Social Networking Web Apps for Breast Cancer Awareness

If you're (not already) a member of Facebook, sign up & join millions of others in adding the Breast Cancer / Pink Ribbon Application:



Also, this year there is a Susan G. Komen Toolbar available for download on IE & Firefox. It includes Yahoo! Search, and quick links to information, and the promise shop. In case you can't read the donation promise, it says: "From January 2008 through December 31, 2008, FreeCause will donate $0.15 per toolbar user per month to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each user who downloads and uses the toolbar."

Did Christina Applegate Go Too Far with a Double Mastectomy?

Back in August, Christina Applegate, star of ABC's sitcom Samantha Who? , who became famous for her role as Kelly Bundee on Married With Children and film roles, revealed that she had undergone the drastic double mastectomy procedure as preventative measure. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, and testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, the 36 year old actress chose to aggressively treat her breast cancer diagnosis with the radical surgery and opt for reconstructive implants.

Christina Applegate at the 2008 Emmy Awards, after undergoing a double mastectomy as part of her aggressive breast cancer treatment.


Joking about it on television interviews, she was thrilled to note that she won't ever have to worry about saggy boobs when she grows older. Though Christina Applegate said doing the double mastectomy was a tough decision, she was absolutely sure it was the right one, since her family history (her mother had both breast cancer and cervical cancer) and genetic testing proved she was at a greater risk. At the time of the announcement she declared on ABC's Good Morning America that she is now "absolutely, 100% clean and clear" of cancer.

There seem to be two schools of thought on Christina's decision out there in the community. Perhaps many see it as radical given her young age and the fact that the breast cancer she had was detected early, and only removed from one breast during a lumpectomy. With chemo and radiation, many think she was in a good position to battle breast cancer without the drastic surgery.

However, women in a similar position with such a family history and being diagnosed at a young age, may agree that she did the right thing by being so proactive. As I've watched her story unfold, and know that at some point, I may have to make a similar decision, it's interesting to put yourself in those shoes and ask, would I do the same thing?

While I still haven't been tested for the BRCA-1 gene, I do assume that I am a likely carrier given family history - both my mother and grandmother have faced breast cancer, and there is cancer on my father's side, beyond his current diagnosis of head and neck cancer. At 31, I have already been doing mammograms and ultrasounds earlier than the average woman simply due to the family history, and will continue to do so, along with regular self breast exams.

At this point, I would have to say that it wasn't that radical of a decision, and that I'd be likely to do the same thing, knowing that may offer people in our position the best chance at fighting breast cancer. (As a perk, I'd look foward to the chance to get to slightly enhance my barely-B cup~). But in all seriousness, this aggressive treatment may be becoming more commonplace as breast cancer continues to affect more and more women each year.

Either way, I am looking forward to Christina Applegate's upcoming appearance on Oprah, scheduled to air on Tuesday September 30th. She will openly discuss her experience with breast cancer and her decision to undergo the double mastectomy, in an affort to raise awareness and put additional information out there about the breast cancer gene, and help others in a simlar position, as we head into October, National Breast Cancer Awarenesss Month.

You can see a preview of Christina Applegate on Oprah on YouTube.

Christina Applegate has since returned to the studio for filming of new Samantha Who? episodes, which returns to ABC on October 13th, 2008.

Breast Self Exam How To Videos on YouTube

Just wanted to share some decent videos from experts and medical professionals, which I found on YouTube which cover overall breast health, tips and techniques for giving yourself a monthly breast exam for early detection of breast cancer.

Interestingly, one video points out the chances of male breast cancer, noting that approximately 1700 men this year will be diagnosed with breast cancer. This video includes inforomation on how men should give themselves breast exams differently than women.

DISCLAIMER: One video shows a nude female model for an examination, but it is done very tastefully as a medical teaching tool.

Use the menu button next to play to preview the videos in the stream, or skip to the next video.

