Discussing Breast Cancer

So we’re at the grocery store, shopping for the ingredients I needed to make an awesome appetizer to bring to a Super Bowl party … and my six year old son Alex spies something on the shelves that incites him to a near riot.

“Look Ma, Breast Cancer Root Beer,” the kid shouts at the top of his lungs. I was, after all, at the other end of the aisle. He comes running up to me with a can of Hansen’s Creamy Root Beer Soda — shouting, “See?” and pointing to the pink ribbon proudly displayed on the side.

There it was on the side. A City of Hope logo. He got me, this kid. I was going to buy him a can of root beer. I had just been writing about the lack of pink ribbons since October came to pass. No doubt my kids have been missing the ribbons as well.

But here’s what cracked me up: there were two tall twenty-something year old men donning New York Giants jerseys walking the same aisle as me and my kids when my son showed the world the ‘Breast Cancer Root Beer!’ The guys laughed in spite of themselves, and one of them said, ‘that’s something I would have said!’ to his buddy — completely understanding my son’s excitement over his discovery.

What’s up with that?????

I did some research when I got home, by the way. From their website: “Hansen’s will match your contribution up to $1,000 per person or family*. Simply click on the donation link at the bottom of the page and you will be redirected to the official City of Hope donation page. When filling out donor information, under additional information, check “other” and type in “Hansen’s” and the donation offer code that is located on cans of Hansen’s Natural Sodas or Hansen’s Smoothie Nectars.”

Can’t figure out what to get that special survivor in your life? Think out of the box — the greatest gifts will let her know you think about this illness that has become a part of her life

How about a mammogram? Gift wrap an appointment card and put it in with a gift card bag. She’ll appreciate knowing that you’re taking your health seriously because of her.

What about genetic testing? A mother can do this for her daughter, a daughter can do this for her sisters, a husband can do this for his wife and kids (yes, even men should consider this test if breast cancer runs in their family).

Coupons to cut? I’m sure you crafty guys and gals could make a coupon book offering up rides to/from appointments, babysitting when she wants to drive herself, company when she doesn’t want to be alone. Use your scrapbooking/craft supplies and make it personal and pointed.

Of course, you can always hit up the Pink Ribbon shop or Presents for Purpose. Nothing like a pink ribbon somethin’ under the tree!

breast cancer, cancer, Christmas, gifts, survivor

I spent a considerable part of my weekend addressing Christmas cards to my friends and family and holiday card to my editors and professional colleagues. But I’m psyched; I wrote personal notes on each this year and hand wrote each address. I feel satisfied because I truly thought about each recipient as I prepared their card and that’s the way it should be, right?

Don’t stress; it’s not too late to wish all your friends and family a happy holiday. But when you’re out there shopping, consider a card that donates to the cause or raises awareness. I should have talked about this before I started talking about 2008 calendars, but honestly, I hadn’t done my own cards yet and was already looking at the New Year with anticipation.

So … keep this in mind: if you have to order online at this point, you’ll pay through the nose for shipping. But it might be worth it … consider the hope and joy you’ll bring someone this year.

My favorite cards are these specialty note cards by Mer. There are also some ‘pink ribbon’ beauties at the
Komen Marketplace. Finally, proceeds from these ‘Heartfelt Greetings’ benefit the Cancer Research Foundation.

Good luck!

Haven’t you noticed calendars are all over the stores right now? This is the time to buy one, to start marking your plans down, to start planning vacations … I’m not waiting until January to get my calendar because I’ll feel behind the eight ball and I need to get ahead of it now!

Not that I’m wishing the rest of the year away. 2007 has been a surgery free year for my family, so I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it. But I am focused on 2008. Come July I’ll mark five years of survivorship — five years since I was first diagnosed with cancer.

I want to mark that milestone on my calendar. Of course, it won’t be my ‘five years of being cancer free’ anniversary, I had to reset the clock on that with my second diagnosis. But it’ll be in interesting year of reflection and direction for me, I’m sure.

So … I need a cool calendar to ring in the new year and while I was looking, I thought, you guys might need one, too.

