October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As you know, we give 2% of sales to a list of charities, and one of them is for Breast Cancer Research. As of this month eQuilter has donated $312K to this one cause, as I wrote in last Saturday’s e-newsletter. My mother and mother-in-law are not the only women in my life who have been affected by this disease.
Over the years many people have asked about our philanthropy, and what inspired us to start our charity program. I think it is safe to say that anyone who has experienced a great loss, has had their heart cracked open, and so often we seek to fill that void by helping others. So I thought I’d share a story.
When I was 17 my family home dissolved as I moved to college. At 19 I had to take a year off to work, before I moved to California to go to design school. During that year I worked at Joseph Magnin in Cherry Creek. (Denver) I quickly made 2 friends who were my age – Bonnie and Kathy. During that year, these 2 beautiful sweet young ladies became my best friends. One morning when I arrived at work, I was called into the office. There were serious faces all around. I thought I was getting fired! No, they had called me in to tell me that Bonnie had been killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver in Lefthand Canyon the night before. They asked if I would go to the funeral to represent the company. I was devastated, and had nobody to talk to but Kathy about this loss. We stayed friends after that year, even as we moved to different states, married and had kids.
Many years later Kathy and I shared our experience of having our bio kids first, then adopting overseas. I had lost a full term baby daughter during labor. We shared the adventure of foreign adoption, and then she kept going! In addition to her 3 bio kids, she adopted 5 siblings from Russia, and twins from Lithuania. One time they visited us with all 10 kids. She was Super Mom.
When Kathy was 50 she got breast cancer. 2 years later she lost her battle. The last time I spoke to her, she reminded me that every day is a gift, and to always take the opportunity to express love and reflect back the beauty in others. So for Kathy and all our other friends and family who have fought this disease, we keep raising money to search for a cure. Because of my visits to shanty towns, slums and favelas on several continents, I know for sure that every day I wake up is a gift…and another opportunity to help those in desperate need. That is how I met Kathy Price from Mission of Love (one of our other charity recipients), but that is another story…
So I say, better to have loved and lost a dear friend, and have my heart cracked open, than never to have shared those precious moments of friendship. I carry Bonnie and Kathy in my heart, and knowing them has made me a better person.
Sending out my warmest wishes and hugs to all of you fighting breast cancer and any other health challenge, during these troubled times. You are so precious. You will teach others about what is really important in life.
with hope for the future…
Luana and Paul
