Race for the Cure - Des Moines 2010

My voice is gone.  I stood at the finish line of the Race for the Cure yesterday with the ladies from the Mercy Cancer Center.  We were cheering on the 25,000 heroes who were helping raise money and spirits in the fight again breast cancer.  I cheered loudly, used my clapper, gave high fives and was inspired.

Thousands of people streamed past me - women, men, children, dogs - all with one purpose, the eradication of a deadly disease.  A disease that will infect 1 in 8 women and 1 in 100 men and affect hundreds more who love those people.  With early detection it doesn't have to be a killer, but it still has to be battled - a team makes that easier.

And that's what you saw yesterday, team after team - Testes for Breasties, Amanda's Army, Team Fight Like a Girl and many other creative efforts put forth for a little fun in a sea of serious.  People walked and ran for victims who had lost their fight.  Women came in wheel chairs because they were too sick from chemo.  It wasn't a place to extol traditional physical beauty - many were bald from radiation, no make-up, one breast - instead it was beauty of spirit that caused cheers and claps.

I was moved, not only by the vast swath of pink that was moving in unison through downtown Des Moines, but by the power of love.  I was honored to be on the side of the street where survivors walked by in a special chute, just for them.  They smiled, they cried, they cheered, they hugged, they danced in pride - they made us all believe.

Thank you to Mercy Cancer Center for inviting us to be a part of the cheer section that welcomed everyone back to the capitol, it was wonderful, even if I have no voice to say it out loud. ;)

Yours in Health,
Kate

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month - The Importance of Self-Exams

Here's the biggest reminder I want you to mark in your calendar - Feel Yourself Up!  Now put it in PINK in your planner, give it an extra loud beep in your cell phone, create an event in your Outlook, basically whatever assures you will remember, do it.

Of course I am referring to breast self-exams.  Unlike our other major nemesis - ovarian cancer - breast cancer can be detected at home.  Early detection is the number one key to survival.  Breast self-exams or 'feeling yourself up' is the first line in early detection.  Mammograms are important as well, but you need protection in between and a monthly session of visual review and methodical massaging is that magic bullet.

Most women tell me they have no idea how to do it properly.  Honestly, I have struggled with that as well.  So here is a link to the instructional video from the Komen Foundation on how to really do it right and possibly save your life.

Yours in Health,
Kate

September/October !ntuition Magazine

The current edition of !ntuition Magazine is on shelves now.  Hopefully there are still a few out there for you to find.  (We print 8,000 copies and they are usually gone within two weeks!)

I am particularly proud of this one because it's the "Teal & Pink" issue.  It's about the two most pervasive cancers for women - ovarian and breast.  September is Ovarian Cancer month and of course, October is Breast Cancer month - most people know the latter, but not the former.  When I say the issue is teal and pink, people (including women) say, "Why teal?"

I wanted to make sure we educated about ovarian cancer equally with breast cancer for a number of reasons:

1. Women who get breast or ovarian cancer are more likely to get the other one - so they are related.
2. Ovarian cancer has few real signs.  While you can find a lump in your breast, the symptoms of ovarian cancer can be mistaken for anything from simple exhaustion to irritable bowel syndrome.
3. The Komen Foundation has done a wonderful job of raising awareness through the media about 'turning pink', I think it's important the media take up the job to do the same and turn September teal.
4. My mom is an ovarian cancer survivor, I recently had exploratory surgery to be sure I didn't have it - this is personal.

Those are just a few reasons, but the most important one is knowledge.  Knowing everything you can about your body is power and those facts can literally save your life.  So, whether it's a monthly self-exam for your breasts or saying something to your doctor if bloating in your abdomen lasts too long, you need to take care of yourself.

Here is a link to try to find our magazine, which is also available in our front lobby Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  And here are links to key ovarian cancer and breast cancer sites to answers other questions you may have.  This is one area where you need to come first in your life.

Oh, and here is the cover you are looking for:

Yours in Health,
Kate