The History of Manilla in the Pink

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Pink Ribbon Month in Manilla. Image courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

Pink Ribbon Month in Manilla. Image by scottchan courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

Nine years ago, when Robyn, Belinda and Sarah from our council’s Manilla office hosted a Pink Ribbon breakfast, they had no idea how fundraising for Breast Cancer Research would take off in our little town.

The next year, they held it outdoors because it was a beautiful day. People responded amazingly, giving Robyn the idea to move it to her home, ‘Tandarra’, where husband Harry had set up a memorabilia museum. Morning tea became afternoon tea with lots of entertainments, music, raffles, charity auctions, stalls, exhibitions; and the whole thing became an institution.

Craig and Lucy at the grocery store became involved when their valued staff member, Jenny, was diagnosed with breast cancer. They decorated the shop, sold merchandise, held raffles and raised a massive amount for BCR.

Jenny helped me so much when I received my diagnosis. I will be forever grateful for her kindness and the honest answers she gave me while still having treatment herself. I am happy to say that she is well and working at the same store, although it changed hands when Craig and Lucy retired. It is, at this time, the only IGA store that decorates the shop, dresses staff in pink and raises money for cancer research. Maybe the rest will follow this shining example.

Other businesses in town got on board, and, for years, have spent this week in October decorated in pink. It is quite wonderful to go shopping and see, in almost every shop, staff dressed in pink shirts or aprons (men and women) and pink ribbons and mementos for sale on behalf of BCR.

Last year, the stakes were raised. A full month was dedicated to fundraising; the whole town going Pink for October. This year, we plan to do it again, only bigger and better.

Our Pink Ribbon afternoon tea, hosted by Robyn and Harry, will be held at ‘Tandarra’, Barraba Rd., Upper Manilla on 12th October, from 1pm. Entry $5. All money raised goes to BCR. I will be in my usual spot, selling raffle tickets. (Lots of prizes, drawn at 3pm.)

Of course, all this effort would be for nothing without the dedicated support of the Manilla citizens spending their time and hard-earned dollars, but Manilla is a town that punches far above its weight when it comes to giving. More than $30,000 dollars have been raised for BCR since that first morning tea and I am proud to belong to such a caring community.

Manilla in the Pink: the signature of a little town with a big, warm and very generous heart.

Cancer of the Mind

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Light in the darkness of depression. Photo by Gualberto 107/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Cancer of the mind. This is how I view depression. And what with the recent amazing events in parliament it will be wonderful if there aren’t a few of us suffering from it. Add to that the possibility that you’ve just had surgery, given birth or happen to be undergoing anti-cancer treatment and it becomes even more likely.

The latest research shows that the brain can continue to change throughout life; that our very thoughts can change it. Continual negative thinking can change the brain structure so that we spiral downward into depression. In contrast, thinking positive thoughts can rewire our brains to make us happy people. I thought I would share with you my tried and true formula to fight depression: cancer of the mind. I wrote this recipe for a very beautiful person who had come to feel that she was of no worth. She has a generous spirit and I know she won’t mind sharing.

Anne’s Recipe for Happiness

Requires large cupfuls of all ingredients.

This ingredient is sealed and unavailable until the others have been perfected.
Classical Music. Listen as much as possible. Beautiful music fills your head, leaving no room for negative thoughts. Combine with reading inspirational writings for a soothing, uplifting marinade.
Time is precious. Spend it with Good Friends – people with happy, positive spirits. Ditch the negative ones. Time has a full-bodied flavour.
Allow only positive thoughts so as not to attract dark entities. Think of those you love. Remember: Love thinks no evil. A powerful ingredient.
Healthy nutrition for mind and body. Pursue a goal or interest. Start small and persevere. You will be amazed at what you can achieve. Find out if you have food allergies or intolerances. The gain far outweighs the loss of what you give up.
A good dash of Sense of Humour – essential for lightness. You will find it everywhere if you look for it.
Everywhere God shows his hand in the Beauty he has created. Recognise and appreciate this fabulous ingredient in the world around us. It will lift your spirits every time, adding texture to the mix.
Count your blessings. You do have them and it is good to remind yourself of these positives. Equivalent to mixing the other ingredients – so mix well!
Now the first ingredient has matured and you can add a precious commodity – the delicate flavour of Patience.
Bake this recipe by meditating. Each time, tell yourself one positive thing, over and over.
Finally, to remove from the oven, perfectly done: Pray whenever you think of it, anywhere, any time because miracles do happen. You are a child of God. You were bought with a Price. Recognise your Worth.

Prepared with love by Anne Rouen.

A 19th Century Mastectomy

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Angelina Jolie’s recent brave decision to go ahead with a pre-emptive double mastectomy and her frank publication, calls to mind another brave decision made more than two hundred years ago.

Having to make life-changing decisions while you’re reeling from shock at a diagnosis is incredibly difficult. The physician sets before you the type and degree of aggression of your cancer, a five year percentage survival rate for each of the possible treatments and says, “You choose.”

It is not always as stark as that, but it can be. Ultimately, you have to make very difficult decisions. No-one can say, “This is the way. If you follow it, you will get well.”

This is one reason to be thankful for the support of other breast cancer survivors and groups like the Breast Cancer Network and the Cancer Council. They’ve been there. They know what you’re going through. They can help you fight your way through the fog.

If you already have warning of a time bomb ticking away in the form of a breast cancer gene, maybe before it happens is a better time to make a decision.

