Breast Investigators

I have been on quite a journey since my breast cancer diagnosis in October 2008.  I had been an attorney for years, slogging along, knowing I was not fulfilled in my job, but convincing myself I had no choice in the matter.  After running a marathon in mid-2007, though, I realized anything is possible, and I joined a band.  Later, in 2008, I recorded an album of songs I'd written.  Within weeks of releasing my album in 2008, however, just when I was starting to gain some attention for the songs, the doctor called to shock the hell out of me with news that I had breast cancer at age 37 and needed to undergo chemotherapy immediately.  Needless to say, I was shocked and devastated.  In addition to worrying about my life (and not wanting to leave my daughters and husband to fend for themselves), I was equally worried and horrified at the thought that my diagnosis would kill my nascent musical dreams. 

Little did I know that this terrifying diagnosis would actually serve as a wake up call, igniting an almost fanatical passion for life like nothing I'd experienced before!  The imaginary fences I'd created for myself pre-diagnosis simply did not exist.  The day I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I quit my job as an attorney. I am so glad I made the change – and by whatever means necessary I am grateful --  but why on earth did I think I needed the “permission” of a cancer diagnosis to be the real me?  

I’d always been a big dreamer as a child, certain I’d win the Oscar and write the great American novel, too.  I sang in every high school musical, and then went off to UCLA theatre school.  When I was singing and expressing my creative side, I always felt like me.  But after college, I went into the family “lawyer business” and forgot all about that little dreamer inside of me.  Even though I loved my husband and two little daughters so very much, I was totally and utterly compartmentalized.  So much of my daily life was spent fighting voraciously in court about other people’s money.  The stress and anxiety of my daily life ate me up inside – just like a cancer – until, of course, it became an actual cancer.

 

After my cancer treatments, I vowed to live my life with passion and authenticity.  And man oh man, it turns out that living passionately and authentically has abundant rewards:  I recorded my second album of songs, all written during treatments, right after treatments ended.  The album is called "I'm Still Here."  The music video for the title track has surpassed 1,000,000 hits on Youtube!  At the end of 2011, Billboard Magazine ranked me No. 5 on its list of the Top 50 emerging artists for the entire year!

 

And, I am thrilled to say, I also wrote my first book, and got a book deal!  In March 2012, my book Rocking the Pink will be released, with endorsements by Robin Roberts, Jack Black, Jennifer Griffin, Joni Rodgers, and more.   I hope my book will reach out to all those women who unexpectedly find they have suddenly, shockingly, become pink warriors.  My hope is that my book will make them feel inspired to keep fighting -- to "rock the pink!" 

I am committed to "rocking the pink" -- telling my story to raise awareness and inspire a continued fight for a cure.  I hope to be a living example to others coming after me on this road, to show them they can make it, that they are not alone, and that they can be better than ever.

If you are in Southern California, please come to my book release party on March 8 at the House of Blues San Diego.  Let's celebrate a dream coming true!

XO Laura

www.lauraroppe.com


 

 

 

 

 

 

I was 46 years old when I got the diagnosis that would change my life. It should’ve been my best year… ever. It should’ve been all sunshine & roses. To say it was the worst year of my life is an understatement of epic proportions. I married the love of my life. We had two beloved adopted sons, half-brothers 6 years apart. Wonderful family surrounding us and supporting us. We were healthy and in love, all dreams fulfilled. But it would be so short lived that one would wonder what the point was to give all we’d wanted only to lose it again so quickly. What would be the purpose of this??

I had been a cyclist; I had done kick boxing and had gone to the gym for years; toning my body and feeling stronger and younger than I had in my 30’s. I had a weak back and wanted to strengthen it so I would be able to help out physically with my elderly mother’s care. I had a baby who kept getting heavier, and I needed that physical strength for lifting, carrying and ultimately chasing after him.

The back pain I started to feel in mid-2009 started out loud and got even louder, more and more painful with every day. My friend Ellen told me that she could literally see the despair in my eyes from the intensity, (and uncertainty) of the pain. A doctor, who no matter how much I begged for an MRI, constantly refused me. At the time I was angry, this could’ve been found a year earlier if she had just listened… but later I would realize that in truth the wait would not have changed the diagnosis nor the prognosis – I realized that we are all human and I was as much to blame as she was. I knew better. I knew I had to be my own advocate and yet I did not. I, who was a fierce momma bear for anyone else, just took it when it was about me.

