Tag Archives: survivor stories

… and still no words. Rest in PEACE Barbra Watson-Riley

10 Nov

November 10, 2013

Dearest Friends and PinkWellChick® supporters,

image of pinkwellchick t-shirtAfter a courageous and vibrant life “in the cancer lane”, the journey of our Pinkwellchick®, aka Barbra Watson-Riley, ended on November 7, 2013. She transitioned from life in the evening surrounded by a powerful family circle of love, grace and compassion.

She gave an amazingly valiant and dignified fight during these past two years and triumphs over death by leaving the world the legacy of Life in the Cancer Lane™. It was truly a miracle for her to witness her life’s work come to life on stage!

General homegoing service information.

I have mixed emotions as I type. I am deeply saddened for her physical loss because she was and remains one of my dearest, closest friends from high school until …. forever, as well as an elder Soror who adopted and “made me” in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., flyyyyy Gamma Chi Chapter. No one said it (or lived it) like Barbra did.

Yet, she now has the peace and rest she needed and so richly deserved as her body betrayed her bright mind and indomitable spirit. She was a “friend chick” who definitely reaped the love she sowed during her life with all of the love and support you showed her and her family, especially in these last two years .

So in the midst of this undeniable (and quite frankly absolutely unbelievable) loss, be encouraged by celebrating her LIFE. A life well lived, indeed. I am certain she heard “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” Now it’s time for us to pick up the mantle, to accept the charge in her courageous and vibrant honor and spirit. We must pledge to support and encourage her husband and daughter and to carry on the work of our Pinkwellchick® through PWC. As she said and DID early and often, we now must DO SOMETHING!

Read the raw and beautiful reflections titled “No Words.” from one of Barbra’s closest and dearest friends, Michele aka Red Ink of inkwellchicks.com.

Love & light to you all,

Tonya, PWC admin

[home][blog][LITCL:The Play][DONATE TO PWC][about PWC]

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Questions to Ask the Doctor About Breast Cancer”

4 Sep

Source: KomenPhoenix.com

“People often overlook health care providers as an important source of social support. From patient navigators and social workers, to surgeons and oncology nurses, health care providers can offer a wealth of information, hope and advice.

These sources are often left untapped due to problems with patient-provider communication. People may feel too embarrassed or rushed to ask questions, or they simply may not know which questions to ask. And, sometimes, providers may seem too busy to help. Fortunately, there are resources to help you improve communication with your health care team.”

This “Talking with Your Doctor” fact sheet outlines a series of steps to help you communicate more effectively with your providers.

Guest post by Tonya @WisdomWhispers

 

 

Tags: , , ,

Best Medicine

15 Jan

Pink Ink…

What do we do when we are faced with life crises?  We all have them at some point in our lives.  At a certain age, people begin to expect these life tests.  A parent’s passing.  Divorce.  Health issues.  The loss of a job.  But often, a life test or crisis is not what we expect it to be.  It hits you when you least “expect” it.  What do you?  How do you wade through the deep waters?

My “life test” came when I was diagnosed with terminal metastatic in my lung in November.  I mentioned before, that it was just 5 months after finishing treatment for breast cancer.  Within the week, my play “big sis”, who happens to be a doctor in great shape, learned she had a life changing illness. A bit later, another close friend faced an unforeseen crisis with her beloved child.  We were all grounded for several weeks, shocked at these life-altering events, mourning our previous existence.  At some point, we each sat with our hands in our heads, crying, and asking God, how do we go on. Eventually, you do.  Eventually, you must.  You find your fuel and get moving.

Today, I was fueled in my fight by four different sources.

  • Breast Cancer Survivor, Hoda Kotb was on TV promoting her new book about six people who each faced a life crisis and subsequently transformed their lives.  While the stories were certainly moving, the thing that stuck with me was Hoda’s advice. “Don’t miss your magic moment”. 

Good advice.

  • Next, I learned that Stuart Scott revealed his cancer is back, and he is again in chemo. One of his tweets this morning read: “Here’s what I do right aftr chemo.  Leave the infusion center and go STRAIGHT to either do a p90x wkout or train MMA.  That’s how you #LIVESTRONG”

Again, good advice and great attitude. (I’m slacking!)

  • Robin Roberts announced she is coming back to TV in February.

Need I say more?  Her energy, focus, and faith are inspiring.

  • Finally, a friend I met on Twitter moved me.  Stylist to the stars, June Ambrose, connected us almost a year ago. Both “M” and I had tweeted about being bald and wearing turbans. June connected our tweets, and a long distance friendship developed.  A fellow Survivor, I was moved by “M’s” tweet: “I woke up today on one! It’s clear to me that, in spite of, I have been given everything, EVERYTHING, that I have prayed for. #Perspective”

No truer words could have been written.

The next time you are faced with a life crisis, and are looking for the road out of pain and darkness perhaps this will help fuel you.

  • Remember it’s ok to have a brief pity party.  Acknowledge the pain. Don’t hide from it. It will slow you down.  After the pity party, GET UP!  If you can’t…
  • Ask for help. You are never alone.
  • Push through the sadness and remember there are people who love you and will help you live through the journey.
  • Find your fuel, then…FIGHT!

Everyday, I pull fuel from different places.   As Dr. Tierona Dogi says…

Life is your…best medicine!

Tags: , , , , ,

Gather Your Strength

26 Nov

Gather Your Strength, Commit to the “Now”

Guest Post by Tonya M. Evans (Originally posted at WisdomintheWhisper.com)

Guest ink …

“In many ways, not knowing what the future has in store brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. For example, it would have been difficult to commit yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn’t ultimately work out. Yet, it was through your commitment to see them through that you experienced the lessons you needed to grow. Looking back on your life, you would likely be hard pressed to say that anything in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their inevitable lessons may have ultimately brought you the greatest rewards. Not knowing the future keeps us just where we need to be—fully committed and in the present moment.” ~ Madisyn Taylor ~

Ever wondered why you aren’t shown the truth about the purpose or final result of any given experience on your spiritual journey?

Someone comes into your life and you want to know with certainty they are “the one” and how it will all work out, for example. Or you want clarity on why tragedy strikes, or why you suffered disappointment or loss or test results that break your heart … or why all that seemed so certain completely unravels leaving you confounded, confused and — worse still — vulnerable.

We crave a sense of control — even if it’s false — to feel like we are on sure footing with a clear plan and path from point A to point B. But our plans, grounded in our human-ness, never include all the information. They can’t. Yes, we have free will but we are a creation, created based on a “higher”, divinely inspired plan. So the point of it all, perhaps, is to constantly (re)align our will with the Divine. We do so in the present moment, the “NOW”. Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Enjoy! … the PinkWellChick holiday survival guide (read early and often!)

21 Nov

Pink Ink…

I’m back…

Celebrate

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was finishing up 31 days of pink!  But here we are, prepping for Thanksgiving!  For so many, it ‘s a time for family and friends to gather, give thanks, and reflect on the past year.  But what happens if you are dealing with cancer or recovering from a stroke, heart attack, or frankly, a “life issue”?  The holidays can seem overwhelming.  This I know is true, as last year, I was right in the middle of chemo.  That meant I was nauseous.  That meant that the SMELLS from Thanksgiving food made me even more nauseous.  That meant I couldn’t hug people, due to my compromised immune system.  That meant I was tired. Yet, I had family who wanted to visit.  Frankly, we needed the help.  What I learned from that experience was the “patient” can do a few things to make it a more pleasant experience.  There is no reason not to partake in Holiday Happiness.

Tips for surviving the Holidays: Continue reading →

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →