Yes, Ma'am! Mammograms Are a Must!

God turned my mess into a message
By Lee McCracken, Guest Blogger

Dressed like twins, even though we were 13 months apart, my older sister and I were a striking pair at ages 5 and 6. She had red hair and freckles, and Mom dressed her in blues and greens. I was blond, and I donned the reds and pinks. Perhaps it was foreshadowing, but probably not.

Fast-forward 45 years. Pink is a staple in my wardrobe. Having been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) in 2009, I’m a member of the pink-ribbon club … whether I like it or not. I am lucky it was caught at Stage 1 (nothing had spread to the lymph nodes), and I now reflect on the nine months of surgery, reconstruction and recovery with a shrug as if it were no big deal. Truthfully, I’m a “glass half full” kinda gal and always tend to look on the bright side.

Before my diagnosis, I NEVER liked getting a mammogram — I was fibrocystic, and it always hurt and required an accompanying ultrasound. Today, I tell women breast cancer hurts even more!

In spring 2011, at the threshold of my 50th birthday, God laid a message on my heart … one that I thought just was going to be my team’s name for a breast cancer walk. Yet, the sassy, upbeat and inspiriting phrase has grown bigger than I could have imagined. At the urging of many marketing-savvy girlfriends, Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must grew into a philanthropic social enterprise and a pink T-shirt I began merchandising on a local, and now a regional and national level.

It’s a simple, straight-forward message that doesn’t sexualize the female body. The feedback has been remarkable — women ages 25-85 and older say, “It’s really catchy!” And even though it’s for women about women, men are embracing the message in support of the ladies they love.

“Get Your Squeeze On!™” is my mantra, because early detection of breast cancer assures more options for treatment and higher survival rates. I envision women all over the country wearing their Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must tee to the coffee house, grocery store and gym. It makes a sassy statement in southern style, and ladies take notice. I’ve seen them look at my tee and then shake their head, almost to say, “Oh yeah, I need to schedule that!” It’s even better when they give me a thumbs-up, indicating their annual appointment is behind them and the report was “all clear.”

Sadly, though, the fear factor is real … and women are BUSY. Research shows more than 50 percent of women ages 50+ either cancel their appointment or never get around to making it. Perhaps they don’t know this fact: When mammograms are scheduled every other year, some 30 percent of breast cancers can be missed.

To be totally honest, when a woman says, “Oh, I keep forgetting …” I want to smack her silly — especially if she has health insurance. Given the current economic climate, many women have to put the needs of their children first before tending to their own health. From the very beginning, T-shirt sales have helped to fund mammograms for women who don’t have health insurance. The cost of the tee is $20, and 25 percent ($5) is donated. Individuals, businesses/groups and stores that purchase or sell the tee are encouraged to designate a women’s healthcare charity in their community to receive the funds (hopefully earmarked for mammograms).

Having been a writer/editor - http://www.joyfulleewritten.com/ - for more than 28 years, I am energized by this second act of my life — an entrepreneur who’s engaging communities of women in the early detection of breast cancer. (Who knew a 50-year-old could master making memes and tweeting?) But beyond learning new skills, I’m living passionately with a new purpose. Building the Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must  brand, connecting with awesome women and making new friends is a blessing I never could have imagined three years ago when I heard those fateful words: breast cancer. Yes, Ma'am, I'm a surTHRIVER!
                                                         
Lee McCracken
http://www.yesmaamtee.com/
www.Facebook.com/YesMaamMammograms
@YesMaamMammos (Twitter)



Lee McCracken lives with her husband, Stuart, in Denver, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. She has a 20-year-old daughter, Megan, and an 11-year-old Bichon Frise, Benny. She enjoys traveling, photography, reading and gardening. Lee’s girlfriends keep her filled with inspiration and laughter!

For products to help alleviate side effects of cancer treatment please visit: http://www.lotstolivefor.com/
The skin care, hair care, oral care and anti-nausea products on this website can help you resume your normal lifestyle during treatment.

NEW THERAPEUTIC APP: WHIP CANCER - Innovative iphone and ipad Ap for Cancer Patients

By Larry G. Raff, MPH - Guest blogger (and founder of Whip Cancer)

Last July my brother and sister-in-law visited me and my family in Boston from the west coast. It was a great visit, but Kitty was dealing with some respiratory ailment that did not seem out of the ordinary. After returning home Kitty checked it out and finally learned that there was malignant tissue in the upper lobes of her lungs. The search ensued to find the primary tumor, but with no success.

Over the course of the next several months Kitty and I spoke and began to discuss how she was coping with her chemotherapy. We talked about the ways she was taking care of herself and I asked if she was trying any visualization to stimulate her immune system to fight the cancer. She said she was, but that it was difficult and she could use some help in doing it. It was soon afterwards that her condition quickly deteriorated and she was gone before Christmas.