Now on this day in June of 2010 I was about to find out what it all meant. What that year of pain was about. I would lose one of the things in my life that gave me the purest joy – or so I thought - my cycling. I would actually come to lose 4 of the things in my life that gave me all that joy and unconditional love. I would lose the biggest dream I had ever had – finally fulfilled in 2010 – that of being a wife and mother.

With three simple words I would lose it all… he could’ve said, you have a pinched nerve. He could’ve said it’s just sciatica pain… but he didn’t. He said:

“You have cancer”.

And not just any old cancer… Breast cancer. And not just any old Breast cancer either. But one that had actually come and gone so to speak from my breast and had spread to my spine. When my husband asked the doctor what stage I was in, the doctor and I both quietly answered “stage 4”. In an instant as he gave the actual diagnosis I remembered what I had learned as a disability adjuster; cancer doesn’t hurt – until it’s at stage 4. And my back hurt very, very badly.

Stage 4 is a hole you have to climb your way out of. And not just a little hole – but a deep pit you have to claw and scratch at the earth to get out of with your whole body (a body that is no longer strong and muscular but now weakened and in pain). It’s no longer a question of just get me outta here, but a life threatening decision. Get out or give up. Get out or die.

At 46 I was not ready to die. I was not going to give up – no way. I had two beloved babies at home and a husband I adored. I wasn’t going to just give up because it was hard, or sad. I never asked “why me”? I never beseeched God “what did I do to deserve this”? Why not me? Millions of women around the world are diagnosed with breast cancer (and men too) and millions of people around the world who have all different types of cancer don’t deserve it any more or any less than I did. You could’ve lived a life of excess, if you did things in your life that might’ve put you in harm’s way (like smoking) or were a “clean Marine” like I had been.  Cancer sucks and doesn’t give a rat’s behind what you did or didn’t do to keep yourself “safe” if there can be such a thing from something like cancer.

It can come down to familial history… or not. It can come down to exposure to something harmful… or not. There can be a completely logical explanation…or not. Cancer just is. Every day someone wakes up to continue their fight, just like someone else – who perhaps couldn’t fight another day would quietly succumb to their battle and go home. Not all of us are meant to survive. Your destiny is after all your own.

The fight, the attitude you project to others, the lessons you learn – that is your choice. I chose to fight to live, and stay positive, stay strong. A friend came to me and introduced me to the bible (again), but a new translation, a more user friendly translation; the NLT (New Living Translation) and old familiar verses started to take on new meaning. She also brought me back to Church.

Remember what it says in the book of Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Or in the book of Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope & a future. And most importantly, the verse that would come to mean the most to me; what I would come to call my “life verse”: Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…

But all this would come later. Weeks after that fateful day in June when the doctor gave me the news, I would be asked, “At what point did you feel fear?” [With the diagnosis] “At what point did you think, this is stage 4, it could kill me?” Without hesitation I was able to answer… “I never felt fear,” nor did I ever think I was under any danger of dying from this. At the moment the doctor revealed the diagnosis to me a sense of peace came over me. Call it a sense of wellbeing. I had felt this feeling before. I had previously lived in Arizona and every time I took a trip to Sedona I had this same feeling. I was completely calm, at peace and felt no fear. A soothing voice in my head said so. “There is no need to fear. This will NOT kill you.”

I was led to those abovementioned quotes. I would be led to read the book “A Purpose Driven Life” and together that with my newly renewed faith, my purpose would come to be shown to me. I had an impactful story of strength and faith to tell and there were constant “signs” that this was my new path. I was a healer, not physically of course, but of hearts, minds and spirits. I was given this challenge to overcome to show I was up to it. For every sadness I faced in 2010, an equally compelling “blessing” would come to me.

I would have just over a month of radiation. A year and 4 months of chemo. Physical & emotional challenges like fluid accumulations in both lungs, more fractures of the lower spine. Pain – procedures that would help with the pain. Money challenges, (loss of insurance) – programs that would allow me to continue my treatment. Incredible loss -incredible support and love. Not wanting to appear I was tooting my own horn but witnessing the change in myself – the total shift from being so embroiled in my own life and troubles pre-diagnosis to realizing a genuine desire to help other cancer patients post-diagnosis. Did God do that? I may never know for sure – but my faith and that of my friends from church believe He did.

Will I survive my physical challenges? Yes. Will my message be told? I believe so. Am I up to this challenge? Absolutely. Hey I am a former needle-phobic who gives herself daily blood thinner injections in the abdomen. And earlier this month, November 12, 2011- a year and six months from my diagnosis, with multiple compression fractures of the spine, a year plus of chemo, and a generally weakened body – I rode a bike again.

Stay strong. Be POSITIVE… and fight like a girl. GRRR!

