Girls Love Mail
Posted: May 29, 2013 Filed under: breast cancer | Tags: breast cancer and young women, breast cancer charities, getting mail, Girls Love Mail, how to help someone with cancer, sending cards 16 CommentsThroughout my long and arduous cancer “journey,” I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of lots of mail. As much as I love email and texting for their speed and efficiency, there’s something just lovely about getting a piece of “real” mail. One friend in particular, a breast cancer survivor herself, sent me a card every week for a very long time, and seeing her familiar handwriting among the stack of junk mail made me smile every time (thanks, Jenny!). There were plenty of days in which that piece of mail was the highlight of an otherwise crummy day.
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Imagine my joy when a commenter on this little blog alerted me to a wonderful effort for cancer patients called Girls Love Mail. Founded by fellow breast cancer survivor Gina Mulligan, GLM collects handwritten letters of encouragement and distributes them to new members of the pink ribbon club and those going through cancer treatment. It’s simple and brilliant: you write a note and mail it to GLM, where it goes into a special envelope and is passed on to someone whose day needs brightening.
I just sent my first two cards to GLM and signed up to send something every week. Check out the GLM website; there are sample letters and ideas on what to say. If you’re impatient like me and want to just get right to it, here’s the address: Girls Love Mail 2330 E. Bidwell Street, Suite 200
Folsom, California 95630. Drop a card or note in the mail; it’s such a simple thing but it has the power to make such a difference.
The Pink Underbelly 
That’s a fantastic idea because a) who doesn’t love mail, and b) I can imagine people in the pink sisterhood feel like there’s someone out there who has walked in those terrible shoes.
That’s awesome. It’s like the Chemo Angels program I was proud to be a part of for years! I love this idea!
Great idea! The ladies in my Book Club cut out butterflies from old greeting cards and they wrote on them, then attached to a ribbon. I hung it on my fireplace mantel and it was a nice visual reminder of their affection during some dark days.
PS Hope I typed this ok. The anesthesia yesterday made my eyes fuzzy, as usual. That may help when I look in the mirror at my chest. 😉
A very good idea. I remember getting mail from friends – just totally unexpected cards in the mail. I stuck them onto my bedroom door, and it was so nice seeing them throughout the entire treatment. ~Catherine
Great idea! One of my “perks of having cancer” was getting treats in the mail.
Flo
http://www.perksofcancer.com
What a great idea! Thanks, Nancy, for this thoughtful suggestion. xo
This is pretty darned cool! I’ll help spread the word–and send some notes too.
What a terrific idea Count me in!! I am going to get started tomorrow!!
wonderful idea, GLM. i put this on my to-do list right away. so nice to have a way to reach out and touch someone with thoughtfulness and encouragement. thank you for posting the link.
love, XOXO,
karen, TC
I’ve heard of this, but haven’t looked into it. Thanks for sharing! 😉
Thank you for the wonderful blog post and all of your heartfelt comments. Letters are truly a healing gift and we at Girls Love Mail are dedicated to continuing the circle of caring to all 250,000 women diagnosed each year. Please spread the word, do your self-exams, and write a letter!
Even if not participating in this program, thanks for the reminder that everyone loves personal mail! We should all send more cards to people having any type of strife or loneliness. I tend to forget how it makes someone feel. Thanks!
[…] The Pink Underbelly is sharing some information on Girls Love Mail, a charitable letter writing organization which sends handwritten letters of encouragement to those newly diagnosed and those going through cancer treatment. It is such a simple idea, but I can testify to the healing power of receiving hand-written cards unexpectedly in the mail at times when I needed encouragement and love. […]
What a great idea! I’ll sign up in the morning. Thanks so much for posting this! 😉
this is just a message to you and don’t know how else to leave one- if you are on Facebook look for a closed group called Beyond The Pink Moon – awesome bunch of survivors and previvors
[…] was excited then to read The Pink Underbelly’s post Girls Love Mail. It turns out a breast cancer survivor, Gina Mulligan, has started a charity where hand-written […]