Putting things into perspective.

[Paa_Paw]

Some women I've known:

Number 1) Her Mother and Father divorced while she was only a toddler. Her Father was murdered in her presence when she was 5 yrs old. When she was 12, her Mother was operating a Brothel and she was sold out to be the child bride of a pedophile three times her age. She had only two years of formal education. She had two children by the age of 15.

Number 2) Born premature with a large cancer on her face, her chances of survival were so low that she was removed from the incubator and handed to her mother. Her mother was told: she can't survive for long. The tumor covered the entire right side of her face and it was not known if she had an eye on that side. She did survive though but was severly disfigured by the radiation burns and surgeries to remove her tumors.

Number 3) She was born with a heart problem, and a life expectancy of three to five years.

Number 4) Healthy and happy until the age of fifteen, severe abdomenal pains were found to be intestinal cancer. In three separate operations,  about a third of her small intestine and half her large intestine had to be removed.

1) Divorced and remaried, she had three more children. She got a GED, Went to College and became a teacher. She was my Mother.

2) She maried a man who later abandoned her with three small children. His loss was  my gain, our paths crossed and for 20 years now it has been my pleasure to say with pride that this very sweet and special person is my Wife.

3) Surgery corrected the heart problem and she has grown into a beautiful young woman. She has a Management position with a national Corporation. She is my youngest Daughter.

4) She is 16 now and her last MRI etc. show her to be clear of cancer. She still has abdomenal cramps, " They're really bad, But they don't last too long" she says. She remains a happy girl with a bright outlook. She is my grand- daughter.

In the grand scheme of things, I'm really fortunate that Gynecomastia is the worst thing I've had to deal with.

Sometimes when I read the post of someone who thinks that their puffy nipples are totally ruining their life, it gets really hard to be compassionate.

[headheldhigh01]

i agreed with you up until the last sentence, which i only partly agree with.  i remain convinced from personal experience that you can hide a very great deal unseen beneath the exterior of saying a person has been "given everything" or something is "no big deal."  

that said, it's definitely a useful reminder for perspective.