National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

The Beginning of My Journey

“Mrs. Hail, I believe the lump in your breast may be malignant. You’ll need to come in for further testing.”

Those were the dreaded words I heard from my doctor 28 years ago. How could I have breast cancer? No one in my family has had it, I thought. What I remember most vividly was the fear that griped me, like the tentacles of an octopus wrapping around my mind and squeezing off my breathing. Fear was my new reality. My youngest child was only three years old. My other two sons were ten and thirteen. How could they make it without me? Terrible thoughts like these raced through my mind.

I slowly placed the phone on its cradle and sat down in disbelief. My journey had begun.

My Journey Continues

Take a step into the present with me as I tell you about an experience I had last week. I was expecting a call from the nurse as a follow-up to my annual mammogram. As I walked down the hall at our NBCF headquarters to a meeting, my cell phone rang. I recognized the doctor’s phone number and quickly answered to go through the routine words I knew I would hear, “Your mammogram came out fine.”

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While recently in Boston, I was having dinner at Legal Seafood, known for its fresh fish and the best clam chowder you can find anywhere. My paper placemat was covered with marketing information about the restaurant, including the history of the company. Their “From Pier to Plate” philosophy intrigued me. It stated, “We are not a restaurant selling fish, but rather a fish company in the restaurant business.” Clearly, they draw the clientele because they place value on their products.

NBCF’s Beginning

The origin of the National Breast Cancer Foundation began when my husband, Neal, and I founded it in 1991. At the age of 34 I found out I had breast cancer, with no history of breast cancer in my family. I didn’t drink or smoke, ate healthy, and exercised regularly. Breast cancer side-swiped me from out of nowhere. That was an event in my life that could not be changed, but I knew I didn’t have to let it destroy me. So, NBCF was birthed.

The philosophy of NBCF has always been to serve the women we help with excellence.

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The clock just struck midnight, and I have stepped into a favorite day out of my year—my birthday. Every year I get excited about what the new year holds for me. What adventures will I experience, what new friends will I meet, and what goals will I achieve this year? The best part of birthdays is the anticipation that one is coming. Since you can’t stop them, why not jump in and have fun with them?

While running my fingers across the spines of books in my library, I found an old book that was awarded me when I was in high school. At 16 I had never won anything in my life, so when I lifted this little book off the shelf, I grinned at seeing my name, Janelle Cox, engraved in gold and under my name, the title Girl of the Month. The name of the book is The New Book of the Art of Living. I take it that I was destined to learn to live life well.

I look back at this past year and reminisce about the things that I have learned and the experiences, both good and bad, that have made me a better person. Nothing in life ever went exactly as I planned it, except for one thing. My values have remained steadfast. Everything that was built on those values created my character. Sure, I’d like to change some decisions I made. It would be nice to avoid the pain of breast cancer in my life. But, those things, combined with all of the good things that have happened, have sharpened me.

Would you like to know some secrets of living life? I thought of three things I do that keep me looking forward:

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Firestorm of a Romance

The name Firestone flashed across big screen TVs throughout America when the third season of The Bachelor featured Andrew Firestone, the great-grandson of entrepreneur Harvey Firestone. However, the firestorm of romance with Andrew and Jennifer Schefft lasted little beyond the show. After a few months of dating her off-screen, they cooled their romance and he started seeing someone else.

It was old news when I read about the recent marriage of Andrew and model Ivana Bozilovic. You see, I got the inside scoop from the tour guide a couple of weeks ago at the Firestone Vineyard that Andrew was getting married.

On a recent trip to Santa Barbara, California, my family and I drove about 45 minutes outside of Santa Barbara to tour the Firestone Vineyard, one of the largest in Southern California. That’s where we learned about Andrew’s marriage.

But, here’s something you probably don’t know. During the time Jen dated Andrew, she never drank a drop of the fine wines from Firestone Vineyard. That could be a clue as to why that romance didn’t go far.

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The Fourth of July

I opened the front door of my house this evening to the sound of fireworks. The sky was filled with brilliant reds and greens exploding above the neighbor’s rooftop. I had a perfect view of sizzling gold and silver rising fountains of sparkling lights, interrupted by offshoots of color trailing across the sky and spiraling downward. At the end of a hot, Texas afternoon a cool breeze fluttered across my face as I felt the cool grass beneath my bare feet. Patriotism arose within me as I thought, I’m proud to be an American.

Not so Patriotic at Jury Duty

Only weeks before I had been called to jury duty, something I seemed to avoid for years by either moving or missing the lottery of names drawn. This time I had no choice but to serve my duty. Like most people, I tried to think of a dozen ways to avoid getting chosen once I arrived at the courthouse. Maybe I should be too opinionated, or wear bright, colored clothes, I thought.

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