Why I love Pink!

Awareness Campaigns - How Effective Are They?

Have you ever wondered how effective are the health awareness campaigns? Is it something that actually gets you motivated to get checked? Are you even aware of your family's health history? Well, there is actually an awareness campaign for just about every disease and millions of dollars are raised.

Stand Up to Cancer - joint effort of various television network hosts, stars/celebrities and aired simultaneously on the local and cable channels.



Think Pink - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month



The upcoming Off Broadway play The Day That Changed My Life explores the journeys of those whose lives have been touched by cancer. The play promises to bring the audience along an intimate view of how cancer affects not only the patient but the family as well as many others who are not often considered. You will have an appreciation and an awareness that will invoke a change in how you handle your health. The show dates are on October 15, 16 and 22, 2010.
Tickets are available - get yours now! You don't want to miss this journey.

Revlon Run Walk - Cancer in Women

Oh what a beautiful morning!!! The sun rose to the occasion of the day. It was the day that thousands gathered at Times Square to be a part of the Revlon Run Walk for the fight against women's cancer. Celebrities included the handsome Jesse L Martin, the beautiful Jessica's Alba and Biel, gorgeous Halle Berry, and the most loved Dr. Oz. The crowd danced and sang along with the talented Trey Songz and a wonderful group of young people - a Gospel Choir from Harlem.


The crowd was showered to a treat of confetti that served as a celebration of the start.

The challenge is for the runners to make their way through the countless numbers of participants who are walking. There were strollers being pushed, dogs on leashes with their owners, some people walked briskly, some carried signs and some walked at a relaxed pace.


All in all, the participants were happy to be a part of the event. Many wore signs to show their connection to the event whether it was in support of a loved one, in memory of a loved one or just being a survivor.

The 5K was over in no time as there were volunteers stationed at several points to offer water and cheers. The pride in completing 3.1 miles was seen on many smiling faces of the participants. We cheered as we approached the finish line.

Our team was ecstatic! We walked in memory of our loved ones who died and in support of Nkiru Okanome who died that same afternoon from breast cancer. We were devastated by the news but thankfully our participation will help to save many other women's lives.

Breast Cancer - New Guidelines - Black Women

I'll never forget the day I felt the lump in my left breast. It was a Sunday morning, I was still in bed and I decided to check my breasts. After a moment of wonderment, I knew I had to get it checked out. Not to alarm everyone, I confided only in my husband. My appointment with the doctor who felt nothing during the examination was a bit tense as I insisted that I felt something unusual and at my persistence, he sent me off to have a mammogram.



A few days later, I received a yellow envelope with the words URGENT TELEGRAM. I almost tossed the envelope as I thought it must be junk mail. However, following my inner guide, I opened the letter only to find that it was about my mammogram results. It said that it was an urgent matter and I had to come in right away.


Two days later, I went in for the results and I was told that the mammogram showed that there was indeed something - albeit small, they found something and would like me to have an ultrasound which confirmed that there was indeed something. In fact, it showed that there were two suspicious forms in the breast. Needless to say, I scheduled an operation to have them removed. The greatest relief was having them removed and knowing that I did not allow the doctors to send me home when their examination did not find any lumps. Thankfully, I had a successful outcome. However, there are others who may take the doctors word and left the office, after all they are the experts.

My concerns are also for women who are relieved to hear the new guidelines only to find out later that they have cancer and could have had a successful outcome if it was detected sooner. I often say that your health cannot be defined in a One Size Fits All manner. We are all unique with certain factors that may affect us if not through genetics, it can be environmental or some other unknown factor. There are enough barriers to keep us from taking care of our health.

Wearing a ribbon to bring awareness to a disease that can be treated successfully if found early is a great gesture but it's no longer good enough. Some say there is an over reaction to the new suggested guidelines, I disagree. We need to speak up - our lives depends on it.

The following link discusses further - be informed and share with everyone:
For Black Women, Breast Cancer Strikes Younger

What happened here - who's responsible?

This segment on CNN really captured my attention as I would normally flip through channels, I watched the guests as they all spoke about breast cancer. Of course breast cancer is quite popular a common type of cancer in women. We have seen the pink ribbons that symbolizes awareness on pins, T-shirts, candies, perfumes, jewelry accessories, etc. In addition, there are many events and activities that are organized around breast cancer. Thousands of women gather to shout it out loud and clear that they have fought and won the fight against breast cancer.

However, this story was not about women with breast cancer, it was a case of men with breast cancer. As many of us are aware that breast cancer does affect men but far less cases have been reported than that of women. What makes this story even more unique is that these men are all connected to the same community/environment. Furthermore, other reports have included stories like Mike Patrian who has shared his story and those of at least 19 other men with breast cancer and Jerome Ensminger whose six year old daughter, born and raised at Camp Lejeune was diagnosed with Acute Lymphosytic Leukemia (A.L.L.)

Mike's Site The Few, The Proud,The Forgotten

Jerome Ensminger Testimony







Unfortunately, some of these men do not have much more time left to fight the disease. Hopefully, all of this attention will ensure that this will never happen again.