Date

Boobie Wednesday

Breast Cancer Ribbon

Archive for the ‘support’ Category

6
Sep

Standing in line.. waiting for my next step

posted by:

Ok, I saw the breast cancer doctor last week. This is her.  http://utmc.utoledo.edu/physicianapp/physingle.jsp?ID=495

She’s great. Honest and straight to the point. My Boyfriend Tim said she reminded him of Dr.House with the way she walked in with a plan and laid it out for me. I answered so many questions on my history i don’t think i’ll ever forget the dates of my previous surgeries or medical history.

This is what i have-

What is ductal carcinoma in situ?

One out of every five new breast cancer diagnoses each year is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). This is an uncontrolled growth of cells within the breast ducts. The phrase “in situ” means “in its original place.” This cancer is noninvasive and has not yet made it to breast tissue outside of the ducts.

Ductal carcinoma in situ is the earliest stage at which breast cancer can be diagnosed. It’s known as Stage 0 breast cancer. The prognosis for women diagnosed with this form is excellent. The vast majority of cases of ductal carcinoma in situ are curable.

Even though ductal carcinoma in situ is noninvasive, it is imperative that women with the disease receive medical treatment because it can be a precursor of invasive cancer. Experts believe that 20 to 50% of women with DCIS will later develop an invasive breast cancer within 10 years of the DCIS diagnosis. The invasive cancer usually develops in the same breast and in the same quadrant of the breast that the DCIS first occurred.

In one day i gained 3 new doctors. The breast cancer doctor, The radiation oncologist, and the medical oncologist that will deal with my hormonal therapy since the cancer is estrogen and progesterone positive.

This week i get to meet my oncologist to set up the radiation treatments and get an MRI done of my breasts. I tend to be very claustrophobic so they are drugging me nicely for it. My oldest friend Cindy is taking me for the MRI and for my surgery. We have been friends since 5th grade and she lost her mom to ovarian cancer a few years ago. Shes dead set on helping me through this and i’m glad she is. I don’t know how i would make it through this positively without people that care for me.

People i would have never thought to offer have stepped up to help me out, and some days its over whelming. I’m the person used to doing for others. It’s hard to let someone else do for me. I’m learning that people care and they all go about caring in different ways. I don’t mind being asked how i’m doing, but when the same person thinks to call me daily and ask it, i’m grateful, but i get annoyed as well. I mean understand this, I have those days, especially right now before surgery, i just want a day to be breast cancer free and not think about it. I don’t think feeling like that is a bad thing because soon enough i’m going to be waking up to a scar on my breast and radiation daily. Right now i feel fine. I’m healthy. Only the Mammogram found the cancer, so its not like its affecting me physically yet. I’m full of energy, i’m not depressed, and im still whole.  I know that days will come when i may be feeling differently and i’m trying to plan ahead for all those situations. Im reading the book Just get me through this by Deborah A. Cohen

It came in my Baskets of Care from http://www.basketsofcare.org/basketofcare.asp

I’ve talked to the founder of Baskets of Care Gail Cooper and we are meeting for coffee thursday. :) She’s a 2 year survivor and i’m really glad i get to meet her and talk to her. I am planning on doing a fund raiser for them after my treatment is finished. I really want to give back to those that are helping women with breast cancer.

Ok guys and girls, Next Boobie Wednesday is my Lumpectomy so Boobie Wednesdays go to gal @wookiesgirl will be filling my shoes.


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, cancer awareness, donations, fund raising, healthy, mammogram, pictures, question, real life, support, survivors, treatment

COMMENTS: No Comments »

20
Aug

We’re sorry, but you have breast cancer.

posted by:

This is my story that is currently unfolding.

3 weeks ago i went to my Gynecologist for my yearly physical. The same routine as every year. Because my birthday was 2 weeks away she decided it was time for my 40yr old mammogram. I had a baseline done 3 years ago. For those that don’t know what a baseline is, They do a pre 40 mammogram so the have a before shot of what your breasts look like.

