The Experts Weigh In: The Healing Power of Giving

Today my good friend Heather Cooper would like to share a few words about something very close to her heart. 

With no further ado, Heather...

BY: HEATHER COOPER, CONTRIBUTOR

We probably all know someone who's had cancer. Sadly, cancer has left a personal imprint on my heart, as my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 17 years ago. When she received her diagnosis, she decided to immediately take care of the spot on her breast. At the time, the doctor suggested a lumpectomy because the cancerous spot was very small, but my mother opted for a mastectomy, fearing the cancer would come back down the road. She underwent the procedure and had full confidence that she had rid herself of breast cancer.

Fast forward to last February... my mother was admitted to the hospital after taking a fall. The tumble led to a subdural hematoma (ie. blood in her brain), which triggered seizures. They gave her medication for the seizures and she had an operation for the blood in her brain, but still, she was not getting any better. The doctors decided to do a bone marrow biopsy to see if something else could be going on beneath the surface. To our surprise, they relayed that her breast cancer had come back and was already at Stage 4.

I was shocked and full of emotion. I honestly couldn't believe that it was possible! My mother began treatment for her cancer while in the hospital, but sadly mom passed away this past April, after being in the Intensive Care Unit for almost six weeks. I cannot help but think that she shouldn't have spent the last few weeks of her life this way.

Since she passed, I have a growing desire to make a difference in EVERY area of cancer, especially breast cancer. In October, I participated in the Avon Walk with my sister, and I'm proud to report that we covered 39.2 miles in 2 days. It was such an exhilarating, powerful experience that made us both feel so close to her. Cancer will always connect me to my mother.

For the New Year, I have committed to running the New York Half Marathon on March 17th and have also signed up for the full NYC Marathon next November. I will be running for Fred's Team because they donate 100% of their proceeds to cancer and they allow me to designate which cause the funds go towards.

I am confident that my experience running and training for these races will allow me to feel close to my mom while also knowing that I am making a difference in someone else's life.

I wanted to share my story with you today to raise awareness but also to encourage you to give to a cause that means something to you. The month of February is all about love... it's a great time to consider giving to others!

And it's true, every gift matters - no matter how big or small.

Heather Cooper lives in New York City and works in the big crazy world of Manhattan real estate. Heather was actually MY broker a few years ago and rented me a lovely little apartment on the Upper East Side. She also succeeded in getting me a job. Now that's the kind of broker you want to work with! In her free time, you can find Heather training for the New York Half Marathon and helping others reach their full potential through Landmark Education. She's quite the busy lady!





One last thing... I know there are many of you out there with similar connections to a cause that hits close to home. One of my goals this year is to use my blog for good, and that's where you come in. If you have a story you'd like to share on my blog in an effort to publicize an issue or raise money for a cause, I'd love to give you the opportunity to share your story in my recurring post Highlight on Giving. Just drop me a line at lauren@strictlynutritious.com. 

Highlight on Giving: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

For this month's 'Highlight on Giving' feature, I've asked one of my readers Kate Sanders to share a cause that's near and dear to her heart. If you have a cause that you'd like to write about on the blog, please drop me a line through the 'Contact Me' page! With no further ado, Kate's article...

BY: KATE SANDERS, CONTRIBUTOR

I'll never forget the first thought that ran through my head the day I found out that my grandfather had leukemia: Isn't that something that children get?. I didn't know anything about blood cancers or that there was even such a thing. All I knew was that one of my heroes - a person I deemed indestructible throughout my childhood - now had this horrible disease. When I received the news, I immediately called a friend who just happened to work with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I knew she could put my mind at ease and give me more information about these types of cancer. I now know that blood cancers affect the entire human population. I call it an "equal opportunity" cancer.

Image courtesy of lls.org

Strangely enough, that diagnosis altered the course of not only my life, but also my career. Six months after my grandfather's diagnosis, I found myself moving back to my hometown of Augusta, Georgia, and accepting a job with LLS. While working at LLS, I've learned that...

• Every 4 minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and every 10 minutes, someone loses their battle.
• Over a million Americans currently live with a blood cancer.
• Leukemia is the #1 disease killer in children and young adults under the age of 20.
• Blood cancers are the #3 cancer killers in North America. Only cancers of the respiratory and digestive systems are more deadly.

I'm proud to report that 78.1% of every dollar that LLS raises goes directly towards our mission: to cure leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, Hodgkin's disease and other blood cancers AND to improve quality of life for patients and their families. Blood cancers are almost never preventable, so we focus on finding better treatment options and ultimately, a cure. Just last year, over $76 million was invested in blood cancer research. The blood cancer research that is being conducted all over the world through LLS grants and through our Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) is changing the way we treat cancer every day. We are in a very exciting time!

Fifty cancer drugs have been approved since 2000. Of those 50, 21 were approved to treat one or more blood cancers (and LLS helped to advance most of them!). About half of these drugs are now being tested to treat other types of cancer and even autoimmune diseases.

In addition to funding research, LLS funds patient service programs and offers co-pay assistance and other financial assistance to blood cancer patients. This year, LLS was able to provide patients with over $44 million in co-pay assistance, providing financial relief for medication co-pays and other insurance related expenses.

Asking people to donate is a hard thing to do, especially with the economy the way it is right now. Considering this, the overwhelming amount of support for LLS coming from my local community over the past three years has been nothing short of astonishing. It's humbling to be part of a community of resilient people who come together to fight for the cause.

