Reasons To Be Thankful For Breast Cancer: Kindness

Welcome to the second installment in the series I'm calling Reasons To Be Thankful For Breast Cancer. Last month, I wrote about a wonderful person. This month, I'm writing about a sentiment: kindness.

At first thought, this may seem like a strange reason to be thankful for breast cancer. Certainly, I've been lucky enough to experience many kindnesses in my life, long before I became somewhat consumed with finding a cure for breast cancer. But I have noticed that out of adversity and fear, kindness grows and flourishes with an entirely new strength.

In the letter I wrote to thank those who supported my 2001 walk, I wrote about the kindness I'd experienced during the 60 miles I covered that spring, and I thought I'd share those words with you now.

"Kindness. That is the word I would use to describe the '3-Day Experience' if I was limited to just one word. Kindness on every face, at every turn, in the most unexpected places. Kindness was the woman who tied pink carnations to her white picket fence to show us her support. Kindness was the man who brought me milk for my cereal on Sunday morning so that I didn't have to wait in line on my blistered feet. Kindness was the grandfather who laid a box of popsicles in his yard for us, then ran inside so that he wouldn't miss that afternoon's episode of 'Judge Judy.' Kindness was the lady who stood in a field and shouted to us, 'Do you know you raised six million dollars? Do you know how much I love you?' Kindness was the two little boys at the end of mile 19 on Saturday who sprayed us with their waterguns. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world on that hot day."

Yes, kindness exists without breast cancer. But somehow, the struggle and fear that go hand-in-hand with the disease make kindness that much sweeter.