The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

On September 30, 2011 this lens was honored with a Purple Star. The author is humbled to receive this prestigious award. This lens is a work in process and written to provide advice to those who are choosing to walk in a Breast Cancer fundraising event and make a difference in the life of a breast cancer victim. This lens is also meant to provide encouragement to those who are dealing with cancer in some form or another in their lives. You may have cancer or you may be a family member or a friend of a person with cancer. Any way you look at it, cancer is not something handled alone.

It's a wonderful feeling to share a bit of my experiences with this community knowing that somebody might take a piece of information provided here with them. It's an even better feeling to be publicly acknowledged and awarded. Thank you Squidoo for this Purple Star.

As I embarked on my third year of walking in the Avon Walk in Long Beach, CA, I had a very good feeling about it. God had brought me to this walk three years ago. Each of the past two years, I struggled, but I had made the fundraising goals, and I had struggled through the two walks. Even though I had blisters on my feet after both of those walks, I healed and recovered after a few weeks and felt good about my personal accomplishment and our team accomplishments.

This year seemed different. I felt like I was prepared. Our team had met our goal only days before the walk, but going in to the walk, the money was there. I didn't have to worry about fundraising for the next 48 hours. I could concentrate on the walk, on my body, and on others around me all with the same objective. We were all there to raise awareness and to push ourselves as we walked 26 miles for breast cancer.

I prepared my feet for the 26 miles. Moleskin became my second skin. I placed moleskin on the bottom of my feet for cushion and to prevent blisters. I then wrapped each toe with a sports band aid. I was set. I had already purchased my shoes a size larger than normal to compensate for swelling. I felt really good. As I set out on the trail from the Queen Mary in Long Beach to El Dorado Park where the Wellness Village would be waiting for us with tents and all, I felt like the past two years were going to pay off.

My mom was walking with me once again and she was having problems with her shoes. At the first stop she took off her shoes and wiggled her toes around. That would help. Then we were about to start walking and she said to wait as she sat back down and removed some heel gel cushions that she had inserted for extra comfort. I was beginning to wonder if she was going to have shoe problems all day long. As we were walking along, we found ourselves talking about all kinds of things, then for some reason we started talking about God. We talked a lot about God and spiritual things when we did our training walks. I love my mom. We are both Christians and Catholics and we pray and keep God in our hearts all day long. My mom especially believes in talking to her angels and asking them for guidance.

As we got on the subject of angels, my mom told me that at the last stop she had asked her angels to help her with her shoes because she didn't want her feet to start hurting. It's a long, thirteen mile walk. She said her angels told her to take off her shoes and wiggle her feet. So that was what she had done. Then as we were preparing to leave the angels had told her to remove the gels she had added at the last minute. So she had told me to wait and then she removed the gels. From then on, her feet and shoes felt much better. All I could do was smile and thank God for blessing my mom with her angels. Right then I prayed especially hard and I asked God to bless me on this walk and if I got any blisters I would understand, just keep them small and not too painful.

We ended up walking 13 miles the first day like we planned and 13 miles the second day back to the Queen Mary, just as we had planned. We didn't have to stop because of any injuries or problems. In fact, my mom ended up with one small blister on her right big toe, and I'm telling the truth, I did not get one blister. I owe it all to God and my angels who helped me through the very tough two days of walking 26 miles. Thank you for listening to my Avon Walk story.

Thank you to my sister, Kim, for doing a great job with creating our logo.

We came up with the name, The Warm Hearts, because we feel that when you give from your heart you usually get that warm, I-did-something-good-for-somebody-else kinda feeling. It's hard to explain, but you know the feeling. It's a good feeling because you know you helped somebody out in some way. There are many creative team names and you can visit the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer website from the link above and search for teams and you'll see a whole bunch of team names.

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....

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Check out this T-shirt that you can wear during your walk or while you train for the walk to show other people why you are walking for breast cancer. Customize the back. You can put anybody's name in, a list of names, any wording you choose. It's your choice. This is great for placing the names of the people who donated to your walk.

If you have a team, you can customize these shirts with your team's name, and/or your own name and wear them in the actual walk.

I know what it's like to walk in a walk for breast cancer. They give you these sheets of paper that you can pin on your back. You have to poke holes in your shirt. These designs are something you can create ahead of time and have a unique T-shirt where you can proudly state who you are walking for.

Are you walking for your Mom, your Grandma, your Sister, a friend?


Breast Cancer Walk For.... by PointUp
Create a Customized T-Shirt Using www.zazzle.com
See more Spirituality Inspirational T-Shirts

I personally am walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Los Angeles. I walked last year and the year before and I really wanted to walk on behalf of all those women who couldn't walk. I walked for those who are breast cancer survivors and for those who are undergoing breast cancer treatment at the moment. I walked and will walk again because I want to somehow make a difference in the life of another person. I walk because I can't walk away from something so serious as breast cancer.

Check out this customizable T-Shirt. Last year on the walk I saw many unique and creative T-Shirts along the route. Place a motivational saying or customize your shirt to however you want.

Here are a few suggestions.
- I'm walking because I can't walk away. (ready to go-no changes needed)
-I'm walking because Cancer Sucks.
-I'm walking because of you.
-I'm walking because I'm a breast cancer survivor.
-I'm walking for those who can't.
-I'm walking for my daughters.
-I'm walking to help find a cure.

The front of the shirt has a large Pink Ribbon on it. You can customize it with a saying or logo. These shirts are sports shirts with Micro-fiber to keep you cool as you walk.


