Hip Hip Hooray for Joni Relyea!!!!!

In May of 2005, I first profiled breast cancer survivor Joni Relyea on 9 News Now about her involvement in the Relay for Life in Northern Virginia. Because of her health, Joni couldn't run in the Relay For Life but she could paint. Joni's "First Bloom" water colors helped raise money for this American Cancer Society event. She also saluted the first finishers in the race with the gift of one of her beautiful paintings.
Since then, Joni has been covering everything she can think of with her colorful blossoms - including umbrellas and note cards. She even created a special artistic tribute that was presented in June at the Komen Race For the Cure.
Here is what Komen For the Cure had to say about Joni Relyea's talent and generosity.

"Joni Relyea, a local artist and breast cancer survivor, initially contacted the Komen National Race for the Cure wanting to donate umbrellas, silk screened with her “First Bloom Collection” to fellow survivors. She then offered to donate a “First Bloom” water color painting for the 2007 Survivor of the Year. When she delivered the finished painting to the Race Office, she brought with her a smaller version as a gift for the Race Staff which hangs proudly in the reception area of the Race Office. Joni didn’t stop there; she has subsequently donated paintings and umbrellas to no less than a dozen Race for the Cure events around the country and she hasn’t stopped yet! Thank you, Joni for your generosity in giving to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! "

And Buddy Check 9 thanks Joni too for sharing her story first with WUSA, 9News Now. To read my interview with Joni Relyea click here

Breast Cancer & the Triple Negative Factor

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death for all women. But breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for African-American women. Black women develop the disease at a younger age than White women and it is more agressive. And, though White women are more likely than Black women to get breast cancer, Black women are more likely to die from it and the gap between death rates is increasing. This alarming fact doesn't change even when access to care, education and insurance are equal. What is the link between breast cancer and race?

Medical Oncologist Dr. Edith Mitchell is Associate Director of Diversity for the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, PA.

In a study of 22-hundred black and white women women, Dr. Mitchell, the lead researcher, tells 9 News Now the Triple Negative factor explains that link.

Joining Dr. Mitchell in this important discussion is her patient, Fran Robinson. In September 2005, Fran noticed a lump. In August 2006, she underwent a double mastectomy. She has participated in a clinical trial for Triple Negative breast cancer survivors.

To see my entire interview with Dr. Mitchell and Mrs. Robinson Click Here.



To read more about Dr. Mitchell's research Click Here

Buddy Check 9 @ YPO Executive Retreat

A good leader is someone with vision. But the one who really keeps the company and the boss going is the Executive Assistant.

Friday, I spoke to a group of Executive Assistants attending the YPO Executive Retreat in Rockville, Maryland. They were a very lively group from DC, Virginia and Maryland at this annual, one day retreat where their bosses made sure they were nurtured in mind, body & spirit.

My thanks to Jennifer Yearwood, Executive Assistant to the head of Fortigent, LLC for inviting me to discuss Buddy Check 9 and the benefits of Prevention and Early Detection in the fight against breast cancer.

ACS Selects Washingtonian as President

In October in Atlanta, Georgia, a high honor for Dr. Elmer Huerta, Director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Huerta was named President Of the American Cancer Society. A native of Peru, Dr. Huerta is the first Latino president of this organization.

As you know, the American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Its mission - preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

Dr. Huerta spoke to me about how he intends to use his position to better meet the health needs of the nation at large. Here's what he had to say. Click Here

In addition to his expanding responsibilities, Dr. Huerta will continue hosting his popular radio show Community Clinic Of the Air. The hour long program airs on Radio America, WDCA-AM, 1540. Dr. Huerta's broadcast reaches nearly 100-thousand listeners. His primary focus is Prevention & Early Detection. The show can also be heard on Dr. Huerta's Web site (http://www.prevencion.org/).

To see my entire interview with Dr. Elmer Huerta Click Here

Knowledge is Power!!!!

Saturday was a big day on the University of Maryland campus. It was homecoming and the Terps faced the University of Virginia Cavaliers in a nationally televised game.

But the most important event of the day took place on campus earlier Saturday morning. It was the Doctors Community Hospital's Women's Health Conference. It wasn't on television, but the knowledge women gained about taking charge of their own health and the audience they could reach with the message of Early Detection and Prevention was more significant than anything happening on the football field.
I was the morning keynote speaker. Marvette Clay introduced me. She is a 3-time survivor, first diagnosed at age 31 with Stage 4 breast cancer. We first met when I profiled Brides Against Breast Cancer. Marvette was donating her wedding gown to this group which raises funds for breast cancer research and also grants the wishes of terminally ill cancer patients through the sale of previously loved gowns. Marvette is a true inspiration; it was good to see her again.

To learn more about Brides Against Breast Cancer click here

Buddies, Save the Date!!!!!!!!

