Fix-It and Forget-It Pink Cookbook (3 page)

When I was first diagnosed, the first thing I did was to go home, go onto the Avon Walk message board, and put my message out there. The women reached out to me and gave me advice and support.

The cancer and mastectomy are the most challenging experiences I've ever been through. Chris and I have four children; our oldest was 19 at the time.

Losing my breasts changed me hugely. I was 41. I was in a very happy and intimate relationship with my husband. But he told me that no matter how my body changed, he would still love me. And he never failed in that.

Noelle, with her husband, Chris

When I lost my hair, I was clearly a cancer patient. I couldn't hide that loss under a shirt. People looked at me with such pity.

I had been an active person. I'd done half-marathons. While going through chemo, I gained 35 pounds. I felt like a freak. I was always very go-go-go, keeping myself very busy. But when I was in chemo, I couldn't be busy.

On the days when my mom was helping me, my dad would often stop in. He passed away the week before my last chemo. I was so glad for the special times I got to spend with him, which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been sick. It's been a big lesson for me—slow down and enjoy your family and friends. They aren't going to be here forever.

“My husband told me that no matter how my body changed, he would still love me. He never made me feel like a freak when I had no hair and no breasts.”

In the fall of 2009, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force recommended changing mammography screening guidelines, which was met with mixed reviews from medical experts, advocates, and the public.

The Avon Foundation continues to support guidelines recommended by expert groups—American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology and others—including:

• Breast self exam (BSE)—Experts now recommend BSE as optional but encourage all women to become familiar with their own bodies and watch for changes. BSE is an option for women starting in their 20s. You should report any changes in your breast health to your medical provider right away.
  
• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as a part of their periodic health exam by a health professional, preferably every 3 years. (Community based groups that can help link you to CBE can be found at
  www.avonbreastcare.org
  )
  
• Women of average risk should begin annual screening mammography at age 40 and continue annual screening mammography for as long as the woman is in good health. (Programs to link you to mammography providers can be found by visiting
  www.avonbreastcare.org
  )
  
• And don't forget, men can get breast cancer, too!
  
• Talk to your doctor about your risk and when you should start screening.
  

BREAST CANCER FACTS

• More than 240,000 women and 1,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. each year.
  
• One person is diagnosed approximately every 3 minutes, and one person dies of breast cancer approximately every 14 minutes.
  
• People over the age of 50 account for 76% of breast cancer cases, while only 5% of breast cancer diagnoses are in people under the age of 40 and 18% are in their 40s.
  
• More than 40,000 women and 400 men die each year from the disease.
  
• There are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
  
• The majority of breast cancers found today are “hormone receptor positive,” and excellent treatments exist. Nearly 1 out of 5 breast cancers diagnosed will be HER2-positive breast cancer, a form that tends to grow and spread more aggressively than other breast cancer.
  

MORE FACTS

• 43% of breast cancer patients skip treatments because they can't afford them.
  
• 5 African American women die needlessly from breast cancer every day because they do not have access to care.
  
• Government-backed breast cancer screening supports only 20%, or 1 in 5, eligible low-income women.
  
• Only 26% of uninsured women over the age of 40 had a mammogram within the past year, compared to 56% of insured women. This means that more uninsured women risk a late-stage diagnosis and worse outcomes.
  

Barbara Jo Kirshbaum: 9-City Avon Walker

Barbara Jo Kirshbaum has done more than 120 long-distance walks in the crusade against breast cancer and has raised more than $1.45 million. She has done all 9 of the Avon Walks year after year.

Makes 12-15 servings • Prep Time: 20-30 minutes • Baking Time: 40-45 minutes

2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

½ cup grated coconut

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

4 beaten eggs

¾ cup buttermilk

2 cups grated carrots

2 cups flour

2½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. allspice

2 tsp. baking soda

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, nuts, coconut, pineapple, eggs, buttermilk, and carrots.
   
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, allspice, and baking soda.
   
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well mixed.
   
4. Pour into well greased and floured 9” x 13” baking pan, or 2 8” round baking pans.
   
5. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes, or until tester stuck in middle of cake comes out clean.
   

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ stick (¼ cup) butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla or lemon flavoring

1 cup powdered sugar

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until creamy and well blended.
   
2. Blend in powdered sugar until creamy.
   
3. Frost slightly warm cake.
   

“You'll see this has our name in the title. It's a favorite family recipe!”

9-CITY AVON WALKER

When I turned 60 in 1998, I wanted a physical challenge. I had just done the Los Angeles marathon when I heard about the breast cancer walks. I am a marriage and family counselor, and my husband was a physician. It wasn't about the breast cancer cause or about fundraising. It was about exercise for me.

When I heard you were expected to fund­raise, I decided not to do the Walk. But I kept thinking about it, wondering if I could raise any money even though I'm not a breast cancer   survivor. So that became my second challenge. I put together a letter in which I listed things I had done through the years to challenge myself. I used that as my hook. I raised $17,000 that first year.

In 2002, I signed up to do all nine of Avon's City Walks. I was growing emotionally attached to these events! In 2008 I did 15 walks, and I reached the million-dollar total that year. My husband, Bob, was a major part of the effort. He came to every event I participated in, putting up 60 signs each time.

In 2009, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer; he survived 10 months. He said on the day he was diagnosed, “I want you to keep doing this. And when
I die, I want people to make donations to the Avon Foundation, instead of giving flowers.”

One woman told me recently that when she saw an article in the paper about my fundraising and walking, she was reminded that she hadn't had a mammogram in a while. So she went – and she had breast cancer. She said I saved her life. That's why I do this.

Every year something amazing happens. One year a man, who was a senior himself, was participating. His elderly mother had given him a $100 bill and told him to give it to someone who especially inspired him on the Walk. He gave it to me, and then he bought Bob's and my flights to the next Walk. I've been so fortunate.

I walk because I can't walk away.

“I walk because I can't walk away.”

Each Avon Walk is 2 days and 39 miles and ­celebrates a decade of life-changing advances and focusing our energy and power on the future fight against breast cancer.