A handsome,
middle aged man walked into the cafe and sat
down. Before he ordered, he couldn’t help
but notice a group of younger men seated
next to him. It was obvious they were making
fun of something about him, and it wasn’t
until he remembered he was wearing a small
pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he
became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man brushed off the reaction as
ignorance but the smirks began to get to
him. He looked one of the rude men square in
the eye, placed his hand beneath the ribbon
and asked quizzically, “This?”
With that the men all began to laugh out
loud. The man he addressed said as he fought
back laughter, “Hey sorry man, we were just
commenting on how pretty your little ribbon
looks against your blue jacket.”
The middle aged man calmly motioned for the
joker to come over to his table and invited
him to sit down. As uncomfortable as he was,
the guy obliged, not really sure why. In a
soft voice, the middle aged man said “I wear
this ribbon to bring awareness about breast
cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”
“Oh sorry, dude. She died of breast cancer?”
“No she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But
her breasts nourished me as an infant, and
were a soft resting place for my head when I
was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m
very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and
for her health.”
“Umm.” the stranger replied, “Yeah.”
“And I wear this to honor my wife,” he
middle aged man went on.
“And she’s okay too?” the other guy asked.
“Oh yes, she’s fine. Her breasts have been a
great source of loving pleasure for both of
us, and with them she nurtured and nourished
our beautiful daughter 23 years ago. I am
grateful for my wife’s breasts and for her
good health.”
“Uh huh…and I guess you wear it to honor
your daughter also?”
“No, it’s too late to honor my daughter by
wearing it now. My daughter died of breast
cancer a month ago. She thought she was too
young to have breast cancer, so when she
accidentally noticed a small lump , she
ignored it. She thought that since it wasn’t
painful, it must not be anything to worry
about.”
Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger
said. “Oh man, I’m sorry mister.”
“So, in my daughter’s memory too, I proudly
wear this little ribbon, which allows me the
opportunity to enlighten others. Now, go
home and talk to your wife, your daughter,
your mother and your friends. And here…" The
middle aged man reached in his pocket and
handed the other man a little pink ribbon.
The guy looked at it, slowly raised his
head, and asked “Can you help me put it on?”
Author unknown
October is breast cancer awareness month. Do
regular breast self-exams and encourage
those women you love to do the same. Please
send this on to anyone you would like to
remind of the importance of breast cancer
awareness.
please visit...Breast
Cancer.Org