On September 22nd, over 2,200 people gathered together for our local Light The Night Walk in Augusta, Georgia. This year was especially difficult for many of us because a few of our veteran teams are now walking in memory of the person that they were formerly walking with. One such team was walking in memory of our 2011 Light The Night Honored Patient, a local 18-year-old boy who lost his 10 year battle to leukemia in July. This young man and his mother were the first patient family that I met when I started the job, and he is one of the people I refer to as "my kids", the pediatric patients who I have become attached to. To say his death was devastating for me and our local LLS family would be a gross understatement. I want to take this moment to publicly thank him and his mother (along with all the other patients who I have had the privilege to work with) for being examples of how to live my life and how to love.

Of all the things I've learned in this job - statistics, survival rates and treatment protocols - the one thing that is truly immeasurable is the human spirit and our ability to fight and rise up from insurmountable odds. I came into this job hoping to leave my small footprint on the path to a cure and to help change the lives of patients battling these diseases. Instead, it is much more likely that MY life has been forever altered by these people. For that, I will be forever grateful.

If you would like to donate to my Light The Night page, click here.

And most importantly, I am happy to report that my grandfather completed his chemotherapy (even receiving a drug that LLS helped to fund!), and he is currently in remission. He is living proof that there is hope for those dealing with blood cancers.

For more information on blood cancers, please visit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Highlight on Giving: Prostate Cancer Foundation

Image courtesy of www.prostatecancerfoundation.com

Charitable giving is somewhat of a touchy subject in New York, at least for me. This is a city where you are constantly asked to spare a dollar, a dime, even a penny. I can't walk through Midtown Manhattan without being stopped by some sort of organization, asking if I will donate to their particular cause. This happens so often here that I suspect most of us start to tune out the cries for help. How do we know our money will be used responsibly? How can we be sure that the person receiving it will not squander it? At the end of the day, giving is a very hard sea to navigate...

...Especially when you feel that you have nothing TO give. Maybe you're struggling with the loss of a job or a job that doesn't pay well (been there, done that). Maybe you have a family to feed OR maybe you really, really need that pair of Christian Louboutin heels (hey, I'm not here to judge). We all have things vying for the attention of our wallets, but I've found that if you give of your money or your time, it will come back to you ten-fold. This has proven true in my own life (as I was not always a consistent giver), and I'm sure it will prove true in yours.

Image courtesy of 180coaching.blogspot.com

Initial studies have suggested that the act of giving seems to stimulate the part of the brain associated with pleasure. The more you give, the more satisfaction you feel. A study done by the Harvard Business School found that happier people tend to give more, and in turn, giving makes people happier. It's what you call a positive feedback loop.

Today will be the first post in a regular series on my blog. I know many of you have connections to charities, causes or even people that need our support. I'd like to write about those causes in my recurring post 'Highlight on Giving'. My hope is that if you are inspired by a story and feel a personal connection to it, then maybe you will find it in your heart to give AND can feel good about doing it. 

And please... if you know of a cause or a person in need, reach out to me directly through the 'Contact Me' tab on the homepage and I would be happy to include them in a future post.

Linda and Howard Cleveland

This week, I'd like to start with a cause that hits very close to home, down the street to be exact. I lived in the same neighborhood my whole life and grew up playing on the cul-de-sac with the Cleveland Family - Howard, Linda, Curtis and Hannah. Linda is my mother's best friend, and I consider the Cleveland's my other family. Two years ago, Howard was diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer. He was experiencing abdominal pain and problems with frequent urination. After a few days of doctor visits, CT scans confirmed that Howard had prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer was discovered after it had invaded the bone and lymph nodes, making surgery out of the question. Instead, Howard was given a shot of Lupron, a female hormone treatment (in the treatment of prostate cancer, female hormones are used to attack the testosterone levels and hopefully curb the cancer growth, but men undergoing the treatment unfortunately start to experience symptoms of menopause).

After receiving his first Lupron shot, Howard began seeing an Oncologist. He was kept on the shots every 3 months, but after about 6 months, his body started to build defenses against the drug, making it less effective. At this point, his doctor decided to supplement the Lupron shots with radiation to the spine and regular chemo treatments. Thankfully, Howard tolerated the chemo well. It made him tired, and he began losing his hair, but he responded fairly well considering. During this period he also started a new drug (at the whopping cost of $5,800/month), but it quickly became ineffective and the cancer on his spine began to grow again. After receiving 10 more rounds of radiation, Howard began to experience major issues. He lost almost 40 lbs., along with a lot of muscle mass. His energy levels dropped drastically as well.

The runners who participated in the Dash4Dad event this summer (Hannah Cleveland is in the very front row, far left).

But the good news is that Howard has begun working with a physical therapist to build up his strength and for the past 3 months, he has been on a new clinical trial drug, which he has responded very favorably to. Just recently the drug was approved for production so more men will be able to benefit from its use.

Curtis Cleveland, far right.

Howard and his family are taking things day by day. This summer, they formed a team for the Dash4Dad Atlanta 5K in celebration of Howard and some other members of the family who had been diagnosed. Their team, Flo Mo, raised over $9,000 and was second in the country for fundraising for the event. 

I wish I could have been there. Honestly, when I received the news about Howard, I was devastated. I can't express how much this man means to me. Howard is my biggest fan (well, other than my own parents) and I am his! Even in the midst of dealing with cancer, he is a pure joy to be around.

In honor of Howard's 64th birthday on September 29th AND because it is Prostate Awareness Month, I'd like to invite you to give to the Prostate Cancer Foundation if you feel led.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the leading philanthropic organization funding prostate cancer research globally. They provide funding for research, as well as support for families dealing with the cancer prognosis. They are an established organization with full financial transparency when it comes to fund allocation. Check them out on Charity Navigator.

If you would like to donate, you can do so here: Donate Now. If you would like to send a note to Howard with your gift, send me a message via the 'Contact Me' page, and I will happily provide the address.

If you choose to give, please accept my deepest gratitude. If you offer up a prayer for Howard instead, I'll be equally as grateful. Thank you.

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another." - Charles Dickens