Fear . . . How Do You Deal?

That is the title of my guest blog post live today over at Jean's Cream Community Blog. Fear is something I have dealt with most of my life and I am sure many of you can relate. In this post I offer some tips on how I deal with fear.

Jean's Cream was created by a two time breast cancer survivor who wanted to help others deal with the side effects of radiation from cancer treatment as well as other various skin conditions. Their community blog is full of tips and inspiration for those affected by cancer. I was pleased to be asked to contribute to their blog.

You can check out my post here. Would love to hear your thoughts and comments!

Lipstick . . . Never Leave Home Without It

When I was little I used to watch my grandma put on her makeup. She would take out her compact, add a little revlon pressed powder to her face, and then apply her lipstick. All her life that I knew her she wore Revlon's lilac champagne in the green marbled tube. And that was all the makeup she wore. She never left the house without lipstick. Sometimes she would add a little "rouge" as she called it back in the day but that was it. She was still wearing lipstick in her eighties. And it was still lilac champagne.

I thought of her yesterday when I was putting on my eyeliner and mascara as I headed out the door. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and wondered what was missing. I don't really wear anything more than eye makeup. I looked kinda dull. When I reached my destination after a long drive I reached in my bag for my lipstick. I quickly applied it using the rear view mirror as my guide. (and yes, I was parked!) My face looked brighter as did my eyes. It just completed my look. There are some days that I run out of the house with a little lipstick and nothing else. And although I don't like to go out without my eye makeup I do notice that wearing lipstick brightens my eyes. Even when I was going through chemo I made sure I at least put on some lipstick. With no eyelashes or eyebrows I sure needed something to brighten up my face.

Right now I am using Burt's Bee's lip shimmer in toffee. They cost only about $5 and the colors are great. It also has a nice peppermint taste.

What's in your makeup bag? Do you wear lipstick? What brand and shade do you like these days? What completes your look?

Favorite Quotes . . . Do You Have One?

When I was writing my memoir Breastless in the City I was already thinking of the quote I wanted for the beginning pages of the book. I wanted something to inspire but also speak to the life I have lived so far. So I decided on a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. . . "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Most recently this quote by Miles Davis resonates with me . . . "Do not fear mistakes. . . there are none." I have always felt as though everything that has happened in my life was for a reason. Believe it or not . . . even the bad stuff.

The Serenity Prayer has helped me many times. My Dad taught it to me when he learned it through Alcoholics Anonymous. . .

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

I think that quotes and prayers can help us in countless ways when we are going through tough times. They can inspire us, speak to us, and make us look at our situations differently. At times even lend much needed perspective to help us see through the darkness.

I could go on and on here because there are so many great quotes but now I want to hear from you guys!

Is there a quote has really resonated with you in your life?

Kathy Griffin's Public Pap . . . Did She Go Too Far?

I think it is great when celebrities draw attention to various causes. But I have to say I was a little startled when I heard about Kathy Griffin's "Smear Campaign". She had a pap smear done in public that was filled for her show "My Life On the D-List" to raise awareness for cervical cancer.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Kathy Griffin, watch her show all the time and have see her live twice. I think she is a hysterical comedian. That said I couldn't help but wonder if she went too far with this public pap. Although I do like her statement "Tell Cancer To Suck It!" I am not sure if people watching her get a pap was really necessary. Maybe she did it for publicity? I understand that her original intention was to raise awareness however, I think it borders on bad taste. But that is just my opinion. Then again, wasn't it Katie Couric who started this whole "publicize your cancer screening test" by airing her colonoscopy on TV?

Read the article about Kathy Griffin's "Smear Campaign" in the Huffington Post.

What do you guys think? Are you in support of celebrities airing their cancer screening tests on TV? Do you think that is more effective that just speaking out about it in order to help raise awareness?

The Amoco Man Lets Me Know He Was There . . .

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I drove out to PA for a speaking engagement at my alma mater Misericordia University. I was very excited at the opportunity to share my experience with the OT students there. As an OT myself I felt as though I had learned a valuable lesson during my cancer experience being a patient for the first time. That is what I felt would most benefit the students I was speaking to.

