With Gratitude

I am constantly amazed by the generosity of people. When disasters strike, clothing, money and help pours in from every direction.

To you breast cancer might not be viewed as a disaster, but to a person recently diagnosed with it, it most certainly is.

Please take it from me. I know from personal experience. My own mother had breast cancer. Twice. As a young child, I witnessed the agony my mother endured when she had her first mastectomy.

In the early 1960's, when my mother was first dignosed, the medical treatments were not as advanced as they are today. A simple "lumpectomy" was unheard of. The treatment of the day was to go in and remove EVERYTHING -- breast, surrounding muscle, lymph nodes, and in some cases, even bone. After all this carnage, extreme radiation was used to kill off any remaining cancer cells. Needless to say, the survival rate was not very good. If the woman did survive, she was left terribly disfigured, and oft-times in great pain.

Not a very pleasant subject to talk about.
Not very pleasant to live through, either.

Science has made great improvement since those early days. But, we're not there yet.

We need YOU.

Every second person born on this planet is a woman. You know her. She's your grandmother...mother...sister...aunt...cousin...co-worker...girlfriend...wife...daughter. The sad statistic is that each and every one of these women has the 1 in 3 odds of getting breast cancer.

Let's change those odds!
Please press the link below to make a donation to the AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER.

http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1284&px=3151067

Remember: One dollar, or one thousand dollars, every penny goes to help someone you know.

With tremendous gratitude,
Cathy

The Greater Good

To celebrate 50 healthy years on this planet, I've decided to participate in the AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER, that will take place in Los Angeles on September 15th and 16th this year. We will be walking a marathon and a half; 39.3 miles, to be exact!

I am doing this for myself, of course, but I am also doing this as a way to give back to the community; something I've done precious little of.

I will also doing this in memory of my mother and grandmother, who both had breast cancer. I saw first-hand the toll this horrible disease takes, both physically and emotionally, and I WILL NOT allow it to happen to me, or to my daughter.

So, in the weeks to come, I will be asking for your support -- and dollars.

My goal is to raise $1,800.00. A small price to pay knowing that every single woman in your life has a 1 in 3 chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime. I want to change those odds.

If you wish to contact me, or to make a pledge, please don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Two things to remember: Every dollar you pledge is going to a great cause, PLUS every dollar you pledge is fully tax-deductable!

My very best to you and yours,
Cathy

Major Milestone Dead Ahead!

So. As difficult as it is to believe, I will be turning 50 at the end of July.

I know, I know...I SO don't look it! Thank you. I hear it all the time. However, it is perfectly true, and to celebrate (or, inebriate - take your pick), I'm going to throw myself a birthday party, thankyouverymuch.

That's the easy part. The difficulty lies in deciding what kind of party to hold. I mean, let's face it, I don't think I'll be passing through here again any time soon, so I want to pull out all the stops. I want something memorable. Cupcakes and punch just won't cut it.

So, I started collecting ideas for the theme of my party. To date, I've come up with only two:

1. Hollywood Red Carpet
2. "50" of Everything

Obviously, I need help. A lot of it. Now.

And, here's where you all come in. Since none of you know me (or my quirks), I want to hear what you think I should to to make this celebration a huge success. Anything goes...uh, except group nude baying at the moon, of course!