For Patients
First and foremost, we want you to know that you're not alone. There are thousands of women JUST LIKE YOU who are facing the same enormous challenge of breast cancer. As we continue to grow, we hope to build a network through which we can offer you up-to-date information on the latest research, best hospitals and clinical trials as well as information on how to best manage your treatment.
In the meantime, we'd like to offer a list of links to other sites with valuable information:
For Caretakers
Laura, one of our co-founders, was at Kimmy's side for the last 3 months of her life. She was with her every waking minute while other family members went to work or took care of things around the house. We know what it's like, that feeling of helplessness, watching your loved one slowly -- and painfully -- endure the toughest fight of her life. We're here for you as well.
Our hope is to have an outlet made just for special people like you. A support network around the country for you to vent whether in a chat room or on the phone, at 3AM or 3PM. We'd like to assure you that this is one of our top priorities. Although we are still in the process of developing our staff, if you need to talk soon, shoot us an email at needtotalk@pinkisntalwayspretty.org and we'll help you work through your problem right away.
For Family Members
Here at P.I.A.P., we believe that family is one of the toughest weapons one can have in the battle with breast cancer. That's why we offer services to the whole family. And when we say family, we don't confine it to people who are related to you by blood or marriage. We mean each patient's network of loved ones who are dedicated to joining the fight. For more information, email us at family@pinkisntalwayspretty.org.
For those Dealing with Grief
We've been there. In fact, that's why we're here. It's a sad and inexplicable truth. Every feeling that you have, yes, even the mixed ones, they're perfectly natural. We don't want you to have to face it alone. We are working to build a staff of grief counselors who will be available to talk to you about how to best manage your grief and honor your loved one's memory. If you'd like more information on this service, email us at grief@pinkisntalwayspretty.org.
In our own experience, we've found it helpful to tell your loved one's story. We'd love to hear more about her and dedicate a page to her on our website. For more information, please email us at dedication@pinkisntalwayspretty.org.
For Kids
Most of us can't begin to understand what a child goes through when a parent is diagnosed with breast cancer. So instead, we thought it'd be better to hear it from a child's perspective...
confused - scared - upset - embarrassed - sad - disappointed - guilty
Those are just a few of the emotions I felt when my mom was sick. My grandparents and my aunts wouldn't really tell me what was going on because they didn't think I could handle it. That kinda made mad. All I knew is that we weren't able to do as much family stuff as we used to and everyone was stressed all the time.
I didn't talk about it much because I didn't think my teachers or my friends would understand. Even if they did, they'd just ask me a bunch of questions and I didn't want to deal with that. I started getting in more trouble around the house. They said I was "acting out" - whatever that means. I didn't know how to feel about the whole thing but I did know I was scared.
When my mom died, the thing that bothered me most of all was that nobody would cry in front of us. I kept saying, "it's ok to cry." I didn't understand why adults felt like they couldn't show us how sad they were. When I finally saw one of my aunts cry, I felt like it was ok for me to cry too.
I don't think you can tell a kid how to deal with their mom being sick or dying. I would just say that every kid is different and you shouldn't think all kids are going to handle it the same way. I think about my mom all the time but I talk about her in my own time and in my own way. My family's been really patient with me and things are getting easier. It'll be okay