My conversation with Kitty inspired the creation of Whip Cancer. Being a visually oriented person myself with a master’s degree in public health and clinical nutrition, it made sense to me to help people like Kitty by providing photos of the cancer cells they are trying to rid from their body, and to enable the placement of the cells at the body sight of the cancer. By combining visual support along with a guided imagery narrative with complementary ambient sound made profound sense to me.

I then rang up my friend Zack Spigelman, MD, Internist, Hematologist and Medical Oncologist at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston and he confirmed that imagery is frequently used by his patients to empower them to be active in the healing process, thereby reducing stress and focusing the body's energies on targeting the disease. In addition, I did extensive web research and looked at every iPhone app I could find on cancer and guided imagery, and to my surprise, found nothing that takes this approach.

I thought an app was the way to go to make Whip Cancer available to as many people as possible. People can use the app while receiving chemotherapy, when waiting to be treated, at a random quiet moment in the day, or at daily scheduled times.

I didn’t know the first thing about creating a mobile app, so I did my research and quickly realized I needed someone to do the programming. Using LinkedIn I found Makarand Sovani, a veteran computer software programmer in NJ who was learning how to create iPhone/Pad apps. I provided him with what is called a “wire frame” that laid out the content and relationship of each page of the app. I also provided him with 108 cancer histology images, and brilliant anatomical images.

Then I needed someone to do a specially tailored guided imagery narrative, and I had to look no further than my friend and colleague Diane Blumenson. Diane is a gifted Certified Hypnotist and member of the National Guild of Hypnotists (She has put me under a couple of times).

We were off to the races. After only two months the beta app was ready to test on friends and family members, some of whom have or have had cancer. The feedback was fabulous and very encouraging. We made a number of improvements and then launched the app in mid-June 2012.
Whip Cancer is a visually enhanced guided imagery immunotherapy tool. Its release coincides with findings by pharmaceutical researchers who are developing drugs that will use the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapies are intended to activate the body’s immune system, allowing it to recognize cancer cells as the enemy and attack them. Researchers are still seeking to develop a method to jump-start the body's defenses without injuring normal cells. This is exactly what Whip Cancer offers.
There is a great deal of sound research supporting the ability of guided imagery to positively affect the immune response. I’ve collected some of this research and other information at http://www.whipcancer.net/ to help others find ways to help themselves. Whip Cancer can be purchased for $2.99 on the Apple App Store or through the iTunes store. Whip Cancer is currently available for both iphones and ipads.

Larry can be reached at whipcancerblog@gmail.com and http://www.whipcancer.net/.

To learn about other products that are helpful for cancer patients please visit  Lots To Live For, Inc.

        ONE STOP SHOPPING AND SOLUTIONS FOR ALL CANCER SIDE EFFECTS
Please "like" us on facebook at www.facebook.com/LotsToLiveFor

Not My Mother's Journey: Author Heather St. Aubin-Stout Shares Her Personal Story

Guest Blog by Heather St.Aubin-Stout; author: Not My Mother’s Journey

The Importance of Sharing Your Story - Catharsis and Inspiration

Heather shares her personal story about breast cancer and her passion about supporting those going through the journey.

From the time I could read and write I wanted to be an author.  Looking back on this now, I'm not sure this was really what I wanted to do or if this was something that was projected onto the oldest daughter by her mother who loved to write.

Although I went to college for architecture, and had a career in the field of architecture before my children were born, I continued to write for myself.  After staying at home, working part time substitute teaching and doing much volunteer work I was ready to go back into a career when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Then in 2009 at forty-six and in remission for a year after two bouts of breast cancaer within the last three years, I began to write again.  It was a release, it was cathartic, and although it was also painful to re-live everything, if was also exciting to do something I had thought about for years.

I felt the need to write about my experience and how it was different from my mother's, who at forty-five died from breast cancer just a year and a half after her diagnosis.  A life unfinished.

I was twenty-four at the time and two weeks away from getting married. Her doctor had told her not to plan on being at my wedding. Of couse the month before - when he told her that - we were outraged.  A few days before she died, the hospice nurse asked what I would do if my mother didn't live to see me get married.  I broke down in tears; it was unimaginable to me that she might die in the next week.  At this point during her illness my mother was not the mother she had been during the rest of my life.  I just refused to see it.

My mother was a stay at home mom, she was there for my two younger sisters and me while we were growing up.  She went back to school when I was in college, moving from ther Bachelors to a Masters in Clinical Psychology.  She was disgnosed during hter second year.  She plowed ahead with internships, classes, and her thesis anyway while she was going through treatments.  However, she never did get her thesis completed.  My father, sisters, and I accepted the first posthumous degree ever awarded from University of North Carolina at Charlotte the year after her death.