5 Fundraising Ideas for Breast Cancer Walks & Events

If you've come to this blog, it's likely that you've been personally affected by breast cancer. Either you're a survivor, or have a mother, grandmother, other family member, close fried or acquaintance diagnosed with the disease, and hopefully they are survivor too.

Sadly, there are hundreds of thousands of people just like you. But, these same people are the ones we depend upon to get involved with local breast cancer fundraising events like a 5K run or walk a thon, or other local charity dedicated to raise awareness and donations for breast cancer research. Sometimes, it's done in honor of the person who has lost their battle with breast cancer, and the funds are donated in their name, or go to help the family of the lost one.

So whether you'd simply like to create matching t-shirts for your team doing a breast cancer walk, have memory bracelets or pink rubber wrist bands made to honor a loved one, give away self-exam how-to cards, or sell hundreds magnets, lollipops or keychains to raise money, BRANDERS.com has breast cancer awareness fundraiser items starting at just $0.25 - if you sold each item for $1.00 - there's 75 cents that you can give straight to the breast cancer charity of your choice.

5 Great Breast Cancer Fundraisers at Branders:

1. Pink Ribbon Keychains


2. Breast Cancer Antenna Toppers


3. Pink Waterbottles for Breast Cancer Walks


4. Breast Cancer Coffee Mugs


5. Pink Ribbon Lollipops

To consider these items and more for your own breast cancer awareness / fundraising event, go to www.branders.com , and search for "Breast Cancer" or use the "Awareness" link on the left side menu.

October 2008 Breast Cancer Awareness Merchandise Preview

As we get closer to the annual October onslaught of pink ribbon madness, I'm looking forward to resurrecting the "Think Pink Product of the Day" - a feature here on the blog that was very popular in 2006. (In 2007, I didn't get to do the pink links, since I was a little busy with wedding planning & an October honeymoon that included meeting breast cancer survivor Deanna Favre). This year, I'm renaming the feature to the "DAILY PINK LINK", and I will include corporate donation information in as much detail as possible.

In my research to find out which companies will be making positive donations to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF, and other breast cancer related charities) from their profits on breast cancer merchandise, a few items already look like they'll be popular this year with shoppers. Here's a sneak preview:

1. Breast Cancer Awareness Watches
- Everybody's already looking for the GUESS Breast Cancer Watch, designed exclusively for the Susan G. Komen foundation which was popular last year and set to go again for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in 2008.

On the Komen Foundation website, the donation promise from Guess says: From September 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009, GUESS Watches will manufacture and sell the Pink Ribbon watch through department stores and fine jewelry stores nationwide. GUESS Watches will donate $10 for each watch sold. In addition, GUESS Corporate will donate $20 for each watch sold in GUESS stores. A minimum guaranteed donation of $25,000 will be made from the sales of the Pink Ribbon watch.

However, the watch itself is still nowhere to be found - Amazon's page for the GUESS Breast Cancer Watch says currently unavailable, Macy's doesn't have it yet either, and even the online Guess store is empty. (Trust me - there will be an update here when it does become available!)

Until the GUESS watch is available, an alternative breast cancer watch is available from Nautica. Nautica will donate $65,000 from the proceeds to a recognized breast cancer awareness charity. You can buy the Nautica Women's Breast Cancer Awareness Watch on Amazon.


2. Breast Cancer Bracelets
- The pink ribbon rubber wristbands (similar to Lance Armstrong's yellow Livestrong bracelets) are always a winner during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are many pink breast cancer bracelets available with different sayings, and the "Find the Cure" one is among the most popular:




This 12 Pack of
Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelets
is less than $10, so it's pretty affordable to give one to all your friends. I got into the habit of wearing two breast cancer awareness rubber bracelets at a time, so that I could pass one on to whomever asked about it. I once heard Lance Armstong did the same thing. You can also order your own custom breast cancer bracelets to fundraise in honor of or on behalf of someone you know who has been affected by breast cancer.

