The holiday season is in full swing and, during this special time of the year, it is so important to embrace the full meaning of the holidays. While many get caught up in giving and receiving presents, others are treasuring the things that really matter in life like family and loved ones. These support systems become especially important for families with children who are battling pediatric cancer. Tackle Kids Cancer provides an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer. It is a way for a child to help another child, and families to help other families. Unfortunately, only 4% of government cancer funding directed towards pediatric cancer, and childhood cancer being the number one cause of death by disease in children – funding in all forms is crucial. Those of you who are long-time followers of this blog know that as a Leukemia Survivor, advancing cancer research is very important to me. As a mother, my heart bleeds for these families … [Read more...]
Help Children With Cancer This Holiday Season! #tacklekidscancer @tacklekidscancr #Ad
What You Need To Know About BRCA And Ovarian Cancer #beBRCAware @beBRCAware @SheSpeaksUp #Ad
As many of you know, I have been a Leukemia Survivor for the past almost eight years. Throughout this time, one of the things that I have maintained as a Survivor is the importance of advocating for your health and of early detection when it comes to cancer. In today's modern medical times, getting treatment early on, and taking advantage of modern detection and treatment options, can mean the difference between life and death. When faced with such a serious health crisis, it is normal to be afraid and to break down but, after that, you have to move forward and fight the good fight. Many of you are probably not aware of the fact that there is a test you can take that can identify whether you are at a higher risk for a gene mutation that is commonly associated with breast and ovarian cancer. Being armed with knowledge about your BRCA status can assist you in making important decisions about cancer treatments that are currently available. What is a BRCA gene? In … [Read more...]
Support The Creative Cups™ Project To Raise Breast Cancer Awareness! @AdelphiU #Sponsored
*I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour on behalf of TapInfluence and Adelphi University and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. As a Survivor, cancer awareness is a cause that is extremely personal to me and close to my heart. I'm a seven-year Leukemia Survivor and my family and loved ones have also been affected by other kinds of cancer. My great-grandmother died from Breast Cancer and I actually had my own mammogram scare last year when I was asked to return for further testing because they saw something on my images. One of the things that most people will tell you is that receiving a cancer diagnosis can be devastating and extremely lonely. At that moment, you feel like you don't have anyone to talk to or who understands what you are going through. I was very excited to find out that Adelphi University is home to the NYS Breast Cancer Hotline. They realized that … [Read more...]
Sign Up For Walk/Run For Hope Near You! @TicTacUSA @CancerCare #ShakeShareCare #Ad
*This post was brought to you by the makers of Tic Tac® mints. I received compensation to write this post through the Shake, Share & Care® program. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. This past July was my seven year cancerversary. I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in July, 2007 and have been a Survivor for the past seven years. Thanks to modern medical miracles, I am able to take a daily medication to keep my condition under control. I cannot even begin to describe to all of you what a blessing this has been in my life. It has allowed me to live and to be able to raise my boys which is the single most important role of my entire life. Unfortunately, not all cancers are treatable like this and a lot of work still needs to be done to find treatments and cures for other types of malignancies. Since being diagnosed, receiving the support of organizations dedicated to providing free support services and financial assistance to … [Read more...]
Celebrate Mothers And Help Raise Money For Childhood Cancer! #MyHeroMom #MC @NM_News #Ad
*I participated in an Ambassador Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating. Have you lost someone you love to cancer? Unfortunately, chances are that you have been negatively affected by this disease in one way or another. In 2007, when I was thirty years old, I was diagnosed as having Chronic Myeloid Leukemia or CML. There is no way for me to describe to all of you what a shock and horror it was to hear those words. When you are young you think you are invincible and you never expect to hear that you are afflicted with a life-threatning illness. Since I had a newborn baby and a toddler, I did not have the luxury of feeling sorry for myself and I decided to take my health into my own hands and to become proactive about my treatment. I am very blessed that advances in modern medicine have made my form of Leukemia treatable although I do still suffer from … [Read more...]
