October/November 2011

Tonight as I was thinking about what to write this issue in the Publisher’s Note my mind floated back to when I was a child growing up in West Virginia. The falls in

West Virginia were always wonderful – the colors, the scents and the joy of being alive and being a kid still linger with me even now in these later years. Then I grew up and had three beautiful daughters and I remember asking them once what their favorite childhood memory was. The first thing out of each daughter’s mouth was: “the fun piles in the fall under the happy tree”. The happy tree was a beautiful sugar maple that showered us each year with great piles of leaves that we would all jump into and play with the imagination that only a kid can have. It was one of those simple gifts from God and it didn’t cost a dime.

When we did our photo shoot of seven beautiful women for the cover of this issue they all had one thing in common – they are survivors of breast cancer. I asked each of them to write a short biography about themselves and their feelings about cancer. As I read each of their profiles, the one thing I found was that they all now had a wonderful appreciation for the simple fact of being alive. That is much like the feeling of being a kid playing under the happy tree of life: pure happiness, and a gift from God. After the photo shoot each of the women came up and thanked me for giving them the opportunity to participate. But what each of them did not know was that they had given me a gift, as they all do when we create our breast cancer survivor issue each year. I always walk away from these women with a new appreciation of what life has given me.

None of these women expected to be a breast cancer victim, but each stated they were thankful that they had taken the steps needed to protect themselves by doing self-exams and hav­ing their yearly mammograms. As you will see, when you read these profiles, they were not all women over 40 years old that were diagnosed with breast cancer and survived, nor did they all have family histories of cancer.

We do these profiles each year to remind women that breast cancer has no restrictions on race, age, or genetics. It is your responsibility to take care of your body, and be a “Survivor”. Give the gift of life and schedule a mammogram for a loved one – and schedule one for yourself as well.

Please enjoy the beautiful weather of fall, and enjoy the many wonderful articles provided to you by our generous contributors.

Pamela Rizzo, Pulisher