Sunday, January 30, 2011

Space Coast Music Fest

Hello everyone! I have two tickets up for a "chance drawing" or raffle, if you will, to the Space Coast Music Fest here in Melbourne on April 15-16. The tickets are for both days AND include two backstage passes to meet either Miranda Lambert or Dierks Bentley!!! Priceless!

As you can guess, all proceeds will go to the Relay for Life event that will be held here at the end of April. Doing my best to help other cancer patients.

Also - we would like to have an Arts and Crafts show sometime around April 9th. Not having experience in this arena, I think it could be a good showing, but still need some guidance - and a lot of hope to pull it off! Will keep you posted....

Busy, busy, busy.....between work, school, and seminars, I have not been very attentive to my site here and I apologize to those of you who do check in periodically. I promise that when I finish school next semester, I will get back to educating on cancer.

Have a wonderful week! If you want to purchase any tickets towards the raffle, please leave me a note here or email me. Tickets are 1 for $2, 3 for $5, 6 for $10 and so on..... hugs everyone!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Keeping HOPE Alive

Everyday I sit back and try to think of new ways to keep the focus on finding the cause and finding the cure for breast cancer. I fund raise for Making Strides and Relay for Life in the hopes that funds go to help those who need it most. I believe it does.

Another aspect that I think is just as critical is keeping HOPE alive. I recently read that approximately every three minutes another woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. That is what...20 women an hour, 480 women each day, 14,400 each month and 172,800 each year. When you look at it like this, it is overwhelming and almost gut wrenching because lately it seems that almost every week, someone I know is being diagnosed with a dangerous BC.

I feel that somehow with my survival thus far, it is imperative that I make time to offer hope, and help that newly diagnosed woman - or man - keep their hope alive. As those who have had breast cancer know, with a diagnosis comes many dark days and life altering decisions.

Today, I go back to what I've said many times during my writings - if you haven't yet scheduled your mammogram for this year, please do so. Write yourself a promise to do it - you will be saving those who love you most from endless worrying, sleepless nights, and long hospital stays. Love yourself enough to give your body hope. Hope that you never have breast cancer, hope that if you do get it, your body will stay strong enough to fight back, and hope in our medical community as they continue to research every available option to save lives.

My closing words for you are these: I PROMISE.

I want you to promise me that you will schedule your mammogram. Even if it is 4 months out. Don't get caught up in your busy day to day schedule and keep forgetting because cancer waits for no one. My hope for you is that you walk away and go to your calendar to make a note that says, "I promise"....and follow up.

I hope that you have many years ahead with your family, your friends, your neighbors. And yes, your breasts and hair, too.

And I promise I'll stay right here and keep writing to you. Love to all.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Busy is GOOD

Well, the New Year began with a bang - figuratively and literally! :) The fireworks woke me up which was good because I love to watch the ball drop and they were also beautiful to watch as I looked outside my window. I thought to myself how much I would miss these kind of treasured moments so I take them in and commit them to memory....and shortly thereafter I fell back to sleep. LOL!

New Year's Day, I went to bingo with my sister and won.... $1,000...now THAT'S the way to start the year off right! Off course we always split and she held up her end and won a few times both that night and the next day so we did good! We spend a lot, but when you hit on that kind of jackpot - it is sweet!

I'm also in what I think will be the very hardest class of my Master's Degree Program. Finance for Managers. I took Statistics in my BPA to AVOID anymore math classes...lucky me. To make it worse, I'm taking TWO classes!!! I'm a sucker for punishment I guess. Actually, when I found out I had cancer, I had to take a semester off and then only took one class at a time. Now that I'm feeling better, I am determined to graduate in May and walk across that stage with my boys in the audience. They are, after all, the very core of my life and why I do everything I do. I want them to realize that no matter what, they can do whatever they put their minds to...and they know that - this is just reinforcement. ;) And you, this is your reminder that YOU too can do anything you set your mind to do. Think and be positive and it will be so.

I think after graduation I might like to write a book - maybe a motivational book for cancer patients. I'd prefer to be a motivational (and fun)(not funny per se) speaker, but I don't know yet...Choices. That's what I like. I will have the opportunity to choose....and of course, I'll share it with you.

Being on the mend and being busy is good. It makes me feel good and alive. And that is something I want to do a whole lot more of....Cheers to a great new year!! hugs to all!