National Dress Day 2021
Photo of Gilda Radner
I am a cancer survivor and in July of 2018 I participated in a cancer patient’s tradition: I rang a ceremonial bell to celebrate the end of my radiation treatment. The moment was truly magical for obvious reasons; my treatment had been successful and I was that much closer to being cured. I wore the Fresco Shift dress by Mata Traders to commemorate. When asked to “pay homage to dresses and the magical moments that happen when we wear them” for National Dress Day, March 6, 2021, I knew immediately it would be the moment I would have to write about.
As a founding partner of the social impact brand Mata Traders, when I undertook the difficult task of informing our producer partners about my condition, one of the directors in India replied: “[I] feel very relieved to hear that you are on the path to recovery already. I trust the medical care that you get there. Anyone with money here go[es] to the States for cancer treatment and come[s] back perfect. I am glad you are in safe hands and in a better country to deal with situations like this.”
Every day since I rang that bell, I feel more jubilant, more fortunate, more thankful for my situation, my strength, and for the people in my life. Yet all the while I am aware that even surviving cancer, having access to the financial, medical, social and psychological support networks that made that possible, is a privilege. Insurance is a privilege. Disparity in cancer care is the norm. It is, in fact, why groups like Gilda’s Club and Imerman’s Angels and Phil’s Friends exist; to provide the support, free of charge, that marginalized communities cannot often access but that cancer patients and their families require to mount a robust challenge in defense of their health. And I too benefited from these organizations and the networks and resources they connected me to. My successful prognosis is a credit to both the high quality healthcare I received at Advocate Illinois Masonic, a Community Cancer Center, and the support groups I joined. These organizations are doing impactful work to provide support networks for everyone in the community.
Paying homage to a dress I wore on a journey from patient to survivor makes me grateful for the resources I am able to access, and also committed to helping others create or access them. Thinking back to that day, in that dress, when I rang that bell, made me want to ask all of you: what have you done in a dress? I am certain that you have each survived something more significant, more impactful, more powerful, then I have. Share your stories with friends and family, or email them to me. I would love to read them. And maybe next year, on National Dress Day 2022, instead of sharing my story, we can share yours.
