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In December of 2023, my friend and fellow breast cancer warrior, Judy surprised me with a little package in the mail. In it was a card, breast cancer stickers, a breast cancer keychain and a bracelet that said, “she doesn’t fight alone.” 

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I truly appreciated every gift I got during my treatment but getting something from a fellow cancer warrior just hit different! 

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Knowing how it made me feel, I wanted to keep it going! So I gathered up some supplies, whipped up some bracelets and keychains and sent them to some of my “Breasties”.  They loved it. And I loved it! 

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As my circle of “cancer friends” grew, so did my desire to share. Cancer can be so isolating and lonely. And I hate that. I wanted to share with everyone but financially, that wasn’t an option. So I swallowed my pride, made a video and asked if anyone would be interested in helping. I was hoping that just maybe, a few people would. But suddenly, my phone was blowing up! Community members and random strangers were asking for my PayPal and Venmo! 

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I also heard the frustration of others. Not all cancer is pink. But if you do a search for cancer gifts, everything is for breast cancer. I had TikTok friends that had ovarian cancer, so I found teal ribbon charms for my teal sisters. Then blue, then red, then orange. And yellow and white! Currently, I have 22 different ribbon charm colors because I don’t care what your ribbon color is, all cancers suck! 

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And while connecting with others, I learned that chronic illness warriors have similar stories, treatments and side effects. So once again, Happy Mail expanded to include even more friends!

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I may have started happy mail but our community is who keeps it going.

 

Nerisa