LBBC message boards give YOU the power

This entry was written by Katie Creme Henry, Program Assistant for LBBC. Find out why Katie urges all of you to join her in message board discussions.

Visit Katie on the message boards today!

I am a huge fan of social networking.  I love the idea of connecting and sharing information with people across the country and around the world.  That’s why I’m so excited to be the LBBC message board  moderator!  I’ve been working on organizing and updating our forums to make it an even better experience for you.  If you haven’t already created a user account, I’m waiting for you to join me on the boards!

What I like best about the message boards  is our ability to have in-depth conversations about issues relating to breast cancer in a space designed just for us. Many of you may notice that we use our Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote LBBC programs and other community-oriented things that we’re part of. Or maybe you check out our FB and Twitter pages to get a snapshot of our blog postings, which upload directly to these accounts. Our creative blog writers are usually assigned topics that are meaningful, first-person stories. These stories help you to relate, be inspired, and possibly put a face to your personal breast cancer journey. However, the message boards are where you can initiate a discussion that may not have been highlighted in the blog or on a FB status or Twitter tweet. You have the power to start discussions, empower a significant audience, and be responsive in a topic that is your specific interest.

For example, if you were wondering what to expect during a particular type of treatment, you can put it out there for your peers to provide feedback. After all, you should feel empowered knowing that your breast cancer experience and your journey could possibly be a stepping stone for someone else. You’ve been there, got through it, and now, you have a testimony for a woman who may feel alone and who may have lost hope. Have you ever thought that the personal advice you give a woman on LBBC’s message board could make your “survivor sister’s” journey a little more hopeful? This is the power of your participation on the message boards! So go ahead and post something!

As the moderator, I’m there to keep the discussion going.  I love sharing tidbits from LBBC programming.  Since not everyone can attend our networking meetings and conferences or listen in on our teleconferences, I’ve created a space on the boards to share the information those programs provide.  If you’ve attended any programs or wanted to learn more about them, you can find them here. We’ve also created forums to help you chat with women going through similar experiences – woman who are newly diagnosed, young women affected by breast cancer,  and women living with advanced breast cancer are a few examples to name.

There’s no wrong way to use the message boards, you can share as much or as little about yourself as you want.  You can come just to read or you can participate in every discussion.  The boards are there for you.  Let them be a resource and a source of support.  Share your knowledge and comfort. Learn something new.  Get strength on a challenging day.  But remember, challenging days can become a little brighter when you have someone who can listen to your concern and share a little bit of hope.

I’ll be waiting for you to come and say “hi” to me, your fearless moderator, KatieCH.

Join Katie today in a message board discussion that may interest you. The new Welcome To the Message Boards forum will introduce you to new features that you can explore to personalize your message board profile!

No one is the victim – The reason we are called survivors

 

This entry was written by Caryn Axelrod who will host Sweatin’ For The Sweater Kittens, an interactive fitness fundraising event on September 26, 2010 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa.: 

I have been working out more than half my life, but have learned, only over the past few years, how important this has become. Cancer is just one of the many diseases that can be prevented, or helped through healthy living. We cannot do anything to completely prevent disease, but we can lessen our chances and make it easier on ourselves if we are faced with such a challenge. No one has to lie down and be the victim! There is a reason we are called survivors!Being diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks before my 40^th birthday was not how I had expected to welcome this milestone year.  I knew my life was going to change drastically, but I was also determined to not let it change my life more than it had to.

I continued to push through my gym routine at least 3 to 4 days a week throughout treatment. My oncologist actually told me I had permission to slow down! I looked at her and asked, “Why??” Of course, my workouts weren’t what they were before, but still enabled me to get through this ordeal the best I was able, both physically and mentally.

I had developed very strong feelings about the importance of doing something good for your body and felt the need to spread those feelings. Knowing how much it helped me to get through my own experience, I had to try and get at least one person motivated to do the same.  My idea started out as a 4-hour Workout-A-Thon I was going to hold at my gym. I brainstormed and came up with what is now “Sweatin’ For The Sweater Kittens!” It is 22 workout stations with 10-minute trial classes, Zumba, Spinning, shopping….and so much more!

As I was reflecting on my last couple of years, I realized how many people don’t take care of their bodies. Maybe they don’t know what to do or how to find out about fun exercises or possibly they feel intimidated to go to an hour-long class not knowing what to expect from it…

Planning this event as an individual certainly has its challenges, but I also have been getting a real charge out of doing it! Unfortunately just six months after I finished treatment, I was laid off and I am still seeking employment. However, seeing how  many people have come together to help me make this happen—WOW! It’s amazing to me to find such generosity among our communities in these difficult times. All my sponsors, fitness professionals and gyms, and the vendors—thank you for your support!  Of course, we can’t forget LBBC.Living Beyond Breast Cancer is such a great source of information and support. They help not only patients and survivors, but their families, caretakers and friends as well. The events that LBBC provide are informative and fun, they are really there for the ones who need them. I had a few different reasons for selecting them as the recipient of the proceeds for my fundraiser, but I think what it really came down to was the feeling that LBBC is truly here to provide support to those who are in need, and the staff shows a true concern. I have a great deal of respect for everyone there and the services they provide. Thank you for all you do.

