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By now, you have probably noticed the beautiful photographs on our website and shared on our social media, taken by the very talented, Erin Konrath. This morning we woke up on Giving Tuesday reflecting on the act of what it means to give back. And Erin was the first person who came to mind.
Two years ago, Erin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was at home, laid up with a broken foot, when she felt a lump in her stomach while laying down. Listening to her inner intuition, she went to the urgent care, which led her to an emergency room, which led to a very abrupt and traumatic sharing of her cancer diagnosis by an emergency room doctor. It wasn’t until after her diagnosis that Erin realized she hadn’t been eating as much as she normally would, felt as though she had a UTI without pain, was constipated, and exhausted — “bone tired.” These symptoms are classic symptoms of ovarian cancer, but can also easily be chalked up to hormonal changes in women’s bodies, which was Erin’s experience at first. Until the broken foot forced her to slow down. Erin’s diagnosis was 1A ovarian cancer.
Erin then underwent a hysterectomy and chemotherapy. We are happy to share that Erin just celebrated two years in remission. Life’s difficult moments. And this is what Erin did with hers. She bravely chose to share her story with others to promote ovarian cancer awareness, as early detection is key in survival. She also openly speaks about the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that came with her journey, mainly from the way her diagnosis was shared, and all of the wonderful things she does to take care of her mental health. Her social media platform has a takeover on Tuesdays, which she has named “Teal Tuesdays” where she highlights symptoms, parts of her story, organizations that promote awareness for ovarian cancer, that raise money for research for ovarian cancer and her journey. She has taken her story to help friends. So today on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Teal Tuesday, we spoke with Erin and she selected our first non-profit for our quarterly giving initiative. We agreed that it all lined up in a way that just felt meant to be.
We are thrilled to share, in the spirit of Giving Tuesday, at the end of this quarter, our first donation will be to the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation. A portion of proceeds from every box you purchase makes this donation possible.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal was a local author and special human. Her bio reads: she was a prolific and bestselling children’s and grown-up book author, memoirist, filmmaker, lecturer, TED Talk presenter, and radio contributor, put a public face to end-of-life decisions and ovarian cancer with her 2017 viral essay in The New York Times titled “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” By the date of her death, just ten days later, the essay had been read by more than four million people across the globe. The Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation is a non-profit organization providing funding for ovarian cancer early detection research as well as child literacy, causes important to Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Causes important to us too. Amy’s life was cut short too soon, but her legacy continues to take care of friends, little and big, and far and wide. May her memory be a blessing. (It is.)
Take care, friends,
Kathleen + Allie
– Learn more about early detection of ovarian cancer
– Learn more about the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, & kindly consider a donation of any amount
– Follow along Erin Konrath’s journey & Teal Tuesdays
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friendly reminder: sending/receiving boxes does not constitute the provision of mental health services and by sending/receiving, we are not entering into a therapeutic relationship.