By Guest Blogger, Katie Robbins, Marketing & Practice Relations Director, Charlotte Radiology
Moms come in all shapes and sizes. Some work. Some stay home. Some have a cool combination of both! Some lead the PTA. Some are key supporters for the PTA leaders. No matter what kind of mom you are though, one thing is for certain you have a passion!
Sure your kids are one of your passions. Starbucks or chocolate may be a close second! But we all have something in our lives that sets our hearts on fire when we talk about it. And as moms, we pray daily that our children can find a passion that sparks a fire in their hearts, too.
For me that passion is breast cancer awareness!
My career has always afforded me opportunities to be involved in breast cancer awareness initiatives. The first of those was a free clinical breast screening for women in Cabarrus County. I’ll never forget the mom who brought in her own elderly mom for the free screening. Also in tow were her two small boys. She had no intentions of getting screened herself, just taking care of her mom. She was going to wait and keep tabs on her boys – a typical mom to say the least. Well I was fresh out school, full of energy and determined to ensure our event was a success! So, of course I talked this mom into being screened. I helped her mother fill out paperwork so she could fill out her own, and I entertained her boys during her exam. Hours later, as I was sorting positive cases from negative cases, I noted her study was in the positive stack. She was likely being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, as she was experiencing some pretty significant symptoms.
My passion was ignited at that moment. Here was a mom with two young boys, who would not be a mom for long if she continued ignoring her own health out of fear of a cancer diagnosis. The “C” word is scary, but for breast cancer patients it can be a blip on life’s radar if caught early. EARLY… that means being proactive. Let me interject my passion for just a moment – monthly self-breast exams, annual clinical breast exams and annual mammograms starting at 40! Moms are some of the most proactive souls in the universe, except when it comes to our own health. We stock our cars with Band-Aids and hand sanitizer and set out kids’ school clothes the night before, but we put off our own annual physicals and mammograms regularly.
Now I have two girls of my own, Julia, 10, and Abbey, 7. My life has changed dramatically. And like any mom, it would be easy for me to put my passions on hold to embrace my children’s passions. Don’t get me wrong, I spend countless hours tending to their many special requests! But I have learned over the years that my kids’ passion is wanting to spend time with me. They love me. They want to know who I am. Not sure how much longer that interest in me will last, but for now, I’m running with it!
I’ve taught them about self-breast exams and breast cancer. I’ve taught them not to be scared of the disease but how to catch it early so you can fight it and win. I take them to all my breast cancer awareness events and find ways for them to help out and share our message of hope with other women…and girls! And today, they share my passion, but more importantly, they know who I am. They have seen firsthand how embracing my passion lights up my soul. It makes me a happier person and renews my energy…so I can take on life’s less exciting tasks and sometimes more difficult challenges with a better attitude!
One of my biggest hopes for my own girls would be that they recognize their passions and find a way to truly embrace them! And as their mom, I hope I have set the example of how going after your life’s passion can make you a better person, a better smarty mom!
Be sure to join Charlotte Radiology on October 1st for 8-cent cups of Dilworth Coffee in the morning and 8-cent ice cream cones at Ben & Jerry’s (Parktowne Village location) in the evening! More details on the Charlotte Radiology Facebook page!