Within 2 days i get the call that i needed to get the mammogram redone because they found what they called calcification on my left breast. this time i had to go to the Breast Care Center for these shots. They did a few more than the last time and after i was asked to wait.  The nurse took me into a empty room where the radiologist was waiting and they explain to me that the mammograms matched and i needed to have a biopsy done now. The radiologist looks at me and says, “1 out of 3 patients with this form of calcification’s that has the biopsy done has breast cancer.” All i heard was, Your going to be that 1 out of 3.” I sucked it up, put a smile on my face and scheduled the biopsy for the next week. This Tuesday i went in for the biopsy.

They were really great at The Toledo Hospital Breast Care Center. Talked to me through it, explained everything along the way and made sure i was ready to leave since i went alone. Yesterday i got a call from the nurse that helped with my biopsy. She asked how i was doing and feeling then she explained that my Gynecologist was on vacation so the doctor that did the biopsy needed to speak to me. He get on the phone and says,”Unfortunately we found cancer cells in your tissue. Its non invasive ductal carcinoma. You now need to see a breast doctor for a action plan and to decide how you want to get treated.” I just started crying on the phone. I kept thanking him and hung up as quickly as i could, but  it rang again. It was the nurse this time and she was wonderful talking me through my feelings and explaining that it is treatable. Yet again i thanked her and hung up.

Upset and needing to think i walked out the door and headed to Lake Erie. Its where i go to walk through whats going on in my head and to get my feeling in check. I had to figure out how i was going to tell my 3 kids. Heather is 21, Nicks 19, and Shawna’s 13. I figured Shawna would take it the hardest. I let my family know by text message and i let my friends know on Facebook then i went home to tell my kids. Shawna wasn’t upset so much as mad. She looked at me and says,”We’ll beat this Mom.”  Yes we will baby, Yes we will.

 My wonderful kids.

I’ll be posting my story as it happens. I know this is going to be a day by day roller coaster of emotions for me.

When i helped start Boobie Wednesday, it was because my oldest kids aunt had breast cancer. We are the same age. It doesn’t run in my family but i wanted to do something  to educate the young women that blow off self exams because they dont think they may get it or are afraid of finding that lump. I didn’t have a lump. This was so small that only the Mammogram picked it up. I had no signs either.

Please, for me, everyone, Check yourself. Be happy when you dont find anything, and if you do, GET CHECKED.. Its your life in your hands when your feeling your boobs.

Veronica…

 


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, BSE, cancer awareness, mammogram, moobies, pictures, question, real life, support, survivors, treatment, Uncategorized

COMMENTS: 4 Comments »

20
Jul

In memory of Lee Bernd and Dyan Fredrickson Murray

posted by:
This was Sent to us by Jeremy Wagner and he had his sister Sara Wagner Write about 2 friends they have lost to Breast Cancer. Thanks to you both and We are so sorry for you losses.
In memory of Lee Bernd and Dyan Fredrickson Murray (by Sara Wagner):
Lee Bernd had a gift for seeing the potential in others and nurturing this in them from a very young age.  Consistency was also her strength.  Even when she faced her own physical challenges and this disease which ultimately took her life, her trademark smile and lady-like ways never left her.  Now, years later, I am amazed by this woman who traveled the world and shared her vision, no matter what she dealt with personally.  I wish I could sit down and have coffee with her today, to find out what it was really like for her to be this remarkable person in the wake of her body failing her.

Dyan Fredrickson Murray was my best friend in many ways.  When she got breast cancer, she was still Dyan.  She was fun, bubbly, adventuresome, optimistic, and full of love.  In these two years since her passing, I’ve grown more aware of just how incredibly courageous she must have been, to never make an issue of her own self, to not let others dwell upon her sickness (rather, she’d ask you about YOUR life, and participate in everything as though she herself were not dying).  She put on a brave face for everyone, including those closest to her.  I cannot not know what she truly went through, but I do feel inspired by her when I find myself in a tight spot – nothing compares to what she had to deal with.  And if Dyan could wear a smile, then so can I.  This is the way I’ll always remember her.
Thanks for the opportunity to share.
Best,
Jeremy


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, cancer awareness, Guest Blogger, real life, support, Uncategorized

COMMENTS: 1 Comment »

18
May

I have boobs and I’m not afraid to use them!

posted by:

 

Lovelies, I have some serious stuff to talk to you about.

