On Monday, August 3rd I celebrated six months as a survivor of breast cancer. As I write this, my first blog entry, it sounds cliché–but it seems that everyone has been touched in some way by this disease. I just never thought it would be me. Truth is, I had grown just a little immune to the whole pink movement and the month of October… until it touched (punched) me.

Earlier this week my husband asked, “how long do you go now without thinking about it?” I told him that I wake up without thinking about it most days, but I am reminded within my first waking hour when I take my cancer drug. They tell me I’ll be taking cancer drugs for 10 years. These kinds of thoughts only capture me once or twice a day now, and the “emo-tsunamis” have been replaced with a once or twice a week “emo-wave” of brief tears that washes over the shores of my lingering grief. I like to call it the weather system of recovery.

Many don’t realize that awareness of this thief first surfaced when Betty Ford went public with her story of breast cancer in 1974. Her bravery inspired Suzy Komen to fight her fight, a fight she lost after three years, but one that led her sister, Nancy Brinker, to start the Susan G. Komen foundation in 1982.

“Awareness” is a pitifully weak word for what has transpired in the last 35 years. It is not “awareness,” but action: an investment in research and technologies that has transformed this disease from a death sentence to a survivable illness for those hit with cancer.

As a result of these investments, my cancer was detected early. I had a state-of-the-art radiation treatment program (five days instead of six weeks–still horrible, but at least brief). I was provided a test that confirmed I did not require chemotherapy which wasn’t available just five years ago. That alone felt like a miracle.

In October, I’ll go on my first walk for the cure. My sister, who works in corporate marketing at Popeye’s Chicken, invited me to join a group she walks with in Houston (a former co-worker of hers is a survivor). They tell me I’ll be wearing a special “survivor” t-shirt. I am certain it will have a host of logos on it from corporate sponsors. I notice this now, just as I noticed the brands that sponsored a recent “tea party” for survivors that I attended last month.

I applaud the companies that have stepped beyond the narcissistic trappings of shallow social media plays and are reaching out with the clout of their corporate brand to participate in social responsibility initiatives that help revolutionize cancer research.

Yesterday, a precious pink jewelry box arrived from Tonsa, a two-year survivor with DriveTime, one of our clients, with a note congratulating me on my six-month mark. I will never forget her or DriveTime, you can be sure. I had other calls and e-mails as well. If you know a survivor, know that these anniversaries are very special. Each day is one less to worry about recurrence.

So as the month of October approaches, I encourage you to step up your awareness, and if you can, your participation in some way.

As for pink… it’s growing on me.

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