Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For anyone who says there is no cross-fertilisation between real life and second life is wrong!

If you've followed this blog, you'll know that I started here as a 'staff writer' but then had to take an extended break while I underwent treatment for breast cancer. I was lucky. A lumpectomy, followed by radiotherapy means I am cancer free, and the fantastic care provided by the much maligned but still world-class medical facilities provided by the British National Health Service (NHS) meant the cancer was detected very early, and treated urgently, efficiently, and successfully.

I'm an Aussie living in (and paying taxes to) Britain, so I was eligible for NHS treatment free on demand.

October is Breat Cancer Awareness Month, and I am delighted to report that Boom are giving away a free pair of Awareness panties (see the photos).

While they're free, I hope that it might encourage you to think about this horrible disease and sometime killer. Let us give thanks for the fantastic survival rates there are, but also strive for a cure or, failing that, first rate prevention, detection and treatment research and facilities. Yes, there are places inworld you can donate to the American Cancer Society, but wherever you are in the world, I would ask you to think about making a donation, however small, to your local cancer charities.

Back in the real world, I'm now very active in fundraising activities, so I don't expect to be around SL very much this month. I would be delighted and thrilled if you could help out, however you can, wherever you are, by supporting, financially or by volunteering, your local cancer charity.

(Note: I did look for a 'mastectomy' styled skin earlier this year, without success. If there are any skin designers reading who could provide such a skin, I'd be delighted and proud to wear it, forever, in SL. When I go topless or nude in SL it would be a reminder to every avatar, of the legacy of breast cancer, a reminder that we need to do what we can to fight it. Ladies, it can be a silent killer, so be sure to attend mammogram clinics when requested, and see your doctor on the discovery of any lumps. Guys, you know how much you adore your significant other's breasts, so be aware, when stroking, fondling, kissing them of any lumps she may have, and be firm in your insistence on her seeing a doctor (a benign lump is not a waste of your doctor's time) and also be fully supportive where surgery or post-op treatment (medical and psychological) is required.

In some ways we are defined by our breasts (at least in the eyes of many men). Those of us who do go through mastectomies do not cease to be attractive and sexy. Many women will feel the loss of a breast (or breasts) deeply. They define our femininity. We need the full support of our partners.

Lots of love,

Marlene