Celebrating Women’s History Month

In 1987, Congress declared March to be Women’s History Month, dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women to history and contemporary society. During the month of March we have the opportunity to focus on the importance of women in society, their influence, and issues that affect them.

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States and year after year members of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® family appreciate this vital statistic as demonstrated in their display of unprecedented determination to bring an end to this disease.

Ninety percent of Komen 3-Day walkers have watched a loved one battle breast cancer and the vast majority of those cancer warriors were women—women who made significant contributions to their families, their professions, their churches and their communities. Every one of these women made history and changed the trajectory of lives forgotten and tossed, but their names will never make it onto the pages of a history book and their contributions will never be featured on the evening news. Yet these are women who should be celebrated, honored and acknowledged this month by the people who appreciate their worth and recognize their selfless giving.

The purpose of Women’s History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women’s history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary women, in hopes that the day will soon come when it’s impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions.

I celebrate the life and legacy of an unforgettable woman who certainly made history during her 30 plus years of employment with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: my mother, Yvonne Springs. My mother died on February 16, 2009, but in her lifetime she had a successful career and a forty-one year marriage to my dad, raised four socially responsible children, and was immensely involved in her church and community. She enjoyed being a woman, and taught me how to enjoy being the woman I am becoming.

Celebrate the women in your life and give a special shout out to our vast sisterhood of walkers, crew and volunteers!

Love is in The Air: a Guest Post by Dr. Sheri

There are times when we feel lonely although we are surrounded by many, feel sad although we have so many things that make us happy or feel unloved although we know that to be the furthest thing from the truth. When I have these occasional moments, I stop, think about my Susan G. Komen 3-Day family and almost spontaneously a wide smile instinctively envelops my face. The reason is simple…it’s LOVE! Sometimes just the thought of the love we have received is enough to get us through a difficult day.

Love and be loved on the 3-Day.

Our work and sacrifice on the 3-Day is grounded in love, by which I mean the capacity to extend ourselves for the sake of another person. Our work in the 3-Day community stretches us to understand, respect, and support each other, teaching us why learning to love is one of the most demanding disciplines we can choose. During every 3-Day, love is definitely in the air and you will carry that love with you long after your 3-Day has ended.

Dr. Sheri embraces a last walker on a 2014 3-Day.

Keeping that love in your heart and in your mind when you are faced with difficulty is the basis of gratitude. When you are having trouble feeling gratitude, ask yourself, “What is more important? To value what I have or to value what I do not have?” Gratitude is valuing what you have. Ambition is valuing what you may or may not have in the future. If you drown the voice of gratitude in the roars of your ambitions, all you will be left with is a great deal of noise. Why? Because often ambitions are endless, whereas gratitude is the response to everything life has given you, everything you already have. Don’t get me wrong, having ambition is a good thing; it keeps us moving forward and allows us to reach our full potential. But be sure your ambitions never overshadow your gratitude for what you’ve already accomplished and what you’ve already been blessed to receive.

A Message of Thanksgiving from Dr. Sheri

I’m thankful for life every day of the year, but I have to admit that this is my most favorite time of the year. As a physician and six-year breast cancer survivor, I wanted to take this opportunity to share something for which I am truly thankful: advances in screening and treatment have improved survival for U.S. women with breast cancer. In 1980, the relative five-year survival rate for breast cancer when caught early was only 74%. Today, it is 99%! As a survivor, I accept the responsibility to educate as many people as I can about breast health and share with them how they too can join in the fight to end breast cancer.

Thanksgiving should be a holiday in which we, as individuals, focus on our past, our present circumstances, and our future endeavors, and give thanks. It should be a day to slow down for a few hours, join hands with our family and friends, and truly reflect on the blessings in our lives. There is so much in this beautiful world to be thankful for, and the least we can do is take a moment to realize that on a day that is dedicated to giving thanks. You can still go shopping, watch your football team, go for a second serving of turkey and potatoes and tell stories about the “first” Thanksgiving. These are all very enjoyable things. But just remember that it shouldn’t be about what other people make it out to be. Thanksgiving is what you make it about, and if you think of the holiday in its namesake only, the proper notion should be clearly evident.

Enjoy this time with family and friends and I can’t wait to see you all again next year!