*drags soap box over and steps up*

I have boobs and I’m not afraid to use them!

If you play on Twitter, then you may be aware of #boobiewednesday or #boobiewed. If you aren’t, then I’m happy to explain it.

Every Wednesday, women and men all over the world put up various avatars displaying either bare chests or cleavage. Some are actual pictures of the Twitter user, some are pictures of models they find attractive. Whichever picture they choose, its purpose is to capture your attention. The question is asked: What is #boobiewednesday? And that is when the awareness begins.

I have been putting up an avatar of my cleavage for almost two years now. I do this every week to assist the @boobiewed team in bringing awareness to the Twitter community. The whole purpose of Boobie Wednesday is to remind women and men to do their monthly self-breast exams and to have a yearly mammogram. In addition, they also invite cancer survivors, family members, and supporters to send in their stories to be posted on the site. It’s another wonderful way to help educate people.

It takes a lot of courage to post a picture of your cleavage or bare chest for hundreds, possibly thousands, to see. Some are fake breasts, some are real breasts. Some are the reconstructed breasts of cancer survivors who have had mastectomies. I commend the men and women who do this weekly. I am very proud of my breasts and I am happy to display my cleavage if it helps bring awareness.

However, not everyone approves of how Twitter users support #BoobieWed. And, ya know, that’s okay. There are, of course, people who put up avatars just to get attention for themselves, and that’s okay, too. What someone chooses to show publicly or on Twitter is their business. To each his or her own.

Here is what you need to know: The BoobieWed crew has never asked, nor required, their supporters to show their cleavage or bare chests. The one thing they have asked them to do is to use one of these hashtags: #boobiewed or #boobiewednesday. That’s it. It’s that simple.

Last week some things happened on Twitter that deeply disturbed me. When I signed on, I noticed that two of my Twitter friends and me were being harassed because of our cleavage avatars. A women that none of us knew approached all three of us at once and began shaking her electronic finger at us. She accused us of degrading and objectifying women because we chose to put up avatars displaying our cleavage. She said we had no self-respect, no standards, and that we were oppressing women everywhere. She called me a hussie, a twit, and a slut. And she has, of course, deleted those tweets. But here’s the thing: she did all of this in the name of “feminism.” She accused me of being a feminist who did nothing but support the status quo. She brought up issues of salary and the differences between men and women and then said that I shouldn’t complain about these things if I was just going to show my “tits” all over Twitter and objectify and oppress women everywhere.  She also attacked the @boobiewed Twitter account.

Now, let me just say that when someone comes at me like this, I feed them to my tweet stream. So that is exactly what I did. And my followers ate her alive. I sat and watched the stream erupt and the fight went on for about three hours. This woman made a lot of people angry. Men and women. People were on fire over this, and I really can’t blame them.

My point in telling you this story is not to lambaste this woman again. My point is that a very important movement got twisted into something so wrong and ugly it made me take pause and wonder why. All in the name of feminism? Really? This is not the first time Boobiewed has taken hits from so-called feminists, but I have never seen it this bad before.

I have never claimed to be a feminist. I do however, claim that as a woman, as a citizen of the United States, and a Twitter user, have the right to show my cleavage if I choose to do so. And you have the right to not look and to not follow me on Twitter. You also have the right to disagree with my choice. But the minute you start being nasty and insulting, you’ve lost all credibility. If exercising my rights as a woman to show my body upsets you that much, then that is truly your problem. Telling me I’m wrong and shaking your finger at me and then telling me what I should or should not do seems an awful lot like telling me to get in the back of the bus or that I should hide my body because it’s shameful or that I don’t have a right to own my body. How, then, can you be a feminist claiming you support equal rights? Isn’t that the same thing as oppressing me?

