As I’m sure you can imagine, I was totally surprised to discover in my research that, according to HealthDay News, a new study reveals that female cancer survivors are more likely to smoke and have other unhealthy behaviors than women who have never had cancer.

In the study, researchers compared nearly 20,000 women age 35 and older with no history of cancer to more than 2,700 female cancer survivors. Both groups were undergoing mammography screening for breast cancer.  The cancer survivors aged 30 to 49 had higher rates of smoking than women with no cancer history. Cancer survivors were also less likely to engage in strenuous exercise, and were more likely to rate their health as “poor.” Read Post »

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Welcome again guest blogger Carolyn Newman, breast cancer survivor, lymphedema aficionado and ultimate warrior. Take it away Carolyn!

It has been almost 5 years since radiation. After 6 months of Chemotherapy and a 13-hour double Mastectomy with Tram Flap Reconstruction, I recall being disheartened by the thought of having to have radiation and even more upset that the doctors gave me little choice. Somehow, I thought I would escape it.

Never the less, I completed radiation on March 21, 2007, the first day of spring. A time for renewal.
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Welcome guest blogger Carol Michaels, founder and creator of Recovery Fitness®, an exercise program designed to help cancer patients recover from surgery and treatments.  In her blog Carol discusses the importance of exercise in the breast cancer recovery process.  Take it away Carol!

When some people hear the word exercise, they immediately think about gym class exercise or boot camp.  The exercises that I will discuss are gentle, fun and effective.  They are not high intensity. Exercise might be the last thing on your mind after a cancer diagnosis. A good fitness program will help you build up your strength, improve your mood and will help your recovery.

Just to give you some background on myself-I am a cancer exercise specialist.  Cancer has been a part of my life for 30 years.  This disease has affected my family and friends.  And because of that, I was motivated to develop an exercise program to help them.    I have worked with hundreds of cancer survivors helping them improve their quality of life through their participation in my Recovery Fitness cancer exercise program which helps cancer survivors feel better physically and mentally. Read Post »

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Welcome guest blogger Carolyn Newman, warrior extraordinaire. She is a breast cancer survivor and Founder and President of Warrior Wear, Inc., a company that manufactures a fashionable line of affordable covers ups for  lymphedema sleeves.

I am not a doctor, only a Lymphatic Fanatic.  I am a 5 year breast cancer survivor with Lymphedema in my right arm.  I am one of the 30% of women who will get Lymphedema as a result of a compromised lymphatic system due to surgery, removal of lymph nodes and radiation.  In fact, all breast cancer patients and survivors are at risk if their lymphatic system has been compromised from any of the aforementioned treatments for breast cancer.  I know this because I have done my research.  Like some of you, I have thoroughly researched everything to death!

Research can be good.  Being an informed patient is tantamount to recovery.  Being your best advocate and striving for risk reduction and prevention of further disease and illness is our global goal and responsibility. Read Post »

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Meet guest blogger Elyn Jacobs.  Elyn helps women diagnosed with cancer to navigate the process of treatment and care, and she educates about how to prevent recurrence and new cancers.  She is passionate about helping others get past their cancer and into a cancer-free life.  Take it away Elyn!

“You have cancer” Three of the most dreaded words you can hear from your doctor.  Your world has changed and you feel a loss of control.    A moment ago you were a student, parent, wife, maybe even a doctor. Now, suddenly, you are a patient.  In the ensuing panic, disbelief, fear, and confusion you have to make decisions.  Likely right now you think “I can barely breathe, let alone function…how am I to figure all this out?”  Well, unfortunately, your life and your quality of life depend on it.  Now is the time to get help, but from who?
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Welcome new blogger, Lexi  Soulios, Outreach Coordinator for Jeans Cream.  Lexi’s blog is a great follow up to my post as guest blogger on the Jeans Cream site on “The Three Factors that Enable a Woman to Thrive”. Jeans Cream was originally formulated as a radiation burn cream to protect and heal the skin from radiation side effects during radiation therapy. It is now the preferred radiation cream of doctors, nurses and patients around the country.

When we feel centered and connected to ourselves, it is much easier to navigate the complexities of our lives. It is much simpler to know what action is right for us, what we need to do in order to live in health and wellness. While working with the Jeans Cream community over the last decade, we have found something very important to be true: No one path is right for everyone. And the women who seem to do the best both during treatment and moving into their lives post-treatment, are the ones who follow their own knowing about what is right for them. Read Post »

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Welcome guest blogger Kathryn Lorusso is a North Dallas macrobiotic teacher and counselor. She believes wholeheartedly that food can heal our bodies and uses her refrigerator as a giant “medicine cabinet” on a daily basis.

What’s that shiny, gleaming tall rectangle in your kitchen that is beckoning to you even as you read this?  It’s probably something you’re used to ignoring or worse yet, stuffing full of quick, convenient, chemically laden packages yet it is yearning (even now) to be not only your best friend, but your healer and guide to the best health you have ever imagined.  Yup, we’re talking about your refrigerator aka your new “medicine cabinet” and it contains the magic you need on a daily basis to navigate your way past your breast cancer event and move forward to the rest of your life.  I made friends with my refrigerator a year and a half ago and found that it was just the compass I needed to get me through the ironically worst/best time of my life. Read Post »

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Welcome guest blogger Michelle Young of 4Women, an organization that sinpires women to feel as beautiful as they did when they had hair.  Their motto to cancer patients, alopecia patients or any woman or girl suffering from medical hair loss:  ”Just because you lost your hair does not mean you have lost your sense of style.” Thank you Michelle for sharing!

It’s on the calendar – date, time and place, an appointment you never imagined yourself having to keep, treatment. It is still a couple weeks away, which means you have plenty of  time to imagine what it will be. If you are at all like me, you might find yourself imagining every shade of worst-case scenario, with the degree of “worse” growing exponentially with each passing hour or day. In the words of blogger Chemobabe, “The Present Tense of crisis is fueled by adrenaline, colored by anxiety.” While we may not have much choice about keeping that appointment on the calendar, we do have choices when it comes to the thoughts we choose and the actions we take. Our goal is to not just cope with the reality of cancer, but to turn our anticipation, reluctance, and fear into a determination to imagine and create our own best-case scenarios.    Read Post »

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Ever wonder, as a breast cancer survivor, about how to eat healthy while dining out? Our guest blogger Nancy Ancrum has answers to that burning question. Welcome Nancy to the Breast Cancer Partner Network!

You survived breast cancer, so you’ll survive life without dessert – at least the high-sugar, white-flour confections that have been the tasty conclusion to dinner at your favorite restaurant.

Here’s the ultimate goal: You want to prevent a recurrence of the disease that caused so much fear and uncertainty in your life. And this much is certain: After treatment, your diet will play a big role in helping you stay healthy. Read Post »

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Promise Me by Nancy G. Brinker

Yesterday, I attended my first official event as a board member of the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation – the grantee awards ceremony.  It was a great feeling to be welcomed by my fellow board members, most of whom I met for the very first time, and to see and hear all of the ways in which the money that the Susan G. Komen Foundation raises is utilized on the local and national levels. It made me proud to be part of such a great organization.  It’s amazing what one organization has created and the impact it has had on the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer all over the world.  What’s even more amazing is the power of women and what can occur when they come together for a common cause, in this case breast cancer.   Read Post »

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