Ebb and Flow by Linda Dubin Garfield

Life is indeed ebb and flow.  When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you really go ebb and flow.  After you are through it and into survivor category in a sense it is still ebb and flow because you are forever more give and take.   Breast cancer takes away, yet in a weird way it gives you access to parts of yourself that can be very, very positive if you can look at life as not the glass half empty.

And face it, when you have life, that is a gift where the glass is definitely more than full.

I just received a call from my friend Sherry.  This really amazing artist who does the most beautiful print work has breast cancer.  Her name is Linda Dubin Garfield .  Today’s art in the post is one of her prints.  I believe it is one from her “Ebb and Flow” series.

Linda’s surgeon, according to her new breast cancer blog is the same surgeon I had, Dr. Dahlia Sataloff.   Everyone who knows me knows how much I adore Dr. Sataloff.  She is amazing, and it is nice to hear Linda is in good hands.

Linda is not a friend of mine, but I sooo feel for her as I read through her blog this afternoon.  I totally get all that she is feeling. After all, I was her barely over a year ago.

Her blog is called toooldtodieyoungblog and her posts are wonderful.  First of all they are wonderful because she is getting her feelings out in the open which I found very helpful.  Honest human emotion and great humor when called for.

Take this one post:

To Tell or Not To Tell June 6, 2012

I am a sharer. I talk and I tell but since I got the bad news about the shadow I have not shared my concerns because I had hoped it would be nothing like 80% of the cases are. Go with the majority, I figured. This time I was in the minority. So I told a few people, then a few more, now I am sharing with a lot more….now when I have breast cancer, I want to be open and discuss it. It’s a disease, not a curse or something I am ashamed of.  I am open to talking about it and getting rid of it asap!!

Amen to that!  I had people who looked at me like I had two heads one green when I was telling them I had breast cancer.  Oh yeah, I got the “what is wrong with her discussing that so openly?” ….behind my back (What? You still think I did not know? I didn’t care, but I did know.)

Good for you Linda!  Talking helps.  Being positive even when it is hard helps even more.  She and I know a few people in common, and I also know someone we know in common who is a new survivor.  This other woman probably doesn’t realize I know she is a new survivor, but the point is this thing called breast cancer is all around us.  So we might as well talk about it, right?  People that can’t handle the discussion don’t have to listen – it’s o.k. and understandable, even if it isn’t my perspective exactly, although I will freely admit there are some days I have a hard time hearing about others who get diagnosed.  But that is just part of being human.  Humans are complex.

In a post called Twilight Zone she remarks how she is learning not to go to appointments alone.  This Linda should meet my friend Linda who did the Driving Miss Daisy List.    Seriously, that is a debt of love I will never be able to repay.  Without my posse I would not have come through so well.

Linda talks about waking up at o’dark early worrying.  Wow I get that.

Linda, I admire your work as an artist and I admire your courage.  One day at a time and speedy recovery!

Read Linda’s breast cancer blog HERE .

Check out Linda’s art HERE.