Friday, June 1, 2018

A Coffee Mug Reminder

Sometimes breast cancer warriors need subtle reminders of their courageous fight. One survivor received that message from a coffee mug.


PUBLISHED May 31, 2018

Bonnie Annis is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2014 with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis to the lymph nodes. She is an avid photographer, freelance writer/blogger, wife, mother and grandmother.
The pink coffee mug sat on my kitchen counter, a gift from an old friend I hadn't seen or heard from in more than 40 years. She'd heard about my breast cancer diagnosis and wanted to show her love and support. She thought this gift would do just that, and she was right. That was more than three years ago.

I remember holding the mug in my hands and as I turned it, read the words written across its face, "You are a courageous woman." I'd never considered myself courageous – quite the contrary, really.

Among the many attributes I possessed, I'd never counted courage as one of them. When I think about courageous people, various celebrities come to mind, people like Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jr.. Now those were people of great courage! I don't think I rank up there with them. Those brave souls had given their lives for the benefit of others. They'd made huge sacrifices and had paid the ultimate price. What had I done? Nothing other than fight to survive.

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