Beyond the pink ribbon rubber bracelets, breast cancer charm bracelets and pink ribbon jewelry are always among the most sought after, and I'll be picking out and featuring the best pieces of breast cancer jewelry I come across.



3. Stand Up 2 Cancer Merchandise
- Since the SU2C telethon on Sept. 5th, the awareness level has been raised. While not breast cancer specific, the total money raised for cancer research is impressive, and breast cancer research will surely benefit. Cafepress is the official place to buySU2C tshirts & merchandise.

Delta Air Lines: Now Boarding for 2008 Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As a loyal Delta SkyMiles member, I was thrilled to see Delta Air Lines step up in the last four years to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (bcrf). In 2007, Delta raised over half of its $1 million contributions to date. Some of last year's most popular fundraisers are returning for October 2008, including the onboard sale of pink lemonade for $2, with the proceeds going to BCRF.

Additionally, this year, as my SkyMiles newsletter just pointed out, Delta will donate 250 miles to BCRF through Oct. 31, 2008 every time a customer books a flight or checks in online at delta.com. Delta SkyMiles members also receive an additional 250 bonus miles. New Customers can register at delta.com/bcrf.

BCRF will use the miles to give to breast cancer patients and families in need as part of the Delta's SkyWish program.

From the Official Delta Air Lines Press Release:

Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Delta will sell its signature pink product – pink lemonade – on all Delta flights worldwide for $2 per glass with net proceeds benefiting BCRF. Delta will accept donations from passengers onboard with all proceeds benefiting BCRF. In addition, Delta flight attendants will don pink, including a limited-edition Pink Dress, patterned after Delta’s signature Richard Tyler-designed Red Dress and created to be worn exclusively during the month of October. Delta’s in-flight and airport customer service employees will also be able to purchase and wear pink turtlenecks, ties and pocket puffs with net proceeds benefiting BCRF. All employees will have the option to purchase specially-designed 2008 Delta and BCRF tee-shirts with some employee workgroups also pairing the tees with jeans each weekend during the month for a $5 donation to BCRF.

Since 2005, when Delta's signature pink-and-white Boeing 757 first took flight, Delta has raised nearly $1 million for BCRF through donations from customers, employees and The Delta Foundation, the airline’s charitable organization which supports the communities where Delta customers and employees live and work worldwide. Last year alone, Delta-related efforts raised $500,000. Since 2006, nearly 40 million miles have been donated to BCRF through the generosity of Delta’s SkyMiles members and the SkyWish program.

The distinctive aircraft, which has flown more than 10,000 miles throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean to generate awareness for the cause, features BCRF's trademarked pink ribbon logo on the tail of the aircraft and adjacent to the boarding door.

Where to Buy SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer) Merchandise

Last week's Stand Up 2 Cancer, the groundbreaking fundraising telethon event for cancer research and awareness, has been heralded as an all around success, raising over $100 million dollars and counting since the campaign began on May 28, 2008.

SU2C has partnered with CafePress to continue to promote the foundation, and Cafepress will fulfill all SU2C orders at a 25% discount, enabling SU2C to direct the discounted monies towards cancer research!

Visit CafePress.com now to buy SU2C merchandise.



You can find other retailers and specialty products that have joined Stand Up 2 Cancer in fundraising efforts here: http://su2c.standup2cancer.org/store

One More Reason to Love Dr. McDreamy

As if you needed another one! Anyone who is a fan of Grey's Anatomy, knows there's a small part of you that thinks, oh maybe someday, Dr. McDreamy, aka Dr. Derrick Shepard, played by actor Patrick Dempsey, will come to your rescue with his reassuring and charming bedside manner. Today, Patrick Dempsey was there for me. Well, almost...

