- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Insights from a Friend
6 Life Lessons to Reflect on During Breast Cancer Awareness Month
For most of us, October means relief from the summer heat, a profusion of bright autumn leaves, and of course, little ghosts and witches ringing our doorbells. But this month is significant for another reason, too. For 20 years, it's been recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the disease that will, according to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, strike 212,920 women in 2006. And for Ruth Haag, October is the time to reflect on the profound life lessons this dreaded disease can teach us.
"Almost everyone has a story about how breast cancer touches our lives," says Haag, the author of Hope All Is Well There. Love, Nancy: Letters from a Friend with Breast Cancer (Haag Press, 2005). "There are many tragic stories, certainly, but there are also stories of hope, perseverance and love that transcend illness and death. Women with breast cancer, especially women like my friend Nancy who faced her illness with such courage, have much to teach us all."
Haag's book is a compilation of her correspondence with Nancy Caplan, a dear friend who passed away from the disease in 2003. Its letters and e-mails chronicle her friend's experiences with breast cancer and her quest to find happiness and meaning in life after diagnosis.
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and in memory of her dear friend – here are 6 life lessons that Haag gained from her friendship with Nancy during her fight with the disease: