By Caprice Coleman
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I dedicate this “Dose” to my aunt Sudan.
She was only 10 years older than me, so our relationship was more like a big sister, little brother. One of the most beautiful, outgoing people you could ever meet.
She had the power of changing the atmosphere in a room. My father and I are close today because of her boldness to speak up in times when others might choose silence. She called that Colemanism.
She was the glue in my father’s side of the family. She had a way of keeping everyone together while taking care of her family and mother (my grandmother), whose health was failing with Alzheimer’s.
She taught many great values by example:
If you are going to do something, go all out with it.
If you start something, finish it.
Do what needs to be done whether you feel like it or not.
Prepare for tomorrow even if that means suffering today.
Friends will come and go, but family is family.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age. When we found out, it seemed like we were more devastated than she was. I remember calling her multiple times in an aim to encourage her, failing miserably, and her finding ways to encourage me.
There’s an annual breast cancer walk that she rallied people for. My sister came up with the slogan for our family’s team. Derived from the popular breast cancer awareness slogan “Fight Like A Girl,” my sister said we should “Fight Like Sue.”
I love my aunt so much. The values she instilled by example stay strong in many of us younger and older Colemans today. Yep, we call it Colemanism.
She eventually lost her fight with metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer after 14 years.
I encourage all of you to “Fight Like Sue,” having the strength to empower others despite personal afflictions.
Just something to think about. I call it a dose of Colemanism.
Caprice Coleman is ROH’s color analyst and has been wrestling for more than 20 years. He also is an ordained minister and motivational speaker. A Dose of Colemanism appears every Thursday.
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