My Breast Cancer Journey - a Guest Blog Series by Savanna James (part 4 of 5 “Survivors”)

This is the fourth in a five-part guest blog series by Savanna James discussing her breast cancer journey. See the first installment here. I hope you'll read and share them all!

I’ve had countless conversations with survivors, and survivorship for young adults can be summed up as “70 years of looking over your shoulder waiting for the cancer to return.” And because of this...more than anything...we don’t just want to survive, we want to thrive. 

Enter The Boon Project. 

This amazing organization exists “to combat the increased rates of isolation and depression in young adult cancer fighters and survivors, as well as to equip them with resources in their fight to help increase survival rates. The mission of the organization is to support young adult cancer fighters and their unique needs, through providing beneficial programs and creating a cooperative cancer fighting culture that works to heal the whole patient.”

And as they say at Boon, with a cancer diagnosis, you become a member of the club that no one wants to join. They combat this with the Courage Club, a free online support community and monthly meet up group for young adult cancer fighters and survivors in the Lowcountry (and beyond) to connect with others who understand the battles that come from a cancer diagnosis as a young adult. They also provide financial assistance, mental health resources and access to guidance which helps facilitate care and second opinions. 

In June 2021, I will compete for the title of Miss South Carolina, an honor I hope I have that I have the chance of receiving. Regardless of the outcome, I know that my purpose is to continue serving my community and being a voice for my fellow survivors and fighters. 

My hope is that fellow survivors, and those going through treatments or a recent diagnosis, use my story to help look at their situations in a different light, and that others can see my story and understand the need for support and comfort, not only during treatment but through the years after. It is one thing to hear a statistic, but it is another to put an actual face behind that number. The scenario becomes so much more real. It goes from something you see in a textbook to your neighbor, your co-worker or even your family. 

Cancer is an ugly word that strikes fear into hearts, creating an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness, but let me be the first to tell you that you do NOT have to feel powerless. You aren’t any less of a human for what you’re going through and feeling. 

Cancer doesn't define you. And that is a lesson I have to learn on a consistent basis.

---

I hope you'll come back next week for the final installment of her story. 

My Breast Cancer Journey - a Guest Blog Series by Savanna James (part 3 of 5 “After My Double Mastectomy")

 This is the third in a five-part guest blog series by Savanna James discussing her breast cancer journey. See the first installment here. I hope you'll read and share them all!

On February 10, 2020, I woke up calm and unafraid. I knew that my life would never be the same, but I had found my purpose - to share my story. And on that day, at 7am, I underwent my own double mastectomy and reconstruction at 24 years old. 

The surgery was a success...but it wasn’t over. 

What is harder to discuss, and what is rarely talked about, is the fact that when treatments end, your journey is just beginning. There is so much left in life that goes beyond a diagnosis, but, yet, is still so greatly affected by it. 

After the surgery, I was faced with the dark reality that my journey wasn’t finished just because I had completed the procedures. Every single moment for the rest of my life, I have to live with the constant reminder of what I went through and what I will continue to go through. This realization was probably the hardest part of the entire journey for me.

I mean, let’s get real here. I lost my boobs before I hit the age of 25. No, literally. I lost them. They scooped them out, as I like to say. Subsequently, I cannot feel them and certain parts of my chest and I will never be able to breastfeed my children. I look like I’ve been cut in half right and then sewn back together multiple times. It’s not pretty by any means and it’s definitely something that is hard to swallow when you’re in the middle of the pageant world or even just in young adulthood. 

For all cancer survivors, when treatments end, your journey is just beginning. There is so much left in this life that goes beyond a diagnosis, but, yet, is still affected by it. After treatment, a lot of young adults are left feeling less of an actual human, much less a young adult with a whole life ahead of them. Please understand that there are struggles beyond cancer treatment. Truly, have you thought about the effects on a person’s mental and physical health that exist outside of the cancer itself? 

There are so many and I won’t list all of them for you, for that in itself is impossible, but they include problems with heart disease, fertility issues, autoimmune diseases, body insecurities, financial struggles and PTSD. 

---

I hope you'll come back next week for the fourth installment of her story. 

My Breast Cancer Journey - a Guest Blog Series by Savanna James (Part 2 of 5 “Pre Surgery”)

This is the second in a five-part guest blog series by Savanna James discussing her breast cancer journey. See the first installment here. I hope you'll read and share them all.

