Parade of Pink

217675_1931663380458_3369702_n

When Estee Lauder first reached out to me to be a part of this campaign, I declined because I didn’t know how I felt about sharing my personal story for all the world to see (and critisize). And to be honest, I’ve been a little overloaded and overwhelmed with my day job. So I politely declined. But then, after a follow email from the team and then watching the Estee Lauder’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign video, I changed my mind.  I’m glad I watched the video; it’s short and simple but does an awesome job and, in my opinion, is really powerful. So I thought, wow I want to be a part of that. I emailed them back and told them to count me in!

campaign-logo

So, here we go y’all. Here is my little story.

It was the summer before my Junior year of high school. Aside from a few upcoming courses and some other not-so-shallow concerns, all I was really worried about was what most 16 year old high school girls worry about – meaningless clutter. The top of my worry list included deciding which new pair of hot-right-now tennis shoes I needed for the first day of school and loading up on bright, new school supplies for the year ahead. Being that I was smack-dab-in-the-middle of my high school journey, my priorities were pretty predictable and relatively shallow. I like to think that I was a well-rounded, exceptional teenager, but let’s be honest here – I was 16 and focused on me, myself, and I.

After just getting back home from a month-long mission trip, I had a few big errands and tasks to tackle before school started.  So here I was, running around town running errands–and to be exact, in the middle of picking between hot pink or lime green Nikes,–when my entire world suddenly turned upside down in a matter of hours. And although it happened pretty fast, my memories from that August afternoon in 2006 are vivid and clear and sometimes even slow motion.

It’s interesting to reflect and notice how, after all this time, my mind somehow (albeit subconsciously) swept up and clung onto the most random and inconclusive little details from that day. I remember what song was playing on the radio; the colors of the stoplights on the way home and which ones seemed to linger longer than usual; the smell of the rain and the piles of laundry and empty suitcases I’d left by the side door  after getting back from my trip; ground beef on the stove for taco Tuesday; and the look in my father’s eyes that told me all I needed to know.

Despite what all my English teacher’s have told me over the years, I’m an avid supporter of cliches. And this was the coming-to-life moment for me of the I never thought it would happen to me cliche. We are all guilty of thinking this way at some point or another and feel as if the evils and tragedies of this world are miles and worlds away from our little bubble of reality. But I can say from my experience on that day (and many others) that there really is nothing like that struggle to accept something you never imagined would happen. It’s a surreal feeling – your mind suddenly struck by a state of cognitive dissonance that leaves you feeling confused, dizzy and paralyzed as you try and come to terms with reality.

That was the day I found out my mom had breast cancer. But the good news is, as I’m sure most of you know by now, she is still with us today. So luckily and graciously for my family, our story ended well. But I know not everyone’s C-word-story ends well and so it is for this reason (among others) that I’ve since been an active supporter of raising breast cancer awareness. In fact, my sisters and I actually started a non profit the following year and went on to host 6 annual mother-daughter fashion show and luncheons to raise money for the cure, raising over $150,000.

216533_1931579618364_3360799_n

Me and my two sisters at the 2010 luncheon (5th Annual)

In a nutshell, the event was a luncheon that took place each year on Mother’s day weekend and included a Fashion show courtesy of local boutiques and volunteer models showing off the new arrivals for Spring and Summer down the runway.

206636_1931589138602_2033424_n

Survivor, Courtney Loup Edwards, sharing her story at the 2010 event (5th Annual)

And at the end of each show, we would have a survivor share her story and experience with everyone, adding a personal touch.

28478_1334615364547_794430_n

Parade of Pink Finale at the 2011 Event (6th Annual)

We concluded the fashion show with what we like to call the “Parade of Pink” where we invited Breast Cancer survivors in the community to wear ball gowns (also from boutiques) and strut (proudly!) down the runway to a second line band (this was always such a fun surprise!), celebrating their defeat together. This was my favorite part!

217607_1931667420559_7124870_n

The color pink will always mean something a little more for me and my family. Being that there are 4 girls in our family of 6, we were already big fans of the color pink; but this experience that we went through together made the color and all that it represents all that much sweeter and more special. The Kellers are big supporters of the color pink and always will be 😉

29530_1339768173364_5820663_n 199605_1003850095622_8517_n

Disclaimer: compensation for this post was provided by BCA via AOL Media.  The opinions expressed herein belong to me (and me only!) and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of BCA or AOL. And Also, thank you to Estee Lauder and AOL for inspiring me to sit down and take time to share a little piece of my story. I’m so happy to be a part of such an amazing campaign!

More Blog Posts

Thanksgiving week is here, and it’s time for another roundup of fall outfits I’ve worn over the past week. I’ve spent a lot of time working on Cyber Week deals...
The 2024 Black Friday deals are here! I remember just a few years ago, Black Friday was a much bigger deal. But now, there are deals streaming in all week...
We’re wrapping up the week with a fun outfit lineup. I’ve been deep in Cyber Week sales prep, and I’m excited to share that my early access code for Anthropologie...
If you’ve ever shopped for a man, you know how challenging it can be. I tried to keep this in mind when putting together my gift guides for him. I...
You know we love a weekly outfit recap around here, and this week’s recap is no exception. There are some pieces I’m seriously loving, like these high waist wide leg...
I’ve had so much fun putting out this first round of gift guides. In case you missed it, I shared my list of favorite things last week. You can’t go...
We’ve got some great Amazon best sellers from the last month! There were several things I knew would be on the list—like the Christmas tree you guys went crazy for...
It’s time for another outfit recap, and I’m excited to share some of my favorite look from last week. This time of year, I always gravitate toward browns. Like this...