September 15, 2008

I must admit that on the second day, at mile 8, after having walked 13 miles the day before, I wanted to quit. I was tired, I had a blister on my little toe that was rubbing against my shoe with every step I took. I was hot, I was drained, I was hungry and the bus was right there at the lunch stop ready to take the walkers who couldn't walk anymore and sweep them to mile 12 so they could walk the last mile and cross the finish line.

I looked around at all the other walkers who had stopped to eat lunch, they were sitting in the park grass and they were eating and drinking and pulling off their shoes to give their feet a break. Some were putting on band aids where blisters were forming. I saw a lady with a bandana on her bald head, and I knew she must be going through chemo or had just had chemo within the last few months. She got up and threw her lunch away, filled up her water bottle and headed back out on the route. I looked at my mom who was finishing up her lunch and I asked her, "What do you think?". I knew her answer, but I just needed support. Without hesitation she said, "I'm walking all the way". That was all I needed to confirm that we were in this as a team and that we were going to make it to the finsh line, on our own.

It was a wonderful experience and we're all recovering now. I am sore in my legs, and I have two blisters on each foot. My mom ended up with two blisters, Heather had a sore calf, Carmen got blisters on the bottom of her feet and Lupe was sore from all the walking. Our aches and pains will all heal in time.

What won't go away are the memories and the emotions that were created over this two-day walking weekend. The support, the volunteers, the friends, the tears, the happy times, the singing on the route, the hot showers, the food in the Wellness Village and even the hard as heck park dirt under our tents are all part of wonderful memories that I will cherish forever. I am grateful for all the fundraising help. We as a team raised over $9,000 and as a Los Angeles group set a record with more than $5 million raised this past weekend. I am proud to have been a part of this great event and I'll probably be back next year.

As a team we collectively walked 155 miles this weekend! I am very proud of the team and the personal accomplishments that each walker earned. My mom, Rita, and I walked 13 miles the first day. Lupe walked 16 miles, Heather walked 20 miles, and Carmen, my sister, walked the full distance of a marathon the first day which was 26 miles. The second day we all walked 13 miles each back to the Queen Mary. What an incredible weekend it was for all of us and the 2,000 other walkers. Until next year....

****************************************************

2008 Final Notes

September 8, 2008

Look at the count down. It's a matter of days now. Less than a week. I am so close to meeting my $1,800. I have less than $200 to go and really could use your help. If you can't make a financial donation, please keep me and my teammates and all the walkers for that matter, in your thoughts and prayers as we head out ealy Saturday morning on the trail to walking the 26 miles per day that we need to complete the walk.

Last week Team Warm Hearts came together one last time to go out on a pre-walk and to see where we were with our fundraising. Two of us took a slower pace and walked eight miles, while the other three who plane on walking the full 26 miles the first day, took a faster pace and walked almost eleven miles. If was a great day and we all got a feel of what it's going to be like on the real walk.

Please visit our team page by clicking below. See how we're doing and make a donation if you can. Take care for now. Wish us luck with a shout out below.

August 21, 2008

We are now over $7,000. WooHoo! Our goal is $9,000 and we are asking you to help us reach our goal. With your help, we can do this. Please consider making a donation of $10. That's it. If 200 people donate $10, we will reach our goal.

Please be one of those 200 that reaches out and makes a difference. Please click below and check out our website. Lupe only needs $35 to reach her $1,800. Heather, Carmen, Rita and Angie (that's me) need a bit more. Help get us all to $1,800. It feels so good to give. Here are a few suggestions on how to save $10:

1)Instead of going out to lunch, brown bag it.
2)Instead of Starbucks, brew your own cup the old fashioned way.
3)Make a fun dinner with the kids at home, instead of going out.
4)Invite a friend over to watch a great movie with homemade popcorn, instead of going out to the movies.
5)Vacuum the couch and suck up all that loose change.

Use your imagination and in no time at all, you will see how easy it is to come up with the $10 to donate to breast cancer.

May God Bless You and Keep You Safe.

