For Pinks Sakes! Blog Hop & YOU can participate and WIN!!
1:00:00 AMDID YOU KNOW:
Staying at a healthy weight, being physically active, and limiting how much alcohol you drink can help reduce your risk of breast cancer.
***Regular screening can often find breast cancer early when treatments are more likely to be successful. ***
DID YOU ALSO KNOW:
In my past life, I was a Mammography Technologist?
That's right! I was the lovely lady who got to 'squish' 100+ breasts in every shift - all in a day's work.
I was also the person your doctor sent you to when your routine mammogram came back with a possible abnormality, and you needed further imaging.
It takes a special type of person to be a breast imager - it's a physically and emotionally draining job - but it's a rewarding one, too. And how many people can say, that several times, on a daily basis, I would get hugs from wonderful women (of whom I just inflicted pain upon??), none of whom I had met before that day. Not too many. (But then again, I'm a pretty modest person - I truly am - but I won't be modest about this - I was damned good at my job!).
From the diagnostic perspective, I have seen my fair share of breast cancers. But more importantly, have seen my fair share of women (and men!) who were about to go through, were going through, or had been through their share of breast cancer Hell. And even though I didn't know these people personally, I treated every.single.patient who walked through my exam room door as I would my own mum, aunt, or sister.
So when Anna came to me and asked if I would be a part of this blog hop in honor of her very brave mother-in-law whom is currently battling breast cancer, I didn't even bat an eye - of course I would. Because although I've never had breast cancer, I've been around it quite a bit as a health care professional, and I know how important support, of any kind, is.
The Hop Challenge was this:
Make a pink block, any size over 4", and post about it!
Send the blocks on to Anna, and she'll be making a gorgeous charity quilt to donate to the center where her mother in law receives her treatments (the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion in Grand Rapids, MI) (easy peasy lemon squeezy)
Block 1 - a simple 4 patch, made of pink charm squares:
Block 3 - a simple strip block (before I trimmed it square):
All of the blocks I made for Anna, 4 simple large HST blocks made from layer cake pieces in there, too:
so a total of 16 pink blocks heading Anna's way....
...and I've also received a block from an awesome reader of mine, Jen, who wanted to participate so I'll be passing the block on to Anna and Jen will be entered to win some goodness, too!
Interested in participating? Wanna make a pink block? Wanna enter to win some yummy prizes??
If you're interested in making a pink block over the size of 4" for an awesome cause, and in doing so, enter to win some awesome prizes (don't have time to make a block? NO PROBLEM! there are other ways to win, too! Anna has other ways you can enter! you can promote the hop, make a donation, and more!)
>>>>> head over to Anna's blog {HERE} to read about how you can enter to win some goodies on August 2 from Pink Chalk Fabrics, Pink Castle Fabrics, or the Fat Quarter Shop!
I want to thank Anna at Life Sew Crafty for asking me to be a part of her wonderful blog hop - and before I forget, make sure to visit the others participating in the hop, too! Here's the schedule:
Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt
Julie @ The Crafty Quilter
Heather @ Quilts in the Queue
Katie @ Snuggle Up with a Dish from Karma
8 comments
Sounds like a great project to join in on
ReplyDeleteThank you for participating.
ReplyDeleteI had a breast reduction years ago. When I had my baseline mammogram afterward, I was bruised from the mammogram. The technician was rude and even told me that it didn't help that I was large. I was working and had allowed lots of time to get to work before I had people coming into town for a meeting. I was late getting to the meeting and all I wanted to do was hug my chest because I hurt so badly. Of course, it had been months since my reduction and I was completely healed. I quipped that I would rather die of breast cancer than ever have another mammogram. Nine years later and no mammogram, I thought I had fibromyalgia when I found a knot on my side. Well, it was a knot in my breast. The breast mammogram technicians tell me that if it were any further back it would it on my back. I had stage 2+ breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. I scheduled my last chemotherapy treatment so I was strong enough to help walk my daughter down the aisle for her wedding. I lost 12 pounds during my first chemo treatment. I was sick the whole year of treatment. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia six weeks after I was diagnosed with cancer. As you probably know most people take oral anti-estrogen therapy for a maximum of 5 years. It's been over 10 years and I'm still taking it. My oncologist hopes to stop it during the next year. After five years, I had 1.5 cup difference between my breasts. Luckily my non-cancerous side was larger and it was better for my body size to reduce that size. I had one stitch that had been caught during the lumpectomy which the surgery corrected. It took longer for that stitch to heal that the reduction side. I have been blessed. There have been concerns along the way that cancer has recurred and so far that has not happened. I see my oncologists twice a year and have a mammogram once a year. A group of ladies in my area made all the ladies at my treatment facility a small quilt to wear from the dressing room to the radiation area. We brought our quilts home with us when we graduated. I belong to a quilt guild that makes quilts for needy children and I still have a soft spot in my heart for other people who are undergoing tough spots in their lives. Obviously, breast cancer is one of them. I now definitely encourage every lady to have a mammogram. Unfortunately, when my daughter told her doctor of my battle with breast cancer, her doctor wanted a baseline for her and her insurance refused the request due to her age. Her paternal grandfather and his only sibling (a brother) each had breast cancer, too. At least her doctor is aware of the family history and is alert to her genetic possibility. There are many things we can do to help lower our risk. Yet sometimes, it just happens, too. So, please don't take for granted that because you are doing the suggested things that you will not get breast cancer. There was no history of breast cancer in my family before me. I was shocked. As I said, I thought it was fibromyaliga or even possibly diabetes - I was shocked. However, my doctor knew in his own mind what it was and I knew that I knew before I had my mammogram and biopsy. So, when I had my appointment on Friday and got the call on Monday, I was prepared. Thank you for participating in this hop.
I was happy to be a part of this hop. I am constantly working on charity Kwilts for the cause.
ReplyDeleteWe all have to "fight like a girl". Thank you and all the participants who are making blocks!
WOW- awesome job making so many blocks for Anna's quilt!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of beautiful blocks! I've hear horror stories about mammograms, so I'm not looking forward to hitting the age when I need to start. My great-aunt is so short she jokes that she's practically hanging from the machine by her breast! No breast cancer history in my family, thankfully.
ReplyDeleteI sent a pin whell block weeks ago to Ann do hope it arrived safely
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful event to be part of. x
ReplyDeleteSome great suggestions. My blocks are well on their way - maybe they've already arrived!!
ReplyDeleteI ♥ to hear from you!
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