As we sweep away the final remnants of pink that have come to symbolize October, I realize that I am 3 years past my chemo treatment that started October 16, 2008.  I'm still here - that makes me a "survivor" - but what does that mean?

I don’t know why some of us survive and others do not, no matter how fiercely they may fight. There are those that face devastating battles, which leaves me feeling I am in no position to complain. My case was merely a case of sniffles in comparison.

To be a cancer survivor means I have been blessed with another day.  It doesn’t mean I’m safer than anyone else.  It doesn’t mean the risk is over.  It doesn’t mean another cancer can’t attack at any moment. 

I am angry that I “did everything right” and got cancer anyways, but that doesn’t minimize my appreciation of the endless miracles in my life. 

Being a survivor does mean I have a greater respect for life. I was given a second chance, and I am grateful for that with every breath. And I educate – even nag – others to trust their body, recognize when something is not quite right, don’t delay testing and get screened regularly because we don’t really know who is at risk or why.

There is a lovely line from a short prayer that asks, “May the stream of my life flow into the river of eternal love.”  I don't remember where I first found it, but it touched me so deeply that it forever surpassed the multitude of prayers I was forced to memorize in school.
 
It reminds me that moments of our life are like the infinite droplets in a stream, mostly unnoticed as they rush toward the river of experience that is our life. But every now and then we are splashed with a moment that becomes an indelible memory, part of the story that ultimately defines us.

When cancer flooded my life, it was not without significant splashing moments.

The moment in 2005 when I found “a lump.” The tiny, hard kind you read about in all the “how to do a breast self exam” flyers. 

The kind you hope you’ll never find.

The moment when realized I was not separate from the women around me, uniformed in our blue exam gowns as we sat in the radiology waiting room, trying to pretend it was just a routine office visit. United by the fear that our bodies may have turned against us, we waited.

I wondered which of us would remember that day as “The Day I Found Out…”

The moment when my tests came back clear – when they said it was simply scar tissue.

I felt released, relieved and invincible.

And three years later, after a routine mammogram, when the nurse brought me to a consult room, where I waited in the eerie glow of light boxes and diagnostic equipment. 

The doctor entered with a warm smile, sleek black hair, and looked much too young to be giving me advice. He said it still looked like scar tissue, but had changed a little and I might want to consider a biopsy. 

I was afraid a needle biopsy would hurt and I wanted to stop worrying about the lump. Put me to sleep, take out the whole damn thing.  Let’s be done with it.

I remember a groggy post-op grin to my smiling surgeon who said everything went great, see you in 2 weeks.  At the follow up appointment I actually asked him to cut to the chase because I was late for work.  Exam, smiles, it was healing beautifully.  Yeah, yeah, let me out of here.

No one suspected cancer, none of the tests hinted at malignancy.  I had no family history of breast cancer. My family’s life expectancy is 100.  I had a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude. 

No cancer for me.  Can I go now?

He looked down at my file.  “Well, it’s cancer.”

The stream of my life roared over me like a tsunami.  He patiently delivered his speech on the early diagnosis, favorable prognosis and treatment options. 

All that tumbled around my mind was, “blah blah blah it’s cancer am I going to die? Will I lose my hair? Who will see my patients? How will I pay my overhead?"

I remember the look on my husband’s face that night when I told him, his silence through my chattering about the "early diagnosis and good prognosis."

I had to keep talking to break through that “blah blah blah it’s cancer are you going to die?"  I wanted to protect him and everyone I loved from any pain or fear. 

To hear the words, “It’s breast cancer” (or any other life-threatening diagnosis) transforms your life. Until that moment, there is no way to even guess how you would respond.

You only know will have no choice but to pack for your journey into the unknown, armed with love and support.  And be confident that your guides will appear with the answers whenever you have a need.

Life through breast cancer was surreal.  Every day presented a new challenge as my body shed one thing or another or erupted with an unexpected symptom.

Yet I’d look up and appreciate the sky, with gratitude for the day. I’d more deeply love the people around me. It was painfully clear that I darn well better, because none of us know how long we have to enjoy this life. 

I discovered solace in my garden, and metaphorical wisdom in killing off the weeds and replanting new life.  I found hope in watching the cycle of death and renewal.

The health field is my life work, and I thought my vision was expansive. Breast cancer was a humbling event; I realized how little I knew, even about my own body.

Suddenly there were floodlights that brought a depth of knowledge, compassion and empathy that would never have been so amplified had I not been faced with this detour in my life.

I've often been told not to get too stuck in my head with all the intellectual stuff – and to deepen the connection between my heart and intuition.

