Monday, March 3, 2008

Fever Pitch

Dear Blogger Family & Friends,

Greetings and warm hugs! Welcome to The Pink Crusader blog spot where Spring Fever is at an all-time high. Come and join the March madness as we prepare for another fun-filled month of community events. Time's a-wasting so get moving and read on...

Tulips "It's spring fever...You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

March is such a joyful, transitional month. It lifts our spirits and reacquaints us with the wonders of Springtime. It's a time of celebration as we officially bid farewell to the winter blahs and watch the world around us wake up from a deep sleep... Good-bye to cabin fever and hello to fresh routines.

With Spring just around the corner, it's also time to clean house in preparation for the arrival of those lovable leprechauns and the happy, hoppy Easter Bunny. Of course we will "Beware the Ides of March," but not at the expense of St. Paddy's Day or Easter Sunday.

And, no matter how delirious from the first sightings of blue skies and bright, sunny days, we hope you will enjoy every bit of March madness...until it's time to cheer for the arrival of Summer!
------------------------------------------------------------
Flowers SURVIVOR UPDATES:

Faye Sallie (per Jeannie Frazier)

You all know that Faye has been fighting bone metastisis for about 4 years. The chemo has kept her cancer from spreading beyond the bones all this time. Last week Faye went to the emergency room after meeting and spending the morning with Dave and Jan Dravecky. After a battery of tests she found out the cancer has spread to multiple places in her lungs and multiple places in her liver. She had an infection in her lungs which has responded to antibiotics and she hopes to be going home tomorrow. Please lift Faye and her family up to the Lord in prayer!

Please pray:

__That God will work through the hands, hearts and minds of the medical team.

__That Faye will not wrestle with God but continue to seek the Lord despite her difficult circumstances.

__That the Holy Spirit will fill her with strength, comfort and peace.

__That she and her family will see Jesus in the faces of those who minister to them and that they will feel Your loving arms around them all.

Her situation is extremely serious and she needs all the prayers and encouragement we can send her!!! Faye has 3 children-a son who is a senior in high school, a daughter 13 ( I think) and a daughter in the 4th grade.

faye.sallee@sbcglobal.net
14830 Sagamore Hills
Houston, Texas 77082

Love, Jeannie

***************************************

Angie Elliott (per Colin Elliott)

February 26, 2008

With Angie working on a large update, I wanted to get out some information real quick.

Thank you for all of your continued support. Without you, our path would be MUCH different that it is today. Since the last post, we have been busy. For Valentine's Day, we skipped dinner out and spent a quiet evening at home... with the clippers. We both have been feeling the breeze on our heads a bit more now. Pictures will be posted later this week.

Her laryngoscopy went smoothly and showed that her right vocal cord isn't moving. Whether that is from nerve damage or trauma from the breathing tube may affect whether the repair is done in a temporary or permanent manner. The former is an injection into the non-responsive vocal cord and the latter is actual surgery. We have an appointment with the ENT Thursday for more details.

A number of people have inquired about her chemotherapy treatment schedule. It's hard to say exactly how long she'll be receiving chemotherapy. Her current treatment has her getting Abraxane in a three week on, one week off schedule. That means that she gets the drug on weekly (on Wednesday for her) for three consecutive weeks and then she gets a vacation for a week to give her body a chance to recover from the chemo. Unfortunately, her second drug, Herceptin, is administered weekly with no breaks. When she has the next PET scan in May, we'll know what the next steps are. In the meantime, we'll just focus on getting through each day and week.

That's the quick update I wanted to post, so look for pictures in the next few days.

Colin

********************************************

We send our prayers and well-wishes for a speedy recovery to the following lovely ladies:

Sonia Einstein
Diana Gonzalez
Argelia Lopez
Mary Raia
Marsha Yeager

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Flowers FYI

From Cheryl P. Donlin:

I have a favor to ask.

KPFT 90.1 FM radio is a major sponsor of both Tour de Pink and Pink Ribbons Project. KPFT is currently in fund drive mode and I encourage you to pick up the phone and make a donation. I am asking you to do this because KPFT has been a valuable resource to us in getting our message out, both through support for Tour de Pink and in providing Open Journal radio show time to us.

