Therapy Thursdays: The Mindy Effect

When I asked you girls for suggestions for a new Therapy Thursday Post, so many of you sent some great responses. One of them really touched me. I just want to say that I have the most amazing readers. You women inspire me with your strength, courage, and I am so happy to say that I consider all of you my buddies. One particularly strong reader sent me the following letter.  I literally just copied and pasted it, so please read about The Mindy Effect.

Dear Milly,


Since you were asking for suggestions for therapy Thursday, I thought maybe you could talk about women and health. I have cancer, I just turned 41. I am a Hispanic married mother of three kids.   Many times, women can be so busy taking care of everyone in their life that they just don’t take care of themselves. I also think this is even more prevalent in the Hispanic community where women are strong and stoic. So, I would like to share with you something I wrote and shared with a dog rescue group that I belong to:
·          
o    The Mindy Effect.
Mindy was a 35 year old high school teacher, wife and mother of three (11, 7, 1). Mindy had a persistent cough for months. She kept saying it was allergies, slight bronchitis, or stress coughing. She took many over the counter meds. She did not go to the doctor. You see, she was busy grading essays, writing school curriculums, taking kids to dance and swimming and soccer. She was busy going to the grocery store, and busy making dinner. She was busy taking care of her husband. She was even busy taking the dog to the vet. Months passed and the cough was still there. Mindy was still busy taking care of everyone else. Finally after too many appointments that were put off, she went. She had cancer in her lungs, and she had cancer in her liver. I met Mindy at the Cancer Care Center in San Antonio. She died September 1, 2011, she was 37.
Her friend made up the phrase The Mindy Effect.
The Mindy Effect pledges that we will take care of ourselves. That we as busy women take care of everyone else and we ignore ourselves. We ignore symptoms in us that if we saw in our spouses, in our children or in our pets we would make sure that they received medical attention. Yet if we are gone who is left to take care of our household? We leave devastation behind. We leave grieving spouses, parents, children, siblings and pets.
I had symptoms for months, I just did not have time to go have it looked at. Now I may not have time. So, make your mammogram appointments, your pap smears, have your moles looked at, have your colonoscopies… don’t wait, don’t ignore. Remember Mindy."

To my lovely reader, You, Mindy and her family are in my thoughts.
And to all of my readers/friends, it is so important to take care of your family, but  remember to take care of yourself as well. 

Hugs, 

Milly

6 comments:

*ms.angela89* said...

Good story and moral to it. Its true, we woman do take cares of others before ourselves. :( I'm only 22 I use to not think about getting my yearly pap smear, but now I'm getting more aware that I should get it done just to be on the safe side. My fatherinlaw who's also battling cancer had the same symptoms! He had a cough, thought it was nothing so he buy over the counter medicine, couple months go by and its still there so he went to go get it checked out and they told him it was cancer. :( After chemo and radiation his body can no longer take it so hes just waiting...

I do hope your Therapy Thursday make your readers aware of think of themsevles sometimes first before others, no matter how busy our lives could get.

beautylogicblog said...

@msangela89 oh no honey, I'm so sorry to hear that. Your father in law is in my prayers and so are you. How is your pregnancy going?

Mandii said...

This post was very touching. I lost a dear aunt the same way. So heavily involved in taking care of her family and everyone else, she forgot about herself. She passed away from cancer at 42 leaving behind 5 children, the youngest was only 4. Remembering what my family went through when we lost her is my constant reminder to always make some time to evaluate yourself. Examine how you are doing physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you are not completely in care of yourself, then who will be? Who will take care of the ones that need you the most?

*ms.angela89* said...

-My pregnancy is coming along great. :) I cant believe there's only 10 weeks left. Time has gone by so quick. But this morning I had the worse leg cramp ever!!! I was going to cry but I knew the pain will pass. -__- Not sure if it happened to you when you were pregnant but those are awful. I was lying in bed just about to turn and "snap" leg cramp.

Well it is Saturday morning here in Seattle WA! I'm just checking up on the blogs I follow, otherwise ebautiful sunshine out the windows, I hope you have a great weekend Milly.

Ronnique said...

Hi Queens!

I've chosen a career and believe that God has given me a true passion for health and healing. I work at a Woman's Hospital and come across many women and their families that deal with these issues. We also have many joyous moments throughout the hospital such as births, adoptions, and great reports/outcomes. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't lift up and cover those that I may come across in prayer!

Know that you ALL are Queens and should live your lives as such! Each day we live is a day of VICTORY! When you've decided that today, you will take care of you, whether it is spiritually, emotionally, mentally or physically is a day you WIN!

My Beauty Logic Queens are in my prayers!

*Queen*

BonafideLatina~ said...

What an AMAZING post! THx so much for this, I keep giving my Mother the same advice to take of herself before anyone else...will tell her this story.

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