Photo by
Deanna Webber Photography

We are more than pink. We are people. We are friends. We are daughters, sisters, mothers, co-workers, aunts, even fathers and brothers. We are never defined by a stigma and we are never alone. And we do not have to feel that way. As a human, all you need is hope, and, for that, we have each other.

I’m going to be beyond vulnerable here, but knowing that my story could help save at least once person is what saved my life and kept me fighting. In that moment, and every single day since, I had to learn how to take a situation that is so undesirable and turn it into a platform for change and awareness. I began to see an opportunity, not a closed, boarded door. This is what kept, and keeps, me fighting each and every day to do a little bit better, to be a little bit better and to share my story to at least one more person.

On January 11, 2020, I competed in a local preliminary pageant for Miss South Carolina. 

Crazy, right? I was less than a month away from something that could either save my life, or end it, and I was pageant prepping. Let me explain. In the middle of all of the chaos, I knew that  despite whatever the outcome would be on February 10, I had at least a month to let my voice be heard if I won. The Miss South Carolina and Miss America Organizations were, and still are, my best shot at getting that recognized platform for people to listen. I knew people would listen. I just had to take the chance. 

That night, I was crowned Miss Summerville and I saw a light

starting to form at the end of the tunnel. I spent the next weeks going to as many events, making as many posts, making as many connections, and talking to every single person that I could. If I was going out, I was going out with a bang. 

---

I hope you'll come back next week for the third installment of her story. 

My Breast Cancer Journey - a Guest Blog Series by Savanna James (Part 1 of 5 “My Diagnosis”)

This is the first in a five-part guest blog series by Savanna James discussing her breast cancer journey. I hope you'll read and share them all.

“You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” - Hamilton

At the start of all of this, in October 2019, I went into my yearly OB-GYN (breast appointment) thinking I was being preventative, as I had every other year. I didn’t feel different. I didn’t look different. In fact, I felt better than I had in years. I was in a new city (Charleston, South Carolina) where the possibilities for where my life could go seemed endless.

But quickly, that was shattered with what they found. 

It turned out that instead of being preventative, that appointment was life saving. I had a spot in my right breast. I was quickly sent to a surgeon who specializes in breast cancer and I prepared myself for what was coming.

I had watched countless family members and friends go through it. They were all older than me, but some, not by much. It was devastating. You began to see the shell of what once was such a lively person as the treatments went on. How was I supposed to go on like this?

From the day I met with the surgeons, I continued asking myself why I was put in the situation to have to make this decision at the age of 24. What haunted me even more so, though, was that I knew that most women my age were not even aware that this disease was a threat to them currently. 
But I didn’t have time to ponder and think about the greatness that could arise from this situation, as preparations began immediately. The surgery was scheduled. I felt like I had the death certificate for my future in my hands. 

I wouldn’t live whatever time I had left in vain. I reached out to the South Carolina chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation as soon as I discovered that I would be having this surgery. They work to help raise funds for both research and basic needs for patients. This includes funding for things like groceries, transportation, therapy and other items that are essential to everyday life. I sat with Lucy Spears in a local James Island coffee shop and I never felt more understood and heard. Lucy is now the Executive Director of Komen SC and that woman gives everything she can to an organization that means so much to her. You see, she’s a survivor as well.

Photo by
Deanna Webber Photography

 

We sat there for hours talking about how I was feeling, what my plans were, the struggles I was facing, my experience with Komen in the past, and then Lucy asked me a question that really did change my life...

“Will you share your story?”

And without a second of thought, I responded, “Absolutely.”

Did I know that there would be days that this answer would haunt me because I didn’t even feel like a human myself? No. 

Did I know that there would be days that this answer saved my life? No. 

But what I did know is that by creating awareness, we can catch breast cancer early enough that a patient is presented with options, not an ultimatum. Hope is crucial in fighting a disease like this, and I want others to know that they aren’t alone. 

---

I hope you'll come back next week for the second installment of her story. 

It's National Concussion Awareness Day!

National Concussion Awareness Day was founded in 2016 by Brooke Mills, who you may remember from her visit to Section 36 a few years ago.

