Wednesday, March 09, 2005

The Kindness of Strangers

Never ceases to amaze me. I am on weight watchers. Have been for 2 1/2 years now. I participate in their message boards online. The one I participate in is the General Daily Thread (commonly known as the GDT) and the people who post on this board are known to be quite snarky (especially if you are new and don't take the time to learn how the board "works") and sometimes downright evil (like a man who made fun of a woman who had just suffered a miscarriage). The evil part is definitely a minority though. Today, one of our regular posters, a woman who goes by Annie2005 announced that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was being sent in for immediate surgery. The outpouring of support for her was quite impressive. Weight watchers allows you to put approved avatars in your profile/signature. Many people have changed their avatars to include pink (they don't have one specifically for breast cancer so people have been using anything in the approved list that is pink or red). Many people have started emailing WW in hopes of getting a breast cancer awareness avatar, people have been calling WW with the same purpose. Reminders are being posted to go to the free mamogram site to click for a cure (http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites) - please bookmark this site and click daily. All in the name of Annie2005. People are offering up their bodies to the annual 5k run for breast cancer in their hometowns in her honor (and in honor/memory of their loved ones). It's so overwhelming for me. To see this outpouring of love for someone people have never met. I've felt that love through this blog and through other sites in my journey through infertility. I hope that Annie2005 can feel the love from the WW site. So Annie2005... this blog is for you. Go fight that bastard we call breast cancer. You are an amazing woman! You will beat it and we will all be anxiously awaiting your return to the GDT when we will welcome you will a hardy... STFU (shut the fuck up for all of you non-internet type people).

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:01 PM

    Beautifully said, Julie.

    You are a kind soul.

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  2. Anonymous11:38 AM

    Its ironic that you have a post called "the kindness of strangers"-that was the name of my very first blog post.

    http://mymeanderings.typepad.com/leggyblog/2005/01/the_kindness_of.html

    Its a totally different topic, but I agree, it is amazing when strangers take the time to let others know they care.

    Sending healing wishes to Annie.

    Leggy

    P.S. Found you via your comment on Cecily's blog.

    ReplyDelete