Discussing Breast Cancer

When Tim and I went to Fairfield University’s Relay for Life event we bid on a few silent auction items. Turns out I won one of them: a great Fairfield University sweatshirt!

There are three reasons this is so exciting to me: (1) I won something (2) I graduated from Fairfield U and (3) I love comfy clothes.

Time to write another check to the American Cancer Society!

Did I ever post about the skeptic who wondered what I did with my earnings from this board? HA! It’s almost a joke when I think about her skepticism. I give, and give, and give. Let me tell you, Tim and I are not living the high life here, we barely make ends meet most months. What I earn is a dime in comparison to the dollars we contribute to the cause.

I’m not discussing breast cancer for the income. I’m discussing breast cancer for the same reason you are reading this post right now. I care deeply about this cause.

Now, it’s time to turn the air conditioner up so I can wear my new sweatshirt!

Here’s a new event for ya’ll!

The Young Survival Coalition is sponsoring a ‘Stand Up For Survival’ virtual walk to raise money for programs and services dedicated to young women affected by breast cancer.

I can attest … young women can and do get breast cancer.

You can participate virtually or take an actual walk through your own community; you set the day, the time and the route.

I’ve set up a home page for the Discussing Breast Cancer team here.

Join me?

I added up the dollar amount for my ‘comments for the cure’ contest (the idea I borrowed from The Beauty Blog Network). Over the course of two days, this blog saw 23 comments. That means I owe the American Cancer Society $23.

And … Elke, Catslyn, Mark Jabo and Tim Lynch (my dear husband) all said they’d match whatever dollar amount we came up with.

You guys can donate online here.

Can you believe it? This blog, in two days, raised $115 for the ACS. Great job, everyone. It is such a symbolic gesture for survivors everywhere. Thank you.

Seriously … thank you … from the bottom of my heart.

Last week I posted about the Beauty Blog Network’s Comments for a Cure … where participating bloggers donated $1 per comment made from June 4th - 6th to the cancer charity of their choice.

I thought I’d revisit the posts on this site during that time period to see how many comments I received. Three. That would make my donation three bucks … were I officially participating.

So, I’m giving you an official chance to make a difference. I know I have a lot of lurkers b/c I’ve seen the stats (we’re talking hundreds of people each day).

I’m having my own ‘comments for the cure’ competition. I’m going to donate $1 per comment today and tomorrow (that’s Thursday, June 14th and Friday, June 15th) to the American Cancer Society. I’ll add those previously mentioned $3 to the top of whatever the grand total is (let’s make that $3 look ridiculous).

And, I’ll mail a copy of our next book club selection “Cancer Vixen” to a randomly selected commenter.

Come out, come out, wherever you are …

How do you tell people that the tears you cry as a survivor walking the track at a Relay for Life event are both joyful and sad? How do you explain that you are both relieved and burdened to be there? How do you convey that you are both proud and regretful that your caregivers are walking beside you?

Last night’s Relay for Life event (in Fairfield, CT) was spectacular; a friend at the American Cancer Society informed me it was their “best” Relay yet, even with the rain, and that it would truly take all night to determine the total funds raised.

Today I’m exhausted but there are a few things I want to share with you immediately:

A researcher from Yale Cancer Center spoke about the ACS grant that was funding her research. She told us that non-defense research funding from the government was way down … and every little bit we can give to the ACS will ensure that cancer research will continue.

There is an entirely new culture of teenagers who are out there making a difference in a tangible way. They cried as I walked the track. They were kind to my children who wore their caregiver sashes. They came up with creative ways raise even more money — one girl carried safety pins and asked people to pin dollar bills onto her shirt so that at the end of the night, when she gave the ACS the shirt off her back, it would be extraordinary. Today’s teens are extraordinary.

Survivors, though we don’t necessarily feel as inspiring as everyone says we are, truly give hope to those who’ve not been stricken with the disease. If we can do it, we reassure them that if they get cancer, they’ll be able to do it, too. We are hope.

Breast Cancer, Relay for Life, American Cancer Society, Survivor, Caregiver

They’re still going on … please vote for this blog for Best Health Blog:

Looks like outdoor sports lovers can also get in on the craze to support the cause. Check it out:

“As part of their commitment to the cause, Ocean Kayak® donates one percent of gross sales from their Venus 10 and Venus 11 kayaks, while Necky® donates in-kind proceeds from the Eliza and Eliza UltraLite kayaks. Since the program’s inception in 2002, Ocean Kayak® and Necky® Kayaks have donated $26,866 to the Breast Cancer Fund and both brands plan to add more kayaks into the program in 2008. “

These are kayaks marketed for women, designed by women … they are all about us. How cool is that? It makes perfect sense for them to support the cause in lieu of their dedication to healthy women.

Here’s a link to a post about the press release!

So I was curious … are their other pink ribbon paddler dreams out there? You betcha.

