Every once in a while, I meet someone new who has taken something positive from my blog. Sometimes it's a friend of a friend who shared my writings. Sometimes it's someone who heard me speak at an event. Sometimes it's a person who stumbled across my blog through a social media post.

Today, for instance, a man jogged past Chris and me while we were out for a walk. He glanced at me, continued jogging, then looked back again before stopping. He asked: "Are you Jennifer?" I nodded, figuring that he had recognized me from my posts. He told me that he followed my blog and that we had a friend in common, which is how he had learned about me and my story.

He confided that, at that very moment, his girlfriend was undergoing a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. If I understood well, her aunt had died of breast cancer at a young age, and she had subsequently learned that she carried the same gene mutation as her aunt. So she had opted to have her breast tissue removed to reduce her risk of breast cancer. His concern for his girlfriend was evident.

The man seemed initially reluctant to talk to me about my experience. I encouraged him to say or ask whatever he liked because—as he pointed out—I had written about my mastectomy and reconstruction journey. I was, as he guessed, comfortable discussing anything I had covered in my blog and even things I hadn't covered. I understand the value of sharing my story. It helps others going through a similar circumstance to feel less alone—whether they're the person with the health issue or their loved one.

The man also apologized to Chris for having interrupted our walk. But Chris didn't mind. When I later asked him how he feels when I'm approached by someone in this way, he responded: "Your blog helps you and others." That's such a generous attitude to have.

So to the man who spoke to me this morning, I offer reassurance that it was not only okay for him to have stopped to talk to me, but actually welcomed. I appreciate hearing other people's stories and seeing the reach and impact of my writing. And Chris has long embraced the notion that the sharing of my experience is a force for good.

And to the man's girlfriend, I offer warm wishes for a smooth recovery and reassurance that she is not alone.