Doin’ the Diva

“It takes the same amount of time to put on cute clothes as it does to put on ugly ones.”
M. Laskow

I dress up for every chemo lab, every radiation session, and every doctor’s appointment — even though, for the latter two, I’ll soon be draped in an uglier-than-ugly gown. Even if I’m so weak I can barely walk, being sick doesn’t justify ugly clothes in public. People have to look at me in the waiting room. People see me in chemo lab — and even with a needle in my arm for several hours, that’s not an excuse for ugly clothes.

For every visit to Kaiser, I wear colorful clothing, big jewelry, and eclectic head scarves. I deserve to be adorned in Diva Gorgeous. I will not use cancer as an excuse to look like crap.

On my last radiation treatment, another patient thanked me for my happy clothing. She said that even when she felt sick or depressed, my attitude and outfits cheered her, and she wanted me to know how much I was appreciated. I heard the same comments in chemo lab from both nurses and patients.

I have always had my own fashion sense and dressed to please myself, but I’m grateful Ms. Diva could bring a momentary ray of brightness into the dreary world of hospitals and cancer.

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