Support Kids Walk For Kids With Cancer! #KidsWalk #WalkWithUs @KidsWalkMSKCC
As many of you are aware, I am a six year Leukemia Survivor. Receiving a Cancer diagnosis is devastating at any age, however, it is especially horrific when a child is diagnosed with this disease. It's every parents' worst nightmare and, unfortunately, the reality is that Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. Each day 46 children will be diagnosed with Cancer-this number is equivalent to the number of seats that it takes to fill a school bus. Pediatric Cancer research is severely underfunded which is why Kids Walk For Kids With Cancer is such an important event. In 2001, a group of 8th grade students in Brooklyn, NY decided to raise funds to help cure pediatric Cancer. One of the students had a little brother who was finishing treatment for stage IV neuroblastoma at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center so this cause was deeply personal to him. These 8th graders raised $35,000 through their walkathon and, since then, new teams continue to … [Read more...]
When Life Gets Tough, I Rise Above It And Get Tougher! #RiseAboveIt #NoTeRindas #Ad
This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Pine-Sol® and Latina Bloggers Connect. When I was 30 years old, two things happened to me that year, I gave birth to my youngest son and I found out I had cancer. If it is shocking for you to read that, imagine how shocking and bitter-sweet it was for me to go through one of the most joyous events in my life while, at the same time, going through one of the most devastating things that could possibly happen to me. Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of falling apart because I had a three year-old and a newborn that needed me to keep it together. I remember the weekend after my diagnosis, I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself and wondering why this would happen to me. After a while, I realized that the answer was "Why not me?" People go through tragedies and receive bad news regularly so what made me exempt from it? At that moment I decided that I was going to stay strong and rise above my cancer diagnosis, not … [Read more...]
Celebrate The Women Of Steel In Your Life! @SamsungTweets #Samsung #Sponsored
This is a compensated campaign on behalf of Samsung Home Appliances U.S.A. All opinions are 100% mine. Six years ago, my life was rocked with a Cancer diagnosis and I really didn't know what to do or who to turn to. Being a teacher and a lifelong student, I decided to become proactive about my health and my mental state and I researched cancer support groups online to connect with others who were going through the same struggles. One of the angels whom I met was Mike Tufo. He was a Synovial Sarcoma Survivor and we would chat online during the wee morning hours about all of the concerns that were keeping us up at night. He was an amazing man who loved his sweetheart Dianne and their four sons. I can still recall how he would comfort me and give me hope during those dark early days when I was first diagnosed. While he was fighting for his own life, he still found time to support others and be a mentor. Unfortunately, Mike passed away on December 1st, 2009 after 19 … [Read more...]
Protect Your Family This Flu Season! @MinuteClinic @CVS_Extra #Sponsored
*This post was written by me on behalf TBC for Minute Clinic. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. As many of you already know, I am a six-year Leukemia Survivor. As a result, my immune system is not as strong as that of a healthy person so I have to be very careful about getting sick, especially during cold and flu season. Additionally, both of my boys and I are also asthmatics which makes us perfect candidates to receive the flu shot every year in order to protect ourselves. This year, our doctor advised my husband that he, too should get the flu shot to make sure he does not bring the flu into the house and put the rest of us at risk. We were very excited to find out that we can conveniently get a flu shot at the Minute Clinic at our local CVS pharmacy. As a matter of fact, it couldn't be easier to protect your family this flu season. All you have to do is head into your nearest Minute Clinic location … [Read more...]
Educate Yourself About Open Enrollment @Aflac #Aflac #MC #Ad
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Aflac. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. This past month, I received a memo from our payroll secretary at work letting us know that the open enrollment period was taking place. For those of you who don't know what this means, it is a period during which a health insurance company or HMO is statutorily required to accept applicants without regard to health history. As many of you know, I am a six year Leukemia Survivor so being proactive about my health and educating myself about health insurance is very important to me. Choosing the right health insurance is probably one of the most important decisions that you can make for you and your family. It is crucial that you choose the right policy that meets your health needs and make sure that all of the insurance costs that you are responsible for are within your budget. Costs to consider include deductibles and … [Read more...]