For years it seemsed cruel to me that death took her before she could finish her degree and experience the rewards of a career.  However, looking back on it now, she shaped all of our lives during those years she was at home with us.  This is a gift I've just now begun to realize and treasure.

So, here I am at forty-eight and trying something new. I've reinvented myself, yet again.  I've found, as I've matured, gathered those life experiences one can only gather from aging, that each of us has many facets to ones self.  These parts of ourselves can come out when we don't expect it.  Breast Cancer did this for me.  It taught me humility, patience and perseverance.

My book, released in January 2011, Not My Mother's Journey is my story, my mom's story and hopefully it will encourage anyone facing a diagnosis of cancer to be their own best advocate - our doctors have many patients, but we only have one.  Ask questions, interview your doctors, share your journey with others, because it may help someone else.

Ironically, despite the similarities of being diagnosed about the same age as my mom, I tested negative for the BRACA genes (a genetic predisposition).  So when my cancer recurred at the one year scans, the same time my mom's had metastasized, I had to battle psychological demons for the second year in a row.

As of this writing I'm in remission...with my friend NED- No Evidence of Disease!

So my journey continues to evolve and for this I am grateful.

I hope I've written a compelling story, that makes the reader think, one that you can relate to, and one that will validate your own feelings.  I hope it is a story that moves and inspires you in your life.  I have tried to do this.  You tell me!  You can visit my website at http://www.sharingmystory.com/ and connect with me. I welcome your feedback.

You may purchase my book via the website http://www.sharingmystory.com/, by clicking the Amazon link above, from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, www.xlibris.com in print or ebook format.
 
For products that can be helpful in relieving uncomfortable and unpleasant side effects during treatment for cancer please visit http://www.lotstolivefor.com/. This is a useful and informative website for patients, caregivers, oncology nurses, cancer coaches and friends and relatives of cancer patients. On Facebook we post helpful information about new developments in cancer treatment, new products and resources. Please "like" us at www.facebook.com/LotsToLiveFor
 
To be your own best health advocate, consider purchasing the Minerva Health Manager personal health record software.  It might help to save your life. You are your own best advocate!

New Book: Skin Care Guide for People Living With Cancer

This new book makes a wonderful gift for a cancer patient. It has important and helpful information for individuals undergoing treatment for cancer, and is especially informative about cancer side effects.



Click here to buy this book on Amazon. View the book on Amazon.com.

Book description from the publisher:
"More people than ever before are living with and surviving cancer. However, the human cost of life-saving cancer treatment may be unexpected side effects to the skin, hair, and nails. How can patients navigate these changes without affecting their treatment, their appearance, or even their sense of who they are? Dr. Lacouture's Skin Care Guide for People Living With Cancer is the first book written by a board-certified dermatologist to help patients care for treatment-associated skin, hair, and nail toxicities, which can range from mild and annoying to serious enough to affect health, treatment, and quality of life. In this book, Dr. Mario Lacouture discusses a number of side effects that may rise from chemotherapy, biologic therapy, radiation therapy, stem-cell transplants, and other tools in the fight against cancer. He offers a number of practical suggestions that are useful to people living with cancer, including preparation for the rash, itching, or dry skin that may come with treatment; care for the fingernails, and suggested products that will contribute to their health; awareness of the risks for hair loss, and resources that patients may need to cope; suggested moisturizers and cosmetics that are appropriate for patients' use; and specific information for survivors. Written by one of the foremost experts in the dermatologic side effects of cancer treatments, Dr. Lacouture's Skin Care Guide for People Living With Cancer offers patients clear information and practical suggestions for preventing, treating, and living through these changes during their cancer journey."

Lots To Live For, Inc. is dedicated to helping cancer patients who are experiencing unpleasant and uncomfortable side effects from cancer treatment. Lots To Live For, Inc. has an website that offers "One Stop Shopping and Solutions for All Cancer Side Effects" - selling products for skin care, hair care and nail care. Some of the product lines that http://www.lotstolivefor.com/ sells are mentioned in this book, such as the LindiSkin skin care line. Visit Lots To Live For, Inc. to find products to help alleviate cancer side effects.

You can also find Lots To Live For, Inc. on facebook. We post practical articles about dealing with cancer side effectsand interesting articles about new developments in cancer therapy. Please "like" us at www.facebook.com/LotsToLiveFor

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Are Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Getting the Right Treatment?

According to a recent on line article by Melissa Weber published in www.curetoday.com as many as one in seven women with metastatic breast cancer could be receiving the wrong treatment because of a change in the cancer’s biology when it metastasizes.

