Facing MBC: Kelli Davis Says “Not Today”

Facing MBC: Kelli Davis Says "Not Today"

Metastatic Breast Cancer, MBC for short, is Stage IV breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to another organ or part of the body and is incurable. Approximately 1 in 3 women with early stage breast cancer will develop Metastatic Breast Cancer, and six percent of patients have MBC at first diagnosis, known as “de novo.” Medical advancements have enabled people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer to live longer with a better quality of life. I had the honor of interviewing Kelli Davis, an MBC Thriver, for my podcast Fearless Fabulous Tips for Healthy Living (iHeart Radio). Kelli was

Read more

Char None! Healthy Tips for High Heat Cooking

Char None! Healthy Tips for High Heat Cooking

I’ve never been much of a fried food fan but I love the crispy edges of burnt toast and pizza crust, seared salmon skin and grilled veggies. When I was a meat eater we’d always asked for the flavorful “burnt ends” of the barbecued brisket or pork butt. Grilling and barbecues are cooking rites of summer. But high heat and open flame cooking can cause a chemical reaction in some foods that is potentially carcinogenic. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website: Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals formed when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish,

Read more

This Cancer Survivor Found Her Sweet Spot

This Cancer Survivor Found Her Sweet Spot

June is National Cancer Survivors Month.  According to the American Cancer Society, there are  nearly 14.5 million Americans with a history of cancer.  As a breast cancer survivor I believe in healthy thriver-ship and sharing inspiring stories about fellow survivors. This month I will introduce you to a few survivors who will share their life lessons. Monday June 6 on Fearless Fabulous You! Meet Loren Brill, founder of Sweet Loren’s. After beating cancer at a young age Loren became conscious of what she was putting into her body. Loren decided to cut out hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, most dairy, and anything she couldn’t pronounce!

Read more

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

You’ve heard this line before probably: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It was a lesson I learned a few years ago facing cancer and my father’s death in the same year, all while rebuilding a business.  I believe these four things formed the foundation that kept me grounded: Faith, Fortitude, Focus and  Fearlessness. They also helped lift me up and re-channel my energy to become an advocate for putting your self-health first and self-worth first. “Advocacy” is a sensitive word with a powerful backbone. People who become advocates are driven by a passion usually inspired by a turning point that impacts

Read more

I Screen. You Screen. We All Need To Screen.

I Screen. You Screen. We All Need To Screen.

It was the first and last time I’d bare my derriere for a man I’d just met, but this was for a a colonoscopy, and I believe in taking care of my health.  The last time I had this done was Thanksgiving week 2009 with my internist who was also my gastroenterologist at the time under another health insurance plan. This doctor was arranged by my wonderful oncologist, Maria Theodoulou. She’s my doctor yenta; I look up to her to fix me up with the right specialists to tend to my well-being. It was like a medical blind date without much

Read more

When the Cancer Doctor Becomes the Cancer Patient- Lessons Shared by Dr. Susan Love

When the Cancer Doctor Becomes the Cancer Patient- Lessons Shared by Dr. Susan Love

Dr. Susan Love, author of the best selling “Dr Susan Love’s Breast Book” and founder of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, has made it her life’s mission to pursue research to find both a cause and cure for this disease which affects 1 in eight women. Her commitment to help end cancer became even more clear when Dr. Love was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012 and experienced being The Cancer Patient. I heard Dr. Love discuss her personal experience and how it impacted her view as a medical professional at the 2013 National Women’s Cancer Survivor Convention in Nashville. I was taken by

Read more

Getting Things Off My Chest: A Bitter Pill To Swallow: The Cost of Getting Sick

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 I was running a successful wine and food public relations agency, eating at the top restaurants and visiting the world’s great wine regions. Five years later, I came to a point where I considered applying for food stamps. My income was dried up and I was behind on my house payments. How did this happen to me? I learned I was not alone and should not be ashamed. I decided to speak out and learn more. According to a University of Michigan study  25 percent of breast cancer survivors reported financial

Read more

Fearless Fabulous Women: Ann Ogden Gaffney: Cook for Your Life

In the early 1990s, fashion industry executive Ann Odgen Gaffney found herself cooking and caring for a designer in the industry fighting AIDS, The experience taught her to be fearless which was especially helpful when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2001. Fortunately, Ann recovered following her surgery and her life went back to a new normal….well, sort of. A second diagnosis of unrelated breast cancer came later and was a more difficult journey with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Ann learned from this experience that cooking was solace and nutrition was essential to manage side effects from treatment and support

Read more

From Hospice to Healthy: This Former Air Force Colonel Fought Ovarian Cancer and Won

Deanna Won  is a former U.S. Air Force Colonel and physicist who specialized in electro-optics and lasers for over 26 years. She worked in space launch, missile defense, biological defense and NATO operations.  But no military training prepared her for a battle with ovarian cancer. “When I was 45 years old, I experienced excruciating pain in my abdomen and had trouble breathing, which landed me in the hospital, where even the morphine could not reduce any of my pain,” says Deanna. “When I found out that I had ovarian cancer, I made the immediate decision to completely change my nutrition and diet to an

Read more

SHARE Provides Peer Support for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer

Most people are aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but how many of you are also aware that September Is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month?  At the end of this article I have provided a graph to give you a brief understanding of the impact both breast and ovarian cancer have on women in the United States of all ages and backgrounds, What’s important to also understand is that if you or a loved one is diagnosed with either disease, you don’t have to feel alone. There is an amazing support network available through organizations like SHARE, a non-profit whose mission

Read more

Breast Cancer Is Not Just One Disease- Fearless Fabulous You Aug 17

Many people, including myself until I was diagnosed in August 2009, never really understand the complexity of breast cancer, which affects 1 in 8 women. Breast cancer impacts women- and men- of all ages and cultural backgrounds. While lifestyle choices may help reduce your risk, there are many factors that can be related to a breast cancer diagnosis such as genetics and family history, but there is no one cause. And anyone who is diagnosed with breast cancer should not feel any blame or shame, or a  “what if” or “if only” mind set. The focus should be on getting the best treatment

Read more