To learn more about this event, please visit www.sskfundraiser.org. Hope to see you there!

Join Caryn Alxelrod from 11am – 5pm on September 26th at this fundraising event that will kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

White House | Black Market Gives Hope: 25 Inspiring Women

The 25 women who participated in the WHBM photo shoot are featured in an ad campaign.

Earlier this summer, 25 women affected by breast cancer were able to share their personal stories as they took part in a high-fashion photo shoot for White House | Black Market’s October Breast Cancer Awareness Month catalog. In honor of their 25-year anniversary, the clothing store wanted to celebrate 25 women who inspire them most and they looked to LBBC for help.

Many of the women formed relationships, related to each other’s stories, and more importantly exchanged contact information promising to keep in touch. Never did they imagine that a couple of months later they’d all be able to re-live the moment, reminisce about the experience, and be reunited at LBBC’s annual fundraising event, The Butterfly Ball!

White House | Black Market president, Donna Noce will be accepting the Corporate Leadership Award, which this year goes to Chico’s FAS, Inc., the corporate name for the chain fashion specialty brands, Chico’s, White House | Black Market, and Soma Intimates. Not only has White House | Black Market offered to reunite the 25 women at the gala, but each woman will be dressed by the brand for the occasion.

Each year White House | Black Market creates a “Give Hope” collection in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each black-and-white item is contrasted with a shade of pink and is complete with a modest embellishment of the pink ribbon. White House | Black Market donates 100 percent of proceeds up $250,000 to LBBC for our education and support programs.  Click here to hear 25 inspiring stories!

Get your copies of the Elle and Self magazines today!

The Cis B. Golder Quality of Life Grant is a lifeline and ray of hope

Each year the Butterfly Ball co-chairs and planning committee dedicate a segment of the gala to a Fund-A-Need effort, a specific need that attendees can donate toward in effort to help LBBC reach women who look to specific programs and services we provide. This year, the Fund-A-Need effort is the Cis B. Golder Quality of Life Grant. This one-time grant of up to $2,000 in value depending on need dispersed to women in the Philadelphia region has gone a long way since its establishment in 2006. The purpose of the grant is to provide relief from “invisible expenses,” such as utility and household bills, rent, co-payments, groceries, transportation, child care, wigs, prosthetics and personal care. The Golder Grant has become a lifeline and ray of hope to hundreds of women.

Click here to read some of their stories. Are you a recipient of the Golder Grant? We want to hear about how this grant has helped you with your breast cancer journey here or on our facebook page.  Do you know someone in the Philadelphia region who may be eligible for funding? LBBC may be able to help. If you’re interested in donating to the Fund-A-Need effort, it’s not too late!

Comfort in genetic testing – my children should have the choice

This entry was written by Tyesha Love, author of I Am Not My Hair, A Young Woman’s Journey and Triumph over Breast Cancer:

My daughter Taylor was 12 years old when she began asking me questions concerning her and her brother’s health. “Mom, can we get cancer, since you had cancer? Can Joey (my son, her brother) get breast cancer too? Will I have to think about removing my breasts? Will we need the genetic test since you have the mutation?”

It was then that I knew I made the right choice in my decision for genetic testing. After receiving my positive test result, I remained optimistic about life and a good quality of health. It was not until nine months later, when I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer, I became distressed by the positive test result. I lamented the day I got the genetic test. I irrationally and angrily asserted that it was because I had the test, cancer now invaded my body. I thought, had I avoided the test, I could have prevented cancer.

Not all of my family members were as determined to get the genetic testing. Many of my family members have a philosophy about genetic testing: don’t worry about anything, until there is something to worry about.

When my mother tested positive for the BRCA 1 mutation, it was highly recommended my sister and I get tested, as there was a 50/50 chance she passed the gene to her offspring. With a strong history of cancer on my mother’s side of the family – I wanted to know my risk for developing a cancer. Some blood work and several days later after the consultation session where I thought I’m fine! I am ready to get this done. Let’s do this and get it over with!, I was called in for the results.

I understood why the gene specialist who spoke at the consultation prior to testing discussed dealing with the emotions of learning of other family members’ test results. The grieving worsened when I learned of my sister’s negative result. In my heart there was joy that my sister did not have to worry about being high risk; there was joy that she did not have to take precautionary steps to limit her risks for developing a cancer. But there was another side of me that wanted to scream out, Why me!? Why do I have to be the one with the high risk?! What did I do to deserve this?!

