Stronger than before

My mom used to hate to wear anything pink.

It clashed with her red hair, she said.

Those worries slipped away when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Instantly, pink became more than a color — and it didn’t matter what it clashed with. It became a sign of hope and strength, a soothing, healing color that is everything that cancer is not.

It was something we could latch onto, something else to focus on during her battle with the disease. Not the color itself, certainly, but the strength of what it stood for. It was a symbol to honor those who have endured the same battle and survived — and a vow to carry on for those who no longer could.

It’s amazing what a little bit of perspective can bring. Our health can be so easy to take for granted. It is the instant we lose it that we realize how much we depended on it.

About magazine is like many other magazines this January, touting the benefits of health and wellness. It’s advice that we hear often, no doubt, especially at the turn of each new year.

But it begins to hit home a little more when you or someone you are close to has a health concern. It becomes clear that the healthier you are when a health concern comes up, the easier it will be to deal with it.

Take some time to read the tips and advice from local health experts (starting on Page 20) on how to make improvements to your life. The experts we spoke with include a personal trainer, chiropractor, dentist, doctor, dietitian and psychologist. Each has a different take on how to make positive changes in your life, large or small.

My mom is doing well now, stronger now from her battle. She had a partial mastectomy and finished seven weeks of radiation just before Thanksgiving. I think she’s even starting to like wearing pink.  

Get well. Stay well. Be well. Here’s to a healthier 2010.
 

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Best,
Darla Brown
Editor