August 14, 2008

This is exciting stuff. We are making our final arrangements. We booked the hotel for Friday night where we will be registering and meeting up with hundreds of walkers. We will be assigned a tent and will get our walking wrist bands.

We completed our on-line medical forms and look forward to the next several weeks of count down. We are still short with our fundraising, but we have things in the works and many friends who we know will step up and help us to reach our goal of $9,000. Thank you to all those who have supported us already. You make a difference.

We are now stepping it up in our training. Our 2 mile walks have turned into 4 to 6 mile walks. We are planning a 10 mile walk out by the beach within the next few weeks as a mock walk in preparation for the big days. We will be ready. Stay tuned...
____________________________________________________

Donate Here:

The Warm Hearts Team Page

Thank you to my sister, Kim, for doing a great job with creating our logo. If you would like a logo for your team, please let me know. Kim is a very talented, freelance graphics artist.

Breast Cancer Awareness at Overstock.com!

Breast Cancer does not discriminate. Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast Cancer victims include woman who are celebrities in their own right. What do woman such as Olivia Newton-John, Shirley Temple Black, Nancy Reagan, Peggy Fleming, Julia Child, Jaclyn Smith and most recently Cokie Roberts and Christina Applegate all have in common? They are all famous woman and they have all been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. There are also many not-so famous woman making a difference in the world of breast cancer. My spotlight is on Nancy Brinker. Do you know who Nancy Brinker is?

Nancy Brinker, Ambassador Nancy Goodman Brinker (born December 6, 1946, in Peoria, Illinois) is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization named after her only sister, Susan, who died from breast cancer in 1980 at age 36. Brinker has helped build Komen by fostering a coalition of relationships within the business community, government, and volunteer sectors in the United States. For her work on breast cancer research, Time magazine named Brinker to its 2008 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, according to Wikipedia.

Nancy Brinker was interviewed by cbsnews.com on October 17, 2005. In that interview she talked about her sister. "My sister was a 33-year-old beautiful young woman who was literally scared to death," Brinker tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler. "And we realized the mistakes we made. She wasn't able to get second opinions. It was difficult accessing information. But that was partly the system, too. We knew we had to change the system, and we knew we had to make people aware of what was going on."

A 20-year cancer survivor, Brinker said she has seen tremendous changes in the way the disease is handled by doctors.

"There's hardly an advance made in the science of breast cancer today that has not been touched somewhere in its history by a Komen grant," Brinker says. "That said, it is as important to apply what we learn from science to the clinic. And that means addressing all the disparities. And not just of the medically underserved, but from rural communities, different cities. Different physicians in different parts of the country treat this disease differently.

"We realize, as the global leader against breast cancer, we have to continue. It's such an important point that we have got to move forward with all the commitment, the promise that other people can make to us, to join the promise I made to my sister, to actually create a world without breast cancer."

The Susan G. Komen walks are held throughout the United States in an effort to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for breast cancer. The Avon Foundation has the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer which are also held in major cities throughout the United States.

Who ever thought up the word "Mammogram"?
Every time I hear it, I think I'm supposed to put my breast in an envelope
and send it to someone. -- Jan King
____________________________________________________

The Mammogram
By Julia Napier©

For years and years they told me,
Be careful of your breasts.
Don't ever squeeze or bruise them.
And give them monthly tests.

So I heeded all their warnings,
And protected them by law.
Guarded them very carefully,
And I always wore my bra.

After 30 years of astute care,
My gyno, Dr. Pruitt,
Said I should get a Mammogram.
"O.K." I said, 'let's do it."

"Stand up here real close" she said,
(She got my boob in line),
"And tell me when it hurts," she said,
"Ah yes! Right there, that's fine."

She stepped upon a pedal,
I could not believe my eyes!
A plastic plate came slamming down,
My hooter's in a vise!

My skin was stretched and mangled,
From underneath my chin.
My poor boob was being squashed,
To Swedish Pancake thin.

Excruciating pain I felt,
Within it's vise-like grip.
A prisoner in this vicious thing,
My poor defenseless tit!

