A Personal Message From Eve
06/14/2010
Dear V-Day Activists,
I have been waiting for the right time to share something with you. I was recently diagnosed with uterine cancer. I was fortunate to have excellent doctors and a very successful operation. My prognosis is excellent.
This has been both a difficult and truly transformational time. Cancer has a way of stripping away that which is not important and leaving what is. What remains with me is all of you - your dedication, your commitment, your open hearts, your healing ways. I have learned so much in these two months about care and what it means to be cared for and to care for others. It requires time, attention, stillness and patience. That is the work of V-Day. So, if you truly want to help me now, continue to care, continue to stand up to end violence and work harder than you have ever worked before to make sure women and girls are safe and free, and that men and boys are embodied with their girl cell.
Know that I am taken care of and am focusing my time on resting for the next few months so I can be back with you all in the Fall, stronger than ever.
I love you all and I believe in you. You have been in my heart each and every day. You have been my deepest inspiration throughout this journey.
Love,
P.S. What follows is my first commentary piece since my diagnosis that I wanted to share with you, the piece is entitled Congo Cancer and will first appear in The Guardian newspaper in the UK on Saturday, June 12:
Congo Cancer by Eve Ensler
Some people might think that being diagnosed with uterine cancer, followed by an extensive surgery that lead to a month of debilitating infections, rounded off by months of chemotherapy, might get a girl down. But, in truth, this has not been my poison. This has not been what pulses through me late at night and keeps me pacing and awake. This has not been what throws me into moments of unbearable darkness and depression. ..