Well today is my birthday!!! I am officially 27 years old. No more USAT induced confusion (I have been telling everyone I was 27 or sometimes 28 all year long!)
Birthdays are more special after my accident. I look at life a little differently and really appreciate and try to celebrate the fact that I am alive on my birthday! This year I wanted to do something more than "go out to eat", I wanted to figure out a way to honor life. So I decided what better way to honor my life and my birthday than to help someone who is struggling to keep theirs?
I cut off all my hair to donate it to an organization that makes real-hair wigs for people with cancer! The last time I did this I didn't fully understand the impact of what I was doing. I was complaining about how short my hair was, it wouldn't fit in a ponytail, etc,etc, but this time is different. I was talking to a friend of the family today who has breast cancer. She recently had a double mastectomy and will undergo reconstructive surgery on the 17th. When she asked me how I was celebrating my birthday and I told her what I did she just started crying. She said "Thank you. Thank you from all of us that have cancer. You are such a special person to think about others. What you did was really special and it will make a difference." Of course at that point I was crying too. Hearing her say that to me was the best birthday present that I could ever receive!
Don't wait until your birthday to figure out a way to honor your life and do something special for someone. Appreciate the gifts and talents that you have been given and live everyday to the fullest!
Many thanks to everyone for the b-day calls, text messages, e-mails, etc, etc, I really appreciate all of you guys!
6 comments:
Happy Birthday! You are such a cool person...not many people would part with their hair (or anything that changes their appearance for that matter!)GREAT character you have... and I don't have cancer (Thank God!) but I have plenty of friends who do, on their behalf, "thank you!".
Enjoy another year of LIFE! Live it up...
I love the new hairdo!
Happy Birthday, Dani! :-D
Happy Birthday!!! Belated, but only by a few hours. ;)
You look awesome. It really suits you.
Ok, so I'm a little belated, but happy late Birthday. And I think the act of giving your hair was extremely awesome.
Your hair looks great! I bet it feels good too! Happy Birthday! Thanks for blogging, it's been inspirational to read your posts, I'm so excited for you and your return to triathlon. It takes something special to get back out there!
Happy birthday!! Thats so great what you did
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