Boobs On Ice™ : Scoble Wants to Improve the World Using Peas

In the middle of the night east coast time I wasn’t able to sleep so was blogging. A random tweet from Robert Scoble the tech geek blogger flew by and it was about - could it be - peas?

That was dear of him and there is a lot of kindness surrounding me. I fell asleep feeling that warmth. But I didn't get the real shock until today when I woke up to find my name in Scoble's rather famous blog.

He started with a story about the outpouring of support in twitterdom as people have started donnng pea-bedecked avatars in what can only be experienced not really described. Then he melded the idea into a discussion about improving the world.

"Davos Question: How to improve the world? My answer: Peas!

“Peas?”

"Yeah, peas.

"You gotta understand that peas made Susan Reynolds world a little better (she has breast cancer, is going into surgery on Friday) and people on Twitter are changing their icons to have peas in solidarity with her. She explains the role peas played in her comfort. Susan is someone I’ve followed for years and she has a blog where she’s talking about her experiences with breast cancer."

How did we get from a tweet of support from Cathleen the pea Rittereiser, to Connie Reece deciding we needed to put the FUN in fundraising, to Robert Scoble advice on improving the world through peas?

I don't know - I was probably having dye injected into my boob or sitting around in a paper gown while the plot thickened. I'm just glad to have people like this along for the ride no matter how it happened.

But why did it take getting cancer for me to feel closer to humanity? I don't have the answers. But I'm sure seeing the good side of the people who touch my life today.

They are walking towards me as I talk about the illness, not running away.
They have restored a faith I had begun to lose in the genuine goodness of people.
I smile more today than I did a month ago.

Now that's a gift.

About My Cancer

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
My form of breast cancer is less common than others. In fact only about 6 to 8% of cases of breast cancer are the invasive form that is based in the lobules, not in the milk ducts.
Invasive, sometimes called Infiltrating, is a scary word. In most cases this form of breast cancer has been present for 8–10 years when detected by a mammogram or physical exam.
In my case there was clearly an area that felt thickened or dense on December 6, 2007. A mammogram the next afternoon was not able to detect it but it clearly appeared on ultrasound and was confirmed by multiple biopsies the same day.
During those 8 to 10 years the cancer took to become apparent to me, there has been plenty of opportunity for those invasive cells to get out of the breast and spread to the rest of the body.
It is after all, by definition, an invasive form of cancer.
Each year about 190 thousand women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in the US and about 40 thousand women will die of the disease. The larger the mass is when discovered the more risk. Mine had tentacled almost 5cm into the surrounding tissue and two other areas in the breast were discovered as well.
My chances of living another 10 years without cancer in another area are about 40%. The likelihood of one of my other underlying health conditions doing the job before that is 20%. it took a few months to get used to that idea.
Now though my attitude is that at least I know what I'm facing. It's just not what I expected. Life changes in an instant.

Comments

I love it when kindness takes on a life of its own! When people do something because they can and not because they should or are told to or feel obligated, but just to show love and support and encouragement.

Posted by: Anna | Dec 18, 2007 at 10:01 PM

Trust me, it's a lot easier to be a peavatarian then to go through what you're going through right now...

Posted by: Ontario Emperor | Dec 19, 2007 at 01:00 AM

You don't know me, I've come through Scoble's blog. I just wanted to say best of luck to you. My mother had breast cancer - we just passed her 35 year anniversary. I hope everything goes really well for you.

Posted by: Zazzy | Dec 19, 2007 at 01:39 AM