I no longer have those doubts and questions and that anger. I am comforted knowing that my son and my daughter’s future decision to get tested for the BRCA 1 mutation is a step in understanding their options. They have the choice to take precautionary measures against hereditary cancers and significantly reduce their risks by way of prophylactic surgery and surveillance. I am reassured knowing my children will one day be empowered with the knowledge of their family’s medical history.

 

Tyesha, center, with daughter Taylor and son Joey

Have you thought about genetic testing? Do you have a family history of breast cancer? Want to learn more? Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer for our next FREE teleconference, Breast Cancer Genetics: Understanding Risk Assessment and Testing, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Thursday, September 16. Click here for more information.

Why I swim, bike, and run

This entry was written by Lisa Katharina Messer, winner and spokesperson for the Under Armour Power in Pink campaign. As winner, Under Armour will donate $5,000 to a charity of Lisa’s choice. Lisa chose LBBC!

Lisa is empowered by the power and healing benefits of exercise.

This morning I am lucky enough to be in Santa Monica, CA for a Power in Pink event to raise awareness of the importance of exercise while battling breast cancer. I have to keep pinching myself.  Sitting on the veranda of the hotel, overlooking the beach, I am quietly thanking both Jean Sachs, CEO of LBBC, and Under Armour for this amazing opportunity. Today my life feels like a real-life Hollywood story.

Three years ago today, I was frantically trying to find a reconstruction surgeon and losing sleep because one question kept running through my mind…How do I wake up on October 26th and go to the hospital to have both my breasts removed? How do you say goodbye to part of your body that is so very personal? I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined at that time, that my life would be what it is today. A passionate survivor, a daughter reunited with her father, a winning triathlete and a Power in Pink campaign spokesperson. How on earth did I get here?

Shortly after my diagnosis I reached out to LBBC. I felt so very fortunate to know Jean. She helped me interpret my complex pathology report. She directed me to a qualified second opinion and helped me navigate the multi-faceted medical system. As an educator, I love to learn and have always believed that knowledge is power. Learning how to fight my breast cancer intellectually, and physically, helped me transcend the pain and suffering that comes with being diagnosed. LBBC’s educational materials are warm and thoughtfully written. I wish the Guide for the Newly Diagnosed was handed to me immediately after I learned I had DCIS. That brochure should be handed to every single person who first receives the shocking news of having a breast cancer diagnosis. The LBBC transcripts of medical conferences provided me with the knowledge to help make informed decisions about my treatment and reconstruction options. Information is a powerful tool when battling cancer – and there is so much out there!  LBBC was a comfort because I trusted that the information came from qualified, up-to-date sources.

Jean called me over the summer to inform me about the PIP contest. Her faith in my story gave me the courage to enter the contest, but I really never thought that I would be lucky enough to win. I read the compelling stories posted on the UA website and all of them were unique, heart wrenching, and empowering. All of them were about women facing the odds and fighting for their lives. I am just one of so many, many survivors. Being part of this campaign is such an honor because there are so many survivors that are intrepid, beautiful, and deserving of this opportunity. Being able to participate in a campaign that will donate funds to LBBC fills my heart with joy because LBBC helped me during a time in my life where I was often lost and deeply frightened.

Crossing the finish line of my very first triathlon, five months after my reconstruction surgery, was possible only because of the support I received from friends, family, my treatment team and of course Living Beyond Breast Cancer. I am so humbled to be part of the PIP campaign and so very grateful to be able to give back to LBBC in some small way. As a survivor, I know how lucky I am to be healthy right now. There are still so many people still fighting. We all know someone battling this disease. My goal is to keep crossing finish lines that raise money to battle this disease and raise awareness about the importance of exercise while fighting cancer. It is my hope that my strength will help others cross their own survivor finish line. I will continue to swim for sanity, bike a new path as a survivor, and run for those who cannot.

Click here to hear Lisa’s powerful story for the Under Armour campaign. Has exercise impacted your journey with breast cancer? We want to hear from you here or on our facebook page.

 

Under Armour campaign winner credits LBBC

Lisa Katharina Messer credits LBBC for their programs and resources as the tools that have helped her through her breast cancer journey. Not only is she connected to LBBC the organization, but Lisa has a close relationship with LBBC’s CEO Jean Sachs, MSS, MLSP, who encouraged Lisa to submit a short story for the Under Armour Power in Pink campaign. The mission of this campaign is to spread vital messages about the importance of physical activity in the fight against breast cancer.

