Breast Cancer Hero: Vicki Tashman

Maybe you have never heard of Vicki Channing Tashman, but she is a hero for breast cancer survivors. I talked with her yesterday, and she is a very committed woman!

Vicki, like me, is a breast cancer survivor. At the age of 44 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and endured the grueling treatment, including chemotherapy. But unlike so many other women with breast cancer, Vicki did not run away and hide. No! She ran toward this deadly disease and in 2005 she founded Pink-Link (www.pink-link.org), a fantastic, free support website that enables breast cancer survivors to mentor women who are newly diagnosed.

Because each woman's cancer is different, therefore medications must be different, Vicki created a central online database of breast cancer survivors and patients everywhere. Survivors can input details about their cancers and treatments. Newly diagnosed women can search the database and learn, and they can do it right in the comfort of their homes. The mentor-patient relationship makes treatment go easier. There is also information for loved ones and medical professionals.

She has been featured in so many magazines, newspapers, and online publications that it would be impossible for me to list half of them. But my favorite has been when she was featured on HappyNews.com Publication. This news publication has impressive endorsements, a few of which I will quote:

* Washington Post: "The Happynews glass is always at least half-full, and sometimes it bubbles right over."

* NPR: "Happynews.com forsakes war and famine, terror and man's inhumanity to man 24/7."

* Dallas Morning News: "As far as anyone can tell, it's the first international and national daily news organization dedicated exclusively to upbeat stories."


Each week DoOneNiceThing.com shines the spotlight on an exceptionally kind individual, "One Nice Person." The Web site also invites visitors to submit their own "nice thing" ideas and names and photos of kind people, which are then posted on the Web site. Vicki Tashman was featured, along with this picture. (Used with permission, but border and name added)

Vicki and I both love the poem below, but neither of us has been able to locate the original author or copyright holder. I received over 200 copies of it in my email from people who knew I was a breast cancer survivor. Also, I have done web searches and contacted The Library of Congress, trying to locate the real author, but to no avail. It is unbelievable how many thousands of websites display her poem, but they either claim authorship, or they just leave that spot blank. So, without further adieu, here is the poem Vicki and I love.

Attitude is Everything! (author still unknown)


There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

"Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M, " she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEAH!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.
Have a Good Day!
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

(c)2007 April Lorier