“When breast cancer spreads to another part of the body, a HER2-positive cancer could become HER2-negative. Or estrogen receptor-negative cancer could switch to estrogen receptor-positive. Despite different treatment strategies for each, most oncologists rely on what they know about the primary breast tumor to fight the metastasis, says Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, co-director of the division of medical oncology at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy. But researchers now believe inhibiting one cancer growth pathway with treatment may activate signaling of a new pathway that allows it to survive and spread.”

A study presented over the summer at the annual ASCO meeting showed that in certain cases when the metastatic lesion was tested, it did not match the primary tumor. There are a few different hypotheses for why this might happen. “Experts suspect that because tumors are made up of different kinds of cancer cells, a small fraction of cells may have a different receptor status. If those cells are more resistant to cancer therapy, the resistant cells may outgrow the rest over time. At the time of recurrence or progression, the overall tumor will have subsequently appeared to have ‘switched.’”

Being aware of the potential that the biologic characteristics of the metastatic lesion might not match that of the primary lesion can have implications for treatment. The researchers quoted in the study suggest that rebiopsy should be performed after considering the safety of the procedure.

To read the full article on line on the curetoday.com website please click here.

For products that can ease side effects of radiation and chemotherapy for breast cancer patients, please click here.

Great Gift Ideas for Cancer Patients from the Inspired Wellness Blog

When a friend, relative or co-worker tells you that they have cancer, you may be at a loss for how to respond, and wonder how you might help.

In a recent guest blog post on the Inspired Wellness Blog, we share some thoughts and ideas about Helpful Gifts for Cancer Patients. We share thoughts about how you can offer empathy and comfort.  Great gifts can be simple acts of kindness, products to ease side effects, inspirational items, or items to create a sense of well being and reassurance.

There are many daily tasks that you can offer to take over to help - such as grocery shopping, cooking meals, carpooling, and babysitting among others.

If you would like to give a physical gift consider gifts that can help alleviate unpleasant and uncomfortable side effects of cancer treatment.

You can read the full article on the Inspired Wellness Blog by clicking here

Please read it and share it with others.

You can find gifts for cancer patients at http://www.lotstolivefor.com/

Below is a picture of the Fighting Back Gift Pack with items to help compromised skin caused by chemotherapy and radiation. You can check out other helpful and considerate cancer gifts by clicking here.

Lots To Live For, Inc. Wins Top Honors in StartupNation's Leading Moms In Business Competition

From among thousands of contestants, Lots To Live For, Inc has been ranked #22 in StartupNation.com’s 2012 Leading Moms in Business competition , sponsored by Web.com and Sam's Club.  

Over 350,000 votes were cast in support of the 2012 contestants, reflecting immense interest and supportiveness for moms building businesses at the same time they tend to their families.

“There’s been a sea change among moms as they’ve come to realize that adding entrepreneurship to their lives brings exhilaration and immense gratification, not to mention supplemental—sometimes primary—income to their families in these dicey economic times,” says Rich Sloan, chief startupologist and co-founder of StartupNation.

Margot Malin, President, CEO, and Founder said “We are thrilled that our customers, friends, and suppliers have shown overwhelming support by voting for us. Lots To Live For, Inc. is an internet retailer that sells carefully selected products to reduce and relieve the uncomfortable and unpleasant effects caused by chemotherapy and radiation.  The genesis and inspiration for Lots To Live For, Inc. came from watching both my mother's and grandmother’s courageous battle with cancer. “ The winner’s profile for Lots To Live For, Inc. can be found at: http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/11654/index.php

The 2012 Leading Moms in Business ranking highlights some of the dominant trends, motivations and attributes among moms in business. They include:

·         A great eye for providing attractive discounts, coupons, savings and value, all especially important to consumer moms of the recession era.

·         A likelihood to come up with innovative products and solutions to address the challenging maze of motherhood. It’s an environment that demands resourcefulness.

·         Conscience-driven business, where “doing well” is just fine, but the real rush comes from doing good.

Lots To Live For, Inc. Logo

·         The attraction of being your own boss looms large for moms wanting to take control they just can’t find in a day job.

·         Sustainable solutions and responsible business practices are increasingly paramount.

·         Making the most of social media for business benefit is seemingly a birthright for the socially adept moms.

The Top 200 Winners of the Top 2012 Leading Moms in Business ranking are available on StartupNation’s website at http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/2012-winners

Lots To Live For, Inc. sells products that offer innovative solutions to cancer side effects. Many of the products sold on the website have been developed by entrepreneurs whose lives have been affected by cancer.  For more information visit http://www.lotstolivefor.com/.
Visit the Lots To Live For, Inc. facebook page at www.facebook.com/LotsToLiveFor