We also have a very personal connection to the station: Pat Donlin -- my fabulous husband -- DJs the Monday Morning Mix (6:00 to 8:00 am every Monday)! He showcases Tour de Pink on his show in addition to the PSAs that KPFT provides, and does a pre- and post Tour de Pink interview with our Ride Director Margaret Shelton. Who could ask for more? So, call in between 6:00 and 8:00 am on Monday, and make Pat's day!

It couldn't be easier: just call 713.526.5738 and tell the volunteer on the other end of the line that you want to contribute to keeping this great community resource going by donating in support of Pat's Monday Morning Mix show. Your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Thank you in advance for helping us keep this broadcast media resource available to us.

Work. Create. Grow. Give.
Cheryl P. Donlin
Communications & Marketing Committee
Pink Ribbons Project, in motion against breast cancer

P.S. This is not the Univerity of Houston radio station. That is KUHF 88.7 Cpd.

********************************

From Serenitea Tea Room & Gift Shop:

You are invited to our Tea Tasting sessions every Friday during the month of March. Come in anytime between 2 pm and 5 pm and try a variety of our select teas each week.This is aan experience for novices and teaites alike! Begin your journey of discovering the world of tea or experience teas beyond the familiar classics.

Each Tea-Tasting Menu is Accompanied by scones served with lemon curd and clotted cream. To view the complete menu, visit: http://www.sereniteatearoom.com/files/Tea_Tasting_flyer.htm

Cost: $9.95/person.
Hours: Mon - Thurs 11 - 4, Fri - Sat 11 - 5
Phone: 281-491-4588
http://www.sereniteatearoom.com/
13889 Southwest Frwy.
Sugar Land, TX 77478

*************************************

From Donna Fong:

The Winter 2008 issue of CURExtra is now available at http://www.curetoday.com/cureXtra/currentissue . If you do not subscribe online to CURExtra, I am enclosing the article re Avastin being approved by the FDA for breast cancer. Click on the blue underlined web site below to read the current issue and the article.

FDA Approves Avastin for Metastatic Breast Cancer

For this story and a calendar of upcoming events, visit www.curetoday.com/cureXtra/currentissue .

Donna

*************************************

From Staci Hobbitt:

Josie,

I'd meant to send this on to you. I don't know how you feel about it, but I do know you'll find this interesting -- if you haven't already seen it. - S

The New York Times
February 21, 2008
Use of Private Care Tests British Health System
By SARAH LYALL

LONDON — Created 60 years ago as a cornerstone of the British welfare
state, the National Health Service is devoted to the principle of free
medical care for everyone. But recently it has been wrestling with a
problem its founders never anticipated: how to handle patients with
complex illnesses who want to pay for parts of their treatment while
receiving the rest free from the health service.

Although the government is reluctant to discuss the issue,
hopscotching back and forth between private and public care has long
been standard here for those who can afford it. But a few recent cases
have exposed fundamental contradictions between policy and practice in
the system, and tested its founding philosophy to its very limits.

One such case was Debbie Hirst’s. Her breast cancer had metastasized,
and the health service would not provide her with Avastin, a drug
that is widely used in the United States and Europe to keep such cancers at
bay. So, with her oncologist’s support, she decided last year to try
to pay the $120,000 cost herself, while continuing with the rest of
her publicly financed treatment.

By December, she had raised $20,000 and was preparing to sell her
house to raise more. But then the government, which had tacitly
allowed such arrangements before, put its foot down. Mrs. Hirst heard
the news from her doctor. “He looked at me and said: ‘I’m so sorry,
Debbie. I’ve had my wrists slapped from the people upstairs, and I can
no longer offer you that service,’ ” Mrs. Hirst said in an interview.

“I said, ‘Where does that leave me?’ He said, ‘If you pay for Avastin,
you’ll have to pay for everything’ ” — in other words, for all her
cancer treatment, far more than she could afford.

Officials said that allowing Mrs. Hirst and others like her to pay for
extra drugs to supplement government care would violate the philosophy
of the health service by giving richer patients an unfair advantage
over poorer ones.