One thing is certain: the decision must be made by you. Gather all the information; add up the odds; make the decision. If you can afford it!

Medical Insurance regards pre-emptive breast surgery and reconstruction as cosmetic. Yes, girls, a double mastectomy is cosmetic! Where are these people coming from? Even in the 1920s they didn’t take fashion that far!

While researching capitalisation in letters and diaries, I came across a letter from the 18^th and 19^th century novelist and diarist, Frances Burney (Madame D’Arblay) to her sister. In it she describes her 1811 mastectomy conducted without anaesthetic in France by seven surgeons (one to perform the surgery, the other six to hold her down. Although she says she refused to be held).

She describes the procedure, her reactions and her agony in graphic detail. And, yes, she used capitals (Though not as many as she might!), ruining my theory that only nouns were capitalised. She used the adjective ‘Bright’.

Her experience traumatised her so much that she could not bring herself to write about it for nine months. If you have not already seen it, her unabridged letter can be found here.

Some people speculate that Fanny’s breast lump could not have been cancer, but I like to think that she was rewarded for her courage and fortitude because she lived another 29 years to the grand old age of 87. She published her most famous novel Evelina when she was 26, married at 41, had one son, and lived a full life after the shocking trauma of her surgery, her journal letters giving us great social insight into her life and times.

In our time, however hard our journey, at least, we can be thankful that we do not have to endure surgery without anaesthetic.

Bravo, Madame D’Arblay! We can all learn Something from your Courage.

The War Chest

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Anne Rouen

When we speak about cancer, we tend to talk in terms of ‘fight’ and ‘battle’. And for that we need plenty of currency in our war chest.

Faith, hope and love: we talk about them often, bandy them about, become emotional over them – or not. Yet these three little words (not mine, but taken from the beginning of the last verse of the very beautiful and inspirational chapter of the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13) form the essentials for our battle against breast cancer.

With a diagnosis such as mine, I knew I must prepare myself to face my mortality. Don’t get me wrong: I am not, by nature, a brave person. Fear of death has always restricted the boundaries of my life. I had to dig deep. Very deep. Only one thing has ever transcended my fear of death: my lifelong love of horses.

Not so long ago, a friend asked me: “How did you do that? Prepare yourself for your mortality?”

Good question! I answered with the truth, but on reflection, it was neither well thought out nor complete. So, today I will give it a go, recognising that an answer for me may not be satisfactory or acceptable to everyone. But since it kept me positive at least 99% of the time, I think it is worth considering.

After thinking hard about it, I came to the conclusion that the complete answer lies in these three simple but powerful words. The most powerful words in the universe: faith, hope and love.

Faith: because you can believe that, even if the worst happens, and you die, that you will still live on, still be who you are. With faith we can believe that our earthly life is just the infinitesimal beginning of the journey, and not all there is.

If you’ve read my other blogs, you will not be surprised that I made plans to meet all the people from history who fascinate me, as well as my loved ones who’ve gone before. That would just about occupy me for an eternity, I think.

Imagine walking with Verdi, that beautiful man who, having lost his wife and children, felt that all music had left his soul. Yet when the wind flipped the pages of a libretto, and he read the words: ‘Fly, thoughts, on golden wings,’ he was able to compose Nabucco, including my favourite, Va Pensiero.

Or Moritz Herold, who saved the white stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna after WWI, and Alois Podhajsky, who did the same thing after WWII; and what about out own St. Mary McKillop, Florence Nightingale and Queen Boadicea? The list is endless.

Hope: must always be there. While you can breathe, you have hope. Hope keeps you positive, allows you to believe in miracles – not only believe, but expect. Hope gives you energy, cranks up the immune system for its greatest battle. Yes, hope in your war chest is a must.

And, let’s face it, with all the breast cancer research going on, there is the exciting prospect of a cure just around the corner. Never give up: There is always hope!

Love: because being surrounded by love is the greatest tonic. Every positive thought enables and strengthens the immune system, and love is the greatest positive there is.

Faith, hope and love, these three remain … (1 Corinthians 13 v 13(part)) Powerful funding for a truly formidable war chest!

Breast Cancer Month

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Anne Rouen

Well, it’s Pink Ribbon month, again. Notice I say month and not week? Here in Manilla, we celebrate it with gusto, the whole month of October, every business decorating its premises, all the assistants, including men, wearing pink. Today, we had our annual Pink Ribbon Afternoon Tea held at Harry and Robyn Fletcher’s ‘Tandarrra’. Guests arrived with one intention, to spend as much as they could to raise money for cancer research, while having a rocking good time to the music of country artists such as our own John Brand and Max Ellis.

Of course, this is a time that I reflect on my own lucky escape, and the wonderful gift that came with it – precious time to write. From the fabulous surgeon specialist who saved my life, to the kindly, anonymous person who sewed a soft, first prosthesis, and a dear little purple cushion for my arm (which I still have), I was overwhelmed by love and kindness – truly a positive in a devastating situation.

Through it all, all the fellow sufferers I met in clinics, hospital and surgeries, I found it amazing that, though from different walks of life, age groups etc., we all had one thing in common. Yes, you say, breast cancer. But, no, it was our attitude we all had in common. It did not matter how we approached the reality of our diagnosis – stoic, panic-stricken, silent, go-it-alone misery, or sharing and seeking support, we all said the same thing. Do you know what it was? Of course, you do! Don’t you?

I did not think it would happen to me!