but 7 years ago need a new heart due to the damage sustained from the Adriamycin. As I listened to her story I was so amazed at her spunk, her ability to survive and how happy she looked. I wondered what the hell my problem was that I ever get upset about the little things anymore! I know I can’t be that hard on myself cause nobody is perfect but still…it really was yet another reality check for me. I was so honored to have met her and will probably never forget her. Truly an inspiration!

So for me it was all about taking in the moment. Breathing it all in. It wasn’t about the people that weren’t there, it was about the few that did show up. Even if I can make a difference in just one person’s life that is what matters. I was very grateful to be there for those evenings and I found out what nice people there are out west! Because lets face it….NYers can be tough! I speak as a pure bred NYer myself! But I think it is just a different lifestyle out here that makes us that way. I am glad to have spent a couple of days just taking it all in…..just slowing down a bit…..cause I don’t want to miss any of it……

Do you find the time to breathe and take in your own moments?