Pink Is More …. A Poem By Wildfire
By Rosanne Feder Carter
Pink is more than just a color.
Pink can be pretty. Pink can be ugly.
Pink is not all cotton candy and bows.
Pink is fear, stress, anxiety.
Pink is finding gratitude, hope, and light.
Pink is hair loss, nausea, diarrhea, brittle nails, menopause, hot flashes.
Pink is my daughter seeing pink ribbons everywhere and thinking they’re called #rosannestrong.
Pink is scan-anxiety, pokes, and worry.
Pink is advocating, educating, supporting.
Pink is harsh chemo, radiation, and having your breasts amputated.
Pink is infertility, loss of sexuality.
Pink is acceptance, learning a new normal, and living your best life.
Pink is genetics, scars, isolation.
Pink is community, gratefulness, lifting up.
Pink is fatigue; over and over. Pink is finding energy again.
Pink is feeling alone. Pink is knowing you’re not alone.
Pink is 24/7.
Pink is having your children ask if you’re going die and if cancer will happen to them.
Pink is learning big life lessons.
Pink is resilience.
Pink is being a survivor from the beginning.
Pink is feeling guilty.
Pink is showing up.
Pink is a mixed bag of emotions.
Pink is more than just a color.
Rosanne Feder Carter. Infant mental health therapist, Stella & Dot stylist, EVER consultant. Diagnosed at 40. IDC, Stage II, ER+, PR+, BRCA2+. Rosanne has been working in the field of supporting parent/child relationships for 20 years. She has worked on the hematology/oncology unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital and has spent time in Ireland working as a family therapist with families at risk. Her current work at Kindering, a neurodevelopmental center for children ages zero to three, is where she does her life’s work of helping parents and caregivers understand the social and emotional needs of infants/toddlers and of the parent/child relationship. Rosanne is a dreamer and has many passions of helping women, either as a stylist or skincare consultant, and more recently is committed to educating others about health prevention, early detection, and supporting women going through breast cancer. Rosanne has two amazing children, ages eight and five, and a husband who is the rock that keeps her grounded. Rosanne can attest that cancer has been more of a gift in many ways and that among those gifts are learning to embrace vulnerability, find gratitude daily, and to live in the moment. Rosanne and her family have added travel to their list of must-do every year and are looking forward to their first family trip to Ireland this summer. @curlsnstyle
Editor’s Note: This piece has been republished with permission from WILDFIRE Magazine, the “Body” issue (Vol 4, No 3, Copyright (c) April 2019 by Wildfire Community LLC). More information available at wildfirecommunity.org.
Every month, Rethink will be sharing powerful stories and poetry from WILDFIRE Magazine. Use code RETHINK for 10% off anything in the WILDFIRE Shop.
WILDFIRE Magazine is the only magazine for young women survivors and fighters of breast cancer under 45 years old. Headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, WILDFIRE is a beautiful, story-based bi-monthly magazine published on different themes relevant to young women survivors, from stage 0 to stage IV. Beautiful and ad-free! Visit wildfirecommunity.org for more info.