The goal of National Concussion Awareness day is right there in the name, to raise awareness about this condition. To create a national dialogue of people sharing their stories and experiences, to show support for those suffering, and to raise money for brain injury related charities.

It's an amazing way that Brooke, through her platform "Lessen the Impact", has used her personal concussion experiences and tried to help out other who may be suffering in silence from the same issues.

I thought it would be a good chance for me to share some excerpts from her interview where she discussed concussions.

What led you to start “Lessen the Impact”, which now serves as your platform?

After suffering my personal concussion I was opened to the world of concussion and how greatly important concussion awareness was. Since the founding of Lessen the Impact Organization, I have also founded National Concussion Awareness Day to promote this message around the country. Join this year’s movement and share your brain injury story on social media with the hashtag #nationalconcussionawarenessday and find our page on Facebook! 

Most people associate concussions with sports like football. But, the Red Sox have had several players and a sideline reporter miss time with concussions the last couple years. So, what types of athletes need to be aware of concussions?

I find it important for everyone to be aware of concussions, even non-athletes. I did not participate in any sport before my concussion and therefore lacked a lot of information about them. I was playing team hand ball in my required freshman gym class when I was kicked in the head, resulting in a brain injury that left me unconscious on the gym floor. 

By having a knowledgeable society on concussions including the signs and symptoms, healing processes, importance of rest, returning to play and learn guidelines, and taking the concussion seriously, we would be able to greatly help those suffering and prevent future injuries. For more information visit the www.cdc.gov/headsup

Brock Holt comes to mind as a player who struggled with his concussion for a long time. Is there something we as fans, or as people who may know others who have had concussions, need to keep in mind during the recovery process?

It is unfortunate that many sports have reoccurring concussions that happen during any game to the players, even baseball. I find the most important part is to be optimistic. Time is the best healer as well as any cognitive rehabilitation therapies and rest, but it is important to be optimistic that the body and brain will recover. This past March I had my 4 year anniversary from my brain injury and continue to see improvements in my cognitive abilities. When recovering, simply be patient.    

---

In addition to Brooke, several other visitors to Section 36 either had concussion related SII or talked about concussions or brain injuries in their interviews. Here are a few examples. 

Megan Stier

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Brain Injury Awareness and Education”?

When I was in high school I suffered from a traumatic brain injury and I found that the hardest part wasn’t the pain, memory loss or speech differences that happened because of my injury. The hardest part was trying to go back to school and finding that there was very little knowledge and information available for my teachers and administrators on how to properly work with students with brain injury. Now I work to inform our schools about the needs and expectations of students returning to school post brain injury. My hope is to fully create a program for students to reintegrate back into their schools and communities seamlessly post injury.

Kylie Blakely

As a talented pianist, what are your favorite types of songs to play? 

I absolutely love Hayden, Litzt, and the carnival of the animals. My favorite pieces to play are ones that incorporate crossing my hands. Due to a soccer related head injury I have damage that makes it difficult for me to play and I was told I could never play again at the level I was on. However, with many many many hours on the bench and an AMAZING instructor I was able to regain some of what I lost. Crossing my arms in a piano piece is me saying YES I CAN to those who told me I'd never be able to play again as it incorporates the part of my brain that sustained the damage. 

Jayden Moffa

How did you select your platform, Concussion Awareness through BrainSteps?

Choosing my platform to be Concussion Awareness Through BrainSteps was pretty set in stone because of the traumatic brain injuries that I suffered through. My first concussion went undiagnosed for over 14 months and I now suffer with a learning disability as well as a loss of depth perception in my right eye. I struggled tremendously in high school and going into college. It was only fitting that I used my struggles to now be my voice and platform. 

---

So today, if you've had a concussion or brain injury like these visitors, I suggest you share your story! Let others know they're not alone. Whether it's talking to a friend, sharing it with the social media world, or even leaving a comment on this post. (If you share it on social media, be sure to use the #nationalconcussionawarenessday hashtag.) Get your story out there so that others can learn from it.

You should also visit the National Concussion Awareness Day website. There you can also share your story, and they have lots of other tools for you, and ways you can help out.

Also, be sure to visit Lessen The Impact for everyday resources for handling concussions.

Help Brooke get the word out!

Kate Symons, of The Pageant File, Visits Section 36 Forevers!