Patients “cannot, in one episode of treatment, be treated on the
N.H.S. and then allowed, as part of the same episode and the same
treatment, to pay money for more drugs,” the health secretary, Alan
Johnson, told Parliament.

“That way lies the end of the founding principles of the N.H.S.,” Mr.
Johnson said.

But Mrs. Hirst, 57, whose cancer was diagnosed in 1999, went to the
news media, and so did other patients in similar situations. And it
became clear that theirs were not isolated cases.

In fact, patients, doctors and officials across the health care system
widely acknowledge that patients suffering from every imaginable
complaint regularly pay for some parts of their treatment while
receiving the rest free.

“Of course it’s going on in the N.H.S. all the time, but a lot of it
is hidden — it’s not explicit,” said Dr. Paul Charlson, a general
practitioner in Yorkshire and a member of Doctors for Reform, a group
that is highly critical of the health service. Last year, he was the
co-author of a paper laying out examples of how patients with the
initiative and the money dip in and out of the system, in effect
buying upgrades to their basic free medical care.

“People swap from public to private sector all the time, and they’re
topping up for virtually everything,” Dr. Charlson said in an
interview. For instance, he said, a patient put on a five-month
waiting list to see an orthopedic surgeon may pay $250 for a private
consultation, and then switch back to the health service for the
actual operation from the same doctor.

“Or they’ll buy an M.R.I. scan because the wait is so long, and then
take the results back to the N.H.S.,” Dr. Charlson said.

In his paper, he also wrote about a 46-year-old woman with breast
cancer who paid 250 pounds for a second opinion when the health
service refused to provide her with one; an elderly man who spent
thousands of dollars on a new hearing aid instead of enduring a
yearlong wait on the health service; and a 29-year-old woman who, with
her doctor’s blessing, bought a three-month supply of Tarceva, a drug
to treat pancreatic cancer, for more than $6,000 on the Internet
because she could not get it through the N.H.S.

Asked why these were different from cases like Mrs. Hirst’s, a
spokeswoman for the health service said no officials were available
to comment.

In any case, the rules about private co-payments, as they are called,
in cancer care are contradictory and hard to understand, said Nigel
Edwards, the director of policy for the N.H.S. Confederation, which
represents hospitals and other health-care providers. “I’ve had
conflicting advice from different lawyers,” he said, “but it does seem
like a violation of natural justice to say that either you don’t get
the drug you want, or you have to pay for all your treatment.”

Karol Sikora, a professor of cancer medicine at the Imperial College
School of Medicine and one of Dr. Charlson’s co-authors, said that
co-payments are particularly prevalent in cancer care. Armed with
information from the Internet and patients’ networks, cancer patients
are increasingly likely to demand, and pay for, cutting-edge drugs
that the health service considers too expensive to be cost-effective.

“You have a population that is informed and consumerist about how it
behaves about health care information, and an N.H.S. that can no
longer afford to pay for everything for everybody,” he said.

Professor Sikora said that oncologists are adept at circumventing the
system by, for example, referring patients to other doctors who can
provide the private medication separately. As wrenching as it can be
to administer more sophisticated drugs to some patients than to
others, he said, “if you’re a doctor working in the system, you should
let your patients have the treatment they want, if they can afford to
pay for it.”

In any case, he said, the health service is riddled with inequities.
Some drugs are available in some parts of the country and not in
others. Waiting lists for treatment vary wildly from place to place.
Some regions spend $280 per capita on cancer care, Professor Sikora
said, while others spend just $90.

In Mrs. Hirst’s case, the confusion was compounded by the fact that
three other patients at her hospital were already doing what she had
been forbidden to do — buying extra drugs to supplement their cancer
care. The arrangements had “evolved without anyone questioning whether
it was right or wrong,” said Laura Mason, a hospital spokeswoman.
Because their treatment began before the Health Department explicitly
condemned the practice, they have been allowed to continue.

The rules are confusing. “It’s quite a fine line,” Ms. Mason said.
“You can’t have a course of N.H.S. and private treatment at the same
time on the same appointment — for instance, if a particular drug has
to be administered alongside another drug which is N.H.S.-funded.”
But, she said, the health service rules seem to allow patients to
receive the drugs during separate hospital visits — the N.H.S. drugs
during an N.H.S. appointment, the extra drugs during a private
appointment.

