What is breast cancer doing on a style and fashion blog page at 4:00 am? Well, it just got me out of bed, as I needed to get the words out of my head and put them on e-paper, in hope that I will get some sleep afterwards. I have been away from my blog for some time as I was busy carrying and having my baby and I didn’t really get the urge to come back and write until now.
Why now? Cancer is certainly not a fashionable topic. On the contrary, it’s kind of a taboo that we think would go away if we don’t talk/learn about it. Actually I’ve been meaning to write a post on the madness of fashion weeks going on now and give you the low down of what’s hot but I still didn’t get to that. I will share the latest trends soon - that can wait. I think this is more important and trending in my head right now.
So I was invited today to a very fashionable afternoon tea organised by Hia magazine and Estee Lauder in support of the breast cancer awareness campaign. As I listened to the speaker share her experience and story, I suddenly felt so small. You know that feeling that hits you when you step out of your body for seconds and look around you wondering what am I doing in my life? As in the bigger picture? Ok, maybe you don’t – but I can tell you it’s a feeling that drives you out of bed to write about it. As I listened to her talk about the increasing rate of breast cancer in the region, the lower age group of the women being hit by it (20s to start with) and the lack of funds/action to support medical research, I also noticed many guests taking selfies and religiously repeating that angled strike to land the best pose/pout worthy of sharing with the world (that’s another topic to be discussed in a one off post – we are all guilty of #selfies). So it made me think. What exactly is going on with us humans? When did we become mere spectators interested in nothing/no one but us? Maybe we don’t really give the cancer topic much attention because it didn’t happen to us…yet. We surely sympathise with it, but as long as it’s a story – life goes on in selfie mode. I think they call it selfie for a reason. It’s all about one’s self. You don’t even stop to ask someone to take a pic of you – you do it yourself because you need to document to the world/or yourself that in that specific moment you were somewhere doing something wearing some brand. Ok I said selfies will get another post – so let’s get back to cancer here. I come back home to hear that a friend of a friend just passed away from cancer. So it hit me, how much I personally hate that disease that has no available explanation or cure till this date.
Then I wondered how would it feel like if you were the cancer patient or survivor? Would you still be taking selfies? I think you should (happy selfies that is). Because life should not stop. On the contrary, I’ve heard many stories of how people took over, transformed their lifestyles and really started living only when they knew they had cancer. It’s like being told you have an expiry date – being ordered to wake up and stop wasting your days by repeating the same empty cycle and start living. One of the latest and most touching stories being that of Sara El Khatib – who has sadly passed away recently only after showing the world what a brave and free soul she is.
I would like to hear some day soon that there is a cure. But for now, I would like to do something small myself to make someone else feel great about themselves. You know that awkward moment when you’re having a bad hair day and so you miss out on important events? Well, how about having a no hair day? I believe cancer takes a major toll on one’s self image and I would like to do my best to make that person feel beautiful again.
So if you know someone who knows someone who is a cancer survivor, please let them get in touch with me. And if you are a hairdresser/makeup artist or in the business of making other people feel great then I’d love to have your help organising this makeover and making it happen ( by the way, I already discreetly tagged you on instagram :)
I do hope that this can make a difference, no matter how small. And I’d love to think that we can make a positive campaign out of this. That’s all I could think of right now. And if you can spare a moment to learn more about breast cancer and how to detect it early then please visit the page BCAcampaign.com and help spread the word by tagging #BCAstrength
In the end, one day it could be me, you or your loved one.