Walk for Breast Cancer by PointUp
Make Customized Tee Shirts At www.zazzle.com
Browse Sports Teams T-Shirts

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.

How did we meet our fundraising goals? Well, in 2008, we had a team total to raise of $9,000. The owner of the company I work at graciously donated $5,000 to our team. We continued to raise money and with recycling, having yard sales, and asking everyone we know to donate. The money kept coming in. Somehow we reached our goal. In 2009, we did even bigger and better things to try to raise enough funds for 10 members to meet their goals of $1,800 each, which totaled $18,000.. We held three boutiques over several months and invited vendors such as Cookie-Lee and Pampered Chef to sell their products with a percentage going towards the walk. We held a car wash in front of our local K-Mart. We raised over $1,500 in one day. We had a Stateline Turnaround where we invited 50 of our closest friends to hop on a chartered bus. We headed from Southern California to the Nevada Stateline where the casinos were waiting with fun and food. We did two of these over the summer and they were both a huge success. We easily made over $3,000 doing these turnarounds. We also held a hair-cut event and the salon donated a percentage of their earnings for the day to our team. We also asked around town at local restaurants and we had several different nights where we invited our friends and family to a night out and the restaurants gave us a percentage of their sells during that period. Look to Panda Express, Farmer Boys, IHOP, Johnny Carinos, or ask your local favorite food place. We asked our local food place if they wanted to do something like this and they had several evenings already planned so they just wrote us a check for $100! You'll never know if you don't try. Sometimes the most unlikely person or location will donate to you. Just ask! Get creative with your fundraising and before you know it, you'll reach your goal.

I sometimes think about why I'm doing these walks and why everything always comes together. My thoughts last year still hold true today. I have faith, and I have hope, and I know if God leads me to it, He will see me through it. Just look at my dad and the miracle of his new liver and his new lease on life. Knowing that my small efforts made a difference in the life of one woman with breast cancer makes it all worthwhile.

May God Bless you abundantly.

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
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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

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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."

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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/

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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

In October of 2006 my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. That same month, my mom and I were trying to find a way to help my dad, help people with liver cancer and/or help anyone with cancer. We saw the poster board for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer at our local El Pollo Loco Restaurant and the registration forms were available in the slot. I knew it was a sign that I had to register in this walk and do something for someone, anyone with cancer, I felt like I couldn't help my dad directly, but I could help him indirectly.

In September of 2007, my mom and I walked in the two-day Avon Walk for Breast cancer in Los Angeles, which was actually held in Long Beach, CA. We walked 13 miles the first day, slept in tents and took showers in a mobile shower trailer. Then we woke up the next day and walked another 13 miles back to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Besides a few blisters and sore feet, calves, and thighs, it was a wonderful experience that I'll never forget.

The very next month in October of 2007, my dad got the call we were all waiting for from the hospital. USC Medical Center was calling to say there was a liver available for my dad. My dad's health was deteriorating at a rapid pace as time went on. My dad went in and they set everything up for the surgery. They told us (I am one of five children), that they had a liver and they took a small section of the liver and used it to save a baby. The rest of the liver would go to my dad and was a perfect match. We sat and waited in the lobby for over nine hours. The head surgeon finally came out and gave us the news. She said the surgery was a success and the next 24 to 48 hours would be the most critical because the liver could be rejected. He should be awake and co-herent in a few hours.

As my dad lay there in the ICU Liver Transplant ward I prayed like I never prayed before. He had a hard time coming out of the medication, it actually took six weeks for him to "wake-up". My family and I shared many emotions, we actually thought we might have "mentally" lost him, and then one day he was fully awake. All our lives had stood still for six weeks. My dad had gone to sleep on October 4th and had woken up sometime in November. My mom, was a true trooper. She drove the 50 mile round trip every day to USC Medical Center for over 4 weeks straight. They let my dad come home for Thanksgiving, then they put him back in the hospital the very next day. It was the best Thanksgiving ever.

My dad has his good days and his bad days. He has diabetes, and it all plays in how he feels from one day to the next. He has to take the anti-rejection medicine for the rest of his life which naturally lowers his immune system. He is in construction and he drives to the "yard" everyday and tries to keep the area swept up and clean for the other guys. You can't keep him down and to keep him down would break his spirit.

We also have a lot of spirit. My dad was inspiration for us to walk in 2007. We felt good that year and decided to do it again in 2008. Then, in 2009, it was our third year participating. We have the memories from the walk last year and the wonderful people we met who all had stories of courage and overcoming cancer just like my dad. This year we want to Pay It Forward again. In 2008 there were three new members on our team. The first year, in 2007, my mom and I walked. In 2008, my sister joined us, as well as a co-worker from my work and a friend of the family. None of us have breast cancer and we just wanted to help those who do have it. In 2009, we grew to a team of ten members and raised over $20,000. I feel extremely proud to know that for the three years that I walked, our members collectively raised over $32,000. It makes my heart feel warm all over.

We named our team the Warm Hearts. Whenever I donate to someone or buy a candy from a kid, or help someone in some small way, I always feel peace and I know my heart gives off a warm feeling. So I named our team the "Warm Hearts". You can't have a cold heart and give to others.

I created this site mainly as a vehicle to provide resources and hope to those who have any type of cancer, but mainly for women who have breast cancer. This is going to be an on-going site. We will always try to raise funds so that cancer victims can get the help they need in a time in their lives when they need it the most.