Imagine that you have a really great friend or an aunt and you spend lots of time with them. They are your ‘BFF’, the person you always talk to. Each day, they are a part of your life through a text, a shopping trip, or a patio night together. 

Now, imagine your face when they say, ” I did not want to tell you this, I am trying to come to terms with it, but, I have breast cancer.” Suddenly, a life you knew with them, goes spinning into a tornado funnel, your hands get cold, you freeze for a moment as if time is standing still. Your initial reaction is to reach out and hug them.

It’s time for all-out support, love, laughter and the words, “we will fight this together!” The question you need to ask is how do we work towards the goal of a world without breast cancer? Is there a way to help in making a real difference in the fight against breast cancer?

There is. Let those cold hands move to a warm heart. You can help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer and I am about to share how!

Help Make A Difference In The Fight Against Breast Cancer

There’s no greater gift than joining together, standing united and working to fight against breast cancer. We all want good things for others and ourselves, spread the love! Today, I am writing about something very near and dear to my heart, for a fight we need to win! Please read on!

Anything that hurts us makes us stronger. Cutting words, awful diseases, loss, it all adds up in our bank of, “How Can I Make A Difference!” To be honest, when I heard the words, ” I have breast cancer from my Aunt and from one of my closest friends, I lost it.

No words, no feelings, just a rush of thoughts, a flushing warm feeling in my cheeks, and then the overwhelming sensation of, ” I am going to fight with you to survive!”

My Own Scare 

Unfortunately, many can relate to having someone tell you that they have breast cancer, but when it brushes your life realm, it gets even more ugly.  If you have read my stories before, I had critical infections in my breast. The bigger the breast, the bigger the issue. There was no way to stop it because big, left rashes, untreatable, itchy, painful and recurrent week after week.

Then, I had to have the breasts reduced, and while I thought the troubled stopped there, almost ONE year exactly to the date of breast reduction surgery, it happened. There was an undeniable lump under my right armpit. My OB/GYN made an appointment for me right after seeing her to get it checked. Fearful after the scan that it was cancer, I was sent to the surgeon.

Initially, the surgeon said, ‘we can let this sit and see’ then, a day after the appointment, he called me, “We can’t take any chances because I just had another patient with the same, opened her up took out the lump and it was cancer.

We need to operate immediately.” Now imagine my head, spinning with emotions, my feet barely touching the ground after the call, and just grasping for a way to breath through this. Then I gathered myself and got the surgery, finding out the mass was the size of a grapefruit. That was awful! It’s out, and the best news… Cancer Free.

Support For Fighting Breast Cancer 

Now, here’s how to help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer and it’s easier than you may think! Go Pink.  Pink is my favorite color and anytime I see the ‘Go Pink’ emblem I purchase the merchandise in support of fighting for breast cancer. There are a lot of ways to help!

Understand Who Susan G. Komen® Is 

Susan G. Komen®’s mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

Valpak And Dedication To The Cause 

Who is familiar with the iconic Valpak Blue Envelope? Valpak is going Pink in support of Komen’s mission to save lives and end breast cancer. Their mission is a dedication to making a big difference collectively in all the communities they interact with across North America.

Valpak cares, and by taking action towards finding a cure for breast cancer, they know it takes a village and North America is one heck of a village! We are strong united! Valpak has a vision of a world where no one dies of breast cancer. We Can Do This!

So, the blue envelope turning pink amplifies awareness of a common vision, we all know the Go Pink color symbolizes seeking a cure towards breast cancer. Local awareness comes from all of us in the communities, as we help to fund the fight and end breast cancer. The partnership of Valpak is to support those who will be diagnosed and those that have been diagnosed and their families. Breast cancer is ugly!

What Is Valpak Doing? 

In 2018, Valpak will donate at least $50,000 to Komen and will encourage donations and support activations through local and corporate partners. 

Valpak’s pink envelope will highlight celebrity chef Sandra Lee, a breast cancer survivor and advocate for women’s health, as a “More Than Pink® Hero.” The pink envelope will introduce related sweepstakes, inviting consumers to nominate a hero who has taken action in the fight against breast cancer.

25 Lucky Winners Get a set of pink KitchenAid Appliances

Throughout the month of October, Valpak will share the submitted stories and ultimately 25 lucky winners will each receive a set of pink KitchenAid appliances in support of Cook for the Cure®. The set includes a stand mixer, blender, 2-speed hand blender and a 5-speed hand mixer with a total retail value of over $800.  

The nationwide October Valpak envelope will also feature a special surprise for 500 lucky recipients, who will instantly win an immersion blender courtesy of KitchenAid by looking through their pink Valpak envelopes and finding a die-cut certificate shaped like an immersion blender

What Do You Need To Do 

Join the Valpak team and race for the cure in your community while celebrating survivorship and honoring those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Donating Makes A Difference

There are a lot of ways to help. The easiest way for those in a time pinch is monetary!   Susan G. Komen has created an exclusive $5 off registration promo code specifically for the DealPro Network. Use code DealPro during registration (it is case sensitive)! 

More than just pink – no matter how large or small your donation is, it is a donation, it is help! Help is what makes a difference! Use this donation link to Valpak Goes Pinkto make an impact!

Different Ways To Help Through Events with Komen.

Race for the Cure – 

Sign Up For Race Here.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the world’s largest and most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer ever created.

The series of 5K runs and fitness walks raises significant funds and awareness for the breast cancer movement, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease. The Komen Race Series welcomes people of all ages and fitness levels, from walkers to elite runners.

More Than Pink Walk

A handful of locations across the country were chosen to pilot test a new Susan G. Komen More Than Pink® Walk event, which along with a new name, will include a fresh new look and experience, focused on energizing the community around the lifesaving work Komen’s supporters make possible.

The biggest difference is that the More Than Pink Walk will no longer have a run element. We believe the new walk will create a greater sense of community among participants and provide a more personalized, emotional experience for all who attend.

By focusing on the walk, we can maximize the number of funds raised by the event to support our work to save lives and end breast cancer. This change is part of the ongoing evolution of Susan G. Komen and builds on Komen’s successful and engaging More Than Pink brand platform first introduced in 2016 with the premise that if pink = awareness, then More Than Pink = action.

Being More Than Pink is a proactive call to do more in the fight against breast cancer – MORE for research, MORE for our communities, MORE for caring for those living with breast cancer – especially metastatic breast cancer – and give MORE encouragement to take action to find the cures.

Komen 3-Day

For those that like to walk, and use it for challenges, this is you! A three-day, 60-mile walk that’s making a real difference in the fight against breast cancer. In 2016, Susan G. Komen® announced a Bold Goal—to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50% in the U.S. by 2026.

That’s why we walk, and why we raise money—to make that goal a reality. 

PINK

Remember, Pink is more than just a color; it represents the impact that each person is making in the fight against breast cancer. This impact makes you More Than Pink®. Over the past 15 years and 163 events, the money we’ve raised has been used to help save lives, support community programs, and make huge strides in breast cancer research.

I ask each and every one of you to donate, participate and help to fight against breast cancer. Together is power. ~ Dana XO

 

This post is sponsored by Valpak, the story is my own!