March Greetings from BB!
A Word From Our Co-Founder

Dear Friends of BB!,

 

You might think that one normally wouldn't put the word luck in the same sentence as the word cancer - unless perhaps you were describing the worst possible kind of luck, right?  Then you might be surprised, and you will definitely be touched, by the responses we received when we asked our Boobers! their thoughts about luck and cancer.  Certainly no one hears the words "You have cancer.." and then jumps for joy, but oftentimes a diagnosis takes us down a road we never expected to travel and  forces us to look within ourselves with a new set of eyes, a renewed outlook on life, and a resolve to never take anything for granted. For some, that's a stroke of luck they never saw coming and one they welcome in the midst of a mix of emotions.  

 

As I read the heartfelt responses from the women Beyond Boobs! serves, it warmed my heart.  Don't get me wrong.  Cancer is a very, very horrible and devastating disease.  Everyone one of you has probably lost someone to this dreaded disease, and we experience loss all too frequently at BB!  What encourages us and keeps us motivated to move forward is knowing that from the horrible, good can be found.  And that is why BB! exists - to help young women use their devastating diagnosis as a catalyst for positive growth and transformation.  The responses are proof that our young ladies are choosing to focus on the "good" luck that came from the "bad" luck and are taking control of their diagnoses.  I speak for the entire team when I say how lucky we feel to be able to "be there for" the women and their families. 

 

Please read the response from Melissa Powell below, a mother of two who was diagnosed at the age of  37 and is the facilitator for our Richmond Not Your Typical Support System. Then click on the link  for our blog below to read how 'luck' has crossed the paths of other Boobers!   

 

Wishing you the best of luck as you make the best of your luck,

Hugs, Mary Beth


For the Luck of Cancer?

If you were to see the scars that rest on my now flattened chest you might not consider me lucky, but you are not looking deep enough. 

If you were to watch me climb out of bed each morning stiff from the medicine that continues to keep the stalker at bay you would not consider me lucky, but you are still not looking deep enough.

If you were to sit with me as I wait for the next scan that could determine whether I will see my children grow you would not consider me lucky, but you have yet to see the miracle that has occurred. 

 

Before cancer I raced through life running towards an invisible finish line.  I often neglected to stop and look at the change in scenery, the changes in my children's faces, or the amazing beauty this life has to offer. 

Before cancer I would often put work before family, obligations before fun, and daily life before living.

Before cancer I was in a dark room with only a flashlight to see the things that surrounded me.

 

Cancer has flooded my once dark room with light.

I can now see all of the beauty that encompasses my life.

I see my children snuggled close beside me telling me of their dreams.

I can see my beautiful partner who I barely knew these last thirteen years.

I can see that quiet meditation calms my once racing mind.

I can finally see that life is now not yesterday or tomorrow but is unfolding as quickly as I type these words.

 

I was lost before cancer, floating through life like the last leaf falling from a barren tree.

I found myself in cancer and found that luck is something that surrounds you every day; you just have to turn the lights on.  ~ Boober!  Melissa Powell

 

 

BB! News

Beyond Boobs! is pleased to announce the 11 women who have been selected to appear in A Calendar to Live By 2016. We are so grateful to all 32 women who applied for consideration.  The committee considered Beyond Boobs!' educational and geographic needs in order to end up with a representative sample of ages at diagnosis, types of breast cancer, different support system locations, race and ethnicity, and family history. Please join us as we thank all of the women who applied this year and congratulate those who were selected. Our 2016 Calendar Girls are:

Mary Ashby,  Charity Breidenbach,  Jennifer Cherry,  Carrie Cook,  Tonia Gard i ner,  Katrina Keel-Saunders,  Rebecca Ostman,  Brittany Pronia,  Natalie Skinner,  Lisa Williams, and  Dionne Young

Interested in being a sponsor for our 9th Breast Health Guide disguised as a calendar? Click here to find out how!

BB! News

 A new day has dawned at BB! with the addition of a new position to our team, the Director of Development.  This is the first time in our history when we will have a dedicated staff person for development to help us be able to serve more women.  (Can you hear Rene and Mary Beth's sighs of relief?!?)  We are so pleased to announce and welcome our new Director of Development, Carolyn Cuthrell.  Carolyn brings a diverse background to BB! including a great deal of fundraising experience. She served as fundraising manager at Goodwill of Central Virginia, as development director at the Virginia Living Museum, and on numerous non-profit boards in Richmond. Her career also includes 15 years in healthcare marketing, assistant press secretary to Senator Paul S. Trible, and award-winning producer for WVEC TV in Norfolk. She and her husband reside in Williamsburg, and we are beyond excited to have her on board with us.

BB! News

A HUGE BB! THANK YOU to Jan Hall and Bill Przybysz, two longtime members of the BB! Board of Directors, for their many years of volunteer service in advancing our mission and the organization.

Jan was a founding member of the team of volunteers who first established BB!'s presence on the Southside. She joined the Board in 2010 and was instrumental in running and growing The Fashion Show, along with creating it's successor, Breast Fest; two BB! Signature Events. We shall miss Jan's drive, organizational skills, business acumen, and ability to attract supporters to BB! We applaud her for the countless hours and preparations she has given to BB!. We shall miss her energy, initiative, belief in our cause, and special pizazz.

Bill Przybysz also has been involved since early in the history of BB! as a volunteer, donor, all round Boostier!, and advisor. In 2010 he started attending Board Meetings as a consultant and came on as a Director in 2011. He subsequently took on the Chairmanship of the Strategic Planning Committee where his administrative experience has been an invaluable asset. Although retiring from the Board, Bill thankfully will continue to chair the Strategic Planning Committee. We applaud Bill for being a wonderful cheerleader for Beyond Boobs!, pushing us to grow and take leaps of faith, connecting us with invaluable resources, and for his wise counsel as a Board member and friend.

 

March Calendar Model of the Month

Donna

40, Diagnosed at 35 and 38 
No Family History

Homemaker, registered dietitian, military wife, and mother, Donna felt a large, painful lump on her left breast one month after the birth of her second son.  At her six-week follow-up, Donna's doctor told her she was too young to get breast cancer, breast cancer doesn't hurt, lactating women don't get breast cancer, and to wait three months after finishing nursing to return. Donna nursed her son for 13 months before seeking a second opinion (fibrocystic disease?) and a third (inflammation from a leaking milk duct?). Trusting her instincts, Donna pressed for a mammogram (inconclusive) and then a needle biopsy which returned a diagnosis of stage 3 triple negative breast cancer - 18 months after finding the lump!  Read more and hear Donna's story here...

Calendar This!
Annual "Breast" Ball Golf Tournament 
April 17, 2015 Williamsburg, VA
for more information 

A Calendar to Live By 2016 Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
Help us save lives by becoming a sponsor in our breast health guide disguised as a calendar.
Click HERE to view many to help! 


Calendar This!
Breast Fest & The Mr. Breast Fest Competition
May 9, 2015 
Virginia Beach, VA
Click HERE for a full page flyer or HERE for sponsorship opportunities.
Recipe of the Month

Potato, Mushroom, and Leek Croquettes
Courtesy of MyRecipes.com

March Sponsor of the Month

Not Your Typical Support Systems
Did you know that Beyond Boobs! now has 13 Not Your Typical Support Systems in four states?
For a listing of support systems, click HERE !
Special Thanks to This Year's Sustaining Sponsors
      

If you are interested in becoming a sustaining sponsor, call our office at 757.645.2649

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Beyond Boobs! is dedicated to healing and saving lives by supporting young women diagnosed with breast cancer while providing breast health education for all.
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