A cancer survivor has created an anthology packed with handwritten letters of “encouragement, humour and love” written by strangers to other women with breast cancer.
‘Dear Friend’ by Gina L. Mulligan contains notes written by cancer survivors, their friends and family members, designed to show other patients they are not alone.
Gina was inspired to start collecting the letters after being diagnosed with breast cancer herself at the age of 40 and realising “a few words on paper are more than just a keepsake”.
She began handing out letters to other cancer patients and what started as a small gesture of goodwill in her local community soon turned into a global movement.
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Chronicle Books
Gina L. Mulligan
Gina, who lives in Sacramento, California, says being diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her 40th birthday was “a shock”, but it wasn’t the diagnosis itself that changed her life.
“The true change came a few weeks later when I started receiving well wishes. I received over 200 letters, mostly from friend of friends,” she says.
“The letters said I was already a hero without telling me I needed to try a special diet or exercise plan.”
Gina, who was a novelist before compiling ‘Dear Friend’, says receiving letters helped her to emotionally “heal” after she’d finished her physical cancer treatment.
“I began wondering if other breast cancer patients were receiving this special form of support,” she says.
“After I won my battle with breast cancer, I knew just what I had to do.”
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Dear Friend
In 2011, Gina and her husband started the Girls Love Mail (GLM) movement. The couple and a few of their friends would sit around their kitchen table and write letters to women with breast cancer. Gina would then drop the letters off at cancer centres across the state.
“Then the word got out and more letters starting coming in. People wanted to help,” she explains.
“Anyone with a desire to encourage a woman can write a letter. All it takes is a little time and the cost of a postage stamp.”
To date, more then 80,000 letters have been sent to GLM for cancer patients and now, some have been compiled in a book so more women across the world can experience their benefits.
Some of the letters in the book contain the neat, careful handwriting of children while others reveal the swirling, barely legible writing of well-wishers much older - but that’s part of their charm.
The notes contain jokes, personal anecdotes or a simple few words of encouragement an it’s clear they make a difference.
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Dear Friend
The GLM website contains a whole host of thank you notes written by patients who received the letters.
One women, called Grace, says: “I was just diagnosed with breast cancer. At my doctors office I was given a bag with a lot of information. Inside was a Girls Love Mail envelope. It brought me joy when I was at a loss. I keep it with me for inspiration.”
Another woman, Dagmar, say: “Thank you all for your letter. This is the second time I have breast cancer. It came back after 17 years in the same breast I survived it before I can do it again.”
Gina refers to each GLM letter as “a gift” because of the undeniable joy they bring women.
“In this age of text messages and emails, a hand-written note is precious and restorative,” Gina says.
“Caring doesn’t take grand gestures. Caring can be found in a piece of paper and a pen.”
‘Dear Friend’ by Gina L Mulligan (out now, Chronicle Books, £12.99).
Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)