It was a happy convergence to learn about BCAQ around the same time as I saw the film Pink Ribbons Inc. Since my diagnosis in 2009 and the year from hell of treatment that followed, I’d been increasingly uncomfortable about the “pinkifying” / infantalizing of the breast cancer experience and relieved to find others who were naming it so wisely. I was thrilled to learn that BCAQ was a  feminist organization committed to preventing cancer and identifying its environmental perpetrators.

I had written But Hope is Longer: Navigating the Country of Breast Cancer”  (Second Story Press 2012) about the myriad challenges of the breast cancer experience, including navigating a fractured system, finding the right treatment plan and straddling mainstream and naturopathic cancer care. As my hope was that my book might be a resource for the women who would follow me, I was delighted when Patricia Kearns invited me to a Café Rencontre with BCAQ in April, 2015. I was also pleased to introduce BCAQ to Fem International, which provided their warm, intimate space for the event.

It turned out to be a magical evening with the 23 women who came to meet and talk. Each had her own story, a thirst to listen and share. It was palpable in the room, almost anxious. When I shared what I had been through, challenging my doctors at the same time as I was wrestling with my own mortality, there was a sense of relief in the room. It was as if it was OK to have doubts and fears and to voice them was desirable and smart, proactive. We arrived as strangers but left as sisters.

My dad, Gil Levine, was a tireless fighter for social justice. When he died in 2009, he set aside some money to keep up the struggle to make the world a better place. Last year, I suggested to my 92-year old mother and my sister that we make a memorial donation in his name to BCAQ. We were all delighted to so.

Huge congratulations to BCAQ on your 25th anniversary. Keep up the incredible work you do. In sisterhood, Tamara Levine.