Boobiewed is a wonderful cause. Every day, the team sends out information that helps educate the masses. It’s another way to support breast cancer awareness. The people that support it do so in the manner that they are comfortable with. I’ll tell you something else. Every week I get the typical “Hey nice avi” tweet from a man, I say, “Thank you.” Then I tell him why my cleavage is on display. I also ask him, “Did you know men get breast cancer too?” At least once a week, someone answers me back with, “I did not know that.” So please, do not tell me that this does not raise awareness. That it doesn’t serve as a reminder. Because I know it does. Women on Twitter tell me every week that if it was not for #boobiewed, they would forget to do their self-checks. This is good stuff, people, and I will continue to support the team for as long as I stay on Twitter.

Thank you to the @boobiewed team for what they do week after week. It’s not always easy when you have to deal with some of the negative backlash that comes when you stand on the front lines. I vow to stand with you always, though. And to the woman who went on a rampage last week: You’re in my prayers. It’s very clear to me that whatever you struggle with truly has nothing to do with my avatar or anyone else’s. Whatever it is, I hope you find peace with it.

*steps off soap box*

Much love to you all.

Wookies Girl


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, BSE, cancer awareness, Guest Blogger, healthy, mammogram, moobies, pictures, question, real life, support, survivors, tattoo

COMMENTS: 8 Comments »

16
May

And the awareness award goes to….

posted by:

Its my turn to be sarcastic. Ive been reading tweets and blogs bashing Boobie Wednesday and the fact that people post their “Boob” avi’s.  Now in our defense, the choice to post boobs shots is strictly up to the tweeter. We don’t ask or expect you to change your pic on Wednesdays. Its strictly your personal choice. Most people do it to show that they have done their self exam for the month, there are those few that only do it for other reasons that we do not advocate. We are not the internet police but when our hashtags #boobiewed and #BoobieWednesday are used i make sure those that are doing it for the wrong reasons are set straight.

I think the bashers need to take a step back and look around them at advertising and other major causes.(Can you say double standard?)

PETA uses naked celebs to promote the no fur

choice  http://photos.extratv.warnerbros.com/galleries/celebrity_peta_ads .

Adam Levine did a nude photo shoot to promote prostate cancer (he did have a female hand covering his sweet spot)  http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/maroon-5s-adam-levine-poses-nude-for-prostate-cancer-awareness-201161

I find it annoying and purely hypocritical when they attack personal choice saying people do the Avi change for attention or purely for fun.

Whats fun about a 25 year old never doing her/his monthly breast exam and finding a lump while taking a shower? Whats fun about never knowing men get breast cancer as well as women, and if it runs in your family, even being male, you have a greater risk of occurence? Is that attention getting?

Hows this for fun and attention getting?

From http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

“Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except for skin cancer. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in women.

Each year it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Approximately 1,700 men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die each year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is similar to that in women, including mammography.”

From http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/testicular

“Definition of testicular cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of one or both testicles. Testicular cancer is most common in young or middle-aged men. Most testicular cancers begin in germ cells (cells that make sperm) and are called testicular germ cell tumors.

Estimated new cases and deaths from testicular cancer in the United States in 2010:
New cases: 8,480
Deaths: 350

”

From http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate

“Definition of prostate cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of the prostate (a gland in the male reproductive system found below the bladder and in front of the rectum). Prostate cancer usually occurs in older men.

Estimated new cases and deaths from prostate cancer in the United States in 2010:
New cases: 217,730
Deaths: 32,050

”

Fun enough for you? Attention getting? We regularly post info on all cancers, Not just Breast cancer..

We even have a post here on the website about Mesothelioma cancer.

Now im not going to lower myself to their standards and name names (our blogs) But i’m really sick and tired of defending what we do and how its done. We have alot of breast cancer survivors that support us. They dont think that we are objectifying women or making breast cancer seem trivial by the bringing awareness the way we do. Want to see what breast cancer looks like on a woman that has had her breasts rebuilt after a mastectomy? I can tell you she fully supports us. http://boobiewednesday.org/2010/10/this-week-jonsnewboobs-story-with-photos/

I dont do this so i can show the whole of Twitter my breasts every week because i have a poor body image or i need men complimenting me on the size of my breasts. I do this because my kids aunt, someone i went to school with, someone that is the same age as me, was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago. She’s lost a breast. Guess what? Now my daughter and son have a lifetime of paying attention to their breasts to make sure that if they do get it, they find it early enough that they won’t lose their lives like so many men and women do. I stay educated about breast cancer because who better to ask my kids every month if they have done their self exam then me? You know who will stand by their sides and hold their heads as they gets sick from chemo if it does happen? Me.