How ’bout a pin up calendar featuring some gorgeous survivor babes? Proceeds go to Making Strides, an event near and dear to my heart. I wish I had the gumption to do this. Hey, any local photographers want to work with me on one for 2009? I’d love to be Ms. September!!! (That’s Geri Bell, Ms. October 2008, by the way, with some pink ribbon cupcakes - yum! Here’s a link to her story.)

Alright, alright … how ’bout one you won’t worry your husband will swoon over: an inspirational calendar available online at Zazzle’s, created by a breast cancer survivor and artist. Those botanical shots are gorgeous!

Or one specifically for mothers?
“The Hope & Inspiration: Surviving Mothers of Breast Cancer 2008 calendar is the fifth of its kind by renowned Houston photographer Alisa Murray. Featuring photos and advice from twelve Houston-area breast cancer survivors who are also moms, this calendar is a tribute to survival and mothers’ love.”

Tell your secret (and not so secret) Santa’s to get online today!

Dyson is committed to helping find a cure for breast cancer. Committed. A lot of companies have gotten on the bandwagon with pink products and services, but this one … well, check this out: $40 from the sale of each DC07 Pink will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation which currently funds over 100 researchers throughout the world working to prevent and cure breast cancer.

• The Dyson bagless vacuum (dust goes right into an easy-to-empty dust compartment) doesn’t lose suction while it deep cleans — that means nothing is left behind; you get a cleaner carpet when you’re done. Plus, no bags to buy. Bagless.
• With the flick of a switch you can move from hard floors to carpets with a Dyson — no need to change nozzles or adapters. Easy. So easy, in fact, your husband can do it. (Plus, he’ll want to, once he reads the Dyson story if he hasn’t already.)
• Each Dyson has a lifetime HEPA filter (here’s why you need HEPA filtration). It’s so brilliant that it is certified as ‘asthma friendly‘ according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Oh, and it’s washable — no need to buy new filters over time. No need.
• The Dyson upright’s on-board tool storage means you’ll never be fishing for the attachments again. Never!

We found it really easy to assemble this vacuum. We opened the instruction manual briefly to look at the instructions and found the graphics/visuals simplified the process.

We struggled to find the sticker the manual says is under the dust compartment — to remind us when to rinse our washable filter. Eventually, I called the Dyson helpline (1-866-693-9766; 7 days a week). The nice woman on the phone explained that the sticker was obviously missing because if it was on the unit, it would be obvious. No big deal, I’ll mark the dates on my calendar, the sticker is probably superfluous.

Then my husband vacuumed. What a sweet, sweet thing to watch. I’ve said it before, this man of mine loves pink products and services more than anyone I know. He’s wanted a Dyson for a long time because he’s a technology junkie. When he found out Dyson made a pink model he nearly went out of his mind. The vacuum of his dreams. I admit, he’s the one who usually vacuums. I’ve had so many reasons to limit my lifting between having babies and having breast cancer related surgeries it just sort of happened that vacuuming is his task. Of course, now that I have this upright … things may have to change. We’ve had an Electrolux canister for the last ten years and though it has served us well, it is heavy as all be, and I just couldn’t be the one to lug it around the house. Who wouldn’t want to vacuum with this?

Bottomline? Our house is going to be cleaner. That means our family is going to be healthier. And we’re all going to smile a lot more when we are making our house cleaner and healthier. In this life? That matters. Greatly.

Thank you Dyson — for creating this fantastic vacuum and for giving back to a charity that makes a significant difference in the lives of women. And thank you Tim — for allowing me to show the world how you vacuumed our playroom in these pictures.

You can buy it at Target.com or you can buy it at Amazon.com for $399. OR, check it out on the Dyson website — under the original Dyson upright.

cancer, breast cancer, dyson, vacuum

Well, this is one of those days I’m just thrilled to be part of the media.

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, Belkin has donated several great products to Discussing Breast Cancer so I can give them away to my readers.

