The 6th World Conference on Breast Cancer is Officially Open

Today is the day that the 6th World Conference on Breast Cancer officially opens.

Hundreds are arriving in Hamilton Ontario for this incredible intragenerational event.

Throughout the next couple of days we will Tweet and update Facebook in between the flurry of events, speakers and workshops. To link to us on Facebook or Twitter go to www.wcbcf.ca and click on the links provided.

Knots

I pray to you,

Please untie the "knots" that are in my mind, my heart and my life.

Remove the have-nots, the can-nots, the do-nots that i have in my mind.
Erase the will-nots, may-nots, and might-nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could-nots, would-not, and should-nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, I ask that you remove from my heart, my mind and my life,
All of the AM-nots that I have allowed to hold me back, from truly living my life.
Especially the thought that I AM not good enough.
Because I AM
I AM GOOD ENOUGH
I AM ENOUGH!
I AM.

(Thanks to Kelly who shared this). (Photo source: Shutterstock).

To register for the World Conference on Breast Cancer visit www.wcbcf.ca

Sisters

This was forwarded by one of the WCBCF Board members - enjoy.

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them."

"Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do."

"What a funny piece of advice!" the young woman thought. "Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!"

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her ‘sisters’ and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, ‘sisters’ are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

• Time passes.
• Life happens.
• Distance separates.
• Children grow up.
• Jobs come and go.
• Love waxes and wanes.
• Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
• Hearts break.
• Parents die.
• Colleagues forget favours.
• Careers end. BUT.........
• ‘Sisters’ are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never far away.

When you have to walk a lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you....Or come in and carry you out.

The world wouldn't be the same without women. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of what would lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Reach out to your ‘sisters’ at the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Hamilton, Ontario from June 7 – 11, 2011. www.wcbcf.ca

Breast cancer knowledge is a powerful tool

If you have not already registered for the 6th World Conference on Breast Cancer now is your chance. Just go to www.wcbcf.ca

This international conference will help to raise awareness and spread knowledge. Breast cancer knowledge is a powerful tool given many women and men affected by this disease, in some parts of the world, will not have access to timely services once the disease is in an advanced state. Identifying breast cancer early and knowing what to do is an important part of survival. You and others will share information and create long standing networks, while you learn about the newest research, lab developments and discoveries emerging worldwide. Don't miss this opportunity.

Update on your blogger (Kim Tempest pictured above with her daughter): Sorry I have been absent from the blog for awhile. It has taken a bit to get on track with treatments. As you probably know, I am at the cancer thing again, with metastatic breast cancer in my bones and liver. The good news is that the treatments I am on are working. The bad news is that they won't be able to completely get rid of it.

Interestingly enough I did not know that I was even at risk of bone metastases. I figured once I had done breast cancer the first time that was it. My treatments had been so aggressive I figured we had got it all. Turns out I am not alone. Many women who have been through breast cancer are unaware that if their cancer does re-occur that it will most likely come back in the bones. I, like others, also did not know that metastatic cancer in the bones also places me at greater risk of fractures which can lead to further complications. Who knew - you learn something every day. With this knowledge I am able to do things to reduce my fracture risk - like bone strengthening medications and exercise.