Hi Buddies,

Mark your calendars now! The date for the 2008 Komen Race For the Cure is Saturday, June 7th.
9News Now is once again a sponsor of this wonderful, life affirming community event. I'll be there along with the rest of the 9News team. I look forward to saying hello to you and your Buddies that first Saturday in June on the National Mall.
Don't forget to share this reminder with your Buddy.

Buddies, Let's Dish!

Hi Buddies,

You may have seen this company featured on 9News Now at 9 a-m before. It's called Let's Dish! the region's leading meal assembly company. Now Let's Dish! is getting in on the fight against breast cancer.

Let's Dish! is providing meals to families coping with breast cancer in Maryland and Northern Virginia. The project is the brain child of co-owner Lisa Hardiman who was recently diagnosed with Stage II cancer and is currently undergoing treatment.

Co-Owner Elizabeth Marcotte, also a cancer survivor and a guest on 9News Now @ 9 a-m serves up more information and a signature Pink Dish! recipe. Click Here.

As part of the campaign, Let’s Dish! has launched a website at www.letsdish.com/pinkdish.
Those visiting the site can learn more about the campaign, view links to organizations and resources dedicated to fighting breast cancer, nominate a Pink Dish! Family, and read some of the personal stories of Let’s Dish! staff and customers who have been impacted by breast cancer.

Individuals may also share their personal experiences with breast cancer and view others’ stories at www.letsdish.com/pinkdish/stories.aspx For each experience shared, Let’s Dish! will donate $5.00 to the Pink Dish! Campaign.

Let’s Dish! stores are open in Baltimore, Bel Air, Columbia, Gaithersburg, and Rockville in Maryland and Alexandria, Ashburn, Fairfax, and Leesburg in Northern Virginia. For more information on Let’s Dish!, visit http://www.letsdish.com/.

Please share this and other survivor stories you've seen on 9News Now with your Buddy.

Take care,
Andrea

Buddy Happy Snaps

Cancer Deaths dropping faster than ever!!!!

That's was the blaring headline earlier this week in every newspaper and on every television and radio station. The nation's annual Cancer Report found Prevention, Early Detction and new cancer treatments are having the desired effect. More people are surviving a cancer diagnosis.

For some, that news may have gone in one ear and out the other or were just words on a page. But here's a clear picture of what that report represents.

These are 11-survivors. They were honored Wednesday evening at the Komen Salute To Survivors at the Ann Taylor flagship store on Connecticut Avenue in NW.

Ann Taylor is committed to making women look beautiful inside & out and we salute Ann Taylor for being a Buddy.

Also, a hearty congratulations to these wonder women who proved they could "strut their stuff" on the runway as models. And, they serve as powerful role models proving there is life after cancer.

Take care,
Andrea

Making the Pink Link

Hi Buddies,


For several months now, I've been having email conversations with Vicki Tashman. Vicki is from Los Angeles, California, but heard about Buddy Check 9 from one of our viewers. After months of coordinating schedules, Vicki joined me live on air to tell women about a unique breast cancer support service she's created called Pink-Link.


Three years ago when she was going through treatment, Vicki wished for someone to talk to about her experiences. The American Cancer Society has Reach To Recovery, but what if you're having a bad day and can't make that face to face connection? So Vicki created Pink-Link. It's an on line support service that allows breast cancer patients to connect with a breast cancer survivor. With Pink-Link you can hold hands in cyberspace and get through this ordeal together even if your Buddy is thousands of miles away.


I also interviewed Robin Turner, a new Pink-Link member diagnosed in February of this year.





To see the Pink-Link interview click here


For a link to Pink-Link.org click here





Take care,


Andrea

Key To The Cure

Hi Buddies,

Did you know that you could hold the Key To The Cure just by going shopping? Yes, the money you spend at this special Key To The Cure event at the SAKS Fifth Avenue Chevy Chase, could lead to the cure for breast cancer.
In it's 5th year at the local SAKS store, the theme for the 2007 fundraiser is Viva La Cure!!!!
From October 18th through October 21st, SFA Chevy Chase will donate a percentage of sales to the Suburban Hospital Breast Cancer Programs.
Getting the 4-day shopping spree off to a great start, SAKS Chevy Chase is hosting a shopping party Wednesday, October 17th from 6 - 9pm. Event co-chairs Ardis Eby and Cindy Jones, on 9News Now @ 9 a-m, told me there will be cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, entertainment, and special activities on all levels of the store.
With the public's support, last year's gala raised over 154-thousand dollars for Suburban Hospital Cancer Programs and helped support the outstanding diagnostic and clinical services offered by Suburban.
For more information on Key To the Cure call 240-497-5317.
I am a celebrity co-chair for this event. I look forward to seeing you and your Buddy at SAKS Chevy Chase Wednesday evening.

