It’s October, which means it’s time to go pink again! I’m wearing a pink ribbon on my coat, I made a donation, and I changed my theme here, all to reflect Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I do these simple acts in honor of all breast cancer survivors and victims, and one victim very specifically, who was a close friend of my younger brother. She died two years ago in November 2007, just months after graduating college… just months after getting engaged… just months after her breast cancer diagnosis… just months after her twenty-fourth birthday. She was a beautiful person, inside and out, and she is still sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

When I think of how young that is—I mean, TWENTY FOUR—something still catches in my throat. Turning thirty last year was not really scary at all for me, not compared to the scariness of imagining everything I would have missed if I never made it past twenty-four. I’ve had seven years of life, seven years of good health, since then. I’ve spent time with my husband and my family and my friends, I’ve traveled, I’ve laughed and cried, I’ve had over three years with my beautiful son and I’m about to have another son. I’m grateful to be turning thirty-one this month because I’ve had ALL THIS TIME, while there are others who don’t get so lucky.

Any age is too young. Any loss is one too many.

So whether it’s a pink website or a ribbon or a donation of time or money or anything you can do—even baring it all, if you’re brave!—it’s all worth it to help support research towards a cure. And someday there WILL be a cure.

P.S. Don’t forget to click on over to Jen’s site—she’ll be donating all of her October blog ad earnings to Komen for the Cure!