Thats why i do this every week. Thats why it matters to me that men and women i don’t know are reminded to self exam. Hey bloggers and Tweeters that put Boobie Wednesdays message down, My daughter and son could someday get breast cancer. I’m their first reminder to self exam.


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, BSE, cancer awareness, mammogram, moobies, pictures, question, real life, support, survivors, treatment

COMMENTS: 5 Comments »

3
May

Women in Ohio Need Your Help!

posted by:

I just sent a letter to Ohio legislators expressing my support of breast health services for the state’s low-income and uninsured women.  I think this is important, and I hope you agree.

Funding cuts to the state’s breast cancer screening program, Ohio Breast and Cervical Cancer Project (BCCP), are being considered by the Ohio House of Representatives now. 

I understand policymakers face difficult choices. Yet, I also know many of our friends and neighbors rely on BCCP.  In today’s economy, thousands of women have nowhere else to turn for the cancer screenings that may save their lives.  How can we let a lost job and lost insurance result in a lost life?

Early detection is a key to surviving breast cancer.  When breast cancer is detected early, before it spreads beyond the breast, the 5-year relative survival rate is 98 percent.  Once the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, survival rates plummet to 23 percent.

We can make a huge impact for the women of Ohio IF we make our voices heard!  I just took action, writing a letter to members of the Ohio House of Representatives.  Will you join me? 

It’s easy to do, just click on the link below.

Thanks for joining me in this fight!

https://secure.info-komen.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=918

Please take the time to be heard and help support the fight.


CATEGORIES: boobs, breast cancer, cancer awareness, government, guidelines, healthy, real life, support

COMMENTS: No Comments »

29
Apr

The Loss of a dear friend.

posted by:

Hey everyone, Sorry i wasn’t up front spreading the message this past Boobie Wednesday. I was at a funeral for a dear friend.

My Friend Wayne passed away last weekend from Prostate cancer. He fought a long 3 year battle with his wife and family by his side. It was one of those unexpected things when he found out. A sudden lump appearing on his neck that kept getting bigger and bigger. The docs went in to remove it and after the tests were run they said it was Prostate cancer. It had spread to his neck and he did not even know he had it. After chemo and radiation he was told it was in remission, but then it suddenly came back after a year. He fought it again never giving up. He had said to me that staying positive was what he was going to do because he was stronger that way.

Never a dull moment with Waynee around. Im going to miss him so much. He was a fun guy who was always full of life and always on the go. He was a letter carrier for the South Toledo post office and a proud Pittsburg Steelers and Ohio State Buckeyes fan. I was lucky enough to go to a few NASCAR races with him and friends up at MIS. He was always giving me advice about  men and telling me that someday the guy that appreciates me will come along and sweep me off my feet. I never believed him but that’s the way it is between friends. I’m going to miss him popping onto messenger and seeing how the website is going or asking if i had went to the lake recently. He loved going out to Maumee Bay and watching the storms roll out over Michigan and Canada. You never expect someone so full of life to be taken from you so quickly. Im going to miss you Wayne.

Please guys, always check yourself, be it your dangly bits or your tits, just feel them. Any changes, any lumps, even pebble size bumps could be something. Women get reminded all the time because Breast cancer is very in your face now a days, but Prostate and Testicular cancer aren’t talked about alot and men seem embarrassed to say, “Hey, i felt my balls today and im proud of it.”

Here’s a few websites for you guys as to what your looking for and how to check yourself.

Nearly all testicular cancers are one of two general types: seminoma or nonseminoma. Other types are rare.

This disease occurs most often in men between the ages of 20 and 39. It accounts for only 1 percent of all cancers in men

Symptoms include a lump, swelling, or enlargement in the testicle; pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum; and/or an ache in the lower abdomen, back, or groin

From 2004-2008, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the prostate was 67 years of age

Approximately 0.0% were diagnosed under age 20; 0.0% between 20 and 34; 0.6% between 35 and 44; 9.1% between 45 and 54; 30.7% between 55 and 64; 35.3% between 65 and 74; 19.9% between 75 and 84; and 4.4% 85+ years of age.

