Monday, March 21, 2011

Survivor Monday: Stories from our mothers, sisters, aunts, loved ones, friends & others


Keeping A·Breast dedicates each Monday to remembering breast cancer has a face and it can be found in the reflections of our mothers, sisters, aunts, loved ones, friends and others that have stared it down and survived!

This week's story features the Sisters' Breast Cancer Survivors Network. Sisters is dedicated to providing a supportive and nurturing environment in which women and their families are empowered with the knowledge and available resources that will enable them to make informed and educated decisions concerning their breast health care options. Check out the Picture Gallery of survivors at the Sisters website.


sur·vi·vor ~ one that continues on beyond hardship, opposition, or setback

Monday, March 14, 2011

Survivor Monday: Stories from our mothers, sisters, aunts, loved ones, friends & others


Keeping A·Breast dedicates each Monday to remembering breast cancer has a face and it can be found in the reflections of our mothers, sisters, aunts, loved ones, friends and others that have stared it down and survived!

Breast Cancer Survivor Stories from WebMD

This weeks stories are featured on WebMD telling the journey of four women under age 40 reveal how they found and fought breast cancer and lived to tell the tale. Read the stories of survivors Jeanette Garcia (33 y/o), Joye Beachum (36 y/o), Lucretia Smith (31 y/o), and Patty Hemmlegarn (33 y/0).


sur·vi·vor ~ one that continues on beyond hardship, opposition, or setback

Friday, March 11, 2011

Friday's Video: New initiative to fight breast cancer that will improve access & treatment

Illinois announced a new initiative to fight breast cancer that will improve access to mammograms and treatment. The effort will be overseen by a new advisory panel charged with raising the quality of care for all women, focusing specifically on strategies to reduce the racial disparity in breast cancer mortality.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Do or do not. There is no try!

Breast cancer. Those words are certainly new. In fact, you can find 1st century A.D. Greco-Roman physician Leonides writing about it in what was then the medical journals of that time.

There has been a 'war' raged on it, 'strides' against it, an endless sea of pink worn to show awareness of it, and even a national month dedicated to awareness of it. We debate about it all the while donating to cure it by walking or racing for it.

Yet, breast cancer is still a health issue for us to wrestle with in these modern times.

So, why in the world do we think another commentary -just one more murmur added to the chaos of voices already screeching at nearly full frequency - about this topic could possibly do to make any kind of difference?

Well, perhaps absolutely nothing!

Let's face it, many people, corporations and organizations have spent huge resources of time, energy and money to collect information, write books, fill lecture halls, and cause the Internet to reach a point of brimming to overflowing with tremendous resources about the topic. So, it might seem natural to simply ask, 'why bother?'.

But then again, perhaps it is true that while nobody can do everything, everyone can do something!

It seems inspiration to rise above doubt can come from many sources. Not the least of these are those famous few moments in one of the Stars Wars episodes where Luke Skywalker is turned around by the wisdom of Master Yoda's proverbial utterance, "Do or do not. There is no try!"

As it turns out that motivational discourse encapsulates exactly why we will try to make a difference by adding our song to those already sung, singing now, or to be lifted up in the future. You see, until it over and it is no more - then we all need to do, or do not. There is no try!

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James