I first blogged about their cases for the cause back in May when I read a press release about the products. Belkin has over 10 pink cases for your iPod and 10% of the profits are going to either Susan G. Komen for the Cure or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Belkin kicked their campaign up a notch by donating to this site. (Thanks Belkin … your support is appreciated!)

So, here’s what I’ve got for you guys. Three awesome iPod cases, each valued at around $25, for three different readers. So stop lurking and let me know you’re out there!

One Belkin Remix Metal case for your iPod nano. This is the one I’m using — the back is clear acrylic and the front features brushed metal (aluminum), with a soft-touch click-wheel protector and a pink ribbon in the lower right hand corner of the unit. I’ve much more security carrying my iPod with me when it is encased; knowing that my kids use it and their sticky fingers won’t be getting all over it, this case is perfect for me. Plus, at $24.99, it’s value-priced. Peace of mind for a reasonable amount of money. Worth it, don’t you think?

There’s also One Belkin Remix Acrylic case for your iPod nano up for grabs. Snap it on for full protection and full functionality. With this one, you get two choices for the soft touch back — pink or chocolate. LOVE it — but I’ll give it up for you.

Then there’s a true gem, One Belkin Sport Armband, again for you iPod nano. Ultra comfortable, hand washable, water-resistant. It’s superlight flexible neoprene — what a way to workout. It also uses reflective material for use in the dark. Hmmmm … I know they mean running, but the possibilities are endless.

All you need to do to win is comment on THIS post between now and next Thursday. I’ll do a random drawing on Thursday, October 25 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time — then I’ll ask the winners to email me their mailing addresses so I can ship them out asap!

You can comment more than once, but your name will only be entered in the drawing once. Don’t forget to email this to friends and family who may be interested in winning.

Good luck and thank you again to Belkin for supporting such important causes!

Blogger Heather Scoville brought to my attention the fact that NASCAR teams are driving pink cars. COOL!

NASCAR is totally sponsor driven (excuse the pun), so it made sense to me once I thought about it. Racing teams have sponsors, and many of those sponsors, like Target, Mars (and their M&M brand) and General Mills (and their Cheerios brand), do so much to support the cause anyway. I have these Cheerios on my counter right now, by the way, they’re practically a staple in my house. So yeah, why not paint a car pink as well. LOVE IT!!

(If, by the way, you haven’t seen the pink and white M&Ms, head over to Margie Alsbrook’s site, Limited Edition Foods. She’s got a great image of them over there. I have a half-eaten bag in my house right now and man, they are as yummy as always!)

Then there’s golf. I would never have put together golf and breast cancer. Yeah, yeah, I know women play, but I don’t. So the connection wasn’t immediate to me when my husband brought me some pink golf balls. Yes, I’ve got pink golf balls. Thanks to Wilson (I may have to start playing this game with my husband just to get a set of Hope clubs — did you check those out?).

Anyway, thankfully so many corporations are supporting this cause, this month and every month. That brings me hope for sure.

Man, this round up I’m doing is never ending. Today I’m going to focus on the retail stores that are committed to the cause as well. Of course, I’m totally skewing this list towards places I ADORE!

Here’s a favorite retail boutique: I worked at Ann Taylor once. I loved the style so my 40% discount sucked up my entire paycheck. So this Ann Cares About Women card caught my eye: Purchase the card for $25; receive 15% off any purchase made through 12/31/07 — Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor LOFT, Ann Taylor factory stores — even online at ANNTAYLOR.COM OR ANNTAYLORLOFT.COM (plus you get free shipping when you order online). 85% of the card’s price will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Then there’s the department store that I love to visit: Bloomingdale’s! You should see their Pink Boutique. Proceeds are going to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Plus they’ve got this little pink book packed with articles, illustrated by Marisa Acocella Marchetto. Love it!

As far as catalogs so … Red Envelope. I’d like almost anything from this one page: Think Pink. If you shop the Think Pink collection by the end of the month, 10% of the proceeds are going to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund.

Oh, to think there isn’t enough time in the day (or money in the bank) to support all these venues supporting the cause!