Andrea

Cancer Survival Rate: What's the Difference?

Hi Buddies:

Some good news on the cancer front:
The annual cancer "Report to the Nation" shows, cancer death rates overall are dropping faster than ever.
Americans seem to be heeding the message that Prevention and Early Detection make a difference in reducing their cancer risks.

The most significant decline is in deaths from colorectal cancer due to screening and new treatment methods..
Among the report's other findings: new breast cancer diagnoses are dropping about 3.5 percent a year, a previously reported decline due either to women shunning postmenopausal hormone therapy or to fewer getting mammograms.
The annual report is a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and North American Association of Central Cancer
Registries.

Buddy Check 9 is providing a link to the report from the National Cancer Institute. Click here.

Congratulations Yvonne!!!!!!!!

Hi Buddies,

Sharing some good news from survivor Yvonne E. Clarke. We sat next to each other years ago at a fundraiser benefitting breast cancer research.
Yvonne, President of Y-Hope Foundation, Inc., and a Regional Account Manager for Clarins Cosmetics, has been chosen to receive the “Totlyn Taylor-Newby Award of Courage” Saturday, October 20th 2007.
This award is being presented to Yvonne by the Non-profit organization, WOMEN AT REAL RISK, at their 8th Annual Fundraising Gala.
The “Totlyn Taylor-Newby Award of Courage” was created to recognize an individual who has overcome the great adversities of breast cancer. This salute to Yvonne also acknowledges her work in the community helping to promote the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
The Gala will be held at The Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC. C
Yvonne, Congratulations!!!!!!!!
If you have some good news to share, just comment here or email me at aroane@wusa9.com.
Take care,
Andrea

Buddy Check 9 Happy Snaps

Hi Buddies,

One more picture from a speaking event last month I attended in Prince George's County.
It was the Wisdom, Wealth & Well Being Seminar at Camelot of Upper Marlboro. I'm pictured here with Phyllis Slade Martin, the organizer, her daughter on the left, then Phyllis, and to the right, Denise Whalen-White. Denise is organizing Shades Of Pink. This new non profit venture will help survivors and their families who may be facing a tough choice - paying a utility bill or prescription medications. I'll tell you more about Denise's Shades Of Pink when it's up and running.
Take care,
Andrea

A Buddy Reviews a Side of Life

A few years ago, I profiled survivor Deb Russell. Deb generously credits all those Buddy Check 9 monthly reminders for saving her life. Deb wants other survivors and others who'd like to see an accurate protrayal of what a breast cancer survivor goes through to check out a new television show on Lifetime. Here' what survivor Deb Russell told me about a Side Order of Life.

Hi Andrea,
I was wondering if you have seen the show Side Order of Life on Lifetime? It is an amazing show about Vivy going through cancer, her ups and downs, among other things and feelings cancer patients/survivors go through. She brings it to life and those of us who have had cancer or those who are battling it and even co-survivors, can relate to Vivy. Lifetime has not decided if it will be picked up again next season. So I am asking you to please watch it if your not already. It is on Sunday at 9pm on the Lifetime channel and it is the season finale. Even my husband watches it. Just as Buddy Check 9 saved my life and countless others, and a place where information is getting out there and making a difference, so does this show have the potential to make a difference and for me it has in that I can relate to Vivy and all she is feeling and going through. So if you are willing, please watch, and if led to do so, please post a comment on the Lifetime web site under the SOOL section. Feelings I "Thought" I had dealt with are now coming out because of this show and Vivy Porter, the character who has cancer. So please, I humbly ask you to consider this.
I have watched the show; it's very entertaining. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Please share Deb's comments with your Buddies too.
Take care,
Andrea

Buddies Seeking Wealth, Wisdom & Well Being

Hi Buddies,

Just wanted to share a photo from an event I attended in Upper Marlboro last month.

Thanks to Phyllis Slade Martin for organizing a seminar for women at the Camelot of Upper Marlboro in Prince Georges County. Topics covered dealt with Wisdom, Wealth & Well being.

Here I am with Phyllis' daughter, Phyllis, me and Denise Whalen-White, founder of Shades of Pink.

