Salem, Mass. —
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, each year approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with this disease, which is second to lung cancer as a cause of death to women.
My maternal grandmother was one of these women back in the 1960s. I never had the joy of having a grandmother because breast cancer stole her from me when I was just a toddler. I have often wondered how different things may have been for me if my Grammy was a part of my life. However, I am left to do just that wonder.
My maternal grandmother was one of these women back in the 1960s. I never had the joy of having a grandmother because breast cancer stole her from me when I was just a toddler. I have often wondered how different things may have been for me if my Grammy was a part of my life. However, I am left to do just that wonder.
Wondering is something that we as humans had done for centuries. The word cancer originated with the father of medicine the Greek physician Hippocrates who initially called cancer “karkinos”; a term used to describe a crab that Hippocrates believed tumors resembled.
One of the most ancient cases of tumors occurring on the breast dates back to Egypt in 1500 BC, when eight cases of tumors were documented on a papyrus. Evidence is also shown through inscriptions by this ancient culture that they knew the difference between malignant and benign tumors. Though centuries ago the ancients were aware of cancer and tumors, it was not until the end of the 19th century that survival rates started to rise.
The mastectomy, which was promoted by William Stewart Halsted, brought long-term subsistence of survival from 10 percent to 50 percent. Attempting to defeat breast cancer in 1882, Dr. Halsted was the first to remove a breast.
This procedure also implemented a campaign geared toward education and early detection. One of the first campaigns was the conception of the American Society for the Control of Cancer during the 1930s and the 1940s called the “Women’s Field Army.” Utilizing a military metaphor, prompt detection and prompt medical intervention was every woman’s duty in the war on cancer.
Feeling beautiful is the message that the Miss Pink Pageant evokes. Originally organized by Ashley Herron Shultz the first Miss Pink Pageant was held last year in Salem. Shultz herself has competed in pageants and believed that survivors of breast cancer have been through so much that a pageant would make them feel bewitching. The pageant provided an outlet for the women to share their stories while also increasing awareness of this disease and raising money to benefit breast cancer research and patient support programs.
The first crowned Miss Pink is Trisha Grzela, owner of Radiance Aveda, a non-tipping hair salon in Salem and Marblehead. Grzela’s story is a story of determination to survive.As Grzela said, “I wasn’t going to choose cancer over a breast,” and it is this type of perseverance that will allow her to pass the title of Miss Pink on to a successor in the 2011 Miss Pink Pageant. which will be held on April 16 at the Danversport Yacht Club. Trish Grzela is a “pink warrior” and she is also among the increasing group of breast cancer survivors due to modern research and public awareness.
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Terry Maxim... Thanks for sharing, Tammy.
ReplyDeleteTrish Grzela Tammy thank you so much for everything you are doing for the miss pink pageant. And radiance aveda.
ReplyDeleteAshley Herron Shultz
ReplyDeleteThe 2nd Annual Miss Pink Pageant
Thank you to everyone who has helped put the Miss Pink Pageant together. Without you, none of this could have happened. It's been an incredible journey to see a dream unravel so swiftly, and yet it continues to grow on the passion it picks up along the way from people like you! Thank you...
Darlene Louf WOW TAMMY WHAT A GREAT STORY THANKYOU FOR WRITING AND SHARING WITH ME IT WAS VERY HELPFUL MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT XOX
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