Attention Fighting Pretty ladies! Meet Meg, an amazing breast cancer survivor and supporter of Fighting Pretty. It was Meg, that provided the first pair of mini-pink boxing gloves to Kara Skaflestad, the founder of Fighting Pretty. Kara's gloves were then passed on to 5 other women battling cancer. The strength that Meg sent to Kara has now been passed on to over 800 women all over the world that have received Pretty Packages in less than 2 years! Moving forward, Meg will be helping Fighting Pretty send some notes to remind you how amazing and fabulous you are. So meet the fabulous, Meg O'Hanlon and hear her story.
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| The gorgeous, Meg O'Hanlon |
It was in September of 2006 that my life took a major turn. It was during my morning shower that I
felt a strange hardness on the left side of my breast, was it a lump?? It was difficult to really distinguish what I
was feeling under my skin, so I immediately went to see my gynecologist. A
flurry of testing ensued. I was shocked
by the confirmation that I had cancer.
The diagnosis hit me like a ton
of bricks and I was surprised by the intensity of the subsequent testing, surgeries
and then treatment. Emotionally I was distraught, upset that my
body had betrayed me by allowing this tumor to grow. I felt
frightened and anxious as to what the future would hold for me. Telling my husband and my four children was most
difficult. Although I was beside myself
with worry, I had to be strong and try to reassure them that all would be
alright even though I did not feel that way myself. Although my emotions were running up and
down the scale on a daily basis, and my life was now ruled by surgeries, chemo,
nausea and pain, the one thing that brought me to my knees was day “17” when
all of my hair fell out. I do not think
there is anything that can truly prepare a person for that day.
The support of my husband, my children and all of my family, my sisters and brother, my friends, my neighbors, my coworkers is truly what brought me through. To be honest, I don’t really think I can fully explain the depth of my emotional fragility. I literally relied on their support on a daily basis. In December 2006, my husband went for a routine colonoscopy. Our daughter, studying for her finals, offered to take her Dad for the test since I had just had my 2nd chemo treatment and was so sick that I could not take him. He came home from the test with a diagnosis of colon/rectal cancer. The tumor was so large that he could not have surgery and would have to start radiation immediately to shrink the tumor. We were all so shocked at this devastating news; we all kind of fell apart. My husband and I both spent the next nine months in a constant commotion of radiation, chemotherapy and surgeries. And, as unbelievable as this may seem, in April, 2007, while we were “living” in the infusion center of the oncology department, we also lost our daughter-in-law, Shelley. Shelly lost her 7 year battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Easter Sunday, April 8. Just 7 days before her 28th birthday.
Needless to say, at this point, I was overwhelmed with sadness and totally distressed with the emotional toll this was taking on my life and my family. I was having a hard time finding the strength to go on.
One evening a friend of mine, Fran, asked me to attend a dinner and informational seminar on breast cancer at the local hospital. It was at the seminar that I came across the pink boxing gloves. Grasping for something to help me to continue to hold on and to continue to inspire me during this discouraging time, these pink boxing gloves stood out. They became such an inspiration to me at this time in my life. They were a symbol to me of the battle I was currently engaged in as well as the future conflict that lay ahead and the work that needed to be done to help fight for everyone battling this devastating disease. They made me realize that I was in the fight of my life and that I had to continue to stand up to this foe or it was going to overtake me. I hung the gloves on the bathroom mirror so that every morning when I saw them, they reminded me that here was another day that I had the chance to get in the ring and just keep fighting!!
Sadly, in the fall of 2007, when my daughter, Colleen, told
me that her best friend, Kara, had just been diagnosed with breast cancer at
the age of 27, I couldn’t wait to send her the pink boxing gloves and explain
to her that she was now entering the ring and needed these gloves to help her
fight the fight of her life!!!
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| Meg and her daughter (and Kara's best friend), Colleen. |
We recently moved to sunny South Carolina and we are loving life! We lead an active lifestyle with golfing as much as we can, bike riding and walking. In the last few years I have become a devout fan of Yoga and Zumba and continue to attend classes.
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| Meg & Brian O'Hanlon enjoying sunny South Carolina! |
But, best part of living near Hilton Head is the visits from our family, friends and especially our grandchildren.We are just happy every day when we wake up and get the chance to enjoy another day!!!
"Today I choose to live with the gratitude for the Love that fills my heart, the Peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of Hope that says ...all things are possible."
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