At Someone With, Chemo Beanies are one of our most popular items.

Someone With customers, looking for a head covering for hair loss, have come to love the silky soft lightweight fabric, the  stay-in –place design and the chic style.

We find that most people purchase a neutral color -black, grey or navy – which are basic and make the Chemo Beanie a versatile part of their wardrobe

But can we suggest a splash of color for summer?

An ocean blue or a light airy pink?    A pop of bright color lights up your entire face and brightens your cheeks.  Even a white Chemo Beanie is a nice summery look and is every bit as versatile as a darker neutral.

Find your favorite Chemo Beanie at  http://www.someonewithbreastcancer.com/apparel-headwear.html and give your hair covering wardrobe a summer upgrade!

We are at sea today, and the Breast Cancer Thrivers are all here with bells on.  More like with “pink” on!

The cruisers are decked out in their pink finest and I am talking pink feather boas, pink fuzzy flip flops, pink decorated bras worn on the outside of their t-shirts.  It’s all so affirming.

I’ve listened to these women and their stories and can fully attest that there is life after Breast Cancer.   You can see it in their smiles and in their passion.   And while there are somber and honest moments here, the mood is nothing but hopeful.

My takeaway from this week and my commitment is to take the Someone With platform and use it for the highest good for all breast cancer patients.  I will call on the women I’ve met here this week to help me do that.

This morning they shared with me their favorite products and also their ideas for how Someone With can reach the next level in serving breast cancer patients.  There are some very good ideas.

And between all of us enough energy to pull it off.

Onward through the ocean.  Next stop, Nassau!

Wednesday and Thursday have been tour days on the Breast Cancer Wellness Thrivers Cruise.

We’ve taken some time away from the ship to explore St. Maarten yesterday and St. Thomas/St. John today.

It’s been fun getting off the ship, seeing some of the local sites and meeting some of the local people.

It’s also been good to see the BCW cruisers out relaxing and having fun.  They are living fully AND thriving.

Beverly Vote, Breast Cancer Wellness’ founders, says:  “To survive is our starting point.  To thrive is our original design.”

This is true for all of us whether we have faced breast cancer or not.

One of the BCW cruisers this week recounted how when she was diagnosed, some of her acquaintances would ask her “How much time do you have?”  She would reply to them, “Well how much time do YOU have?”  And she is really right and this is so true.  None of us knows how much time we have.

Beverly Vote coaches breast cancer patients quarterly in her wonderfully upbeat and hope-filled magazine, Breast Cancer Wellness.  Of her own journey to this place she writes, “By continually training my mind to see the healing moments helps me to tune out the clutter of inconsequential fears, untruths, needless drama, naysayers and stagnant healing.”

I am so looking forward to tomorrow since we have a full day of conversation on the agenda.  I’ll be providing a summary afterward.

In the meantime, I’m going to relax a bit, reflect a lot and THRIVE here on board the Ruby Princess somewhere in the Caribbean.

The morning opened with participants sharing their breast cancer stories.  Quite moving.  I have learned so much that will help me in my role at Someone With.

Here are some of the memorable quotes from the morning:

•  ”At some point you have to cry.”
• “Let people do for you”
• “When I got cancer it nipped at my heels.  Now it nips at my heart. “
• “Live through the storm.  Dance through the rain.”

and, of course,

• “The great force on earth is the pink sisterhood.”  Beverly Vote (Breast Cancer Wellness founder)

After the stories, I presented the Someone With story.  And as I stood in front of the group, I realized that there are no accidents.  Everything in my business career has prepared me for this moment.  And that with the help of these amazing ladies and through our partnership with Breast Cancer Wellness, we can change the world for breast cancer patients and survivors.

That is indeed a good day’s work. Lots more to be done but for now I am deeply gratified and satisfied.  Big smile.

Beverly Vote welcomed the group with great warmth and enthusiasm and set the tone for the next seven days.  She confirmed that we are going to have fun (which happens to be my number one rule in life!) and celebrate our wellness.  In other words, we’ll thrive.

Beverly handed out copies of her book, How We Became Breast Cancer Thrivers, asked everyone to read the book, make notes and comments, and then pay it forward by passing the book on to someone else who can benefit from its healing words.  (Note to self:  SomeoneWith needs to make this wonderful book available in our online marketplace.)

This cruise is being shared with another very special group.  There are a large number of Mr and Mrs. Santa Clauses on board with us.  There are Santas of every type imaginable.  I even saw one with spiked gray hair on top of his head.

Every time I pass one of them, I have to just stop and smile.  They are so passionate about what they do and clearly live their mission every day of the year.  We should all be so inspired.

So the highlight of the welcome reception was a special visit by a Mr. and Mrs. Claus  who’d taken the time to make special pink and white Santa suits especially to honor the breast cancer thrivers.

What a great first day of what I know is going to be a week that changes my perspective and helps shape the mission of Someone With.

I am seven weeks into my adventure as the President of Some With’s online marketplace for breast cancer patients.  I am putting my more than two decades of business experience to good use – but all that business experience still hasn’t equipped me with everything that I need to be successful.  I need to understand fully the breast cancer journey.

Here at Someone With we have so many ideas and aspirations.  So many things we want to offer to breast cancer patients.  We are so passionate about our mission and the way we run our marketplace.  But we are only as good as the products and services we provide.  Thus, we rely on feedback from survivors to guide us.

I’m incredibly excited at the privilege of spending seven days with this wonderful group.  I haven’t met my fellow Breast Cancer Wellness cruisers yet but I love them already – for their spunk, passion and zest for life.  (I’ve seen the pictures from previous cruises!!)

I know these people will become my friends and my inspiration as I shape SomeoneWith.com into the company that I know it can and should be.  I am going to listen to each and every cruiser who is willing to talk to me.  I will take lots of notes and ask for permission to stay in touch.

In the coming months, Someone With will launch our product review initiative that is going to ask thousands of breast cancer survivors to “pay it forward” by reviewing products that they have used and found helpful.  In the same vein, we’ll ask them to let patients know what products didn’t work for them.  This kind of knowledge sharing will surely help breast cancer patients spend less time searching for all the items they need for their treatment and focus more time on the many other “to dos” that fill a breast cancer patient’s plate.

For two years, www.someonewith.com has been the one place on the Internet to find the full complement of products a breast cancer patient needs.  But moving forward, we intend to become an even more valuable resource for breast cancer patients by collecting product reviews and expanding our patient registry.

As I embark the Ruby Princess, I wish for myself and all the other cruisers nothing but smooth sailing  – not only for the next 7 days but for the rest of our”someone with” journey wherever that may take us!

Bon voyage.

Blogs by their very nature are “wordy”.

But this afternoon,  it is difficult (if not impossible) to write any words that can capture our sadness over the violence in Boston.

So,  instead, we send out our truest condolences to those who have lost a loved one; warm healing thoughts to all those injured; our most profound gratitude to the strangers who comforted strangers and our continuing awe and deepest respect for  the first responders who strive to keep us safe every day.

And we hope that everyone will find a spot of calm tonight where they will be able to remember the kindness and love that make up the world, instead of fear and hate that is front page today.

What books earned a place on your night stand and fell open to frequently read sections?

What book was helpful to understand your diagnosis?

What did you read to prepare for treatment?

What books provided support? or a good laugh?

Did your family/friends find something in print that helped them help you?

Tell us in the comments, please!