After Jean heard about the Under Armour She’s a Fighter survivor search program she encouraged Lisa to enter, as her story exemplified both triumph and survivorship. Lisa, not at all certain that her story would ultimately be one of the winning submissions, waited three days to submit her story.

“If you told me three years ago that my story would inspire someone or I’d run a triathlon – I’d look at you like you were insane,” said Lisa. In 2007, at the age of 37, Lisa went for her very first mammogram and received the shocking news that she had breast cancer.

Lisa and three other women were selected out of over 200 submissions to represent the year-long campaign!

Be sure to look out for Lisa’s personal blog post explaining why she chose LBBC as the charity recipient of the $5,000 donation that Under Armour will donate to LBBC per Lisa’s request.

Check out Lisa’s Under Armour video!

Video credits: Under Armour

To learn more about Lisa’s story of empowerment and inspiration visit www.underarmour.com/powerinpink.

Why I will return to work

This entry was submitted by Elizabeth Mabon Grass of Jackson Heights, NY:

My metastatic breast cancer story began in December 2004. I awoke suddenly during my biopsy. Two strong white coats shaking my torso, fighting to get tissue, but I was numb to feeling. I became a warrior at that moment. But there is another side of me that is very strong and quite beautiful, which cancer has not defeated: my creativity, my love for children, and of shaping rhythm and tone with them.

As a musician, my creative life centers on making music. Creativity kept me strong. I taught music in a Brooklyn High School where teenagers learned life through drums, rhythmic chant, and talent shows. It led to my teaching in a NYC international high school where immigrants fluent in 28 languages sang tall to acquire English. Creativity sent me to South Africa to make music with township children who are talented in string, dance, and singing.

So now, the choice stands in front of me. Go back to work or file for disability or retirement? I am now in my 11^th year of fighting breast cancer. I did not work this academic year as a high school music teacher. Instead, I opted for a year of “restoration of health.”

I do have my fears about going back to work. As I continue to battle against it [cancer], my creativity is strong and whole and will live on in the voices, songs, and shouts of others. But I can’t help but to wonder: “Will the pain get worse? Will the drugs interfere in my daily functioning?” I have found that my pain is worse in the mornings and sometimes it takes me an hour or more to get moving freely again. “Will I be able to make it to school on time every day?”

Despite my fears, I believe it is worth my honest effort to return to work. I consider returningto work as vitally important to my health. The advantages of directing young foreign voices to sing far outweigh my fears of infection or side effects from continued chemotherapy. The transformative effects of making music with my young friends has been extremely positive. I’ve gained relationships with so many children and adults through this intimate process of making music together.

Elizabeth is excited about going back to work as a school teacher this academic year.

Do you and Elizabeth share a similar experience? What was your experience like when you went back to work? Share your comments here or on our Facebook page.

Virginia Willis’ Buttermilk Angel Biscuits Recipe

Linda Nygaard, LBBC blog-series writer, wants to share a recipe from Virginia Willis’ cookbook.

Her recipe for Buttermilk Angel Biscuits promises the lightest, happiest, most delectable biscuits ever! 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup warm water (100F)
• 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
• ¼ cup sugar
•  6 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
•  1 tablespoon baking powder
•  1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 teaspoon fine sea salt
•  1 cup solid vegetable shortening, preferably Crisco, cut into bits
•  2 cups buttermilk
•  3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

To proof the yeast, in a liquid measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside to proof. The mixture will become creamy and foamy in about 5 minutes.

To make the dough, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal and there are no large bits of shortening.

Add the yeast and buttermilk to the dough and stir until the dough just comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 or 6 times; the dough should be soft and moist. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to a week before using.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 415F.  Dust a clean work surface with about 1 cup of flour.  Turn out the chilled dough and knead about 10 times to punch down.  Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to ½ inch thick. Using a 2 ¼ inch round cutter, cut out the biscuits as close as possible. Gather the dough scraps and place one on top of the other.  Knead until a cohesive dough forms again and roll the dough out once more.  Stamp out as many biscuits as possible and discard the remaining scraps.

Arrange the biscuits, sides touching, on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with the melted butter. Set aside to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Refer to Virginia Willis’ cookbook, Bon Appétit, Y’All.  Virginia is a southern girl by birth, a trained-in-France chef, a cookbook writer, teacher, and all around gracious person who lives in Atlanta, Georgia.  Her recipe for Buttermilk Angel Biscuits promises the lightest, happiest, most delectable biscuits ever!  Virginia says the secret is that they contain yeast which gives them the extra push they need. You can even prepare these ahead of time and keep the dough in the fridge for about a week.  And believe me, if you bake these for yourself, or for a friend who’s not feeling so good, a whole lotta love will saturate every single biscuit.

Pass the biscuits, please!

Let us know when you try this recipe! Comment here or on our facebook page.