One of Mrs. Hirst’s troubles came, it seems, because the Avastin she
proposed to pay for would have had to be administered at the same time
as the drug Taxol, which she was receiving free on the health service.
Because of that, she could not schedule separate appointments.

But in a final irony, Mrs. Hirst was told early this month that her
cancer had spread and her condition had deteriorated so much she could
have the Avastin after all — paid for by the health service. In other
words, a system that forbade her to buy the medicine earlier was now
saying that she was so sick she could have it at public expense.

Mrs. Hirst is pleased, but only up to a point. Avastin is not a cure,
but a way to extend her life, perhaps only by several months, and she
has missed valuable time. “It may be too bloody late,” she said.

“I’m a person who left school at 15 and I’ve worked all my life and
I’ve paid into the system, and I’m not going to live long enough to
get my old-age pension from this government,” she added.

She also knows that the drug can have grave side effects. “I have
campaigned for this drug, and if it goes wrong and kills me, c’est la
vie,” she said. But, she said, speaking of the government: “If the
drug doesn’t have a fair chance because the cancer has advanced so
much, then they should be raked over the coals for it.”
For more information: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/europe/21britain.html?
_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

*************************************

From Susan G. Komen for the Cure:

New radiation therapy shows promise

As you may know, one of the main drawbacks of radiation therapy is its frequency and long duration. MammoSite®, a radiation treatment delivery tool for partial breast irradiation over a period of five to seven days, may be an effective treatment for some early-stage breast cancers. However, before beginning any treatment, we recommend you discuss your options with your health care provider to see what treatment is right for you.

Call 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) Or visit: http://cms.komen.org/Komen/AboutBreastCancer/Treatment/index.htm
© 2008 Susan G. Komen for the Cure

**************************************

From the Cure:

Don’t miss the chance to honor your favorite oncology nurse and win an all-expenses-paid trip for you and a guest to the award ceremony! CURE is now accepting essay nominations for the 2008 Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing. We invite you to take this opportunity to describe the compassion, expertise, and helpfulness a special oncology nurse exhibited to you during your care. Three essay finalists, along with the nurses they nominated, will be honored on May 15 at a special reception during the Oncology Nursing Society’s 33rd Annual Congress in Philadelphia. Nominations must be received by April 7, 2008 so start writing today!

For more Information: http://www.curetoday.com/healeraward/index.htm

**************************************

From Hope Stone Inc:
Hope Happenings at the Hope Center

Dear Josie,

Greetings one and all as we come to the end of February, and proceed to march into March!!! And wow, is Hope Center marching into spring with a lot of activities. So what is on the docket? Check below and come check them out!

Our biggest news, of course, is WE are a BOOK!!!! Check out the behind the scenes view of Hope Stone Dance's world premiere of SEE Me seen from the lens of photographer Simon Gentry's camera. An amazing book that captures the beauty, humaness, and energy that was a HUGE part of the piece. 10% of the sales of the book go towards the Kid's Play scholarship fund.

Where & When:
Come to the release of the book SEE Me
by Simon Rodrick Gentry
March 15th, 2008
Te House of Te
1927 Fairview @Woodhead
7-9 p.m
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/184495

Sincerely, Jane Weiner
Hope Stone, Inc.
1210 W. Clay #26
Houston, Texas 77019

**************************************

From Emma Jacobs:
Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation

The Unbeatable movement has begun! Next Fall, Unbeatable – A New Musical, which chronicles one woman’s struggle with breast cancer, will have its world premiere production at Houston’s acclaimed Stages Repertory Theatre and the anticipation is remarkable. More importantly, the comprehensive network of support that this new musical has already generated is awe-inspiring: M.D Anderson, The Pink Ribbons Project and The Susan G. Komen Foundation have joined dozens of individual donors to pledge significant support to develop this amazing project. Now is your moment to join our Unbeatable movement and bring this inspirational musical to Houston.