Howard County Survivors Get the Royal Treatment

Hi Buddies,

From our Buddy Meredith Resnick in Howard County, Maryland word of a special tribute to some breast cancer survivors there.
On Thursday, October 11th, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ten special breast cancer patients from Howard County General Hospital will be treated to a day of luxurious spa services for free. Afterward, the patients and their sponsors in "Survivors Offering Support (SOS)", a program that teams up newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with women who’ve already undergone treatment, will be treated to a luncheon in their honor.
The women will be getting services including facials, pedicures, massages and reflexology treatments, at the acclaimed "Pearl" spa in Fulton, Maryland starting at 10:00am. The catered luncheon, provided by "oZ. Chophouse", will immediately follow the services in the spa’s ‘Akoya’ party room.
Pearl owner Kassi Buscher says, "These women are fighting for their lives every day. It’s the least we can do to make this one day extra special for them, to help them relax and feel good."
The Pearl is also donating a portion of its proceeds this month to breast cancer research. The Pearl spa was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washingtonian, Baltimore, and Howard Magazines for its exotic treatments, luxurious atmosphere and impeccable service.
The Pearl is located at 8171 Maple Lawn Boulevard in Fulton, Maryland.
Thanks for sharing Meredith. And if you know of any interesting events going on for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please share. I'll post them on the Buddy Blog.
Andrea

IBC Clinical Trials

Hi Buddies,

I-B-C. Three letters that strike fear in women and with good reason.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer is a rare form of breast cancer. Because it's so aggressive, the prognosis is often poor.
But National Cancer Institute researchers at the National Institutes of Health are working to improve a patient's chances for recovery with a new intensive treatment.
On 9News Now at 9 a-m, Dr. Claude Sportes, the principal investigator, joined me to talk about the experimental IBC procedure and how you can help researchers confirm their findings. To see Dr. Sportes' interview click here.

To see the IBC Buddy Check 9 report go the the Buddy Check 9 website and click on Latest News and please share this with your Buddies.
Take care,
Andrea

Going Pink at the Fairmont Hotel

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, individuals and organizations alike are trying to do their part to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Here's what one local hotel in Northwest, Washington is doing in October.
The Fairmont Washington, D.C. is literally “Going Pink” in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Any time you walk in the Fairmont Washington, DC in October you'll find the hotel lobby filled with pink flowers, the courtyard garden will be lighted in hues of pink, and the Lobby Lounge staff will serve pink cocktails clad in Pink breast cancer awareness ties provided by Tickled Pink a Lilly Pulitzer®Signature Store.

Guests will enjoy Pink Champagne, Pink Vodka and Pink Non-alcoholic Cocktails each evening in the lobby lounge while basking in various shades of pink. For each pink cocktail purchased during the month of October, 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated directly to Living in Pink.
I strongly suggest "splurging" with the non-alcoholic version to further reduce your breast cancer risk.

Since its inception in 2004, Living in Pink contributions have helped to fund a variety of local and national research endeavors to further the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. For information on Living in Pink, please visit. www.livinginpink.com.

Thank you Diana for sharing this with our Buddies. Cheers!!!!!

Andrea

Circle of Promise

Hi Buddies,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it also Domestic Violence Awareness month.
Saturday I met a courageous woman who has been to hell and back dealing with both breast cancer & spousal abuse. She is Dr.Michelle Craig, a 5-year breast cancer survivor. But her story of surviving spousal abuse was equally compelling.

Even though she is a medical doctor who cousels other women about the signs of abuse, she didn't immediately reconize it in her own life. She didn't endure physical abuse, but was cursed and spat on, enduring emotional abuse. Once she acknowledged what was happening, she knew she had to get out of that poisonous relationship for her well being and for her children's sake.
It was an honor meeting Dr. Craig and her daughter DeLacy.

My New 4-legged Buddy "Kiwi"

Hi Buddies,

In case you missed his debut on 9NEWS NOW at 5am this week, here is the newest member of my household. This is Kiwi. He is the fluffy 22-month old Shi Tzu we adopted last month. Kiwi loves to go for walks and playing fetch with his special yellow ball. He jumps like a rabbit and sits up for attention. In short, he has a great personality!!!For the most part, he plays nicely with our Bassett Hound Daisy and he won't leave poor old, one-eyed, deaf Frosty alone. Kiwi just wants to play.
We still miss Thumper who was killed by a hit and run driver, but Kiwi fills a big hole in our hearts.

Beauty & the Breast

October is breast cancer awareness month. There are so many activities going on across the metro area, I can't begin to cover them all. However, I will be listing as many as I can on this Buddy Blog and in my Buddy Check 9 E-News Alerts. Please sign up for the Buddy E-News Alerts and share this announcement with your Buddy. It could make a difference in their life and yours.

Here's a way to look good and feel good for you & your Buddy. With just a pair of hair scissors, blower dryer and a line of hair care products, a local salon has come up with a novel way to fight breast cancer.
During the month of October, Hair I Am Salon in Manassas, VA will host a cut-a-thon and donate 100% proceeds from each new hairdo to the breast cancer research, treatment and education programs at the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute.
The cut-a-thon is part of Look, Feel, Heal with Hope, a campaign between Proctor & Gamble’s Professional Care and the City of Hope to raise $250,000 for the breast cancer movement.
Help salon owner and breast cancer survivor, Tina Butler, reach her goal. Call Hair I Am Salon in Manassas, VA. for directions & more information.
Take care,
Andrea