Thriver, A Word
Widening the definition of women living with breast cancer.
I learned something new about baseball. I say this as a girl who has very little understanding or experience with sports. (In fact, the little I know about football comes from marching band- LOL) But I recently found myself in a line-up of nine ladies on the Charlotte Knights’ “Dream Team.”
Apparently, there are nine players per team on the field at a time. Who knew? 😂
The Charlotte Knights have hosted a “Pink Game” for 20 years in partnership with Charlotte Radiology. This year, they donated over $30,000 from ticket sales and concessions to Project Pink, which provides free mammograms to women in marginalized communities. The nine-person Dream Team was featured at the game.
All in all, I’d give the Knights an A+ for this “pink” event!
✅ Real women with breast cancer participated
✅ Real dollars were donated to a local initiative
✅ They explained where and how much money was collected
✅ They even observed a moment of silence for women we’ve lost
Better yet, the Knights cared about our experience on the Dream Team. We weren’t just poster children for cancer. 🤪 Domynique threw the first pitch, Chrissy ran the bases to celebrate her 5 Year Cancer-versary, and they interviewed one of us to share her story! (Please forgive me for forgetting her name, but she’s second from left, friends!)
I felt so seen and valued by one little detail.
When we joined the team, we were asked if our shirt should read “Survivor” or “Warrior.” My initial thought was, “Well, neither one!”
Sometimes Survivor can feel like a term reserved for those who finish their treatment, or for winners who close the book on cancer and move on in life. As a woman with metastatic breast cancer, that’s not me.
At the same time, Warrior implies a someone who is fighting for her life. Living with Stage IV breast cancer means that I will be “fighting” every day for the rest of my life- my journey won’t end. MBC is incurable.
The facts are not encouraging, but my outlook doesn’t have to be.
Instead, I embrace the term Thriver. I’m learning to live the best life I possibly can with metastatic breast cancer, one day at a time. It’s possible to live a beautiful life with this diagnosis. My body is still good. Life is still good, even here.
…and guess what? They created a “Thriver” shirt just for me! 🩷💚🩵
Photo credits to The Charlotte Knights.
I was the only woman who identified as a Thriver, but I hope I introduced people to a new term. To widen the way we define women experiencing breast cancer. And maybe, just maybe, they offer “Thriver” shirts to the next Dream Team, too. 🥰
If you’re living with breast cancer, or love someone who is, I hope you know:
You don’t have to “fight” forever.
You can do more than just survive.
Thriving is available to you, even here.
You are a good creation from a Good Father, and your value never changes! We can live a beautiful life with God’s presence here and now, no matter what happens on this side of heaven. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It just means we’re never alone.
Know someone who could use that encouragement today? I invite you to share this post and send them our way!
Cancer Devotional- Looking for a way to support a Thriver you love? Gift them a copy of the Thrivers Affirmation Toolkit! This 30+ page devotional helps you respond to harmful thoughts, lean into Scripture, and embrace your unchanging value as God’s beloved creation.
Questions We Ask- The Charlotte Knights’ Pink Game was a great experience! And yet, many “pink” initiatives do not support or donate to anything useful at all! If you’ve ever wondered:
🤔 How can I spot a “pink” scam?
🤔 Is it ok to support “pink” ?
🤔 How can we “do pink” well?
Still Good Co.- Join the community, fundraise for MBC research, and change the narrative for breast cancer awareness!
