LET'S CELEBRATE BOOBIES, ATHENS!

Breastfest is here!

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, April 2nd. Breastfest will be held at Nuci's Space in Athens. Local music favorites, Heidi Hensley, Audition with Max Reinhart, The Packway Handle Band, Squat and many more will perform. Additionally, Breastfest will also feature a breast health workshop, wall of hope, raffles, kidsfest, music and a drag queen show. Complete event information can be found online.

BreastFest began in 1999 as a tribute to Tyanna O’Brien, a New Jersey mother who lost her life to breast cancer at the age of forty-eight. Her five daughters carry on her legacy through a commitment to awareness and prevention of the disease.

This local fundraising initiative developed to increase breast cancer awareness, health and wellness through music and sport. All proceeds benefit the Athens Regional Breast Health Center and the Tyanna Barre O’Brien Breast Cancer Foundation. BreastFest invites everyone to Celebrate and Remember—celebrate life, celebrate survivors, and remember those who have died.

The Flagpole features a great article about Breastfest this week. You should definitely check it out. No, ...you should really check it out. You won't be sorry :)

I'VE GOT 'SKEETER BITES!

Not literally, but my third attempt at expanding proved to be successful! It didn't hurt a bit and it was not uncomfortable at all. I hope the rest go as well.

Now, I have wee boobies. Hooray!

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, DAD

No, that's not my senior picture. It's just me hamming it up for the camera. I thought that I'd give ya'll a peak at what my hair has been doing. It's growing like crazy. Every Monday morning my co-workers come by my desk and tell me that my hair has grown over the weekend. I long for a ponytail! Speaking of ponytails, I want to share the dream that I had the other night. It was one of those dreams that are so real and so great that you awake from it extremely disappointed and depressed. You know the ones.

In my dream, I was in the bathroom brushing my long, silky blonde hair. As I sprayed product into it, my hair became shinier and shinier. I thought to myself, "Finally! It's time to put my hair into a ponytail!" So, I pulled my hair back into the long-awaited hairdo. And, it was the best looking ponytail ever! So beautiful! Then, I woke up and realized I still looked like a 14 year old boy. Very disappointing.

In other news, I am heading to the plastic surgeon for my first (fingers crossed) expansion this afternoon. And, in the words of Margaret, the brave heroine of Judy Blume's Are you there God, it's me Margaret, "I must, I must, I must increase my bust."

THE BEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE

Photo c. 1992

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to revisit puberty? Well, if you ever have to go through treatment for breast cancer, you're in luck!

For me, there were three major milestones of puberty: getting boobs, growing pubic hair and starting menstruation.

I remember when I was a pre-teen, I used to dream about the bosom that I hoped to have one day. I often noted the bosoms of my women family members to see how mine might turn out. Since my mastectemy, I have started to dream about my bosom once again. What will it be like? How big will they be? I feel like I'm 12 again. And, I am told that the expansion process is like going through puberty in super-speed motion.

As you know, chemotherapy causes your hair to fall out, ALL your hair. Let's just say that I recently relived those moments from years past when hair started sprouting when it had not before.

Finally, chemotherapy caused my periods to go into hibernation. So, every day, I anxiously await for its arrival. I even had a dream about it last night. I feel just as I did in middle school when all the other girls had gotten their periods, while I waited and waited.