Chemo Patient Inspires Others by Wearing Costumes

Beth Bagwell Pendergrass is inspiring others through her Instagram Account. Beth has breast cancer, so to keep her spirits up, she started having fun dressing up as Pop Culture Icons. She says, "The pictures and words I write are reminders to me. I will be able to look back on them and remember that I am a strong person, I am a survivor and a fighter."

Week 41: "If you feel so bad about yourself there’s always things you can do to feel better." Marge, The Simpsons We all have bad days. Days when we look in the mirror and don’t like what we see. Days when we don’t like our job. Days when we don’t feel well. Days when we feel like we’ve accomplished nothing. Days when we miss someone we love. Days when we don’t want to get out of bed. Days when we feel like we’ve been dealt an unfair hand. Just, those plain ol’ days when we feel bad about ourselves. I get it. It happens. Maybe we all need a little time to feel sorry for ourselves, but I’ve also learned that it doesn’t help. I’ve learned that while I can’t change my situation—the hand I’ve been dealt—I can do things to feel better about it. I can continue to share my story and hear other’s stories. I can remind myself that I am not alone and that others are fighting battles far more difficult that my own. Even better than that, I can go out of my way to do nice things for others—to smile, share a compliment or buy someone lunch. It’s simple and it works. Over and over again, it works. As the quote goes, “Kindness can make a bad day good, and a good day better.” #breastcancer #susangkomen #StandUpToCancer #breastcancersurvivor #bethstrong

A post shared by Beth Bagwell Pendergrass (@instabeth505) on Feb 24, 2019 at 12:29pm PST

Week 35: "Haven't you heard? One is the new two." Miss Piggy I've never had a problem asserting my individuality as evidenced by this crazy way I've chosen to document my cancer journey 😜. We all have challenges in our lives, and we all choose to deal with them in our own way. There isn't one right way. You have to find what works for you. Taking a positive, humorous approach is what works for me. I believe attitude is everything, and I am the only one who can control my attitude and my response to my current situation. Viktor Frankl said, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." (Please note, he had it way worse than I have it.) I have chosen my way, and I have chosen my attitude. Both have gotten me through the last 9 months, and both will get me through the next 9 months as I have just started another lengthy round of chemo. I'm not excited about it, but I will do it--I will do it in my way. #breastcancer #susangkomen #StandUpToCancer #breastcancersurvivor #bethstrong A post shared by Beth Bagwell Pendergrass (@instabeth505) on Jan 13, 2019 at 10:31am PST

Week 31: "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." Buddy, Elf I love music. I always have a song in my head and many times can be found humming to myself. Music allows me to travel through time to moments in my life both good and bad. It makes me smile, cry and dance. And I dance. Throughout my chemo treatments I have had moments when there was no music--when the pain was such that there was no song in my head, no humming and no listening to my LPs, the radio, etc. It hasn't happened often, but it has become my gauge for when I am feeling better. I find myself telling people, "The music is back." This is my version of, "I am feeling better." Aldous Huxley wrote, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” To me, those moments of silence and those moments with music are inexpressible and both equally important. The contrast allows a deep appreciation for when the silence ends, the music returns and the dancing commences. #breastcancer #susangkomen #StandUpToCancer #breastcancersurvivor #bethstrong
A post shared by Beth Bagwell Pendergrass (@instabeth505) on Dec 16, 2018 at 12:37pm PST

Week 1: My hills are alive with high grade DCIS. I believe there is so much truth in the statement, "Laughter is the best medicine." So, I have decided to document my cancer journey through picture reenactments. I will beat this thing, and I will keep the laughter. #cancersucks #attackingcancer #susangkomen A post shared by Beth Bagwell Pendergrass (@instabeth505) on May 19, 2018 at 6:54pm PDT

Week 3: "I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking." Derek Zoolander I'm not going to lie--this week was rough. Chemo certainly takes its toll and it ain't pretty. I got the usual unpleasant side effects including those visual side effects. The person looking back at me in the mirror looks drawn and has the chemo rash on her puffy, sallow face. Once the hair goes, I have no doubt that every ounce of vanity I might have had will be gone. I know that the people who love me don't care about my looks. And, while I want them to remember the "prettier" me through this, I also want them to know the new "not so pretty" me is what strength and courage looks like, and when all of this is done, I won't want to lose her. #cancersucks #mbbga #attackingcancer #susangkomen
A post shared by Beth Bagwell Pendergrass (@instabeth505) on Jun 1, 2018 at 4:39pm PDT

Source: [CBS News]

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