Valentine's weekend, we offered a sample of the music with performances from Houston artists that drew rousing cheers and in some cases a tear or two. If you were unable to attend, we missed you – those in attendance let us know that the passion and artistry of the project is clear and striking. There are several ways to join with those already committed to Unbeatable whether it is through individual giving or supporting our opening night gala dinner. If the level of donations is any indication, then we have a major hit on our hands already! We were able to raise more than $50,000. Adding in the support of the above mentioned foundations and we are past the half-way mark toward our total goal of $300,000.

In a time when there are so many worthy causes drawing our attention, I encourage you to consider Unbeatable as a unique way to support the arts and provide a message of great hope to those taken ill with an insidious cancer. Clearly, I’ve found the way to combine my great love of theatre with my mission to aid those struggling with breast cancer and yes, as a breast cancer survivor myself, I bring a bit of passion to the table! My persistence comes from a place of uncompromising belief that Unbeatable is an exceptional opportunity to reach out to those in need through art. For those of you who have not already, please consider joining me in this effort. Please see full listing of donor levels below.

Sincerely,

Emma Jacobs
Fundraising chair, Unbeatable
Stages Repertory Theatre

$10,000
A Table for Eight to the opening night Gala, Saturday, September 6, 2008
Eight Seats to the opening night performance
Eight invitations to a private cocktail party with cast and creators
Eight seats for the arrival party (when the cast comes from Phoenix)
An invitation to the first rehearsal
A signed copy of the script by cast and creators
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$5,000
Four Seats (1/2 table)to the opening night Gala, Saturday, September 6th
Four Seats to the opening night performance
Four invitations to a private cocktail party with cast and creators
Four seats for the arrival party (when the cast comes from Phoenix)
An invitation to the first rehearsal
A signed copy of the script by cast and creators
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$2,500
Two Seats to the opening night Gala, Saturday, September 6, 2008
Two seats for the opening night performance
Two invitations to a private cocktail party with cast and creators
An invitation to the first rehearsal
A signed copy of the script by cast and creators
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$1,000 and above
Eight seats for the arrival party (when the cast comes from Phoenix)
Eight seats for first preview
An invitation to the first rehearsal
A signed copy of the script by cast and creators
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$500
Four seats for arrival party
Four seats for first preview
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$250
Two seats for the arrival party
Two seats for first preview
A signed copy of the marketing poster by cast and creators

$100
Two seats for first preview

$1.00 from every ticket sold must go to support a breast cancer care/research or housing facility in Houston.

For those of you who have already donated you qualify at the level of your donation or you can increase your donation to qualify at a higher level. Thanks to your support we are well on our way to our goal of bringing Unbeatable to Houston!

Checks made payable to the Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation, 206 Terrace Drive, Houston, Texas 77007.

OR

If you would like to make your donation via credit card you may complete the form below and return it to me now and we will process your donation.

I, ___________________________, donate $___________ in support of breast cancer awareness.

Address: ________________________________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________ Email: _______________________________

Credit Card Type: American Express Visa Master Card

Name on Credit Card __________________________________________

Credit Card Number ___________________________________________

Credit Card Expiration Date ___________________ Security Code ________________

Thanks for your support,
Emma Jacobs

Portions of your donation to the Emma Jacobs Breast Cancer Foundation (a 501c3 organization) may qualify for tax deductions under the laws of the State of Texas.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DAILY REMINDER #1:
"Fund Free Mammograms" Go to The Breast Cancer Site at http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/tpc/EEB_0115_BCSm and help fund free mammograms for the homeless, working-poor, and un-insured women. It costs nothing to you, except one daily click on the pink "Fund Free Mammograms" button. You can even request automatic reminders via e-mail. Please make your free click now, and thanks for your continuing support! The Breast Cancer Site, One Union Square, 600 University Street, Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 1-888-811-5271

DAILY REMINDER #2:
Help eliminate Breast Cancer with a daily click at http://breastcancer.care2.com/ebc-about.html You'll be one of the first people to participate in the largest virtual mountain climb in the world! With every click, (or "step") you generate a donation to eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer--for free. Sponsors pay for your click and fund The Breast Cancer Fund's programs focusing on environmental links to breast cancer. It only takes a second! The Breast Cancer Fund is the leading national organization focused on identifying – and advocating for the elimination of – the environmental and preventable causes of the disease. For more details on the organization’s work, visit http://www.breastcancerfund.org/ /

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flowers UPCOMING EVENTS:
Mark Your Calendars and Save the Dates!

