Weekend Wrap-Up: The Resilience of the Human Spirit

My weekend was nothing short of humbling. The states of New York and New Jersey are wounded right now. Our neighbors are suffering. No, I am not just talking about power outages and restaurant closings (hello, first world problems). I'm talking about life and death situations. People have lost loved ones. One woman in Staten Island watched as the flood waters stripped her two babies (ages 2 and 4) from her arms. Countless people watched as fire consumed their homes in Breezy Point. People in the East Village have been forced to dumpster dive because there's not enough food and water to go around. To put it frankly, many people have lost everything.

Yehua, Evelyn, Kristi and Adam making the trek to Red Hook early Saturday morning, coffee in hand.

On Saturday, Adam and I joined our friends Kristi, Evelyn and Yehua to volunteer in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a waterfront neighborhood that was ravaged by the flood waters. We started by giving out FEMA food packages to people in the community. Then we reported to a volunteer post that had been canvassing the neighborhood to find people in need of manpower and supplies. 

The amazing volunteer turn out at the post in Red Hook...you can't see it but the line wrapped around the block.

We had the opportunity to talk to a group of men who's apartment building was so structurally unsound that it had been condemned and locked tight by the NYFD. Instead of leaving their home, they chose to camp out in front of it until they had a chance to get back in and get their possessions out. One of them had lived there for 49 years and felt that even if he had to sleep on his doorstep, THIS was his home and he should protect it.

Piles and piles of trash that the city has yet to pick up.

Fallen trees crushing a fence.

The piles of trash we saw were only rivaled by the Blizzard of 2010.

So many possessions waterlogged and ruined.

Fallen trees at Coffey Park.

After speaking with them, we canvassed the neighborhood for people in need and found an older couple who needed help clearing out the mess that was now their basement. The basement had been full of clothes, furniture and mementos, which were all now ruined and soaked through. We spent most of the day helping them haul everything out and then shoveling up the sludge and water in the basement.

Kenny (on the left) giving me one very telling face for the camera. Kenny's basement was destroyed from the water.
(P.S. Sometimes breaking for Budweiser is the only way to keep the morale up.)

This is why we had to break for Budweiser. So many things lost to water.

Turns out, we were working alongside the owners of Brooklyn Crab, a fairly new waterfront restaurant in Red Hook that was surprisingly unscathed by the storm. Being the good people that they are, they opened the restaurant at noon and served the community free lunch and free beer. It was so heartening to see strangers pulling together, helping each other out and finding a reason to laugh and be thankful in the face of this disaster.

Lunch at Brooklyn Crab, on the house. Good people, those Brooklyn Crab guys!

As we walked home Saturday, I found my eyes filling with tears. As we got closer and closer to home, the scenery started to look normal again. People were 'brunching', children were playing on the playground, friends were gathering together to enjoy the weekend. While all these things are well and good (and part of recovery), I couldn't help but think that these very people might not realize that their neighbors (just less than a mile away) really needed their help.

The line to get free food and water at a local church.

On Sunday, we found ourselves in Staten Island, which was hit even harder by the hurricane. The beachfront homes and businesses there face a long road when it comes to rebuilding. We grabbed supplies at Costco, delivered them to some neighborhoods in need and then helped our friends deliver homemade chili to three locations along the water. People had been working so hard that they honestly forgot to eat, and on top of that, it was getting very cold.

Katie, Ari and I supply hunting at the biggest place around. 

One of the neighborhoods that got hit badly. 

Piles of trash by the waterfront.

This volunteer post and donation center was rockin' and rollin' all day long through the wind and cold.

Downed power lines all over. 

There is so much trash that they are now making the beach parking lot into a temporary landfill.

Lots of big trucks and machinery being deployed to clear debris and fix lines.

Adam serving up chili to volunteers and people in need.

I want to personally thank all of you who helped donate to our 'Hurricane Sandy Staten Island Brigade' cause via Facebook. We raised over $1,000 dollars and anything else that is donated going forward will be used to buy supplies as they are needed. If you'd still like to donate, there's still time. You can click here.

I encourage you to find it in your heart to offer a helping hand. If you live in New York, please understand that these operations aren't ceasing because power is back on and people are back to work. There is so much work to be done for weeks and months to come.  These people need our help. Shelters need volunteers to make and distribute food, neighborhoods need us to help them clean up debris on the street and in homes, victims need us to offer a hug, a kind word and a prayer. And if you haven't heard, a Nor'easter is on the way, which means that many of these displaced families will face yet another very scary situation because of the cold. 

If you are not in New York, please find it in your hearts to donate money to the cause. There's our fundraiser above, as well as many other organizations taking donations. A quick Google search will send you well on your way. If you love animals and would like to help provide for the many cats displaced by the storm, you can make a donation through KittyKind by clicking here.

I hope you are all safe and warm! Thank you for your prayers and all the donations you have made to my friends and neighbors! We appreciate you so much. As I begin school this month at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and continue to help my neighbors in need, I will be posting a bit less frequently on the blog (hopefully 3-4 times/week) going forward. I'm hoping that the extra time spent learning more intricate nutrition concepts will provide me with more knowledge to share with you! So hang in there with me and wish me luck!

Walter decided to join me for a much-needed afternoon nap post-clean up.

Decided to end the day with some hot tea because on top of it all, I had a nasty cold.

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