Man honors wife's life with breast cancer garden

This story is so sweet.
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/521906/man-honors-late-wife-with-breast-cancer-garden/

Pink whistle-blowers catch a break.

Note the ol' PR classic, "this was overblown". Why can't anyone ever say that the were just plain wrong?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/highschoolsports/2013257345_ringer26.html

Ok this makes me MAD

Pink whistle blowers might be penalized

Referees who blew pink whistles to raise breast-cancer awareness might have to give up game checks for working out of uniform.

By Seattle Times staff and The Associated Press

Related

Penalties might be coming for dozens of referees who used pink whistles at high-school football games Thursday night.
Referees from the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Association used the colorful the whistles to raise awareness for breast-cancer research, and donated their game checks to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
But Todd Stordahl, commissioner of the Washington Officials Association, said they didn't ask for permission.
"They chose not to ask for permission, not to go the right route," Stordahl told KING-TV, saying the move set a precedent.
"It sends the wrong message to kids that are playing the game. 'If they broke the rules, why can't I do the same.' "
Stordahl said the WOA might keep the pink whistle blowers from officiating two playoff games as a result. That means the referees could lose two game checks.
There was a fundraiser at the Inglemoor-Garfield game Thursday night to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Inglemoor coach Frank Naish lost his sister to breast cancer this year.
They were pleased by the referee's effort.
"I think it's perfect. It's great," Naish's wife Teri told KING-TV. "I think it's a shame (if they're penalized). The message we're sending is simple. We're looking for a cure for breast cancer."

Who the F*** would want that?

That is what my husband said when I told him about this next article. Thanks Chemobabe for pointing it out. You can now have breast cancer in second life!

http://cancerculturenow.blogspot.com/2010/10/virtual-breast-cancer.html

Young Survivors Conference becomes C4YW

If you scroll back in time Deb and I covered the Young Survivors Conference extensively both here on Loop and for CureToday.com. I thought the convention was an excellent experience, but I realize that their efforts at media outreach were only partially successful. Also there was confusion because the YSC conference and the YSC organization actually have different names.

Now the conference will have it's own new identity. The C4YW. Check out the new website www.c4yw.org

Play about young woman with breast cancer

I will write more about this soon, but I wanted to put it out there while it is still running!
If you are a young woman with BC, you will want to see this!
http://coyotereptheatrecompany.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-normal.html

4 Sisters, 4 Survivors

Very inspiring!
http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_03d1a30a-da5d-11df-9395-001cc4c03286.html

The cost of cancer

Today I sat in HR at my new job trying to decide what to do. I can stay on my husbands insurance via cobra or we can join the plan at my job. It's kind of funny, going through cancer gives you a whole different perspective on medical bills.

Here's an excellent article from Chicago.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-breast-cancer-costs-20101014,0,5804048.story

Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day

 One of the most heartbreaking threads I have read on breast cancer message boards is by women with stage 4 breast cancer who feel overlooked and ignored by breast cancer awareness month.
Today is MBC Awareness day, to learn more use the following link.

http://www.mbcnetwork.org/page.aspx?nm=mbc_awareness_day_02

Wire Story

Anyone who has had a lumpectomy knows the wire insertion is emotionally and physically painful.
I thought this article about an alternative was pretty interesting.
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=7719994

Choosing a Breast Cancer Charity

There are a lot of good breast cancer charities out there, and some not-as-good. From BCRF to YSC to Komen, how do you choose where to put your dollars.

The gazillions of pink products this time of year make it even more confusing. This is an excellent article from the Chicago Trib looking at the variety of charities.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-he-breast-cancer-pink-20101004,0,5033635.story

Live chat with patient navigator

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-breast-cancer-chat-20101012,0,7759778.story

Fantasy Bras

A cancer fighting bra?

I guess it gave the folks at the Los Angeles times a good chuckle.

I have even read on the web about a bra that doubles as a gas mask.

