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May 8, 2013

World Ovarian Cancer Day


I have been stressing over this blog post since the moment I decided to do it.  I have always felt that this blog would be more about my nails and less about my life.  I wanted to let my art speak for itself without delving too much into my personal life.  I always knew I would add anecdotes and make sure my personality bleed through in my writing, but this was not going to be a diary blog.  This post will be different.  This post will be both, because this nail art and the reason for it couldn't be more personal.  My Aunt Lori was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and has been battling it for quite some time.  This is her third recurrence and she has decided to let the disease take its course.  I love my Aunt Lori dearly and know that this decision has brought her peace and happiness.  What more could I ask for her?  However, there are other women out there who go through life not knowing about the ravages of this fatal disease.  There is still things unknown about it.  There may still be ways to help those who are diagnosed in the future and if we don't raise our voices in awareness they may never be found.  Today is World Ovarian Cancer Day.  All around the world people will be wearing teal and talking about survivors and those who have been left behind.  We can do something about it.  I take great honor in joining my voice with chorus of others all over this planet we call home and singing to others about it.  I found a group called Teal Toes that I feel a kinship with and have been telling others to paint their toenails teal to help spread awareness.  This is where my blog comes in.  What a perfect way to express my love to my Aunt and to tell others about Ovarian cancer than to use nail polish.  First I want to show you my manicure.


I used Konad Special White and Finger Paints Winter Sky.  The plate was Bundle Monster BM-321.  I tried to offer some variety in placement of the stamp to break up the uniformity, but unfortunately my index finger suffered from ill placement.


I also broke my thumb nail.  At least the stub isn't too bad. . .



I do like how this turned out, but I want to try something different next time.

Now here is the really cool part.  My sister joined in my quest in Ohio and created two manis herself.



Now with Teal Toes being the point of the other orginization I few of those pictures too.


These are, from the top left going clockwise, my Aunt Lisa, Me, my Mom, my Grame, and my Aunt Lori's Teal Toes.  Everyone, but me was Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order.  Then I was China Glaze Deviantly Daring.



My friend Angie and her daughter did some gardening and then took pictures of their teal toes for me!  I have some amazing friends!

If you would like me to include your teal manicure or pedicure, send me the picture at starchild202(at)sbcglobal(dot)net with any information you would like me to include and I will add it to this post.  I may even do another post with them.  I am also thinking of doing a challenge in September, which is Ovarian cancer month.  In the meantime more information can be found at Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.  I want to leave you with this last photo that shares some statistics regarding Ovarian Cancer.


Tootles!
Fitz

7 comments:

  1. Ella!!! I had my co-worker send a picture of us with our nails. We all had fun painting then at work and thinking of the cause!

    You are awesome!

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  2. I love your mani...I'll have to look into getting a stamp similar to yours as my first inclination was to do a mani with a cancer ribbon, but I don't have one.
    I don't have a blog, but I did a mani and posted it on The Crumpet's Nail Tarts group on facebook. There are other ladies that have done posts together with inLinkz..I don't know if I put that right. Please add your post to the group. Everyone has done such incredible posts with both their manis AND the information regarding ovarian cancer.
    I am a ten year survivor of small cell ovarian cancer that had spread to my liver, which has an extremely low survival rate. I was one of the lucky ones as at the time I was diagnosed, there wasn't anyone with my stage of disease that had lived past two years. Diagnosed at the age of 30, they had told me that they would NOT be able to get rid of it, they had hoped to only keep it from growing and spreading faster. Then at the appointment where they were shocked to tell me that it was gone....they said it was only a matter of time before it came back! Here I am, ten years later, still alive and kicking!!
    My hope is that we can educate women to know to LISTEN to their bodies when the have suspicious symptoms and not to just ignore them (which is what I did at first). I also wish that this disease would get the kind of public awareness as response as is given to breast cancer....as they are both important for women to be aware of.
    I am sorry to hear of your aunt...although, having gone through the roughest chemo they had at the time 10 years ago (I had three different kinds of chemo drugs pumped into me intravenously 24 hours a day for 5 days straight then alternated with 3 more completely different chemo for 3 days straight. They alternated this for 12 cycles) I'm not sure I could do that again. It was hardest thing I ever had to do and that was when I was 30. Please tell your aunt that I will have her in my heart & be thinking of her.
    I hope that I haven't taken up too much of your blog, but I wanted you to know how much it warms my heart to see such a response to this day. Plus, I'll be looking up Teal Toes as I hadn't heard of it before!
    Donna

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  3. Sorry, one more comment. I saw at the top that it says to call you Fitz. Is that a nickname or family name? The reason I ask is because my maiden name is Fitzgerald!

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  4. those teal toes are wonderful! great color and all the toes are so cute ;)

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  5. I was touched by your blog post, and how many who painted their nails and toes teal to raise awareness for this cause. I could see on your toes that you are related! :-) Lol!

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  6. MANY, MANY thanks to you and all of the other ladies who created special manicures for World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day! I'll be featuring them all on the Teal Toes facebook and twitter feeds in the coming weeks. I've also link them all to the Teal Toes pinterest page- Nail Blogs for Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

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