Section 36 Forevers has another visitor! Kate Symons is the creator of the website “The Pageant File”. If you’re interested in Pageantry, and especially the Miss New York Organization, you may already be familiar with her work. If you’re not, hopefully this will be a great chance to find out more. I was excited that she was willing to visit with us to discuss her website, how she got into the genre, and where she hopes to go from here. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this as much as I did.

So, let’s see what happens when Kate Symons visits Section 36 Forevers!

What made you start The Pageant File?

The PageantFile started as a pageant recap blog. I was spending a lot of time in the audience as my sister competed, and I would write up the results. Then I started to put effort into researching the contestants beforehand, to make predictions posts. From there, a lot happened all at once. My researching became an obsession, and I wanted to learn more and more about the legacies of the local Miss New York pageant scene, and my blog was a great place to collect and share that information. I also started posting articles with tips, and interviewing titleholders. Then as social media became more popular, I starting Facebook to post live results and collect service photos, I live Tweeted from the audience, and Instagram became a titleholder spotlight. The blog used to have a different name, and included more than just pageantry. As the pageant related content grew, I decided to break it off and give it separate blog. But needed a name. At that point, someone made a rude comment one of my posts stating I was unhealthily obsessed, and called me a derogatory term. It wasn’t nice, but it made me think about the suffix “-phile”, meaning a strong fondness. I spun it to File, to add extra emphasis on the writing/recording aspect. The PageantFile stuck, and has been the name for almost ten years now! 

What is the focus or mission of The Pageant File?

I’ve bounced around with a lot of different content before really finding that my mission is highlighting and preserving the local titleholders who are often lost in the shadows of the state titleholder. After moving from NY, I was not longer able to recap from the audience, and I thought TPF would dissolve. But, apart of pageantry, I have a lot of experience in personal branding and marketing. I work with small businesses (like doulas, coaches, photographers, etc) to market themselves as more than a “shop”. One day it clicked that I could share that same concept with titleholders to promote themselves as public figures. I may not be able to coach the ladies on stage, but I can definitely give valuable insight and tips for their online presence.

I love your Instagram content, including your titleholder profiles. What’s your strategy in merging social media with the The Pageant File website?

Right now the website is pretty stagnant. For a while I was giving the recaps, but I can’t do that now. I had been building profiles with titleholders’ bios and awards, but after five years I had hundreds to maintain and it was overwhelming with the constant changing of headshots and information. So I dropped that. I also decided that I wasn’t the best person to give general competition tips, there are so many websites that do that better. So instead I decided to focus the website on the legacy preservation aspect. I update the class lists and local legacies pages 2-3 times per year, before and after local season, and with the state winner and awards. 

What short or long-term goals do you have for The Pageant File?

Some titleholders had reached out about design services- autograph cards, program ads, program books. But as the saying goes, “give a (wo)man a fish, and she eats for a day, but teach them to fish and they eat forever.” So even though I love to design, I am much happier teaching the ladies to make their own graphics. I would love to host a branding course that touches on digital design, so they can make their own content. Then also establish themselves as a public figure outside of their current title, like platform workshop development, social media management, sponsorship and collaboration outreach, and even building a brand board with personal logo. I’m also debating opening an online shop with printables for their pageant binder, design templates that titleholders can use to build their own content, and generic “a la cart” content they can use. No big custom projects, mostly digital items they can download immediately after purchasing. 

What has surprised you the most about running The Pageant File?

One of the biggest surprises has been just how much people respect my feedback. Back in the beginning, I wrote a blog post with a blow by blow of all the contestants’ talents. One specific contestant had a very long “opening” to her talent. Since talent is only 90 seconds long, I wrote that I felt she wasted too much time in the beginning. I didn’t even know she read the blog, let alone cared what I had to say. But the next pageant, she switched up her opening and ended up winning. Obvious I’m not taking credit for her win, but that moment I realized that my audience perspective is valuable. Just because I’m not a titleholder doesn’t mean I can’t see places to improve. 

What has been the most challenging aspect about running The Pageant File?