There was probably a simpler way to work that out besides getting cancer, but here I am.  I feel blessed that I was guided to remarkable teams of doctors and nurses. And the angels in human and other forms that inspired me to find solutions along the way.

Cancer taught me that I am vulnerable, mortal, and no one is invincible. If I had the choice of never having had cancer or having it, I would accept it, although I truly hope my lesson was learned and I don’t have to repeat it.

The benefit I could never have foreseen is that cancer connected me as lifetime member of what I call the Reluctant Sisterhood. Absorbed into a network of survivors that inspired me to believe this could bring me greater strength, we pool our hard earned wisdom to share with those who will unfortunately but inevitably follow. 

We probably would not have chosen this path. Yet we are eagerly drawn into this collective conscious and unconscious network of healing.  This is not limited to breast cancer, nor to women; anyone with a need to heal is embraced into the circle of those who have traveled it ahead of you. 

This journey has been remarkable, and even the pain and nausea and frustration pulsated with the adventure of life itself that makes me more grateful for every day. 

I have an extraordinary husband and family. I learned over and over how incredible my friends are, and every day was like falling in love all over again.

They will be there with unfaltering support through any perilous journey, surrounding me with the love, prayers, sparkly vibes, decorated heads, cards, emails, and most of all the laughter and heartfelt warmth that makes it so easy for me to keep a positive attitude.

I feel gratitude every moment for how they enriched my life beyond my imagination.

I used to believe, "Everything happens for a reason." Then I got cancer, and entered a family of thousands of cancer patients of all ages. And I can find no reason for all this suffering.

Now I believe stuff happens for no reason. But what I do believe is that what we do with that "stuff" defines who we are. I believe we are incredibly loving beings, with instincts not only to preserve our own survival, but to ease the suffering of others.

Whether you knit a cap, send a card, call, tweet or discover a cure, your role in another’s healing is equally important. Our strengths arise from our ability to sense the needs of others and our resiliency in the face of adversity to find solutions that will ease their pain.

I’d like to share the rest of that short prayer, or maybe it’s a poem or a wish.

God made the rivers to flow.

They feel no weariness, they cease not from flowing;
they move as swiftly as the birds in the air.

May the stream of my life flow into the river of eternal love.

Loosen the bonds of sin that bind me.

Let not my work be ended before its fulfillment.
and let not the thread of my song be cut while I sing.
(Rig Veda)

Hi, my name is Kimberly Meneke and I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend……a breast cancer Survivor.   I am also a Realtor with Coldwell Banker United, Realtors and have been helping others with their real estate needs since 2004.  The love, prayers and support of my family, friends and co-workers has given me the inspiration and strength to kick cancer’s butt!

 Inspired by my own journey with breast cancer, my goal is to help others with cancer treatments and living expenses so they can keep their focus on healing.

 My world stopped on Jun 17, 2010…..I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), ER+,HER2+ breast cancer.   When I was being tested, I thought the results would be negative….talking about being on an emotional roller coaster.  This was a very scary, scary time for me and my family.  I was trying to be very strong and positive, but I still had moments when I cried.  I was so scared and I worried about my son – my angel, who was 8 yrs old at the time.

 Being the first in my family to have cancer and feeling so helpless, I was scrambling to find doctors, medicine, and do the right thing, anything to make it go away.  To my knowledge at the time, there was not a manual in what direction to go, who to call first, what doctor to see first, or what to do first or next.  I didn’t have the luxury of “time” to research……I was scrambling to save my life!  I couldn’t eat or sleep and I cried a lot….All I could think of is “I don’t want to die”. 

 Finally, on my way and in the good hands of my general surgeon, plastic surgeon, and oncologist and armed with a treatment plan of 6 Chemo treatments, 18 Herceptin treatments, double mastectomy and resconstruction surgery,  I am doing awesome and have met the most incredible people along my journey.  During my journey, I have talked to some who didn’t have insurance or the money and struggling to get finanical help.  And, there are so many others in the same position.  I made a call for a friend to try and find some help financially with her treatments and I ran into a dead end.  I remember asking the person on the phone “what do people do that don’t have the money for treatments, you can’t just let them die?”.  

 Already feeling scared and helpless, think about how scared and helpless they must feel not having the money for their treatments.   Since, I knew I wanted to help these people and other people that I haven’t met.  I had to figure out how can I help I’m just one person, I’m not a millionaire and I have to work too.  