I guess if I were reporting in a war zone, I would think about it.

Suzanne

Row for the cure

I thought this was a neat idea and a snappy website.
http://www.rowforthecurect.com/

Lingan?

I don't know much about Lingan, but according to a study it could be beneficial.

http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Phytochemicals/lignan_reduces_risk_of_breast_cancer_death_1110100745.html

Here's an awareness month benefit that helps everyone

http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2010/10/commit_to_be_fit_connects_exercise_with_breast_cancer_research_donationshttp:

Thinking about pink

Last year breast cancer awareness month nearly overwhelmed me. My surgery was on October 13. In the weeks before, it felt like the world was conspiring to make me think about breast cancer 24-7. Even watching football was agony, why did every player, coach, and goal post have to be decked out in pink?

This year my feelings are more ambivalent.

I know some women float through the month on a pink cloud, lifted by the fact that so many people appear to care and be supporting a cure. I know others look at pink products and suspect that they are being exploited by promotions that only channel a tiny fraction of proceeds to breast cancer.

Personally I am somewhere in between.

There are times seeing a landmark lit in pink truly lifts my spirits. I got a lump in my throat when I saw the pink lights on the George Washington Bridge.

I have seen great work done by pink-pushing charities. I really enjoyed participating Komen's Race for the Cure. I know women for whom the pink stands as a sign of hope that they are not forgotten. And to be honest if anyone wanted to do all this for lymphedema, I would be overjoyed. Having an orphan illness is even harder than being the "flavor of the week."

This website is for everyone. Yes, our logo has a pink ribbon. Yes, we cover charity events that include a lot of pink. But I also try to give voice to women who have something else to say. Here is a post that has a very different point of view than my own.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fran-visco/why-im-not-celebrating-br_b_749128.html

Now on to the products. The best way to fight cancer is to give directly to a charity that funds research. Another option... do something in your community to help people with cancer.

When it comes to products, I have no problem with a company just making a straight up donation, instead of having some tiny fraction of products sold benefiting breast cancer charities.

York Peppermint Patties gives $250,000 to the Young Survival Coalition. Works for me. I can buy or not buy their candy. 

Some tie-ins are not so clear, and I hope corporations will re-think them and be more generous before using our suffering for seasonal sales.

So for this year I am at peace with pink, most of it at least. But if you can't wait for all the pink to go away...I've been there too.

Suzanne

Breast Cancer Awareness in Israel

I liked the photo of the old city lit in pink!

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-with-one-of-world-s-highest-breast-cancer-rates-marks-awareness-month-1.316917

Breast Cancer Survivors do the Pink Glove Dance

 If you watch very, very carefully, you can see me dancing my offbeat salsa in the Times Square segment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEmkvxfXfjg&feature=player_embedded

Go Deb Go!

Our own Deb, co-founder of Loop is on the "Tour de Pink" right now! It benefits the YSC, one of our favorite causes! They go from Hershey, PA to NYC, and I am so glad the weather has cleared up a bit!
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hersheys-bliss-chocolates-kicks-off-breast-cancer-awareness-month-with-220-mile-charity-bike-ride-2010-10-01?reflink=MW_news_stmp

The story behind the pink GW Bridge

O.K. I am being such a New Yorker here. There are pink landmarks all over the world but I am obsessed with the GW Bridge in pink. These photos are from the New York Times, and here is their article on the man who turned the bridge pink.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/a-bridge-goes-pink-for-breast-cancer-awareness/

Pink and Green

There is a lot to blog about this month. Here is a link to an article from my former home town of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/local/green_bay/new-going-pink

Landmarks lit in pink signal the start of breast cancer awareness month

   Love or hate it, October is here, and all the pink that goes with it. Last year I was still in shock at my diagnosis and the pink kind of rubbed me raw. But tonight when I saw the GW bridge strung in pink light, it kind of gave me a lump in my throat.