Based on rates from 2005-2007, 16.22% of men born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate at some time during their lifetime. This number can also be expressed as 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate during their lifetime. These statistics are called the lifetime riskX Close
The probability of developing cancer in the course of one’s lifespan. Lifetime risk may also be discussed in terms of the probability of developing or of dying from cancer. Based on cancer rates from 2005 to 2007, it was estimated that men had about a 44 percent chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes, while women had about a 38 percent chance. of developing cancer. Sometimes it is more useful to look at the probability of developingX Close
The chance that a person will develop cancer in his/her lifetime. cancer of the prostate between two age groups. For example, 8.30% of men will develop cancer of the prostate between their 50th and 70th birthdays.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/prostate/page2

and

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/testicular/Patient/page2

Please guys, educate yourselves. Take the time so Cancer doesn’t take you.


CATEGORIES: cancer awareness, pictures, real life, support, survivors

COMMENTS: 3 Comments »

28
Nov

Some info From The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

posted by:

Charlie Daniels/Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 20th ANNUAL
CHARLIE-PALOOZA
Celebrity Golf Classic, Poker Tournament & Angelus Country Concert in
December to raise funds for children with cerebral palsy

TAMPA, Fla. ­ Charlie Daniels and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino,
Tampa will team up again for the sixth straight year to benefit the
residents and students of The Angelus. This year, the legendary
country/southern rock musician and singer will also celebrate his twentieth
year of ³Charlie-Palooza,² the annual event that raises critically needed
funds for the local non-profit group serving the needs of severely
handicapped children.

In true Charlie-Palooza style, the Charlie Daniels Band, Little Texas, and
Confederate Railroad will perform in a concert at the Dallas Bull on
Saturday, Dec. 4.

The concert actually will be the culmination of a full weekend of
fund-raising fun that tees off on Thurs. Dec. 2 with a Blind Draw Golf
Pairing Party from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino, Tampa.

Also on Thursday night at the casino, the Charlie-Palooza Poker Tournament
will be held at 9 p.m. with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000.The first
place winner will receive $5,000, second place $1,000. The top 10 finishers
will win cash and two tickets to the Angelus Country Concert. The entry fee
is $200; tickets are now available at the Hard Rock Store in the Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. There is a limit of only 240 players. If not
already sold out, tickets will be available on the day of the tournament in
the casino Poker Room from noon until one hour after the start of the
tournament.

On Friday, Dec. 3, the Charlie Daniels/Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Celebrity Golf Classic will be held at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club
with a
7:30 a.m. breakfast and 8 a.m. shotgun start. The golf entry fee for a
twosome is $500 and includes two Pairing Party tickets, two Awards Dinner
tickets, and two Angelus Country Concert tickets. The Awards Dinner will be
held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, from 6-10 p.m. To participate,
contact Tammy at (727) 243-8293.)

The weekend festivities will culminate on Saturday night at 6 p.m. with the
20th Annual Angelus Country Concert at the Dallas Bull, featuring
Confederate Railroad, Little Texas and, of course, the Charlie Daniels Band!
Admission is $20 (The organizers noted that it’s one dollar for every year
Charlie has been supporting The Angelus!)

For more information please visit http://www.seminolehardrocktampa.com/.

Thanks so much for your help on this!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

And also….

TIMEOUTNY_CITY HARVEST AD

Hope you’re doing well.  Thanks so much for all of your help lately with the Seminole campaign. I’m also working with City Harvest on a great campaign (http://www.cityharvest.org).  If you are not familiar with City Harvest, they are an organization that focuses on rescuing food to feed the city’s hungry men, women and children.   


NEW QR CODES GIVE CELL PHONE USERS INSTANT ACCESS TO WAYS TO SUPPORT CITY HARVEST
New York, NY – November 23rd – With demand for emergency food at record high levels, City Harvest is reaching donors with an innovative advertising campaign that uses technology commonly used by for-profit marketers but new to fundraisers.  On advertisements in print, phone kiosks, transit shelters, and on Facebook, City Harvest has incorporated a QR code, which functions like a barcode and can be scanned by mobile phones.  