Finally, I thought of a way that I can help financially and to provide a place to find cancer resources which is how www.RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com was created.   I make a donation on your behalf* to PAF Co-Pay Relief Program - which provides assistance with treatments and The Pink Fund - which helps with living expenses while being treated for breast cancer.  After speaking with Molly McDonald, breast cancer survivor and founder of The Pink Fund, www.RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com (me) has joined forces with The Pink Fund to bring help to your state!  

I started researching and found that there are various grants available to help with cancer treatments and living expenses.  The dollar amounts may vary, but they all have to be continually funded by donations or fundraisers in order to keep helping others.   There are still so many more organizations to be noted, so I am posting them on my website as I discover them in hopes of making someone else’s journey a little easier. 

Now, my next thought was “how can I really make an impact and not limit help to one city or state?”  The light came on……”I can help anyone with their real estate needs anywhere in the world!”  As a Referring Market Specialist and with our vast network of brokers, I refer you to a professional real estate agent in your area.   Which means I can help more people with treatments and living expenses by helping more people with their real estate needs.  I can’t do this without you….I can only help others with your help!  So please, if you know someone looking to buy or sell real estate, refer them to me.  I will help them locate a professional real estate agent in their area….worldwide!   Together we can help others!

Please contact me if you would like help with your fundraising event or know of resources that offer assistance with treatments, medicine, living expenses and support, so I may post the information to share with others in need.

I am Kimberly Meneke, wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend….. Survivor!!!

Hugs,

Kimberly Meneke, Realtor

kimberly@RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com

www.RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com

www.facebook.com/ribbonsofhoperealty
 
*All donations are paid after closing, funding and my receipt of a commission/referral fee for the real estate transaction, which is paid by the agent receiving the referral.

 

Cancer beats you up, both emotionally and physically.  There’s no easy way around that.

I never realized just how much until I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself in 2004. Suddenly everything I knew – my master’s degree and experience are both in exercise physiology – temporarily evaporated when I fully grasped the challenges I faced in recovery.

And like thousands of women every year, I felt unprepared.  Even with my knowledge of physiology and my experience as a business woman, exercise physiologist and Pilates instructor, I still felt unprepared.

But even before that happened I had already started to work with breast cancer survivors through a wellness studio I operated.  What amazed me was the fact that I continued to see women who had lymph node surgery yet had been discharged without a road map for recovering the use of their affected arm.   This is so important for both mobility and long-term quality of life, especially if the affected arm is the woman’s dominant arm.  You wouldn’t have any kind of shoulder surgery, or hip replacement for example, without a physical therapy prescription.   But breast cancer patients rarely had one even though the scapula, or shoulder, region is often greatly impacted by the surgery.  With my educational background and experience, I started to develop a post-operative rehabilitation program to help women recover. 

Pilates is the best possible program for post-operative rehabilitation.  Many people don’t realize this but Pilates was originally developed to assist veterans returning from World War I.  Joseph Pilates believed that the mind and body were inter-related and that the key to strength was to stabilize the central, or core muscles.  In fact, I believe that any woman undergoing surgery for breast cancer should be prescribed a follow-up plan for physical therapy.  Lymph node dissection and radiation, together or separately, are just two factors for lymphedema, a painful and sometimes disfiguring swelling of the soft tissue in the arm.  So as I continued to see more and more survivors I continued to build the Pink Ribbon Program, which was officially established in 2004.

Then as luck would have it, I made a decision that would both save my life and affirm my mission.   I’d been thinking about having breast reduction surgery for a few years. I found a wonderful plastic surgeon at NYU Medical Center and I went ahead with the reduction. When the tissue from the surgery was biopsied, breast cancer was discovered.   I knew I would have a mastectomy.  That part was actually very easy for me.

But I wasn’t prepared for the psychological aspect at all. Then I had one of those “moments” that many cancer survivors talk about.  I was in pain and thought taking a shower might help.  Without thinking I reached up to shampoo my hair with my affected arm and the pain I experienced in that moment was intense.  I started crying and my first thought was:  Even with everything I know how am I ever going to get my arm mobility back?  In the next moment I thought:  how do women do this who don’t have the knowledge I possess?  That’s when I realized that I was not only on the right track with the Pink Ribbon Program but that it needed to be even bigger.  My effort needed to be much broader, and reach into the medical field and cancer centers.  That’s when I knew educating women and the medical profession about rehabilitation following breast cancer surgery was my mission.  That is why I’m here.  That’s how I could transform my cancer experience.

What’s essential for all breast cancer survivors to remember is this:  physical recovery of your arm is a gentle process that can take up to a year or more.  There is no rushing this process.  The Pink Ribbon Program is a six-week program that gets you started.   Working this program takes you through a gradual, phased process.  I’ve seen survivors who eventually develop a much higher level of fitness and self-esteem than they had before cancer, and this is gratifying.  But it’s essential for them to know what to do.