The biggest struggle has been finding my niche. I don’t want to market this blog in a way that competes with other websites. I don’t want to misrepresent myself as an expert in an area I am not. I also don’t want to pour my time and energy into a blog that is only valuable to 20 girls each year. So finding that balance between New York’s specific content and valuable marketing content that anyone can learn from. Also, before shifting my articles’ focus, I struggled with keeping a balance of giving an honest opinion feedback of the competition, and being tactful with how I felt about contestants’ performances. Unfortunately some ladies didn’t like my thoughts about them, which never meant to be disrespectful, but I needed to find that balance at that time. 

——

I personally think she’s done a great job of finding that balance. Hopefully you do too!

As always, I want to give huge thanks to Kate for doing this interview. I’m so glad we were able to make it happen. I also want to thank her for providing the pictures to accompany the interview. 

If you’re looking to learn more about (or follow along with) Miss New York local titleholders, I definitely suggest you use The Pageant File. Whether that's the website, or Instagram account. They’re great ways to keep track of the titleholders that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve. 

And, if you talk to Kate don’t forget to tell her you saw her on Section 36 Forevers!

Thanks again Kate!

Kristina Ayanian Discusses Armenian Genocide

 Today represents the 105th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, a topic very important to Kristina Ayanian. She shared a must-read instagram post about it this morning. With her permission, I wanted to share that post here for you all to see.

View this post on Instagram

April 24, 2020 marks the 105th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - a day to honor the 1.5 million lives that were taken due to the Ottoman Empire’s attempt to systematically annihilate the Armenian population. The Armenian Genocide often gets overlooked in history books and lessons, as the Turks strategically executed their plot during the World War I chaos. My ancestors were displaced from their homes, their homeland, and forced to MARCH thousands of miles only to perish in the Syrian Desert. First, the Ottoman Empire targeted priests, scholars, poets, artists, then women and children. The survivors who were able to escape created what is now the Armenian diaspora. To this day, Turkey and @rterdogan are in DENIAL of their actions and 105 years later, Armenians around the world STILL fight for the recognition of their own HISTORY. Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia. At the end of 2019, the US House and Senate passed two resolutions recognizing the horrific acts of 1915 as GENOCIDE for the first time in history. Currently, only 31 countries around the world recognize the 1915 ethnic cleansing as genocide. The importance of genocide recognition resonates beyond our own borders - it prevents future genocides. While these two resolutions were in discussion in the US, Turkey was in the midst of conducted another genocide - this time on the Kurdish population in Northern Syria. History recognized is history never repeated. Pictured in this post is a memory from my most recent trip to Armenia while hiking to the top of Armenia’s highest peak, Mount Aragats, with Armenians from across the globe. We are living proof that #TurkeyFailed. “For when two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia” - William Saroyan

A post shared by Miss Boston (@missbostonorg) on Apr 24, 2020 at 5:48am PDT

I could never hope to talk about it as well as she can. So, here's her caption again, a little larger.

April 24, 2020 marks the 105th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - a day to honor the 1.5 million lives that were taken due to the Ottoman Empire’s attempt to systematically annihilate the Armenian population. The Armenian Genocide often gets overlooked in history books and lessons, as the Turks strategically executed their plot during the World War I chaos. My ancestors were displaced from their homes, their homeland, and forced to MARCH thousands of miles only to perish in the Syrian Desert. First, the Ottoman Empire targeted priests, scholars, poets, artists, then women and children. The survivors who were able to escape created what is now the Armenian diaspora. To this day, Turkey and @rterdogan are in DENIAL of their actions and 105 years later, Armenians around the world STILL fight for the recognition of their own HISTORY. Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia. At the end of 2019, the US House and Senate passed two resolutions recognizing the horrific acts of 1915 as GENOCIDE for the first time in history. Currently, only 31 countries around the world recognize the 1915 ethnic cleansing as genocide. The importance of genocide recognition resonates beyond our own borders - it prevents future genocides. While these two resolutions were in discussion in the US, Turkey was in the midst of conducted another genocide - this time on the Kurdish population in Northern Syria. History recognized is history never repeated. Pictured in this post is a memory from my most recent trip to Armenia while hiking to the top of Armenia’s highest peak, Mount Aragats, with Armenians from across the globe. We are living proof that #TurkeyFailed. “For when two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia” - William Saroyan

--

Like I said, much better than I could do. If, like me, you were less aware about this occasion than you should be, today would be a great opportunity to learn even more about the topic.