While mulling over what might inspire my first official blog entry a few synchronous events presented themselves.
I celebrated my mom’s birthday in March by purchasing these beautiful tulip bulbs, her favourite flower. The buds were a tender greenish pink to start and I found a simple pleasure in watching them slowly begin to unfold.
Perhaps the tulips and their gentle opening helped me decide to act on my curiousity about becoming more visible electronically. I started to create this site and also joined the twitter-verse.
Quite soon after, my newly hatched twitter feed exploded when Angelina Jolie-Pitt released her second article about her personal BRCA journey. She chose to proceed with prophylactic surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes. Once again, she was willing to share her story.
Responses to her sharing have been diverse. Cheers. Criticism. Snark. Curiousity. Bafflement. Congratulations. Everyone directly impacted by BRCA and not impacted at all have opinions.
What is mine?
I think it takes immense courage for BRCA folks to begin to navigate their way through their own health and wellness pathways. BRCA is not a common mutation and BRCA-minded clients make up a small percentage of my private practice. Like everyone else, they deserve space and support around making incredibly personal decisions. I appreciate Angelina’s message of allowing choice to be as empowering and personalized as possible and respect her decision to use her fame to educate the world about the decisions BRCA families face.
My mom died from ovarian cancer in 1997. She was 52 years old. She fought three different primary cancers, breast and ovarian, in the last 10 years of her life. And she loved tulips.
She banked her DNA with the genetics clinic before her passing so her daughters would have choices she never had. She wanted these choices to be ours, when we were ready, and didn’t want anyone else to make them for us.
I see my clients, BRCA folks included, like her tulips. Budding with potential, tender with promise, growing resiliently, knowing just when to bloom.
I’m tiptoeing among you, ever so mindful of where to step and what to offer so you can do just that.
Bloom. In your own way and in your own time.
Addendum: At the request of the HBOC Society, it was my pleasure to meet with a curious and compassionate Su-Ling Goh from Global's Health Matters to discuss BRCA and the Angelina Effect.