There are two things I’m glad to share with you:  you can be even better than you were before, you can be even more.  Let’s spread the word.

    To share the story behind the picture I entered in the "Breast Investigator's" Contest. This is an excerpt from the project (solo book) I am currently writing, which is the story of my journey through two stage 4 cancers in my 30's.

“Light Shining Down On Her." - Angie Suttles (copyright 1/1/2011)

Excerpt from book

  My son, Caleb, took this picture the first time I lost my hair in 2004...he had already seen me battle the first cancer in 1998 at the tender age of five years old but the Vulva cancer was not treatable with chemotherapy so when the treatment from the second cancer (breast) in 2003 took my hair, I made the decision that I would offer him my head as a blank canvas to express his feelings towards the events he was now witnessing his mother face. He started out with a simple painting of eyes on the back of my head, joking that he wanted to tell his friends that his mother really did have eyes in the back of her head. Then he asked to photograph me on one of the worst days of my entire life. It was a day that I would challenge God to take me to heaven and end the suffering or grant me one of those TV preacher promises of a 'suddenly' and heal me instantly. My body was racked with greater pain than I knew was even possible. I could hardly lift my head but knew this moment, I could not afford to miss. It was a moment that was an unction from the Holy Spirit, Himself, proclaiming to me that God would use my son to unfold a truth on my behalf if I would dare to allow Him the opportunity. I thought it to be much less than it would become. I lessened it with my human reactions and responses. I imagined it as a tool that would bring my son to more familiarity with the current situation for an end results being that of comfort and less fear. I understand now it would be the chance for me to see myself, Caleb's mom, through his faith-filled eyes, that childlike faith that we as adults have forgotten. I wanted to name the picture, "Being For Real" but he was more than adamant to name the picture, "Light Shining Down On Her." To see myself through the eyes of my ten year old as I was in such a place of despair was a true gift from God. My son saw light shining through the window piercing the top of my hairless head and he interpreted it as hope and courage, strength and the Glory of God. I wanted to expose the pain of a human being's life as they battle cancer but he wanted to reveal the "Giver of Life." 

The Beneficiary of the $250 photo contest award is “Voices of Survivors Foundation,” a foundation devoted to exploring what ‘Survivorship’ means to the individual ‘Survivor’, whether they are recently diagnosed, in-treatment or post-treatment, in a variety of documentary formats. Each ‘Survivor’ helps define what this means to not only themselves, but also gives insight to others who are on this journey as well, either as a ‘Survivor’ or a ‘Co-Survivor’.

The face of cancer is one that has been portrayed as that of only older people or children for so long, but that face is not reflective of whom cancer truly affects. It affects us all! We become a ‘Survivor’ when we first hear those three words: “You have cancer.”  At that moment, your ‘Survivorship’ begins and you are not alone. Each and every ‘voice’ shared can mean so much to so many and touch even more. Stand up, be heard!
Lynn Lane, VOSF Founder/Director

 
How I Fight Back:

I engaged myself during my time of testing by serving as The Relay for Life’s Entertainment Chair, a Committee Member for the 2008 Cancer Survivor Alliance Conference Committee in Columbia, by raising funds, and by volunteering with various other organizations in the community. I became a cancer advocate with The Lance Armstrong Foundation in 2007 when I was chosen by the foundation to travel with Lance Armstrong and 199 of my constituents from around the country to Washington, DC to ask Congress to make cancer a national priority. In 2008, the foundation asked me to lead a local Livestrong grassroots effort, and I formed Livestrong Upstate SC. I also served as a Track Leader for the foundation at the Livestrong Summit in Columbus, Ohio in 2008. Livestrong Upstate SC has held Livestrong Day events annually throughout the Upstate for “Livestrong Day” and served various cancer organizations with fundraising and community events. Under the Livestrong Upstate name, I birthed the Upstate’s first cancer survivor dragon boat support group that now benefits The Anderson Cancer Association, Anderson, SC.

 

Future plans: 

Birth a Voices of Survivors Foundation here in the Upstate of SC.

Continue Livestrong Upstate SC grassroots’ efforts here in the Upstate of SC.

Continue the BelowTheBelt cancer fight. (Such as Vulva)

Continue advocacy with The Lance Armstrong Foundation, I(2)Y: I’m Too Young For This Foundation, C4YW: Conference 4 Young Women with breast cancer, Planet Cancer, and the NBCC: National Breast Cancer Coalition.

Continue my work within the dragon boat community which raises funds for cancer fighters.

Angie's Story

You can also follow Angie at her Blog angiesuttlesblog.blogspot.com

His name.... Dusty Showers, His profession.... Creepy Creatures Pest and Wildlife Buster, His passion.....Unusual Breast Cancer Advocate.

It may be an unusual sight to see this 6’1” 39 year old man sporting a size 46 bra and a pink cowboy hat, but it certainly isn’t an uncommon one when Dusty Showers attends a breast cancer fundraising event. Dusty's unusual advocacy journey started in 2005 when the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure® event came to Tampa. His ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law, a breast cancer survivor, were walking in the event and suggested he come out and volunteer. So he did.  He joined Camp Hydration where he passed out water and cheered on the walkers during their 3-Day, 60 mile journey. Afterwards he was hooked and was impacted by the event in a way, that to this day, he has trouble putting into words. He says, “It is awesome, you just need to be there…it’s like trying to describe a sunrise to someone that has never seen the sun before…”

The following year he crewed the event again and while hydrating walkers and offering motivation, one of his team members threw him a bra and in jest told him to wear it. He did and the rest is history....... as soon as Dusty put that bra on, walkers reacted. They smiled, laughed, hugged him, and thanked him for helping to keep them going.  He knew at that point, this was something that he could do for them.  In 2007, a friend created a custom bra just for him and the bras have been coming in ever since. But in 2009, Dusty decided that it was time to walk the walk.  He raised over $7,000, laced up his shoes and walked alongside his friends and his fans. This past year, he attended two different 3-Day events, one in Boston and one in Tampa and Dusty plans to walk in two different events again in 2011.

As “The Bra Guy” Dusty has become a local celebrity in the Tampa area and he is asked to attend breast cancer events all over the region.  Dusty and his story even gained national recognition when he was featured on Oprah's "Man Makeovers" episode last year. But his efforts don't stop there. When he is not working his day job of humane creature control, he can be found responding to one of his 3,000+ Facebook fans offering encouragement and support, or volunteering for Viva Las Chicas, a non-profit organization that promotes breast self-awareness and offers assistance to breast cancer patients on the west coast of Florida.

Dusty does have concerns about being known only as “The Bra Guy.”  He has stated "I love that people know me for wearing a bra…however, I want my impact on the fight against breast cancer to be so much deeper than some cat in a bra."  Dusty has created a website that elaborates on his experiences as an Unusual Breast Cancer Advocate.  It features his perspective as an advocate, supporter, friend and father of two girls who have a family history of breast cancer and he shares his views on how this new life path continues to impact him.

In his blog titled "Devastatingly Pink" Dusty expresses his concern about turning the world pink.

"What we see today is a sea of pink…strong women surviving and thriving in spite of their breast cancer. My concern is that people see the strong women and “Survivor” attitude…but what they don’t see is the mastectomies, the financial devastation, the fear…the emotional turmoil…the real face of breast cancer. In not seeing the dark side, they are fooled by the lighter side."

He is adamant about doing more than just spreading awareness. He reminds those he comes in contact with to Take Action. In his blog entry "Pink is Pointless" he says,

"What do you DO with that awareness? Will you do your self-exams? Will you do them the RIGHT way? If you are a guy, will you tell your wife, daughters and sisters to do them? Will you get your mammogram when you are supposed to? Will you help someone in the low part of the fight that is desperately struggling?"

So if you run into Dusty at your next breast cancer event don't mistake this Bra Guy for a self-promoter. His countless hours of donated time, support, and inspiration speak much louder than his wardrobe of bras, and his passion for this cause is clearly evident in his actions.

You can follow Dusty at www.the2ndBHYPERLINK "http://www.the2ndbasemen.com/"asemen.com, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/dustyshowers, or http://twitter.com/DustyShowers

 

Though women are so often stereotyped (by men) to be fashion-crazed, I’ve noticed that not every woman has this sixth sense.  I’m not saying that some women don’t know how to dress, although that is true too, but that some women just seem conflicted.  They may want to be fashionable, but that natural Fashion sense does not always come naturally.

I have always enjoyed watching fashion shows, reading fashion magazines, and shopping.  As a teen, I couldn’t wait for weekends so that I could pick out my outfits (Monday-Friday were school uniform days).  I even wrote down what I wore so I wouldn’t wear the same thing too often.  Back then I thought every woman gave the same detailed attention to their fashion.  Now I know that’s not always the case.

Webster’s defines “fashion” as “something, such as a garment, that is in the current mode: a swimsuit that is the latest fashion”.  Ok then, what is “mode”?  Webster’s answers, “the current or customary fashion or style”.  Easy enough for those of us tuning into fashion shows, reading fashion magazines, or specializing in Fashion Shopping like me, but not so easy for the fashion-challenged, time-challenged, budget-challenged women who lack the sixth sense.

Never fear, Mariana, your Beau Stylist is here.

Why listen to Mariana when Fashion Advisers are everywhere?  Because I have acquired a seventh sense - Bald Fashion Sense.  I will be combining  fashion items and accessories that reflect the latest, hottest trends but that do not presume a facial frame of thick, luscious locks or the body of a 16-year-old supermodel.  Here at 4Women.com, we understand what it is to lose your hair and how that affects your emotional well-being and self-confidence.  Using our BeauBeau’s as an inspiration, I will create the looks that will restore your self-esteem and allow you to step back out into the world bald, beautiful, and stylin’.

I recently had the honor of assisting a woman who had just lost her hair to chemo.  She walked in wearing a “chemo hat,” looking so sad and embarrassed.  When I asked her to take the hat off so I could measure her head, she almost cried.  I felt her pain and held back my own tears.  As she started trying on different BeauBeaus, peering at herself in the mirror, I watched her sad expression vanish into a smile.  She left us with a renewed sense of confidence, a realization that bald and beautiful do coexist.  Her new BeauBeau’s brought the light back into her face and made her sky-blue eyes pop.  And I’ll do that for you too.

Think “fashionable” and “bald” are opposing forces?  Think again.  Tune in often as I’ll be putting my sixth and seventh senses to work for you.  Here’s a peek preview of what 2011 bald fashion sense looks like!  See you soon!

Mariana Laney, Business Development and Style Consultant

Each month we like to feature one of our Breast Investigators members and share their unique story with regard to breast cancer.  This month, we selected Nancy Nicks and asked her to tell us why she participates in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

Although I have been blessed in that I have never dealt with breast cancer in a personal way, I noticed that I was hearing a lot of stories about women being diagnosed with breast cancer.  It just seemed to me that it was becoming more and more common.  I was horrified by what these women were going to endure and go through just to get better.  I could not believe the extensive process that it was, and many times the battle is for years.  How horrible!  I could imagine in my mind, hearing those dreaded words for myself, or God forbid someone I love dearly.  What does one do?
 
I have a sorority sister Jan, who has been doing the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk for several years.  We were together and she began to talk about this walk she was training for, I asked her about it, and thus my journey to do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day began.  I joined her team, Walking In Sunshine, and have loved every minute of it.  This was my first year walking and I intend to do this walk every year until I can't do it anymore.  I have never experienced anything more powerful in person than this.  I have met some beautiful women who are survivors and have a zest for life that we should all embrace.  I have team members who were in the midst of breast cancer treatment but they walked anyway, God bless them!  What an amazing sight to behold!
 
As far as fundraising went, boy was I scared.  I have never asked people for money before.  My team did different fundraisers during the year, and those team members who participated split the money.  Then there was just the simple approach of asking family and friends.  I was surprised at how generous they could be.  I was also honored that my husband's employer and vendors donated as well!!  I think I got my feet wet this year, so next year I will up the ante and ask away!!  I won’t be so afraid of the fundraising this time!
 
During the walk, seeing women who obviously were in the process of fighting breast cancer was humbling and emotional.  They came out to cheer me on, even if they did not feel the greatest.  I can't even imagine.  Families came out to thank us for helping and show complete strangers love and support.  I welled-up with tears many times in utter amazement.  Wow.  All I did was raise a little money!
 
I realized that the money I raise is helping someone live.  God, I hope so!!!  It is hard to pick a favorite memory because it was all just more than I imagined- powerful, awesome, amazing, more adjectives than I can even come up with.  But one thing definitely stands out.  When the closing ceremonies were over and I was walking away with a few of my teammates, a lady walked up to us and asked if she could have her picture taken with us.  It was obvious she was battling breast cancer.  She had a little sign that she held up that read "I just completed my last chemo on Tuesday".  We took the picture and she began to thank us for walking and raising money to help women like her.  That is why I walk and will continue to walk.  I don't want to have to take another picture with a beautiful woman needing chemo and going through hell to live.  I am honored that I can do it, and I will continue to do it until I am gone or breast cancer is cured. 
 
God Bless all the women and men who are battling this disease.  You are true heroes for what you must endure and the fight that you put up to live.  I rely on scripture and the one that stands out is 1 Cor. 15:10, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am.  His grace to me was not without effect.  No I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."
 
Blessings, 

Nancy Nicks