Not ready to do the pantry yet … but I am ready to show you what is in my office these days. It is filled with pink products. Take a look:

My husband, otherwise known as “the pink shopper”, brought these Post-it® Flag Highlighter Pens home for me last week after a trip to Staples. Thirty cents from each pack will be donated to City of Hope.

I always use HP Multipurpose Paper … this month the package is pink and states that 20% of the manufacturer’s profit from this product will be donated to breast cancer research and awareness. Thank you HP!
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No, I don’t mean literally. Though I did have a pink room in a condo I once owned; I had my roommates sleep in that room, though. it was … pink.

But … you’d be surprised how much pink I have going on right now. Or maybe you wouldn’t be. The world is flooded with pink products. Is the message about early detection saving lives minimized as a result? Not if I can help it.

Early detection saves lives. When you see a pink ribbon, tell yourself, tell whoever is around you, the pink ribbon is a visible reminder that you need to stay on top of your breast health because your life depends upon it. Even my kids know this … they see a pink ribbon product right now or a pink ribbon pin on someone’s lapel and the lead the conversation — fewer women will die of breast cancer if the message remains prevalent.

That’s why we’re buying what we see. To support the companies that want to help drive this point home.

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For the month of October, Casio has bundled up a special edition pink Exilim camera, the EX-Z75; it’s a 7.2 megapixel digital camera with a lanyard and pink ribbon dangle and a leather case with pink stitching. Proceeds are going to benefit The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

From a press release: “We are proud to be a sponsor of the National Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Bill Heuer, Vice President of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division. “We hope that by purchasing the EX-Z75 in honor of breast cancer patients and survivors, users will capture every valuable moment with their friends and family.”

The kind (and smart) people at Casio sent me a camera to review — so right away I’m psyched, right? Then, as I unpackaged it, aside from the fact that I love the lanyard (instant usability and so “me”), I loved how easy it was to navigate the camera’s menu and program the camera to my liking. Got that date and time stamp on there right away.

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I need to lighten my mood. So, you know how I love pink products … and this sure is the month for them. In fact, I’m doing a round up, by category, and today we’re gettin’ gorgeous for the cause. I’m starting with my favorites:

I’m a Clinique girl. If you are, too, then head on over to the Clinique website and click on the pink ribbon next to their logo in the upper left hand corner of the homepage. Then check it out … when you buy this limited-edition Dramatically Different™ Moisturizing Lotion you get all three decorative charms: a silver Clinique “C”, a miniature 3-Step Skin Care and a Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon. $10.00 from your purchase goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They also link to information about the book I reviewed here earlier this year, “Cancer Vixen” … seems the Clinique campaign was her idea!

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This should be a great weekend for the NFL. Two days. Fourteen games. Pink Towels.

Yes, pink towels. See, Gatorade is working with the NFL to bring increased visibility to the fight against this disease and helping raise funds for breast cancer prevention and treatment. So this weekend (well, Sunday and Monday, October 7th & 8th), NFL players will use special-edition pink Gatorade towels on the sidelines during all 14 games. I’ve got to get fellow 451 Press writer Brian to post about this one at Talking NFL (another 451 Press site).

I’m not necessarily a huge football fan myself. But I did my part for the cause and I managed to get a towel shipped out to me so that I can give it away to one of my readers.

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You know how I love to ‘tout’ pink products … well, check this out.

If you’ve ever bought Yoplait, you’ve probably noticed their special pink lids that reference their Save Lids to Save Lives® program.

These pretty little lids appear on Yoplait yogurts throughout September and October. For each pink lid mailed-in by December 31, 2007, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $1.5 million with a guaranteed minimum donation of $500,000.

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Do you know someone who is dedicating his or her life to educate others about breast cancer and/or the importance of early detection? Someone with a strong commitment to the cause? Made an impact on people’s live? Well, if you do, nominate her to be one of the 2008 Yoplait Champions!

Yoplait and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are searching for 25 individuals doing extraordinary things in the fight against breast cancer. Each of the champions will receive a $1,000 donation from Yoplait to the breast cancer charity of their choice. Nomination forms and criteria are available on Yoplait.com and will be accepted through November 6.

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