A Gift of New Clothes Boosts the Spirit
by Penny Rice
In early January, Consider the Lilies Foundation was the recipient of $1000 worth of gift cards for the trendy clothing store American Eagle Outfitters. As a result, we set up two shopping sprees to allow women going through breast cancer treatment in Central Missouri to meet each other and have a “girls night out.”
On January 10, Kecia Fields of Jefferson City and Tammie Plaster of California, Missouri were assisted by CTLF board members Janice Kruse and Shirley Hardin (herself a breast cancer survivor) in selecting some fashionable clothes at the American Eagle Outfitters store in the Capital Mall in Jefferson City. Both Kecia and Tammie had gone through mastectomies recently and it was a delight to watch them shop for something stylish for themselves. At first it seemed they were timid and almost in awe at the task of coordinating colors and sizes and fabrics. But then their womanly instincts took over and we all had a great time!
On January 13, I met with Leona Young of Kehoka, MO, Glenda Sue Perez of Paris, MO, Elizabeth Martin of Climax Springs, MO, Lee Arnold of Columbia, MO and Carol Powell of Bellflower, MO. They are all courageous women in various stages of treatment for breast cancer. We met at the American Eagle Outfitters store in Columbia, Missouri and we were delighted to find a big sale going on. Board member Laura Neal had sent me multiple copies of “Body Image and Cancer,” a booklet from Shop Well with You (for more information, see www.shopwellwithyou.org) giving each woman helpful suggestions on shopping to enhance their body image. One of these dear women had already lost her legs at the knee because of diabetes and now she is fighting breast cancer. Another had worked for years in construction and now she faces finding a whole new vocation to accommodate the long months of treatment after having a bilateral mastectomy. Knowing the pain, the hair loss, the disfiguring of the breasts and the chronic fatigue that these women were all facing caused me to cheer and praise God in my own heart as they tried on clothes and smiled with deep satisfaction at their purchases!
Perhaps this little respite in the midst of their battle will be a source of encouragement to these brave warriors and their families to look up and hold their heads high, for, indeed, our Heavenly Father clothes his precious lilies with beauty and strength!