"Take a deep breath" she said to me,
Who does she think she's kidding?!?
My chest is mashed in her machine,
And woozy I am getting.

"There, that's good," I heard her say,
(The room was slowly swaying.)
"Now, let's have a go at the other one."
Have mercy, I was praying.

It squeezed me from both up and down,
It squeezed me from both sides.
I'll bet SHE'S never had this done,
To HER tender little hide.

Next time that they make me do this,
I will request a blindfold.
I have no wish to see again,
My knockers getting steam rolled.

If I had no problem when I came in,
I surely have one now.
If there had been a cyst in there,
It would have gone "ker-pow!"

This machine was created by a man,
Of this, I have no doubt.
I'd like to stick his balls in there,
And see how THEY come out!

By Julia Napier©

Original content taken from http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/medical.htm

Kara submitted the above wonderful poem to us several years ago titled as "The Boob Poem" with the author unknown. On 1/9/06 we received the following E-mail from the author! We share her letter with our visitors:
"I wrote this poem MANY years ago. For years, I said nothing and just let it hang out there to share. I have seen this poem with several different authors, and to me, this is funny for I actually went through this. I have written poetry for over 20 years and have a website www.napierpresentations.com.
Although this poem is not on my site for the business that I am in really doesn't require these types of poems, I am flattered to see it on your site. If you need anything like proof of authenticity or copyright please let me know and I will be happy to do so. I just wanted to let you know.

Respectfully,
Julia Napier"
www.napierpresentations.com

____________________________________________________

A California cosmetic surgery practice is opening a new office where breast augmentation surgery is done on an outpatient basis in about 30 minutes.
They are going to call the practice "Jiffy Boob."

____________________________________________________

PREPARING FOR THE YEARLY MAMMOGRAM
Many women fear their first mammogram, and even if they you had them before, there is the fear. But, there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test, and best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises in the privacy of your home.

EXERCISE 1: Open your refrigerator door, and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure.
Hold that position for five seconds.
Repeat in case the first time wasn't effective.

EXERCISE 2: Visit your garage at 3 a.m. when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor sideways with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled.
Switch sides, and repeat for the other breast.

EXERCISE 3: Freeze two metal bookends overnight.
Strip to the waist.
Invite a stranger into the room.
Have the stranger press the bookends against either side of one of your breasts and smash the bookends together as hard as he/she can.
Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year to do it again.

You are now properly prepared! Also, notice ladies:

MENtal illness
MENstrual cramps
MENtal breakdown
MENopause
Ever notice how all of women's problems start with men? And, when we have real problems, it's HISterectomy

Original content taken from:
Jokes index: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8797/JOKES/

____________________________________________________

By Benson Yeung

Mammograms can be life-saving. They can also be prohibitively painful to some women. Here are six tips to make your mammogram hurt less.

1. Have your mammogram when you don't have much breast engorgement. (For most women, this means the two weeks after menstruation has finished but the time varies with the individual. Other women might find day 18 to 22 after the first day of menstruation more appropriate)

2. Use as little salt as possible for a week before the test. Again, this will reduce the extent of breast engorgement for most women and hence the pain associated with the compression required for the test.

3.Taking 400 international units of vitamin E for 3 weeks before the test. Why this works has not been documented. However, this works frequent enough for you to try out.

4. Using simple analgesics like paracetamol, aspirin, diclofenac one hour before the test, provided you don't have an allergy to these. These have to be taken after food.

5. Drink green juice, made from green apples, capsicums, celery, bitter melons and cucumbers on alternate days for a week before the test. This is a little secret one of my patients shared with me. This green juice is also helpful for breast pain in general. Make sure you don't drink this more frequent than suggested as it may lead to hypotension or even dizziness.

6. Tell the radiographer when you feel pain during the test. The radiographer does have some lee-way to adjust the degree of compression of the breasts against the x-ray plates.

Whatever you do, don't skip the mammogram if advised by your doctor.

http://bensonyeung.com