It’s October
October is breast cancer awareness month and it has made me reflect on the “Forget for a Moment” Makeover which did not happen this year.
Forget for a Moment
Since 2016, we’ve held the “Forget for a Moment” Makeover every year for women living with breast cancer….but, not this year. Preparations were done, volunteers recruited, gift bags packed, the caterer booked, and our 15 guests were confirmed. They were looking forwarding to an evening of pampering at Salon Fiorella and Holtz Spa.
The date was set for March 23, 2020 and then the pandemic hit. Fiorella and I made the call to postpone before we went into quarantine. Although it was disappointing, we wanted to keep the ladies safe and not expose them to further risk. Of course, at the time, we thought we would be rescheduling to a date later in the year.
Alas, that will not be happening and who knows when it will be safe to reschedule. Perhaps when we have a vaccine. To all the ladies who registered for the 2020 event, we haven’t forgotten about you. Fiorella and I are still committed to hosting the makeover, we just don’t know when. Hopefully, in 2021 but we just don’t know.
Highlights
In the meantime, here are a few highlights from years past.
2016 Forget for a Moment, Photo by Melanie Mathieu
2017 Forget for a Moment, Photo by Gerard Mathieu
2018 Forget for a Moment, Photo by Anna Epp
2019 Forget for a Moment, Photo by Anna Epp
Headscarves and PICC sleeves
In honour of breast cancer awareness month, for every order I receive during the month of October, I will be donating a bamboo headscarf or PICC line cover to the chemotherapy unit at the Ottawa General Hospital. If you’re thinking about ordering a bamboo piece from my collection, now would be a great time to do so. Or, if you know someone who is going through cancer, you can personally receive a free headscarf or PICC sleeve to pass on to your loved one when you order online. Just let me know by entering a message in the “Order notes” box during checkout. To shop, go to: COKANNA.
Bamboo Headscarves and PICC LIne Covers
Donate if you can
I would also encourage you to donate, if you can, to either of these two organizations. Both are doing great work in the cancer world helping the “person” living with cancer. The first one is Rethink Breast Cancer, a not for profit organization that educates, empowers, advocates, and supports young women affected by breast cancer. COKANNA role model, Vesna Zic-Côté who inspired the Vesna cardigan, is a strong well-spoken advocate for Rethink’s work in the MBC (metastatic breast cancer) community. Read about Vesna’s MBC journey and advocacy work: “Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Advocate is Born”. I also donate a percentage of my sales to support Rethink’s MBC work.
The 2nd organization is the OICC, the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre. This centre was instrumental in my recovery process when I went through my own breast cancer experience back in 2011. They had just opened up as I was coming off treatment. They are bridging the gap between traditional medical care which treats the disease and integrative care which treats the person living with the disease. In previous years, I donated a percentage of my sales to the OICC.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! May your table be bountiful and your hearts filled with gratitude and love.
Until next week,
~ Colleen
I’m a recovering Chartered Accountant and Breast Cancer Champion turned Fashion Designer. My COKANNA Canadian-made bamboo clothing is all about comfort and style. Giving back to the community is important to me so I support Rethink Breast Cancer‘s metastatic breast cancer education, support, and advocacy work.
