Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
I was penned with the pink ribbon in Macy's last Thursday.

If you have every had a family member or friend suffering from breast cancer you know how important it is to assist someone and being there for an individual who is told that they will loose a breast, loose their hair, loose their self esteem,and be mentally challenged with serious contemplation in the will to live.

Yes, it is an ugly wake up call if you take life for granted.
It is also "a true friend tester" when you get the news from a family member or a friend.

This is the advocacy site, which sends updates and news releases on the truth of what breast cancer is and preventative measures:

http://www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org/know/31-truths-2011/email-signup-ty.html

Here is the progress report, which gives you information on how we are progressing in ending the disease with a noble goal of 2020 . . .

http://www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org/2020/progress-reports.html

But the reality is in 2011 alone, "39,840 women and 390 men
will die of breast cancer. While a slight decrease in mortality is an accomplishment, it is far from success". The disease on an average is diagnosed at age 61. The rate is decreasing in white women. It is still very high for urban women and women of color.

Look to our calendar of events for "Breast Cancer Awareness" activities, discussion groups, physical running and walking races in the Los Angeles County region designed to raise funds, awareness, and to build sisterhood networks on breast cancer.

And at your earliest convenience get a mammography exam, become aware of those foods we gorge on that increase cancerous tissues, wear and make your own pink ribbons, learn as much as you can, write a check to a breast foundation, be there for a friend or family member who needs support while going through chemotherapy or other wranglings with cancer. Read a white paper on the features and facts of breast cancer. Volunteer at your local hospital or out clinic and inform others on what you learn. If you have long hair contribute it to a service that makes wigs for patients who loose their hair during treatment, do so and challenge your other acquaintances to do the same. Familiarize yourself with The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (Komen), The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to name a few.

Bottomline, do something . . . Peace out, Minerva

Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare

Healthcare Reform is one of the topics that have been vollied back and forth by both parties. The accusations on what is in place and what is being proposed are worlds apart from what is "REALLY" going on . . .

We encourage you to read the following information directly from the White House on what the Affordable Care Act involves. It is not just "Obamacare", it is People Care and the care we need to keep our nation progressing requires a healthy nation able to take care of its young and its elder populations. We still believe the mark of a nation is how it caters, cares, and communicates to the entire population.

Comments are welcomed as always . . .

Get the Facts Straight on Health Reform
There's a lot of misinformation out there. For too long, too many hard working Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies. President Obama’s health reform law gives hard working families the security they deserve. The Affordable Care Act holds insurance companies accountable, lowers health care costs, gives Americans more freedom and control in their health care choices and improves the quality of care. Here are some of the myths that the White House provides:

l.) Healthcare reform will not use your tax dollars to pay for abortions.
2.) Healthcare reform will not be taken over by the government. The insurance companies are in partnership to strengthen laws, create exchanges, and to assist employees and employers to receiving tax credits to help the insured.
3.) Companies will stop offering healthcare insurance. Companies do offer healthcare to attract talent, however many companies are hiring more individuals as contractors to also diminish paying insurance, even insurance companies are doing this. However healthcare insurance discounts are being offered if employers work for certain companies as an incentive.
4.) "The individual responsibility provision also enables us to finally ban discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions. Without the individual responsibility provision, people could wait until they’re sick or injured to apply for coverage since insurance companies could no longer say no or charge more. That would lead to double digit premiums increases – up to 20% – for everyone in the individual insurance market".
5.) For more details and statistical backup, please see the following link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts#healthcare-menu

This Week at the White House

Updating what is happening at the White House . . .

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/07/west-wing-week-why-white-house-pink?utm_source=100711&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=daily