The Ohio River Way is hosting its fifth annual “Paddlefest” on the Ohio River July 9-10, 2007. And, “Thaxton’s South Fork Canoe Trails, in cooperation with Paddlesports International, will donate their 28 foot Voyager Canoe which will be repainted pink and hold up to 16 breast cancer survivors and patients who will journey 6 miles down the Ohio River on July 10.”

Breast Cancer, Fundraising, Breast Cancer Fund, Kayaks

They’re still going on … please vote for this blog for Best Health Blog:

I’m just finding out about this (PR people have to get to me sooner): The Beauty Blog Network is sponsoring a ‘Comments for the Cure’ event.

For each comment made from June 4th - 6th … $1 is donated to a cancer related charity. Cool.

There’s even an event t-shirt at Cafe Press.

Here’s a few of the blogs giving specifically to Susan G. Komen:

99 Products
All About the Pretty
Beauty Hatchery
eBeauty Daily
GirlPaint
Mystical Beauty Musings
The Makeup Bag
The Makeup Girl

Hmmm … I could do this, too, though I’m not part of that network. What do ya’ll think?

Breast Cancer, Comments for a Cure, Susan G. Komen

They’re still going on … please vote for this blog for Best Health Blog:

Oh my goodness … sometimes generosity just blows me over.

Last September, more than 1,000 quilt shops held Quilt Pink events. Quilt Pink, isn’t that cute? Quilters around the world put together some 4,000 quilts (like the one on the left) and they are now being auctioned off on eBay to raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 100% of the sales price will go to this charity. WaaaaHOOOOOOOO!

Love this. LOVE this. Check it out: eBay’s Charity Store!

Apparently there is a company called MissionFish that specializes in eBay auctions for nonprofits. COOL — you can search through their listings by charity, and they’re all in there: American Breast Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, breastcancer.org, CancerCare, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Young Survival Coalition … WAAHOO!

I just get so pumped up when I see people doing such great, great things for the cause, don’t you?

Ten years ago Nina Barough (left) and a group of her supporters walked the New York Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.

That must have been a sight — did anybody see that live?

Playtex was one of Nina’s sponsors back then. They were visionaries in the charity world, apparently, because today, the Playtex MoonWalk has become a fabulous charity event in London and has raised over £20 million. This year’s grand event is taking place in just three days!

(Head over to the The Playtex MoonWalk site and also read tips on how to measure for a perfect bra fit as an added bonus for visiting.)

It’s not too late to join the fun or support the cause with a donation — check out how here.

And if you feel it’s too late now, think 2008. I personally could probably even talk my husband into heading to London for this one next year (since he is the one who forwarded me the link … thanks, dear),

Simple concepts if you are a scrapbooker, right?

If you aren’t, let me explain. Scrapbookers love to ‘crop’ their photos and put them into scrapbooks that capture their memories in a way that no simple photo album can. Combining a love of scrapbooking with a passion for helping the cause, well, that’s a win-win situation.

I happen to be one of those scrapbookers; you can read some of the articles I’ve written on the subject over at Garden and Hearth. I also write for a scrapbooking trade journal called Scrapbook Business (formerly Scrapbook Premier).

So I’m privy to lots of industry ongoings, including this one I want to share with you:

A company called Yellow Fence is offering a limited edition shirt and bag to raise money for breast cancer awareness from now until October 31st (check it out at Yellow Fence Products).

I just read this article in the Washington Post about an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and smiled.

Walks are analogous to breast cancer fights, aren’t they? I spoke about this once at a speech I gave for the American Cancer Society. They’re long and often arduous, the weather sometimes sucks, it gets dark before the dawn … yet somehow, God willing, you make it to the finish line.

Anyway, love this story and just wanted to share.

Today I’m drinking my “to go” cup of coffee in my new Einstein Bros. cause worthy travel mug. My husband brought this pink beauty home for me over the weekend; $1.50 was donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as a result of his purchase of $16.99.

Today, lots of people sport pink ribbons, or use a “pink” products, as a way of showing their support for a survivor friend or family member. It’s easy to do because the retail world is covered with wonderful “pink” products. And let’s face it, it means so much to us survivors, even if it seems overkill at times.

When my husband wears his Making Strides Against Breast Cancer shirt, I am filled with compassion and love; he loves me so much he’ll tell the world that he supports me in my fight. And forget it, if my kids want to wear a pink ribbon pin on their clothes? I just about rip my face apart with my smile.

One of the best ways to show support for someone with breast cancer is to show them that you think about the disease and their battle with it all the time — because God knows they think about it all the time.

So thanks Einstein Bros. — for a good cup of Joe and a good mug to go.

For readers who are new to my writing … when I discover cause worthy products that I love, I’ll showcase them (and in case you are a marketer, the greater the contribution to the cause, the greater my respect for you, so thank you!).