October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 5th, 2014
Good morning!
“Just noticing…”
…October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer is serious stuff but we don’t have to be so serious to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hey, even theWhite House has been known to illuminate the cause.
The North Portico exterior of the White House is illuminated pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Oct. 1, 2012 (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
From the Huff Po.
These 6 Ways People Are Recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month Will Make You Smile
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and some individuals and organizations are going beyond pink ribbons to embrace out-of-the-box ways to stand up for breast health.
We’ve partnered with the makers of Genius 3D mammography to highlight six awesome ways people are doing their part to keep breast cancer a part of the conversation.
1. Check Your Puppies!
Arguably the best thing on the internet, these pups are bringing attention to breast cancer prevention, thanks to the UK edition of Cosmopolitan and London-based self-examination advocate organization CoppaFeel!. It might seem silly, but their heads (er…hands?) are in the right place: Each month, Cosmo’s Facebook and Twitter followers are reminded to conduct their monthly breast exam with a photo of cute puppies in a bra. Cute animals AND breast health? We’re into it.
This a cappella take on The Divinyls’ 1990 classic anthem “I Touch Myself” will give you chills. After realizing her diagnosis was terminal, frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett thought this girl-power classic should be repurposed to encourage women to check their bodies for cancer. After her death in April 2013, Australian advocacy group Cancer Council New South Wales collaborated with a local group of singers to recreate this song as a means for self-examination advocacy.
3. Standup (Literally) for Awareness
We were already big fans of comedian Tig Notaro, but the way she announced her breast cancer diagnosis threw her into uncharted onstage territory. The set, which is now available on iTunes, got rave reviews for bringing a touch of humor to a very unfunny topic. From Entertainment Weekly: “…Funny, sensitive, and with a firm grasp on the fundamental absurdity of life.” Not many people can turn tragedy into touching standup, but Tig Notaro definitely succeeded.
4. Turning Lemons into (Actual) Lemonade
What’s the only thing more refreshing than a tall glass of chilled sweetness? One served with a side of compassion. Two Texas girls took their end-of-summer lemonade stand to philanthropic heights when they used the classic kid entrepreneur model to raise funds for a local organization dedicated to helping breast cancer patients. The girls put a creative touch on the summer classic — offering customers the choice of pink lemonade (and cupcakes) to help raise awareness for the cause. How sweet is that?!
5. Stiletto Stampede
Race for the Cure events will happen in 150 cities around the world this year alone. But organizers in Austin, Texas, really kick it up a notch with “Stiletto Stampede,”their take on the annual fund-race. Now in its sixth year, participants make the 100-yard dash in high heels to help women and men better understand breast cancer and breast health.
6. Cookies for the Cause
We love these “mammo-graham” cookies from blogger Wendy Thomas. Here’s the recipe so you can make your own and spread awareness among your family and friends (or even the office!)
Mammo-Graham Marzipan Recipe
What you’ll need:
- chocolate graham crackers split in two
- 1 roll of marzipan
- white frosting
- pink frosting gel
To make the ones pictured above, Wendy used one roll of the marzipan cut into 13 pieces and warmed in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Then she says to “roll each section into a ball, and squish while molding it until you have a flat section for between the graham crackers and a bulging section that sticks out. ‘Glue’ the marzipan to the graham crackers with some frosting and then use the gel frosting to make the nipple.”
Genius 3D mammography is available as Hologic Selenia® Dimensions® 3D system. Please consult your physician for a complete list of the benefits and risks associated with mammography.
♥♥♥
Readers: Of course, I love anything with animals and kids…and the song…well it speaks for itself. Tig Notaro interview is a fresh and wonderful mix of raw vulnerability, authenticity, and comedy – a good watch. And those Mammo Grahams are hilarious! Yes, guys, they do get smashed like that in the mammogram x-ray machine.
Are you doing anything special this month to honor our sisters that have been diagnosed with breast cancer or who are breast cancer survivors? Please share. Blog me.
FF: Thanks for taking a step forward to stop the insanity of these thugs with badges. I tried your link to write a letter myself and it isn’t working.
If anyone would like to contact Ohio Governor Kasich’s inbox, click here.
Burne: I can totally relate about voters voting on single issues that affect them, especially when it comes to the repubs that I know. I don’t know the stats of older voters vs young voters though. I have some repub friends and I feel that they are just focusing on one or two issues and using talking points given to them. Usually it is about taxes. Ugh…So frustrating.
In my opinion and experience from the ones I do engage in a political conversation with, they’re really not on top of any other issues except the one or two that is personally affecting them. And if I have to be totally honest, I don’t even think they are totally informed, even on those. Most of my frustration is with women who have no idea because they live with their head in the sand living in a tiny world, too dumb, or just go into denial that their party is mostly misogynists who could care less about them.
But I hear what you’re saying, Marilyn. Young voters are just not voting, and especially when it comes to midterm elections. That is where we can make a huge difference, and win this election, if we can just get the young dems to the polls, especially the women. I will be blogging on this topic soon.
Sandra: It may be foolish to think that it’s going to change but it is worth the effort to get them there because the downside is, nothing will get done in the next two years unless we do. Obama got a lot of young and first time voters to the polls in 2008. Unfortunately they slacked when it came to taking it home at the midterms in 2010, but I have faith.
Lucy, ST: Sorry to hear that. You too, Irene, and anyone else having trouble. It’s the same same ol’ story. Blame it on those that oppose.
Gary: I like your suggestions of being prepared for voting day. Repubs may not be able to make it impossible to vote but they sure will try. And if you do vote, they will certainly try and switch your vote to steal the election. We have to all participate this November.
