Discussing Breast Cancer

Anyone watch Project Runway? For those of you who don’t, it’s a reality show where contestants are actually talented “unknown” fashion designers competing for the opportunity to show at New York’s Fashion Week. Their competitions involve making clothing suitable for the catwalk.

Well, in January of 2008, the season’s sixth episode aired, and the contestants’ mentor Tim Gunn challenged them to design a dress made from materials gathered during a five minute shopping spree at the Hershey’s Times Square store.

The image to the right is the winning contestant’s exact winning design. And now, it’s available for auction exclusively on projectrunway.com and to benefit the Young Survival Coalition. YEAH!

Keep in mind, the dress is tailored to fit the model and might have unfinished edges due to the nature of the challenge and is sold “AS IS.” Item ships May 2008. HERSHEY’S auction ends March 18, 2008.

Again, here’s a direct link to the auction page. Let me know if you’re going to bid on anything!

(By the way, if you love Project Runway, check out Reality on Bravo!)

Enjoy this clilp of the tribute artist MDT as Elvis — completely LIVE, no lip-synching “Rockin’ for the PINK!”

FYI, the February 17th “Rockin’ for the PINK!” event took place in Colorado and raised almost $3000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

Good job ya’ll!

Check it out:

A follow up, because we want to know more, right?

I love this. Here’s the explanation:

“MVNU proudly presents the 2008 MVNU Cougars Pink Out, in coordination with Think Pink Week. We invite everyone out to the men’s and women’s basketball games on Tuesday February, 12 starting at 5:30. Wear all pink as we “Pink Out” Walsh University. All proceeds from the event will benefit breast cancer research and awareness.”

I can’t wait to find out how it goes. I’ll keep you posted.

When I was in college, nothing much mattered to us students other than classes, fraternity parties and dorm life (and that list is not necessarily in order of importance). But these days it is quite common to see and hear about college students doing their part to support a cause.

I’ve posted before that I’m enamored with the students at Fairfield University — especially after they hosted a Relay for Life as part of the American Cancer Society’s Colleges Against Cancer program.

Now, check this out. The University of Toronto women’s basketball, volleyball and hockey teams are hosting what they’re calling the ‘Varsity Blues Think Pink Weekend’ in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF). It’s the first one of (hopefully) many — and it is coming up this weekend.

According to a recent press release: “The Blues have pledged to raise a minimum of $10,000 for the CBCF.”

Here are two other important details:

• Limited edition Varsity Blues Think Pink t-shirts will be available in the Athletic Centre lobby from Nov. 27-29 and will be on sale at all three Think Pink Weekend games for a $10 minimum asking price. Note that says minimum.
• All proceeds from the sale of tickets, t-shirts and other event merchandise will go towards the CBCF - Ontario region.

This is just another reason for me to be proud of my Canadian roots (for those genealogists who want to know, my maiden name is Langevin — we’re a part of the 300+ year old Roberge family who began their Canadian tour on the Ile d’Orleans in Quebec).

Anyway, I’m proud of these girls. If you’re Canadian, and I know many of you are, do your part to CHEER PINK!!!!!

Did you know that nearly 60% of women regard hair loss as the single worst side effect of cancer treatment? I didn’t, but I’m not surprised. When I was first diagnosed one of my first feelings was terror over the fact that I might lose my hair. A close friend of mine rallied, saying she’d shave her head if I faced that reality.

I never did lose my hair. Sometimes I think my bout with cancer wasn’t real because I still have my hair (then I look at my scars and say, oh yeah, it was real).

Anyway, a woman (”hairjazz75″) commented on my site yesterday about her involvement as an ambassador for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Million Inch Chain program. “Together we are trying to gather 1 million inches of hair to make into wigs for women with cancer. A lot of women get really insecure about losing their hair due to chemo treatment. So we try and help them regain their confidence so they can fight this disease,” she said. I pulled her comment to post here because this is such a special thing women can do to help other women. It’s easy — hair just grows, it is up to you not to cut it until it is long enough to donate. I just spent some time poking around that site and found great link to see and share photos on Flickr — of women with their new dos and their beautiful lengths of usable hair. They make me proud.

Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard of Locks of Love. While the Pantene program makes wigs specifically for women with cancer, Locks of Love helps children.

Hillary Swank is working with the folks at Pantene — here’s the direct link to a Q & A with her. Check out the You Tube video of her Oprah appearance last week:

Don’t you think Lindsay Lohan could get on this band wagon? Geesh … the women that could use that hair!

FYI … hair must form a ponytail that is at least eight inches long and it takes six ponytails to make one wig. Lindsay?

breast cancer, cancer, Hilary Swank, Lindsay Lohan, Pantene Beautiful Lengths, Locks of Love

The other day when I was in my oncologist’s office I overhead a woman talking on her cell phone. She was telling her mother about the Pink Tea she was attending today. I thought, wow, I wish I was going to a Pink Tea. It sounded fun. Feminine. In our world of breast cancer, our sense of our own femininity can be elusive. We’re losing our breasts, we’re losing our hair. Both breasts and hair make us as women feel decidedly feminine. So I tuned into the rest of the conversation.

The Pink Tea to which she was referring was sponsored by Sister’s Journey; that’s a powerful, faith based support group. She was a beautiful black woman. The Sister’s Journey website doesn’t say this, but the woman whose conversation I overhead did: it’s specifically for African-American women.
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Okay, THIS is fun.

I just created a virtual ‘gal’ on a website and she’s walking across the country in support of women living with Stage IV breast cancer. Right now there are 6,733 of these gals trotting along, however, the Gal to Gal Foundation hopes to get one million gals walkin’ in this event.

I just read on their site … “over 300,000 patients worldwide will lose their lives to Stage IV Breast Cancer this year.” It hurts every time I read a stat like that one. It just hurts.

So, reading on … “the Gal to Gal Foundation identifies, partners with, and provides funding to existing organizations dedicated to the emotional and financial well-being of Stage IV Breast Cancer survivors.” Organizations like Making Memories … the beneficiary of the funds raised when women donated their wedding dresses (live, on TV) like I did not that long ago.

The virtual walk started on October 1st and the gals are walking from Boston to San Francisco and they’ll stop in 29 other cities along the way. FYI, it’s Day 24 and they’re in Phoenix.

By the way, that gal to the right isn’t my gal. My gal is named Kay L. Look for her when/if you create your virtual gal. She’s wearing a ‘Mom’s Rule’ t-shirt!

(FYI, there is a minimum donation amount of $3 to build your virtual gal; you can certainly give more … there’s a lot of good to be done by this organization.)

Soochal’s comment today on an April post brought me to a flickr photo page. (FYI, I’d borrowed a photo image from Soochal for that post and Soochal was updating me on the survivor’s progress.)

Today, after a little poking around on flickr again, I discovered that Yahoo! is donating $1 to Susan G. Komen for each pink picture uploaded to a group of photos by the end of the month — up to $50,000. The photo above by casamelo was uploaded to the group on the 11th; isn’t it perfect?

Time to search the iPhoto library or take some great shots. Let do it guys!

Click on this link to get there directly. Don’t forget to come back and tell me what you’ve done!

Yes, I participated in another Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Here’s a few of the highlights:

• This year I walked as an individual — which means I wasn’t a team leader and I didn’t have to be the one to arrive at the crack of dawn, secure a picnic table, bring the coffee and donuts, and wait for everyone to show up. That was GREAT.
• I was able to go to the wellness tent and browse around, grabbing freebies, signing up for raffles (love that stuff) and listen to the performers and speakers.
• When a survivor speaker mentioned being fearful for her daughter and shared that nothing would be worse than a mom with a child facing this disease, my eight year old threw his arms around me. As we started to walk he mentioned that he’s walked this walk each year for the last four years — that’s half his life. The impact all this has on him is so poignant to me: I have walked the walk of a survivor for half of my oldest son’s life, more than half of my youngest son’s life, all of my daughter’s life.
• We saw the group of students from Fairfield University who are involved in Colleges Against Cancer — wearing these GREAT shirts saying, ‘Saving Second Base … one stride at a time.’ I love these kids and am so inspired by their dedication and camaraderie.
• Oh, and I raised over $1,000 in only five days of fundraising. Not bad if I do say so myself.

