Pink It Forward - Friends - Fun and Funds

You’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a girl’s night-out party. She asked you to bring an appetizer to share and item that you once treasured but would like to see someone else enjoy it. During the evening you have a chance to chat with friends, learn about breast health and raise money for a local organization that supports women undergoing breast cancer treatment….would you go?

Pink Parties are becoming the rage and it’s easy to see why. They combine treasured time with friends and raising funds for a great cause.That treasure that you were asked to bring will be recycled and raffled off at the party to raise money; the breast cancer information sitting on the sideboard may save your life one day; the fellowship with friends is just what your needed and the women being helped by your party is priceless!

Pink it Forward Parties are the up and coming way to support a great cause. They are fun and easy to host. To get you started, here are party tips and party games for your Pink it Forward Party PinkItForward.com. Make your Pink it Forward Party even more special by using Celebrate In Pink partyware. Take advantage of an October only special of 50% off everything.

Who knew that one party would change someone’s life? Who knew that you and your friends would pay for chemo treatments and copays, utilities and food, wigs and other incidentals? Who knew that this would be the best party you ever had? Start planning your Pink it Forward Party now and see how many other Pink it Forward Parties you can spawn, let’s go viral with Pink and make a difference one party at time. Party. Fun. Feel Good :=)

Tips For an Easy Walk Day Celebration

June 5th will be my fourth Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure in Washington DC. I am accompanied by family and friends and we turn it into a wonderful day of celebration and fellowship. The walk starts at 8:30am and usually has over 50,000 participants. It is the most energizing event we have ever participated in, it’s absolutely fabulous, I highly recommend it to everyone.


When the walk is over, we head back to my house for a celebration luncheon. Last year was the first year we celebrated with Celebrate In Pink partyware and it was one of the most happiest days of my life. To make your walk day celebrations memorable, easy and fun for everyone, here are a few of my tips:

• Keep the menu simple. Since the walk starts early, everyone is starving when we get back to the house. Plan on items that can be put out and served immediately or items that can be set to low in a crock pot right before leaving the house.

• Some of the menus that I have found to be a hit and easy to do are picnic salads such as potato and pasta, fruit salad, served with subs or a sandwich platter. If you prefer a hot lunch, make either sloppy joes or pork barbeque the day before. Put it in a crock pot before leaving for the walk, set it to low and it will be ready when you get home. Serve this with salads and you are good to go!

• I always get a cake for dessert and mention our team. The cake is done in pink and white, has the pink ribbon on it and says something like “Way to go Team 4 2 go”. Our team name has changed each year because we have been counting down to my 5 year milestone. This year we are 5 & Done, We Won!

• I can’t tell you how special the Celebrate In Pink partyware made the event last year. It really reinforced the sentiment of the day and reason for the celebration. I highly recommend the partyware (wink wink) A pink plastic tablecloth and plastic ware completes the table and sets the spirit for the occasion.

I look forward to this celebration every year, it has become a tradition for us and I hope it becomes one of yours. Please share your walk day pictures with us so we can show others how much fun, meaning and importance these walks are to us. To all of our walk angels….here’s to a great walk!

The Best Walk You Will Ever Take On Mother's Day

This Sunday, Mother’s Day, the Network of Strength will be holding their annual Mother’s Day Walk for Breast Cancer. The walk takes place across the country in most of the major cities and they always take place on Mother’s Day. For more information and to register go to http://www.networkofstrength.org/


As many of you know, I have always participated in the Komen Walk for the Cure and will do so again this year. This year’s Komen walk will be a milestone for me and my team as this is my five years from diagnosis and our team name has reflected a countdown each year. Our team name this year is “WE WON!” So, this will be a very special walk for us. I have also done other walks but have never participated in the Mother’s Day Walk and I think it is a great way to start any Mother’s Day. I plan to start this tradition next year due to the fact that my son is graduating from college that weekend and we will be in a town that won’t be holding the walk. I am looking forward to it next year though and can’t wait! If any of my readers have participated in this walk, please share your experience with us, we would love to hear all about it.

We are all affected by breast cancer in some way. Why not use Mother’s Day as day to honor the special women in our lives who have been touched by breast cancer. If there isn’t an organized walk near you, you can register for a virtual walk, why not start your Mother’s Day with a walk for our girl friends?

If a Mother's Day Walk isn't for you, I do encourage you to find a walk and participate in it, it is the greatest walk you will ever take...Kathy

Friends Helping Through Breast Cancer

Do you have a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and don’t know how to help? Sometimes we feel awkward and helpless when one of our friends announces that she now belongs to a new club that none of the rest of her friends belongs to. Being a breast cancer survivor myself, I know how that feels. I was the first and thankfully, still only one of my friends to go through cancer. Being in the club, you speak a whole different lingo, go places you’ve never been before, meet all sorts of new people and endure things you never thought you would. All of which are off the radar with everyone else except your immediate family.

Even though your friends don’t belong to the club, they want to help I any way they can. Being the strong person that you are, you want to put on a happy face every day and be the friend that you were prior to joining the club. You don’t want this beast to be an inconvenience for anyone else except you (and maybe your hubby) so you turn down offers for help. Thankfully one of my dear friends who routinely asked to take me to treatment, I of course said I was fine, was strong enough to look me in the eye and let me know that I was denying her of quality time with me and of preventing her from doing something that she really wanted to do. I didn’t realize that by not allowing others to do for me when they so wanted to, I was being selfish and only thinking of me. Your friends who offer to help, they really do want to, they are not only doing it for you but for them too. So, let them! This was one of the most valuable life lessons I learned on my journey, graciously allow others to give of themselves, it makes them feel a part of it and gives them a feeling of joy.

Lesson for the day…when your friends offer help, please let them, you are denying them of their God given right to feel good about helping others and why not let the ‘others’ be you? Hope this helps make your journey better, it did mine…Kathy

The Healing Power of Pets

I can’t believe it took me this long to write about the love of my life, Zeppelin. He is a rescue dog and my healing buddy. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005 I was dog-less for the first time in my life. There was one thing I knew for sure…I couldn’t go through treatment without having the love and support of a furry friend at my side.


The search began for the perfect rescue and he found us! We adopted him when he was 5 months old and it was almost as if he knew his purpose from day 1. He always has a smile on his face, gets us involved every opportunity he has, stays close to protect and to be petted, considers himself a full fledge family member and doesn’t like being ignored. I consider Zeppelin to be one of my angels on earth. He is exactly what the doctor ordered to get me through treatment and beyond.

Zeppelin brightens every one of my days and makes a huge difference on the way I look at life. There are many lessons I have learned from him, the biggest one being living in the present and enjoying the moment we are in because in an instant it is gone. I am so very grateful that we were brought together; his healing powers truly are amazing. If you are on the fence about bringing a dog into your life, I hope this story has made a difference.

Without further ado, here is my furry companion Zeppelin, friend and angel looking very daper and catching a few zzz's, it's tough being a healer :)

                   

Kathy