Empowering Women to Take Charge of Their Health Options
Women Happenings Magazine
Women Magazine By Colleen Farris Weaver ’80 The driving force behind the founding of Women Magazine by Colleen Farris Weaver and her husband, Dr. Charles Weaver, has been to provide women with the tools they need to become empowered with regard to their own health, and to recognize the unique role of women in the overall health of their family and friends. Women Magazine has been a labor of love to support women in these endeavors.
I“I
am again committed to a community of women.”
What do you remember from your days at the Mount? What experiences stay with you today? How did those years shape your future? In my case, it was the sense of community and the bonds we formed as young women that continue to inspire: as a student I enjoyed the supportive fellowship, and as an adult I still become invigorated by my female friends. Though I have travelled a distance in the 30 years since my graduation, my roots were and always will be in the Mount family of women. It is the sense of belonging to an empowering family of women that still fuels my life today. Now, as a wife, mother, and cancer advocate, I continue to call on the resources of those early years. As I work with my husband to bring awareness and education related to women’s health, and specifically cancer, to women and their families, I am again committed to a community of women. I became intimately aware of the impact of a cancer diagnosis early in my married life. As the wife of an oncologist, my eyes were opened quickly to both my own mortality and to the effect of the disease on others’ lives. The phone calls requesting medical advice have been a constant feature of our life together, and it became clear in my own mind how imperative it is to become educated about your health—when faced with a disease like cancer and, perhaps even more so, before you encounter that challenge. But my exposure to cancer and the challenges it creates has not been limited to second-hand experiences. When my father was diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer, I was overwhelmed by the personal grief of the diagnosis, but I quickly educated myself about his condition and offered my love and support in his journey. I became very aware, as I accompanied my family on this path, how blessed I was to have not only my husband’s knowledge to call on but also the access to connect with an
experimental clinical trial—which saved my father’s life. Three years after my father’s diagnosis I was again reminded of the power of education and support when we discovered a lump in my then ten-year-old son’s chest. After testing was carried out, it was found to be benign, but it was our early detection of the tumor and our vigilant research that created the best possible outcome. Again, I was struck with how invaluable education is when confronted with a health challenge. Our commitment to learning about our son’s condition and to discovering which resources were most appropriate led to the best possible outcome. It’s because I was so intimately aware of the empowering role of health information that I was thrilled to support my husband in his launch of Women magazine five years ago. A quarterly print and online publication that features articles on wellness, nutrition, prevention, treatment, and cancer survivorship, Women is a valuable resource for women and families. As the primary decision makers in our homes where our families’ health and wellness is concerned, we need as much information about these topics as possible. The pages of Women offer stories of inspiration and innovation. We provide women with the tools they need to become empowered with regard to their own health, and we recognize the unique role of women in the overall health of their family and friends. There is no doubt that the Mount helped shape me into the woman I am today. And, as a result of my belief in the powerful bonds of a community of women, that I want to offer my story to you. We all have the power to educate ourselves and our families, and in the case of our health as in so many other areas, knowledge is power. I hope that as a cancer advocate, I can now return the gift of my Mount education in my work to help improve women’s lives. It has been my pleasure to share with you my passion as an advocate and my mission to inform women about their health choices. To learn more or subscribe, visit www.awomanshealth.com.
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