The truest sentence I know

Hi. My name is Aleta.

There's a line from Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast that came back to me as I began to think about writing this blog. "'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.' So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there."

So here’s my one true sentence, the truest sentence that I know: I am terrified of getting breast cancer.

Classify me as a chicken when it comes to healthcare. Needles are the stuff of my nightmares, and there’s no sugarcoating a visit to the doctor no matter how good for me it is. I have very little history of medical intervention, and would like to keep it that way. My son is adopted, so I avoided a whole lot of healthcare stuff there!

I am terrified of getting breast cancer.

I hate my hair, but I don’t want to lose it. I love time off from work, but don’t want any extra. I love being the center of attention, but don’t want it to be because people are worried about me. Breast cancer can make all these things happen, and I am scared of having them happen to me.

I know of no way to prevent getting breast cancer. There’s no magic pill, no workout routine, no vitamin regimen, no special diet. There’s early detection, and you can bet I visit the radiologist once a year. But what if it happens to me anyway? What if the call comes, that call that says we need you to come back in for a second look? O.M.G.

Research is the answer. Research to find the causes, the best treatments. Research to find prevention and a cure. Research to keep women from losing their lives to breast cancer.

I am terrified of getting breast cancer.

My participation in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte Oct. 26 and 27 is about raising funds, part of which go to fund research to eventually eliminate breast cancer. Raising $1,800 on my own won't be easy, but I will do it to fund research that will quell my greatest fear, my one true sentence.

Walk with me – or donate to my fundraising effort. Let's eradicate breast cancer and take away the fear most women feel when they hear those words. Visit avonwalk.org to learn about the ways you can get involved. The more of us who walk, the more of us survive. And that's the truest sentence I know.

WSOC