ROSEBUDS MEETING
March 4, 5:45 - 7:30 pm
Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting
Open to all Breast Cancer Patients/Survivors
1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month
The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet
Future Meetings: MARCH 18

PINK RIBBONS PROJECT
Tickle Me Pink Fashion Show
featuring Houston-area Student Designers
March 8th, 2008, 4:00 p.m.
Lamar High School
3325 Westheimer Drive
$10 tickets sold at door

KNOCKOUT ROSES
A support group for women diagnosed under 40.
2nd Monday of each month, at 5:45 pm, March 10th, 2008.
The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet.
Contact Amy Rigsby, Technical Director of The Rose, 713-660-6675.

ROSEBUDS II MEETING
March 13, 5:45 - 7:30 pm
Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting for those who have had or are at high risk for recurrence and/or metastasis, 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month The Rose, 3400 Bissonnet. Future Meetings: MARCH 27

M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Conference
Conference activities will include genetics of hereditary cancer, risk management, panel discussions with patients, survivors and caregivers, research directions and clinical trials.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
8am - 1 pm
Registration now open. www.mdanderson.org/departments/ccg
For info: call 713-745-7391 or e-mail ccg@mdanderson.org

THE ALICE THOMSEN LYMPHEDEMA AWARENESS GROUP of Houston Meetings are scheduled on the 3rd Tuesday of every other month at the American cancer Society Building, 6301 Richmond (between Hillcroft and Fountainview). Please join us on March 18, 2008 at 7 pm. Hope to see you then, Cynthia Gdula.

Y-ME NATIONAL BREAST CANCER
Houston Team Captain Training Luncheon
DoubleTree Hotel Houston Downtown
All team captains and co-captains are invited to attend the Houston Walk Team Captain Training Luncheon on March 19, 2008. This event promises to be a lot of fun, bringing together representatives from corporate, family, and club teams!

The luncheon is an opportunity for your team to learn fun ways to fundraise as well as meet others who will be there on Mother's Day morning By attending you will be one of the first to receive our brand-new 2008 promotional posters and brochures which will help you get started on the right foot!

DoubleTree Hotel Houston Downtown
400 Dallas Street
Houston, TX 77002
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
http://main.y-me.org/site/Calendar/2108956386?view=Detail&id=5161&JServSessionIdr004=avtc2m4ov4.app14a

VICTORIA'S PLACE
Seed Meditation with Victoria Silva
Saturday, March 22nd
7:00 PM
Cost: $10
http://www.feminineliving.com/ for the details and RSVP. See you there!

M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
Fatigue Awareness Week - April 7 -10, 2008
Monday April 7th, 10am - 1pm - Clinic Open House
Mays Clinic, Sixth Floor
Tuesday, April 8th, - Cancer-related Fatigue Video Viewing
6:30 - 7:30pm
Cancer Prevention Building, Eight Floor, Rooms 1 & 2
RSVP: 713-792-2808 or e-mail bsmp@mdanderson.org
For more information, call the Patient Education Office at 713-794-5379
or e-mail www.mdanderson.org/departments/patedu

SOS SURVIVOR MEETING
Held the second Tuesday of each month for those living in Fort Bend County.
April 8, 2008, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Holy Cross Episcopal Church
For additional info and directions: http://sosporchlight.blogspot.com/

AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER
Houston - April 12 - 13, 2008
Congratulations on deciding to register for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer! By registering online now, you will have immediate access to all of the tools of your 'My Avon Walk Center' and can begin fundraising towards your goal today. https://secure2.convio.net/avon/site/TRR/Walk2008/Houston/1021196898?pg=ptype&fr_id=1420&JServSessionIdr004=x9jrwe2701.app26b or For more information, please call us at (713) 968-9250. Email: volunteer.houston@avonwalk.org

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
Relay for Life, 2008
April 18, 2008 6:00 PM - April 19, 2008 6:00 AM
Location: Rice University Track Field, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005
Contact: Shelton Moore,Rosalyn, (713)706-5634 x296
Email: Rosalyn.SheltonMoore@cancer.org
No registration fee. Each person is asked to raise $100.00
Agenda: Survivor Ceremony, Luminaria Ceremony, Entertainment, Food and Games. For more information: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/coe?EID=62080

NATIONAL BREAST CANCER COALITION (NBCC):
2008 Annual Advocacy Training Conference
Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel
999 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
April 26th - 29th 2008

Register now to attend NBCCF's 16th Annual Advocacy Training Conference. Join hundreds of national and international breast cancer activists in our fight to eradicate breast cancer.

