I’ve Had My Say

My art teacher reminded me of one basic rule last night: Know when to stop. Too often, artists overdo it, adding details to a painting that is already actually finished, ruining it in the process. I have done a lot of this in my artwork—extra lines that end up fighting with the rest of the scene and colors that don't match the original.

It’s the same with writing. As a writing teacher, I usually have to tell students that they have already ended an article, that any extra work only adds words but not meaning, perhaps even confusing the reader.

End when you are finished, I tell them.

Not helpful, they say. How do I know when I am finished?

Do you have anything more to say?” I ask.

Usually, the answer is no. They have exhausted the topic but don't feel secure to let it go.

So it is with this blog. I have been doing this for a tad over seven years and I now know it is time for me to stop. I have said what I have to say. I have gone as far as I can.

The world is far different in terms of triple-negative breast cancer than when I started. Other media outlets now regularly write about TNBC. And research has significantly increased, with the focus on metastatic disease and genomic testing. 

Women with TNBC are no longer the wallflowers at the breast cancer prom.  Fewer and fewer reports use the scary language—incurable, lethal, deadly—that defined the disease and the reporting on it in its early days. Yes, those words still sneak into some news releases, but that is no longer the standard.

So the time is right for me to move on. I will leave the blog up, as the information here remains current. I am not going to add to it, though. Instead, I am going to focus on general health writing, essays, and art. I am developing a more general blog on my website at patriciaprijatel.com. It is a work in progress, so if you head there, be patient as I begin building a new body of work. And while I learn how to handle the blasted technology.

My book, of course, will remain a resource. And I will continue to give talks, but my approach will be more focused on overall health. And I will do writing workshops and coaching.

I have loved getting to know all of you and I appreciate how you have invited me into your lives. This has been rewarding and fulfilling.

But I have had my say.

Hugs to all of you.