This cutting edge technology offers donors the highest level of flexibility.  Cell phone users that scan the QR code will immediately have the option to go to the City Harvest website, read facts about City Harvest, view a video illustrating City Harvest’s work, and make a donation online or by clicking a button to call City Harvest directly.  Donors can choose the amount they wish to donate and get more information about City Harvest at the touch of a button.  

The QR codes can be found on City Harvest’s new advertising campaign featuring New York City residents that have taken action to fight hunger.  Though the food City Harvest rescues and delivers is donated, City Harvest needs cash donations to maintain their trucks and staff that are essential to picking up and distributing food.  The advertisements demonstrate the impact of donors who pull out their wallet or checkbook in helping City Harvest feed more hungry New Yorkers.

“In an era of mobile technology, potential donors want and expect to be able to act immediately,” said Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest.  ”QR codes allow New Yorkers just learning about City Harvest to get more information quickly and easily as well as give.”  

“QR codes are changing the future of donor-charity relationships. They allow nonprofits to interact with their donors by exchanging engaging content,” said Irina Skaya, marketing manager at Horizon Media. “QR codes can be used without monthly running costs and function without limiting the dollar amount donors give to the nonprofit.”

Despite other indicators that the recession has ended, agencies served by City Harvest have reported no relief since demand for emergency food spiked last year.  City Harvest works to meet greater need at soup kitchens and food pantries by rescuing and delivering food to some 600 programs throughout the five boroughs.  Currently, City Harvest helps feed over 300,000 hungry men, women, and children each week. 
 We are trying to generate some awareness for a really good cause, so any help you can provide in this would go a long way.

Thanks to Mike Pampalone From The Seminole Hard Rock For Promoting such great causes. Please at this time of year, Think of those less fortunate and give a little when you can.

 

City Harvest has a really cool initiative going on to drive donations using QR codes that I wanted to share with you.  A QR code is similar to a bar code that you would scan on your phone and would immediately get access to brand related content.  These QR codes will provide people with lots of City Harvest content and will also allow people to donate to a good cause (if they want to donate).  They can download the application “ScanLife” on their smart phone devices in order to scan the code.

I have included the official press release for the campaign below:

City Harvest, Feed a Dream


CATEGORIES: christmas, donations, food, fund raising, healthy, real life, support

COMMENTS: 1 Comment »

3
Nov

This is J. Michael Mollohan’s Story. (@ReverendMojo On Twitter)

posted by:
 
 
Hi honey!  This is my story.
 
In 1999, a sore spot developed above and to the right of my left nipple. I examined it the way I learned on the Internet. There was definitely a lump. It hurt worse by the minute it seemed.  I made an appointment and had my doctor check it. He sent me for a mammogram.
 
This is where the story gets hysterical. At the time I was a 52-year-old 100% male with only a slight moobishness. The technician vascillated between frustration and hilarity trying to stuff my pectoral regions in the tit-squisher.  Eventually, we managed. They took the x-rays and sent them to my doctor. He examined them and said, “I can’t tell what this is. We’d better refer you to a surgeon.” Which he promptly did. I saw the surgeon the following day.
 
The surgeon couldn’t determine much from the pectogram either, so he said we should explore and take appropriate measures. I didn’t care for the sound of that, but I saw little other choice.  In a few days, I was on the table, counting backward from 100. I didn’t get very far.  The surgery went smoothly.
 
When I came to a reasonable state of consciouseness, the surgeon told me the lump looked benign, but he removed it and some surrounding tissue.  I was promised the results of the biopsy in a day or two. When the results came back, it was confirmed to be a benign gynecomastia. I was greatly relieved.
 
A college friend’s dad died from breast cancer, and with this scare, I determined to check myself regularly. Even a benign lump requires swift action.
 