I mentioned in a recent post, my father has recently been diagnosed with throat cancer and is undergoing treatment. He happens to be undergoing treatment at the hospital in the small town (Lewiston, Maine) where Patrick Dempsey grew up. After his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Patrick and his siblings got together to create the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

The Dempsey Center provides support for cancer patients and their families in many ways, including a reference library, support groups, financial assistance to help defray costs of travel to treatments, and integrated medicine in the form of acupuncture and therapeutic massage for both patients and their caregivers. Since I traveled 2500 miles to be here for several weeks to be beside my father during his 18 day hospital stay and transition to home, I was able to take advantage of the massage services offered. In this great time of stress, when everyone is not so subtly reminding me to take care of myself, too, I finally gave in! And let me tell you, I am happy that I did take that advice to heart, and was able to find some solace in Patrick Dempsey's generosity.

From the moment I walked into the Dempsey Center, I immediately felt at ease. Perhaps that's because I had already had several conversations with Mary Dempsey, Patrick's sister, who is at the center daily. Between juggling what must be hundreds of administrative tasks, her warm and friendly demeanor quickly lets you know her number one priority - that she truly understands what it's like to go through this, and is there to offer the most sincere support, as though you've been friends your entire lives.

Visit the Patrick Dempsey Center website to learn more, and read about the Quilt Project - where you can make a small donation of $25 to honor / memorialize someone you know who faced a cancer diagnosis, or you can donate your time and your quilting skills to help build a comfort quilt for a cancer patient.

Turns out, you can buy some love.

Sex & the City's Cynthia Nixon Speaks Out About Battling Breast Cancer Privately

For some of us with a history of breast cancer in the family, the reality is, dealing with the initial diagnosis really isn't all that bad. Whether you've been typed with breast cancer gene or not, you know that your chances are increased with a family history, so you take more precautions than the average person. You start self-exams earlier, and are likely to get mammograms done earlier, so the chances of early detection are much better, and in return, the likelihood of survival is so much greater.

Recently, TV and film star, Cynthia Nixon, most notably known for her role as Miranda Hobbs in the Sex & the City series and recent movie, talked to various media outlets about her private battle with breast cancer. Nixon, now 42, had previously opened up about her mother's battle against the disease, while remaining quiet about her own early diagnosis.

Perhaps the desire for added privacy may come as no surprise to Nixon fans, since she only just recently announced her lesbian relationship with NYC activist and partner of four years, Christine Marinoni. But for someone well aware of the probability of getting diagnosed with breast cancer, it really just becomes reality, and "no big deal", since it's just something you live with, and take the proper steps to detect in the early, and very curable stages.

So really, was it worth shouting from the rooftops? Probably not. But at least someone like Cynthia Nixon does have the power to raise awareness on behalf of the Susan B Komen organization, whom many women have an affinity for, and may take seriously enough to take charge of their own health.

Ironically, it was Kim Catrall's character on SATC, Samantha, who announced bluntly during Miranda's (played by Nixon) intimate wedding reception that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after just turning 50.

Stand Up To Cancer - NBC, CBS & ABC Sept 5th

This Friday evening, Sept 5th at 8PM EST, the big three TV network will simulcast a major fundraising event to help raise millions for cancer research and finding a cure. Among hundreds of volunteers, celebrities such as Charles Barkley, Melissa Etheridge, Halle Berry and Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, and organizations like Major League Baseball have come together to promote the SU2C organization and the special show, as well as a variety of related fundraising events, such as eBay Auctions, lunches with IronMan Robert Downey, JR and funny man Stephen Colbert, more, building up to the nationally televised event.



Sheryl Crow, MLB Comissioner Bud Selig and Sarah Jessica Parker speak to the fans at Yankee Stadium.

On iTunes, you can buy a single with a smattering of songbirds, including: Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood – have joined together for “Just Stand Up,” an unprecedented charity single in support of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a new initiative to raise philanthropic dollars for accelerating ground-breaking cancer research. Proceeds go directly to the charity.

You can read more about the event, including how to donate and get involved here: http://su2c.standup2cancer.org/