The Pink Moon Lovelies are members of the Facebook
group Beyond the Pink Moon, named after Nicki Boscia
Durlester’s memoir that intimately chronicles her
journey after a breast cancer diagnosis. Nicki created
the group to provide an active forum for discussion to
raise awareness about the BRCA gene and breast and
ovarian cancer. She never dreamed her homespun story
would travel around the globe and Beyond the Pink Moon
would become a support group for people from all walks
of life coming together to lift each other up with
inspiration, humor, faith and love. With Lovelies in
Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Israel,
Mexico, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South
Africa, Sweden, Tasmania and the USA, Nicki, a BRCA2
survivor, and fellow moderator, Melissa Johnson Voight,
a BRCA1 previvor, whose journey of steadfast faith and
courage of conviction is included in this book, have
encouraged their members to tell their stories with one
goal in mind, to save lives. With a Foreword written by
renowned breast surgeon, Dr. Kristi Funk, this riveting
collection of 50 stories includes: the unflinching
account of Barbie Ritzco, a United States Marine who
kept silent about discovering a lump in her breast in
order to deploy with her unit to Afghanistan, putting
her country before her health, the moving story of Ally
Durlester, Nicki’s daughter, a 25 year old BRCA2
previvor who will undergo prophylactic surgery to try to
avoid the same fate as her mother, grandmother and six
great-aunts who all had breast, ovarian or fallopian
tube cancer, the frustrating story of Erika Grogin
Lange, an Israeli Lovely and mother of five, whose
nagging symptoms of fatigue, nausea and bloating went
undiagnosed for months until she heard the shocking news
that she had Stage III ovarian cancer, and the
unpredictable journey of Susan Long Martucci, a two-time
breast cancer survivor, disease free for 13 years,
blindsided by another diagnosis. She is the beacon of
hope who coined the term Pink Moon Lovelies. Each story
is compelling and has an important message to impart.
The Pink Moon Lovelies, Empowering Stories of Survival
concludes with the story of the incomparable May Smith,
the 32 year old South African Lovely who left a legacy
of extraordinary courage, grace and love. Hers was a
life well lived. When May sadly passed away on July 22,
2012 from breast cancer she left the Pink Moon Lovelies
with one final message filled with wisdom and advice
beyond her years. Her emotional eulogy written by Nicki
Boscia Durlester is also included. Two women who never
met in person but whose love transcended time and space.
The power of the Pink Moon! Cover art and design by
Ithaca, New York artist and breast cancer survivor,
Shera Delia. All proceeds from the sales of this book
will go to Beyond the Pink Moon non-profit and will be
donated to breast and ovarian cancer research.
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