J. Michael Mollohan
 
 
 
Moobies and Boobies, (guys and gals)
  @ReverendMojo Is one of our very loyal Twitter friends. The fact is, he shares his story to show us that being careful is better then being careless.  Breast Cancer can hit anyone. Taking the time to get checked is important. Even if its not cancer, taking the time to check and taking the time to do something about finding something is the best idea. Dont wait, dont hesitate, call your Doc and live with a false alarm rather than trying to live with something growing in your breast.
 Self exam.  Save a life.
 
V..
 


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, BSE, cancer awareness, guidelines, healthy, mammogram, moobies, question, real life, support, Uncategorized

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29
Oct

The Three Amigas By Linda Salter

posted by:

Amiga’sThree

We met in the waiting room of the radiation oncology department — Mich (a nickname pronounced ‘mitch’), Tammy and me. Mich had started her treatment about two weeks before me so I met her first. We were often there at the same time of day, late afternoon. At first we nodded at each other and then, tugging self-consciously at the ‘lovely’ gowns we wore for our five-day-a-week appointments, we went back to flipping, unseeing, through glossy magazines. After a few days, we introduced ourselves to each other and started chatting. It was the unique kind of small talk you make while your life hangs in the balance. You make seamless segues, somehow, between talking about your job one minute and needle biopsies the next, between cute kid and pet stories and how to treat radiation burns, between the weather and current events and surgeries, and always, always, steadfastly avoiding references to the future. A couple of weeks later, we met Tammy. She was sitting in the corner, listening to us, and I noticed she was nodding her head in agreement. I had just said “all I want to do is put this whole experience behind me”. I said “you too?” and she nodded again and then moved over to sit nearer to us. She was a day or two into her treatment. From that day on, we were the three Amiga’s with breast cancer.

In many ways, we couldn’t be much different and in many ways, we couldn’t be more similar. They were both just shy of 50; I was a few years older. Mich works for a big corporation, Tammy is an office manager and partner in a small business, and I am an educator and an academic. Our family configurations are not much alike, we have widely differing ethnic backgrounds, and so little in common in our daily lives that we probably would never have met anywhere else. On the other hand, we shared the most important things. We all had breast cancer, we are all gregarious and like to laugh, and we all knew one thing for sure: we were not going to die any time soon.

Over the next few weeks, we became the terrible trio of radiation oncology. We talked and laughed before and after our treatments, sometimes we stayed so long, sitting there in those lovely gowns, giggling and yakking until the staff actually dimmed the lights and left. We teased the nurses, asking them when happy hour started and where were the drinks and snacks. Sometimes we moved our conversation to a nearby hospital lobby and coffee shop. We knew by this time, without saying so, we had a friendship that would long outlast the ugly red blotches that we now all sported on our chests and in our armpits.

On Mich’s last treatment day, we brought gifts and flowers and hugged and vowed to keep in touch. They did the same for me, and Mich and I did the same for Tammy.

Since then, we have remained the three amigas. We get together once a month or so for lunch, stay in touch in between, and sometimes go with each other to doctor appointments or tests. Cancer has treated us all very differently. We joke that Mich is boring. She has had few complications and no recurrences. We joke that Tammy is the ‘medium’ one. She has had a scare and a biopsy that was negative and some other non cancer related health issues. We joke that I am the drama queen. I’m am way ‘ahead’ in recurrences, amount of treatment, and number of surgeries. But where it matters, there is no difference between us. We share something no one else can understand if they haven’t been through it themselves.

The first time I walked into the radiation oncology waiting room, I didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone there. After all, ‘they’ were cancer patients. Not me, this was all some colossal mistake, a bad dream and I would wake up soon and forget all about it. The last time I walked out of there I walked out, laughing and talking, with my dear friends Mich and Tammy. And now I can’t imagine my life without having spent those days in that room, or my life without them.

We are, and will always be, the three Amiga’s.

(Linda Salter is a Breast Cancer survivor and we posted her story October 18th. http://boobiewednesday.org/2010/10/my-story-begins-on-a-cold-february-morning-linda-salters-story/ )

　


CATEGORIES: boobies, boobs, breast cancer, cancer awareness, real life, support, survivors, treatment

COMMENTS: 1 Comment »

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