It was a great night but I couldn't help but think about my life 20 years ago when I first left home to go to college. And then I thought about my Dad and how proud he was of me even though he didn't always let me know it. I thought about how he would have liked to have been there that night to hear me speak. Then I wondered if he was in some way.

On the ride home my wondering stopped when we pulled into a gas station to fill up. It was a no name station but my husband the mechanic always tells me it doesn't matter. . . all the gas is the same. As he was filling up the car I caught a glimpse of a car that was the same car my dad drove with one of those obnoxious CB antennae's attached to the trunk lid. Dad had one of those too.

As I started to chuckle Lou hopped back in the car and said

"This is an Amoco station. I asked the cashier when I was paying."

"You're kidding me right?"

"No, why? What's the big deal?" he responded with a puzzled look on his face.

"When I was little my dad's CB handle was Amoco Man and the one he gave me was Rose Bud Marie. He worked for a short time pumping gas at our local Amoco station. That's just weird don't you think?" I said after telling him about the car that drove by earlier.

"Yeah, that is weird."

"Well, I guess he was here after all." I said hoping it was true.

When we got home and Lou showed me the pictures he took during my speech we both noticed something weird in a few of the photos. Some weird watermark looking circle on my shirt (see top photo) and that same circle hanging out in midair in another photo (see photo below) I have heard of strange stuff happening in pictures like that and wondered if it was a spirit of some sort. And I thought of Dad again.

Am I crazy or has anyone else heard of this type of thing happening?

I like to think that it was my Dad hanging out around me during my speech.

One thing I know for sure is that if he were alive he wouldn't have missed it for the world. The Amaco man would have been proud of his Rose Bud Marie. . .

What do you guys think? Have you ever felt as though you got a message from the other side? Have you had spirits show up in pictures?

Free Spa Services For Cancer Patients

When I was going through my cancer treatments I tried to keep up with my weekly manicures. Even though I had to be more careful of cutting my cuticles with the new risk of lymphedema I still enjoyed my girl time. For those moments I felt more normal, and calmed. It was something that made me feel better and something I did just for me. And believe it or not it helped with my body image which was all but in the toilet during that time. Certainly a massage would have done wonders with all the stress that I just about carried around via boulders in my neck muscles.

I was excited to recently find out about a great charitable organization that provides free spa services to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Angie's Spa funds hospital programs across the country with the purpose of providing those free services to patients. It is an all volunteer organization with 100 percent of donations raised going toward hospital programs.

Angie's Spa is named in memory of a young breast cancer survivor Angie Levy who battled breast cancer for 9 years and passed away at only 36 years old. You can read more about Angie's story here.

Become a fan of Angie's Spa on Facebook and help spread the word!

What did you do during your treatment that was just for you? Did your hospital offer spa services during your treatment? Do you have a story to share about Angie's Spa?

KFC's "Healthy Grilled" Chicken NOT So Healthy. . . What Was Komen Thinking?

The Komen/KFC saga continues. Not only is the whole partnership disgusting to make it more ridiculous new information was just released about KFC's allegedly healthy addition to the menu. . . the grilled chicken. The Physicians Committe For Responsible Medicine(PCRM) recently released results of testing that found "substantial amounts" of a carcinogenic chemical in samples of the KFC grilled chicken. So now on top of the unhealthy greasy fried chicken in the bucket that you can buy to save some boobs is the "healthy grilled" chicken that could cause cancer. And these results are not new, they were released in June '09. So how did Komen miss that one?

And lets do the math. . . 50 cents of the $20 bucket o' fat goes to Komen. That is only 2.5%. As I said in my last post. . . KFC is going to make out a lot better on this deal and may even contribute to the cancer epidemic that Komen has been fighting for years.

Read the complete article Carcinogens Found in KFC's New Grilled Chicken.

Were you surprised to hear about the grilled chicken? What do you think of this next chapter in the KFC/Komen partnership?