What a day … what a walk … what a life.

It’s official. I’m walking in this year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Westport, CT. The walk takes place at Sherwood Island State Park on Sunday, October 14th.

I almost didn’t walk … you can read about my decision on my event homepage. In a nutshell, it is because I thought maybe I needed a break, I thought maybe I could spare myself the emotions that accompany such events and spare my family the hype and bustle of life in the world of cancer awareness and fundraising events.

But then I realized this is my life, this is part of who I am and what I do and I need to walk.

So, check out my site, and while you’re there … consider making a donation to the ACS.

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By wearing denim and making donations today. It’s Lee National Denim Day! (Already dressed? It’s not too late. GO CHANGE NOW!!! LOL!!!)

Because I’m slow to read through the posts at the 451 Press bloggers forum, I didn’t know 451 Press bloggers were participating in Lee National Denim Day until today.

See, even though we here at 451 Press are all independent bloggers, we are part of a company team of sorts. Typically, in a corporation, each employee who wants to participate in this event donates some dough to the cause and then and on October 5 (TODAY), wears blue jeans to work. The proceeds go to a great breast cancer charity.

Fellow 451 Press blogger Allison Boyer, of Find Religion and Reality on Bravo, started a team and is doing her part for the cause.

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Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue … something pink?

Yup … something pink.

Today I appeared on the set of Good Morning America to donate my wedding dress to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.

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Gotta love Australia.

Seems 20 celebrities were asked to design “boob tubes’ — fashion-forward tube tops if you will — and they’re being auctioned off to benefit
The McGrath Foundation.

Never heard of it? I hadn’t either until a short while ago. Seems “three quarters of all women in Australia who undergo treatment for breast cancer have limited or no access to a breast care nurse.”

Survivor Jane McGrath experienced first-hand the shortage of breast care nurses in Australia when she was in the early stages of her treatment; subsequently, she co-founded the foundation with her husband, Glenn, with the primary goal of placing more breast care nurses throughout the country. Cool.

Anyway, here’s a link to the auction page.

Let the bidding begin!

BRIDES magazine is teaming up with Good Morning America to kick-off a national Breast cancer fund-raising campaign that features donated wedding gowns.

On October 4, 5 & 6th in NYC you can choose from thousands of wedding dresses at great prices and the proceeds will go to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.

Hadn’t heard of that charity yet, so I checked it out. Their mission is: “To provide an opportunity for metastatic breast cancer patients’ dream or wish to be fulfilled by providing a special time of ‘Making Memories’ together with their families, a chance that might not have become a reality without the assistance of the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation.”

For tickets to the preview sale, go to www.brides/com/somethingpink. Or, head to the general sale on October 5th & 6th at Lotus Space, 122 West 26th Street in NYC.

If you’d like to donate your dress to be sold, email donatemydress [at] bridesmag [dot] com by September 29th for more details.

Help grant a wish, touch a life … and make a memory.

Now I’ve heard everything. Christine Tulloch described her diagnosis to a friend (not an easy thing to do) as going into freefall … falling through the sky.

“Emotionally, physically, socially and culturally, everything changes overnight – nothing was the same again and this just added to the panic I felt,” said Tulloch. WOW, can i relate to that.

Her friends, with unequaled empathy, wanted to understand how she felt.

So now 17 high-flying businesswomen calling themselves ‘Booby Birds’ (named after a type of skydiving bird found in the Galapagos Islands) are raising money and will tandem dive on September 8th.

Here’s the article. (Thanks again, honey. You’re research is priceless to me.)

Here’s a link to their fundraising page.

I love it. LOVE it.