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Mojo: a magic spell, a hex, or charm, broadly: magical power
Mojo. The word conjures up psychedelic flashbacks of Austin
Powers chasing Dr. Evil, trying to get his back. Strangely enough, that’s an
appropriate parallel. We all have mojo. Too often, it gets threatened, even stolen
by people and circumstances. We all must spend our lives chasing it back.
I just finished reading Geralyn Lucas’ memoir, Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy, her
story of how she found and kept her mojo in the face of cancer. I started
reading it for research, not even intending to finish it. [It’s not like I
haven’t heard cancer stories before]. But I found myself so inspired and drawn
in I couldn’t put it down.
Geralyn was diagnosed with breast cancer at 27, requiring a mastectomy.
While most would see this as a death sentence, she not only survived, she
thrived. She tells how kindred spirits came out of the woodwork. How she
learned to let go of certain security blankets she had grown deeply attached to
and find her inner strength. How she dealt with the effects of having a
mastectomy. How her search for the perfect bra was completely different from other women her age. How despite nearly
transferring her office to the bathroom to accommodate puking at any moment,
she got a promotion. How she beat the odds and got pregnant. How not being assured
of a next moment gave her the power to truly focus and live fully in the
moments she had by taking risks, and laughing.
“I have cast a spell over my own life. I have willed myself
to find my magic that must still be there. Despite the baldness and one boob,
and occasional heaving, I am charming. I have met my mojo.”
Today she is motivating and inspiring survivors and people
who have never given cancer a second thought with her story. I imagine her at
the bar drinking her coke adorned with one of those Boobzie coozies.
“If my life is short, I need to taste it now. Mojo.”
c. 2012
c. 2012
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