Category Archives: FORCE
New friends
I’m heading back from Orlando now with lots of new friends. Day two of the FORCE conference was great. We started the day with a panel of researchers telling us about lots of studies going on in the area of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and BRCA specific research. It was so promising to see all of these brilliant people sitting in front of me telling me about research they are doing to benefit me and the entire hereditary cancer community. And I know that the studies I learned about were only a fraction of the research going on in this area.
After this panel, I was completely energized and I had the opportunity to sit with a woman from Susan G. Komen and share my thoughts and hopes. I can’t wait to continue my conversation with her and others from Susan G. Komen. I was particularly happy to hear about the level of grants they are providing in the area of hereditary breast cancer—knowing that the $87,000 Ta Ta Breast Cancer raised in 08 is contributing to the tremendous research they are funding in the hereditary breast cancer—6.1 million dollars in 2008 alone.
I spent more time in the exhibit hall—bought a fair share of pink from my new friend Courtney from Pink Wings. And got to meet Lindsay Avner—the founder of Bright Pink—an organization I’ve admired for awhile.
A group of 8 of us had dinner in Downtown Disney. 
The number of fingers we’re holding up show whether we are BRCA 1 or 2. In the group, we had 3 survivors and 5 previvors (women that carry the gene but have never had cancer). We shared our stories over a fun Cuban dinner with a pitcher of Sangria and some Mojitos added to the mix. And most importantly we laughed a lot.
The day was packed with information, networking, meeting and connecting with new people. I even squeezed in a long walk around Orlando and Disney with my new friend Debbie and ended the evening with a “Pure Romance” girls night in. What a great day!
Disney magic and the magic of FORCE all in one day
Taking a break in between activities at the FORCE conference. Time to put some thoughts down on paper. 
It’s been an inspiring experience with a bit of sadness too. There are 500 people here—some are healthcare providers but most of the 500 are women with a BRCA mutation or women who are at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It’s unbelievable to hear everyone’s stories, their lives and their histories.
Last night, I met two women in their 20s here with their mother. Both women found out this past January that they carry the BRCA mutation. Now they are exploring surgery options. I can’t help but think of my own daughter when I look at these two young women and wonder where we’ll be in 15 years. I admire these women for their energy, spirit and acceptance of the genetic mutation. And I’m guessing that FORCE is helping them realize they are not alone and they do have options. That is the truly magical part of FORCE. There are so many women who’ve walked incredibly journeys— losing parents, grandmothers and siblings to cancer. And taking preventative measures like prophylactic surgeries so that they will be able to see their own children grow up.
I spent a little time walking around downtown Disney, humming to the tunes and watching families enjoy Disney. It 
was nice to leave the hotel for a bit to have some time to think and regroup. There’s no place like Disney to help you clear your head.
After my walk, I checked out the exhibit hall. There are wonderful speakers and exhibitors here sharing their knowledge and advice to show women they have options. Yesterday I had lunch with Informed Medical decisions, a company that provides genetic counseling over the phone. What a great resource if you live in a area that doesn’t have a genetics counselor or if your genetics counselor is booked for several months.
I also had the opportunity to meet a really energetic woman with da Vinci Surgery. That’s the name of the robot they used for my hysterectomy and oophrectomy. Quite honestly, I didn’t know much about how the machine worked.
And how about this research study on whether or not exercise can reduce your breast cancer risk. If you’re high risk and under 40, you can qualify. And you get a free treadmill out of the deal. The study is coming out of the University of Pennsylvania and I met the researcher behind it who inspired me to go hop on the treadmill for a little afternoon exercise. So now I’m off to find some dinner. And later to the show and tell room where I get to share my breasts with lots of other women. More tomorrow!
Another anniversary–celebrating at the FORCE conference.
One year ago today, I started another journey. My life as a patient came to a close, and my life as a breast cancer mentor, advocate, and fundraiser was kicked into high gear. Yes, a year ago today was my final breast surgery. Once again, it’s hard to believe another year has passed. And what a year. Tomorrow I will venture to Orlando for the annual FORCE conference. I can’t wait to meet many of the people I’ve communicated with over the course of the year. I’m looking forward to learning more and taking in everything the conference has to offer. I know it will be an exciting and educational weekend. I know there is so much work going on in the area of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, but yet there is so much left to do.
The top experts will be there, so if you can’t make it to the conference but have a specific question on hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, post it here. I’ll try and get some good answers to share next week.
Continue the fight against breast cancer and support the EARLY Act today!
Yesterday was a wonderful Mother’s Day. It started off with a great breakfast prepared by my husband and children and ended with a super night at the Fisher Theater seeing Annie. The kids loved it and it was fun to watch them enjoy it so much. I loved it too. In between, we had a soccer game (kids against adults because the other team did not show up). And I even scored a goal. As I went through the day, I couldn’t help but think about all the people who didn’t get to share Mother’s Day with their mother because of breast cancer. Especially the younger women diagnosed too late and leaving young children. Consider this:
• Each year, 10,000 women under age 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer.
• 1,000 of these women will die.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women under 40.
Breast cancer awareness has traditionally been focused on women over the age of 40. Today, we have the opportunity to change the faces of breast cancer awareness advertising and education by supporting the EARLY Act. I encourage you to help keep more mothers celebrating Mother’s Day with their children by sending a note to your representative. It’s simple and takes less than 5 minutes but it can change so many lives. Do it for your daughters, your sisters, your friends and your mothers. Let’s continue to fight this disease together.
Two of the many reasons why I continue to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer — my daughter and my mom.
HoneyBaked to our rescue!
