Editor's Note: 7NEWS Meteorologist Pam Daale is grateful to all of the viewers who have expressed their best wishes as she wages her fight against breast cancer.

Daale has chosen to use TheDenverChannel.com as her way of keeping the public updated on her health. New journal entries will be posted weekly.

BREAST CANCER See Pam's Story Her Struggle From Her Husband's Perspective Pam's Last Chemo Treatment E-Mail Pam Spread Word Survival Stories Myths and Facts Cancer Quiz Risk Factors SELF-EXAM How To Do It Diagrams How Do You Check? How Often? ARTICLES: Fitness Center For Patients WEB RESOURCES: Susan. G. Komen Foundation National Alliance Of Breast Cancer Organizations Breast Cancer Info National Breast Cancer Organization National Breast Cancer Coalition

This weekend we did a short story on the "Look Good Feel Better" program put on by the American Cancer Society. Women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy can go there and get tips on make-up and wigs. Big name cosmetic companies donate products for the women to take with them for free. Like the name implies, it's a way for women who have lost their hair to feel better about their temporary hairless state.

I'm fairly comfortable with the way I look without hair, although I don't go out without something on my head. I went to a take-and-bake pizza place a while back wearing my baseball cap and very little make-up. As I came into the store, the guy behind the counter said, "What can I do for you, Sir?."

He was quite embarrassed and corrected himself quickly. And to let him off the hook even more, it was a tall counter, and I'm not exactly a tall drink o' water. So he didn't see all of me as I was coming in, and I suppose he's seen a lot more bald men in baseball caps than bald women.

I've never really been into make-up (and here I am with a job on TV!), but I have to admit that I'm using a lot more now than I ever have in the past. I know I've said before that what's on the inside is so much more important than what we look like on the outside, but I have to admit that my feminine side still wants to look ... well, feminine!

So the pizza incident got me thinking about my decision to have reconstructive surgery after the bilateral mastectomy (which won't happen until sometime in the spring). As an opponent of the advertisers who use sex and America's unfair standard of beauty in advertising, am I being two-faced in my decision to have implants when my own breast tissue is gone? I've always hated bras. This could be my opportunity to never have to worry about them again!

Well, it's very easy to rationalize things to your own way of thinking. But here's my rationalization:

When God formed me in my mother's womb, he made a little girl who grew up to be a woman. Women are different from men. (Ooooh! Where'd I come up with that one?!) And as much of a tomboy as I am, my looks are what differentiate me most from a man. Sometimes you can tell by the way a person walks, but that's not exactly an option for me!

So right now, the most obvious visible cue that I am a woman is my boobs. (I could go around wearing pink all the time, but pink has never really been my color.) After the chemo is over my hair will grow back, but even guys can have long hair.

Now I hope I'm not offending the women who are naturally flat, but for me, I want to keep something on my chest so it will still be obvious that I'm a woman. Have I convinced you that I'm really not into looks as much as advertisers want us to be? If not, here's another reason. I like to swim. I'm used to getting stared at because of my wheelchair, but I really wouldn't appreciate people staring at my chest!

Having reconstruction will also allow me to be the size that I want. I'm opting for a trim. Bigger is definitely not better! After more than a decade of sag that reminds me of my age, I'll be able to look at myself in a much younger light. If I have to go through this type of surgery, I might as well get some benefit out of it, right?

But even as I write this, I see the conflict. I don't care what people think of me, yet I do. I say I'm perfectly happy with myself, no matter how I look, yet I want to look good. But I also know, that no matter how I (or anyone!) look, the "proof of the pudding" will always come from inside.

Our personalities and the way we treat others determine our true appearance. I believe what makes a person unattractive is when they don't have or show love for others. (See 1 Corinthians 13) So what you do with your appearance, do for yourself. To be beautiful to someone else, show them love.

By the way, if you haven't had a chance to read my previous journal entries, I'm choosing the bilateral mastectomy because I have tested positive for a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. Read more about it in: "It's in the Genes" journal entry.

Hopefully, you will never be faced with the decision of whether or not to have a mastectomy. It's NOT mandatory for those who have the BRCA1 gene. It has totally been my option. The choice for me was easy because we're through having children. But for young women who still want to have children, it's a lot more difficult. If they choose not to have a mastectomy, they must keep a constant watch for lumps in their breasts, and have regular mammograms.

Breast cancer is not a death sentence. Thousands of women survive the disease every year. But it's not something you want to go through. So for me, I don't want to go through this again, and I'm going to significantly reduce my risk with mastectomy.

And as always, early detection is the most important factor for survival, although I don't want to discourage someone reading this who has stage IV cancer. I've gotten to know several women who did not detect their cancer early, and they are here today. But ladies, please. Get to know your breasts, and lets keep as many of you from chemo land as possible!

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Until next time,
Pam Daale
The Happy Cancer Patient

You can e-mail Pam Daale at Pam_Daale@TheDenverChannel.com.