NBCCF's yearly gathering helps participants hone their advocacy skills and learn about the latest in breast cancer science, research and policy. Hear directly about the controversies and issues from important leaders, scientists, and advocates. To learn more about this event and registration, visit: http://www.stopbreastcancer.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=598&Itemid=1

SUSAN'S RALLY in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
The Susan Roberson Wade Memorial Car Rally
Save the Dates: Rally - April 27, 2008
Golf Tournament - October 27, 2008
For more information: http://www.susansrally.org/

HOPE STONE, INC.
Save The Date for our Premiere Piece
PEACE PIECE ...May 1st, 2008
a dance, theater and music performed by
the Kid's Play Ensemble and YouthSound
7:00 pm
Kaplan Theater, JCC
tickets on sale now
http://www.hopestoneinc.org/
713.526.1907 ext. 3

CURE MAGAZINE
Registration is open for the 2008 CURE Day of Caring Breast Cancer Forum on May 3 & 4in Denver. The Day of Caring weekend features breast cancer experts from around the country, as well as educational exhibits, and a Survivor’s Fashion Show.
Full agendas, hotel accommodations, and online registration are available now! We look forward to seeing you there! http://www.curetoday.com/forums/index.html

Y-ME NATIONAL BREAST CANCER ORGANIZATION
Houston Walk to Empower, Non-Competitive 3-mile Walk
Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2007
Check-In Begins: 7:30 a.m. Walk Begins: 9:00 a.m.
Sam Houston Park, Houston, Texas

During the past 15 years, Y-ME’s Mother’s Day Events have raised more than $26 million to help ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone. In 2006, $6 million was raised. Please join us this year -- you’ll be proud to know that your support will help Y-ME continue providing its essential programs and services to people and their loved ones touched by breast cancer.
For more details: http://houstonwalk.y-me.org/site/PageServer? pagename=MDE_HTX_homepage

M.D. ANDERSON NETWORK 20th ANNUAL
LIVING FULLY WITH and BEYOND CANCER CONFERENCE
This annual event for patients/survivors and caregivers celebrates its 20th anniversary with the theme,
“Live, Reach, Celebrate,”
September 4 - 6, 2008
Houston Marriott Westchase
Details TBA

PINK RIBBONS PROJECT
Tour de Pink 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tour de Pink is the annual fundraising bike ride sponsored by Pink Ribbons Project to raise funds for breast cancer education and awareness.
Details, TBA

"UNBEATABLE"
Stages Repertory Theatre
Coming September, 2008
The new musical Unbeatable is coming to town in September 2008 in a World Premiere production produced by Houston’s acclaimed Stages Repertory Theatre. This brilliant new musical follows the true story of a strong-willed woman and her life-changing confrontation with Breast Cancer. http://www.unbeatablemusical.com/ Details TBA
To make a donation, contact Emma Jacobs at emma@jacobswoerner.com

SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE
Houston, Saturday October 4th, 2008
Save the Date! Details TBA

CURE MAGAZINE
Coming later this fall, the 5th Annual CURE Patient & Survivor Forum will take place November 1 & 2 in Dallas. CURE is proud to offer a Young Adult Track at this meeting in addition to CNE credit for nurses. For More information visit:
http://www.curetoday.com/forums/index.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"SHARING is CARING"
As always, The Pink Crusader welcomes your contributions, comments, stories, poems, events and photographs! Posts are updated each week. Please send your written contributions to thepinkcrusader1@aol.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shamrock "May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and for evermore."
- St. Patrick


Until next week stay strong, stay well and keep on dancing that cute little jig!
Getting Jiggy
Love, Josie
The Pink Crusader
thepinkcrusader1@aol.com

No comments: