I'm Walking - Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure

This year October 22nd, I have decided to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  In the previous years I have donated and supported friends and family who walked.  This year I decided to get up off my lazy duff and to it myself. This one is for you mom!


My mom suffered from her early teens with cancer.  She had her share of chemotherapy and radiation treatments up until the day she passed away.  Of all the different types of cancers that she had to endure, I believe that breast cancer was the hardest for her to deal with as a woman.  She had a double mastectomy and it seemed to affect her overall outlook on life.  At the time they did not have the surgical procedures for implants and she ended up having to wear jelled inserts, and these made her more self-conscious.  My mom passed when she was in her early 30's.  I was just 11 years old and I miss her terribly.  This year and for every year that I am able to participate.............I am walking for my mom and all the other courageous women who have suffered or are suffering from breast cancer.


The greatest risk factors for breast cancer are being female and growing older. Breast cancer knows no boundary, be it age, gender, socio-economic status or geographic location. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. That's one in eight within your company, school and organization!


The key to survival is early detection. Three simple steps for early detection are regular mammograms, clinical exams and breast self-exams. And, remember, breast cancer affects more than just the patient; friends and family need support too.


If you would like to help me with my goal please follow the link to my Personal Page.  

The Time Has Come ~ Cha Ching Final Update

Last year I found myself constantly finding loose change just laying around the house.  In the washer and dryer, under beds, in shoes, bowls, drawers, and some other unmentionable places.  It was driving me crazy!  I decided I wanted to start collecting all this loose change for a year just to see how much we would accumulate.  


This idea started the Cha Ching Jar post.  I was kind of hoping for great riches by the collection deadline. Maybe enough to pay off the house, take a trip or even retire from work!  So for a couple of weeks I was collecting change and filling up the jar.  I started noticing that suddenly I wasn't finding as much around the house after I started the Cha Ching Jar.  Come to find out, my youngest caught on and was hanging on to his money a little more tighter.  Not only has our Cha Ching Jar provided a little bit of money to donate to charity, but it also taught my son a little lesson on money and savings.  He now comes home and throws his loose change in a cup he keeps on his desk instead of just letting it fall to the floor to ruin my vacuum or ending up stuck in the bottom of the underwear drawer.

So.....what was our final total?

 $37.04

As promised I said whatever we had accumulated would be doubled and donated to charity.  So $74.08 was donated to two charities dear to my families hearts.  We donated half to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the other half to Alzheimer's Association.

We weren't able to take that much needed vacation and I am still slaving away at work, but in the end we learned the value of money.  No matter how big or small of an amount, it can help to do some great things.

Milano Supports Susan G. Komen for the Cure

My mom had breast cancer in her late 20's and ended up having double mastectomy.   Unfortunately her cancer was not caught in time and it spread throughout her body.  She passed away at a young age and is terribly missed.  Thanks to the Susan G. Komen foundation for being committed to making a difference in the lives of of the women who are diagnosed with cancer and the cancer survivors.  We can all make a difference and Pepperidge Farm has stepped up in a big way.

This month Pepperidge Farms is giving back and making donations to Susan G. Komen For The Cure.  How can you help?  It is easy.  Every time someone posts a personal Milano Moment on Milano's Facebook Page in October, Pepperidge Farm will donate $.50 per Moment up to $50,000.   


By supporting each other and sharing our strength, we can work together to find the cure.  You can help right now by sharing your Milano Moment.

I am a member of One2Onenetwork.com. I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

Alzheimer Awareness

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60. But there are more and more younger adults being affected by the disease. Although the risk of dementia increases with age, many thousands of people under the age of 65 have received a diagnosis of dementia.  Early-onset is a rare form of Alzheimer's found in fewer then 10% of Alzheimer patients. 

My family has not been left untouched by this crippling disease.  My uncle was diagnosed with early-onset a few years back.  It has hit everyone hard.  My aunt has always been the rock in the family, but this was something that even she has found hard to deal with.  Along with being in support groups she also participates in the Memory Walk every year.  The Memory Walk helps to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s research, care and support and programs to improve the lives of millions of Americans who suffer with this terrible illness.

You can help Susan raise money for the Memory Walk by clicking here.

For more information on Alzheimer's please see the links below.
Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet
ALZ.org
Alzheimer's Desease International (Early-Onset)

September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month

My Co-worker and his family here in Arkansas recently went through a very trying time with there youngest daughter Ellie.  Before she was born they found out that she had a cleft lip and palate.  Their main concern was they didn't know exactly how much of her lip and palate would be affected until after she was born. They were very relieved after Ellie's birth to find a Doctor in New York who specialized in the a special procedure called Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM).  With this treatment Ellie was able to forgo many painful procedures.  They were able to cut it down to just one. 

Her dad had the same defect when he was a child and went through many painful procedures to repair his lip, palate, nose, gums and teeth.  He not only understands the children's pain and suffering, but now he understands the parents pain and suffering for their child as well. Trying to figure out where the money is coming from for the extensive traveling in order to get the procedure done is another surmounting worry on top of everything else.

http://cleftcareofarkansas.org/

For this reason the family has started a non profit, charitable organization called Cleft Care of Arkansas - Caring Beyond the Smile.   The Organization's primary focus is on providing travel funds for children born with cleft lips/palates seeking NAM. This procedure is not offered in Arkansas at this time, but Cleft Care of Arkansas' goal is to one day have this treatment offered locally. They are currently sponsoring two families and any support would be greatly appreciated.

Check out Cleft Care of Arkansas website to see before and after pictures of their beautiful baby girl Ellie and to find out more how you can help.

Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure

It's that time of the year again and my good friend Audrey has stepped up and accepted the challenge to raise money to support the Arkansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in its efforts to eradicate breast cancer.  I for one really appreciate Audrey for taking part in this tremendous effort to help raise money to find a cure.  My mom lost both her breasts at a very early age to breast cancer.  The money Audrey raises will remain in Arkansas to fund mammograms, educate other women on the importance of breast health and fund some treatment programs for women fighting breast cancer. 

Please help support her in this important project by contributing to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Arkansas Affiliate. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can make your donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. More information on Komen Arkansas and its programs can be found at www.komenarkansas.org.

To donate online, click here.