I agree with you - Obama doesn’t have to be on the ballot to make an election important. But people need to realize that midterms are sometime even more important because control can change party very quickly. We saw it in 2010 when the Dems didn’t show up because they were still high from the win in 2008. I am HOPEing that from what we have experienced with a loss in the House, how important the November midterms are are, and get themselves to the polls. Obama just signs legislation; he doesn’t write it. As we all know from experience, with Obama as president and repubs in power, hardly anything will get done, because the repubs would rather see this country fail than a black man succeed.
I feel your frustration over the apathy of the general public. I am frustrated too. We have the right to vote and many don’t exercise that right by using the power of their voice and their vote to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
I just keep thinking how much Obama has done and how much more he could’ve done, and could do if we can just keep the Senate and get back the House. We have all put in so much effort over the years, we can’t give up now.
Molly: Well said. Loved your comment.
Robert, I: I haven’t seen you here in awhile. Are you around? I HOPE all is OK.
Thanks for sticking around. Peace & Love…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 5th, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Hmmm … seems it’s you and I here for a few days …
Okay …
Well, I think I’ve said enough on many levels …
Hopefully, the comment train will open and other girlZ and others will be here.
Luv the mammogram cookies … I call that thing #MyTasGotPancaked
Caio for now, Luv, Zen Lill
October 6th, 2014 at 1:44 am
Thank you Michelle for this article. My family is having a very difficult time. Cancer drugs are so expensive.
October 6th, 2014 at 1:46 am
Wow, you sure have a lot of concerned readers Michelle. I called a few friends to tell them about the Cancer report on 60 Minutes and they told me to check out your blog.
It was difficult getting on, but well worth it.
October 6th, 2014 at 1:50 am
Michelle, I think your response to Sandra is so important. I repeat it to so many young people every day. I am a college counselor. It is so difficult to get most of the ones I talk with to understand the priority voting has to getting good grades.
October 6th, 2014 at 1:52 am
Thank you for all you do for women Michelle. This article is just one of many. I love this site!. Oh and I miss you when I don’t see your column Zen Lill.
October 6th, 2014 at 6:31 am
Thank you, Kelly, and I guess you had plenty of me this weekend, it was almost TMI (too much info), yes?
Gwen, it’s the same as it ever was … I remember getting the sit down from my parents bc at 21 I said I’m not voting what’s the point they’re all crooked etc … etc … etc … All of which was true enough though it is still very important to do it bc your one vote matters.
Glad to see the commenters back in action, it was getting lonely here (never : )
Luv, Zen Lill
October 6th, 2014 at 7:50 am
Naomi#2, like most things in this country which impact us financially in a negative manner you need look no farther than republican legislation. Did you know that Congress passed legislation that says Social Security has to pay whatever a pharmaceutical company charges for a drug?
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“By law, Medicare must cover every cancer drug the F.D.A. approves. (A 2003 law, moreover, mandates payment at the price the manufacturers charge, plus a 6 percent cushion.) In most states private insurers are held to this same standard. Physician guideline-setting organizations likewise focus on whether or not a treatment is effective, and rarely factor in cost in their determinations.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/opinion/a-hospital-says-no-to-an-11000-a-month-cancer-drug.html?_r=0
———————————
This encourages the drug companies to gouge the American people.
October 6th, 2014 at 7:59 am
Oh and if I or someone else hasn’t told you the FDA has been in the pharmaceutical industry’s pocked since it inception. They have only gotten deeper. The standards they set for the individual to gauge whether he/she is doing well medically are geared to how much of a drug the pharmaceutial industry wants push a particular product.
Hence every year they lower the healthy cholesterol level so those companies can sell more of the old and push new cholesterol drugs. Same is true for other illnesses. The kicker is they don’t really require that much testing before they allow a company to use the public to test their new products.
“Doctors are paid hundreds, even thousands of dollars, by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs. Is your doctor one of them?” http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Does-Your-Doctor-Cash-in-on-Drug-Company-Money-197059261.html
The FDA is just a big Ka Ching machine for doctors.
October 6th, 2014 at 8:12 am
Michelle, please see if you can get yesterday’s 60 Minute’s article on the scam by drug companies. One of the most obscene segments is the one that says a drug company sells a drug to a doctor for less but keeps the price tag high for the patient so Medicare and the patient has to pay on the price tag.
We in the US pay more than 3 to 6 times what other countries pay for the drug because our crooked Congress has taken away Medical Care’s ability to negotiate the price they will pay for a drug with the drug companies.
Hence the drug companies increase the price of a drug each year to make it more expensive once you start using it. If you are on Medi Care your 20% gets higher every year.
October 6th, 2014 at 8:19 am
People in California vote YES on 46. The crooks are making commercials to suggest that lawyers are responsible for the expense of medicine.
October 6th, 2014 at 8:27 am
Michelle I know how much you love dogs. You have to see that segment of yesterdays’ 60 Minute. They have discovered inferential reasoning. That means they can understand language.
October 6th, 2014 at 8:29 am
Michelle I love dogs. 60 Minute’s segment on the World’s Smartest Dog really intrigued me. I loved the part about how a dog uses eye contact to say he/she loves you. When dogs are looking at you they are essentially hugging you with their eyes.
October 6th, 2014 at 8:36 am
Sorry Michelle. I left out the link. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-smartest-dog-in-the-world/
The smartest dog in the world
Anderson Cooper meets Chaser, a dog who can identify over a thousand toys, and the scientists who are studying the brain of man’s best friend.
Enjoy
October 6th, 2014 at 8:44 am
I’ve been trying to get in for two days. How does Zen Lill do it? Do we have to be Girlz to get a guarantee to get in?
October 6th, 2014 at 9:41 am
[…] Naomi, Patricia, Janet: I saw 60 minutes too last night. I was so disgusted by these companies making so much money by taking advantage of people and their emotions…people that are dying from cancer and desperate to live. […]