LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

by Imani Monica McCullough

My sisters,

Remember when I told you about how I finally shaved my head in surrender to alopecia? Well, I might have left off a little, tiny piece of the story.

You see, after I shaved my head, I was terrified to reveal it to the world because of all the reasons I previously shared. Fear of judgment and criticism. Fear I was no longer beautiful and sexy. Fear of looking different from everyone else... But what I didn’t share is that I was also afraid that people might think I had cancer. And, although loved ones assured me that my bald head didn’t make me look sick, I worried that it did.

And then in the most ironic, cosmic twist of the universe, guess what happened?

Yep, you guessed it... I was diagnosed with cancer.

It’s taken over a year for me to be able to share those words with you, while smiling at the irony of it all. It’s taken over a year for me to be able to look at how one “little” word could make me question everything I thought to be true, cause me to reexamine why I’m here on this earth, and ultimately help me be more grateful for each day than I ever imagined.

Only from this place of wholeness am I ready to share what I’ve learned. And, in keeping with our “you are not alone” theme, we have other YANAsisters who have opened their hearts to do the same.

I understand this topic may be triggering to some, so please be gentle with yourself. As someone who has lost a parent and other loved ones to cancer, I get how this “little” word holds so much power and has caused so much pain. But I’m going to ask you to push beyond the fear if you are able, so you can hear pieces of the story that you may have missed before... pieces about how cancer can also help us live. Actually, not just cancer, how every physical or mental challenge can remind us not to take a single day for granted, so that we’ll say the things that need to be said, pursue the dreams in our hearts, and maximize this beautiful experience called life.

Thank you for opening your hearts to us. Thank you for your prayers for me and the sisters who’ve shared here, as well as for the countless unnamed sisters and brothers who are on this journey.

We also speak the names of the heroes who’ve braved this journey before us. We remember you.

P.S. We are so very grateful to each sister who bravely shared her story with us. Thank you for reminding us to be thankful!