Last Night, we had another great FORCE meeting and HoneyBaked provided food for us. After the meeting, I sent a thank you to our HoneyBaked contacts and realized that the letter was worth sharing on a broader scale.
Dear Wendy and Geoff,
Thank you so much for providing the delicious HoneyBaked food last night. The meeting was fantastic and each time I have one of these meetings, I realize the true power of FORCE and the importance of the ongoing success of this organization. Here’s a few highlights.
One woman attended the meeting with tears in her eyes. As a young child, she watched her mother die of breast cancer. She lost her father to Crones Disease and a brother to a heart attack. She is 33 years old, unmarried with not one single family member. Completely alone in this world except for some friends. A week ago, she found out she has the BRCA mutation giving her an up to 85% lifetime risk of breast cancer. She is prepared to have a bilateral mastectomy but her friends think she is absolutely crazy. The first place she found was the FORCE message board and after posting her story, she got returned messages from perfect strangers who told her they were there for her and completely supported her. The same thing happened in the meeting last night and she walked out feeling stronger, happier and more positive about her decision.
There was another young woman there with her sister, mother and father. She started her battle with cancer in July and is in the reconstruction phase of her breasts. She is very uncomfortable right now and worried about the final result. After the meeting, we went in the bathroom and I was able to show her what her breasts will look like when she is done. She gave me a huge hug, thanked me, and walked away so much happier. Her sister (BRCA also) has not had cancer but spent the entire meeting with tears in her eyes.
A third woman also lost her mother and most of her family members to breast and ovarian cancer. She has two young children and intends to see them grow up. She is currently battling with her insurance company to cover preventative screenings. The genetics counselors in the room stepped up to tell her that they will write letters of medical necessity to get her screenings covered. She had no idea that they would take care of this for her. We also were able to share that prophylactic surgeries are covered by insurance–most people had no idea.
These are just three of the stories. There were more and this is just one meeting in one area. I read the message boards and know the stories go on and on. Without funding, FORCE cannot continue.
In addition, I know that FORCE is 100% looking out for me and my risk factors. They are the ones making sure that research continues in the hereditary cancer and this is so incredibly important to people like me with the BRCA gene. I intend to live the rest of my life free of all cancers. And I credit FORCE for making my life better in this way.
I thank you from the very bottom of my heart for what you are doing for my organization! I am telling the world about HoneyBaked!!! I am sending my friends and family your way, blogging about you and announcing you to my Facebook friends. I’m asking them to do the same.
I wish you much success always and hope this campaign is tremendously successful for all of us!
Sincerely,
Ellyn
Ham anyone?
I’m not much of a ham eater. In fact, I think the only time I ever ate ham was in a sandwich marked turkey and I was convinced it was just very pink turkey. It really doesn’t have anything to do with my religious beliefs—even though I am Jewish and I grew up in a house that didn’t eat ham or any other pork products. Despite this, my new favorite company is HoneyBaked. If you clicked on the link, you may have already discovered why. If you haven’t, let me explain. A short while ago, 51 HoneyBaked stores in 7 states including Michigan decided to support the fight against breast cancer—this alone puts any company at the top of my list. But, HoneyBaked went one step further and supported my absolute favorite organization, FORCE. Not only are they donating money to FORCE, they are promoting awareness of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. So here I come HoneyBaked and hopefully my readers will join me too. Help support this company that is helping support me and so many others! And if you don’t eat ham, they’ve got lots of other great food. Make sure to check out their website where you can order online, print some coupons and view their catering menu. Thanks again HoneyBaked!
Is it almost May?
My all time favorite musical is “Annie”. As a child, I saw it in the theater several times. At 7 years old, we had a friend that was the understudy for Annie at the Fisher Theater. Before and after the show, I’d go to the dressing room and meet the cast—a dream come true for a 7-year old girl. As an adult (even prior to kids), I went with a couple of friends to see the show again and loved it just as much. The week my daughter was born, my mother-in-law purchased the VHS tape of the 1999 movie. I nursed my new baby and watched the movie. My kids are still watching it every now and then. And my two year old knows every word to the song “Tomorrow”. So when I found out Annie was making its way to the Fisher Theater once again and an old high school friend of mine gave me the opportunity to make it a fundraiser, I hopped at the chance. So now, I’m selling tickets to my favorite show, raising money for both FORCE and Ta Ta Breast Cancer and going with my 3 children, my parents and my in-laws on Mother’s Day. I’ve been giddy with excitement since I sent out my first emails yesterday and started to see immediate results. Can’t wait to see that cute little red head singing my favorite songs.
Why Knowledge is Definitely Power
Last night we had another great FORCE meeting at Beaumont. I always walk away from the meetings smiling. I’ve formed some really nice friendships with some of the woman in the group.
I really felt the power and importance more than ever last night. At our first meeting, there were two sisters. Their dad had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and both sisters were contemplating getting tested. Last night, all three joined us for the meeting and shared their story.
After the last meeting, they both got tested—one had the mutation and one did not. The sister with the mutation went for her initial MRI screening and was immediately diagnosed with cancer. She is currently undergoing chemo and was lucky to catch the cancer when she did. She found her cancer because of her knowledge of the BRCA gene and her risk factors. This is why we need to work to create awareness and make sure people understand how their family history can impact their lives.
Our next meeting will focus on a very challenging but necessary topic—how to talk to your kids about the BRCA gene. I’m looking forward to some professional insight and hearing ideas from the rest of the group. I will share what I can in my blog post after the meeting but if you live in Southeast Michigan, we’d love to have you join us. Come check out the power of this group for yourself.
Ellyn Davidson 