“Think of it as a road map with choices, and not a series of commands”

american_cancer_society_logo-svgAs you likely have read or seen, the American Cancer Society — an organization for which I have volunteered for 18 years — yesterday announced changes to its guidelines for breast cancer screenings.

There has been a lot of discussion about these changes on news/talk programs, websites and social media.

Below are some suggested links for you to learn more about the American Cancer Society’s announcement.

Please read the information to better understand the American Cancer Society’s position.

One takeaway I had as I’ve looked at these changes is this line from a blog post from Dr. Leonard Lichtenfeld — the deputy chief medical officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society: “Think of it as a road map with choices, and not a series of commands.”

Resources from the American Cancer Society:

One year later …

   
One year ago today, my friend Laura received a call changing her life.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Early detection helped doctors diagnose early.


Laura was one of 642 people who, on average, are diagnosed with breast cancer each day.

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detector and regular mammograms are key.

Just ask Laura. She’s living proof.

Find more from the American Cancer Society at cancer.org.

I’m making strides for Laura

msabc_forlauraLike many people, I started glazing over everything pink in the month of October.

From pink footballs to pink M&M’s to pink Kitchen Aid mixers, it seemed pink went from being a color represented by breast cancer survivors to a color corporations wanted to latch onto only to show they “supported” a cause that just so happened to affect women, who just so happen to buy a lot of stuff.

Helping the American Cancer Society and its signature fundraiser Relay For Life has been nearly a full-time (volunteer) job for almost two decades for me. So fighting back against cancer wasn’t a foreign concept, I just stayed in the background in October.

All of that changed in October 2014 when one of my most favorite people in the world — someone I met through the American Cancer Society — was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I remember the call. My phone rang early on Oct. 10.

“It’s breast cancer,” were some of the first words Laura said.

She had been my partner in crime for many American Cancer Society Relay For Life events — a great volunteer/staff partner duo (at least I hope she agrees!!), so hearing that my friend who has given her life to raising money toward research and programs and services to help survivors and families was now a survivor, I was mad, sad, pissed off and beside myself.

Friends of Laura’s joined her the next day at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Greater Pittsburgh walk — and for the first time, Laura, who was there to help at the event as a staff member for the American Cancer Society, donned a survivor shirt.

A year later, she’s now the community manager for Pittsburgh’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. And I can’t think of anybody better for the job of turning the city of black and gold to pink!

10371980_812708239696_7624948417514820380_nSo it is for my friend Laura that I am making strides in this fight against breast cancer.

Learn about all of the programs and services offered for free for cancer survivors. Those programs exist because people like you and me donate. So please consider a donation to help fund researchers, programs and services.

Remembering B94

Like many Pittsburghers who grew up in the 1990s, B94 was my radio station of choice.

So when it died in the early 2000s, I was sad. Every morning on car rides to school, I listened.

I listened to the eight top songs at 8 p.m., and I called in to request songs, too.

So in September 2007, CBS Radio Pittsburgh (the owners of 93.7 FM) began a weeklong Christmas playlist with promos suggesting Pitts_urgh was missing its B.

It’s true. We were missing the B!

On Oct. 5, 2007, B94 returned. The first song was “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake.

But in January 2010, the B was gone.

On what would have been B94 2.0’s third anniversary on Oct. 5, 2010, I wrote this post.

I miss B94 a lot, even in an age of nonstop music apps and iPods.