Posts by Morra:

    National Minority Cancer Awareness Week

    April 23rd, 2010

    Renee Ross, Blogger Advisory Council Member, at the Cutie Booty Cakes:

    I think everyone knows someone that has survived or succumbed to cancer. I’ve written in the past about my Aunt Helen who passed away when I was 15 after a battle with leukemia. Her brother, my grandfather also died of cancer and I have numerous friends that have been diagnosed with varying types of cancers. Some have survived but many have not.

    Because of the impact that cancer has had on people that I care for deeply in my life, I jumped at the opportunity to become a member of the American Cancer Society Bloggers Advisory Council. And armed with the knowledge that African Americans have the highest death rates of any racial or ethnic groups in the US, I feel it is important for me to lend my voice and time to getting information out to educate others about this problem.

    As most regular readers of my blog know, I have personally been on a journey to healthy living in a very consistent manner since November of last year. By exercising and eating right, not only I have I lost 42 pounds but I am decreasing my likelihood for developing cancer. After many years, I have also recommitted myself to having annual health screenings, something that many people do not do. Unfortunately, because of a lack of health screenings, many times cancer is diagnosed at late stages in the African American community.

    I implore you to investigate your family history, have annual checkups and have screenings for any cancers that you may be at risk for. If you don’t exercise consistently aim for at least 3 sessions a week and load up on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Most importantly, even if you are already doing these things for yourself, encourage your friends and family to adopt your lifestyle.

    You can find out more information about prevention by visiting the American Cancer Society website. Do it for you and for your family.

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    Recognizing National Minority Cancer Awareness Week

    April 21st, 2010

    Check out this great post from Karyn Brianne, Blogger Advisory Council Member, at the Fab Giver:

    Health has always been an issue close to my heart. Growing up, I had my heart set on becoming a doctor because I’ve always believed that if you don’t have your health, everything else suffers. In college, however, I decided that being healthy starts before the treatment process. Every day that we wake up, there are things that we can do to take steps to being as healthy as we can be. So, I decided to study marketing and use those communication skills to promote healthy behaviors and empower others to take an active role in their health. And, as a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, I’m committed to using my online presence to do just that.

    This week marks National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, and recognizing this issue is very important to me. As an African-American, I was blown away to learn that we have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the US for most cancers. National Minority Cancer Awareness Week is about recognizing the health disparities that exist within our communities and encouraging action to help shrink the gap. About fifty percent of cancer deaths can be prevented through regularly scheduled screenings, healthy eating, regular physical activity and quitting tobacco use. However, minorities continue to have lower screening rates than whites; report less physical activity than recommended, and consume less fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

    These simple lifestyle changes can go a long way towards ensuring that we are around to see more birthdays for ourselves and those that we love. I’m dedicating this post to my maternal grandmother, maternal great-aunt, maternal great uncle, maternal great-cousin, paternal great-grandfather, and paternal (step) grandfather. They passed away due to cancer and build a strong case for why I have to take the necessary steps to be as healthy as I possibly can. I’ll admit that I don’t know all the facts and haven’t been as healthy as I should be, but I’m committed to making that change. This week, I’m setting up appointments ranging from a general checkup to screenings necessary for my health and I encourage you to do the same.

    The ACS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-227-2345 to help answer any questions about cancer and provide information on what resources exist for free or low cost cancer screenings. Get the facts, understand your medical history, and commit to your health! Some might say that it’s easier said than done, but when has that ever stopped us?

    To learn more about the American Cancer Society, please visit cancer.org.

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    Losing Aunt Helen: Bloggers for More Birthdays

    November 8th, 2009

    This beautiful post is from Renee Ross at Cutie Bootie Cakes:

    “….Growing up I spent many days in Aunt Helen’s kitchen, similar to many families, her kitchen was a gathering place. This is where she prepared great meals and on most holidays our entire family gathered at her home. I was extremely close to my aunt and her death was one of the first I experienced in my young life, over 20 years ago. Aunt Helen died of cancer and my last memory of her alive is seeing her hooked up to machines in a hospital bed, shrunken and sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb her so I quietly left and she died later that week. There are many days when I regret not getting in that one last hug, the comfort of her warm embrace but carrying the memory of those hugs has to suffice.

    The loss of my Aunt was tremendous. Not only was she my aunt but she was my godmother too and she took her responsibilities seriously. Every year on birthdays and holidays all of the kids in the family would receive savings bonds. She taught us at an early age the value of being financially savvy. She loved the finer things in life and saved her money to buy them. I don’t believe that she ever used a credit card and every few years she would buy a new car – paid in full – so that she would not be indebted to anyone.

    All of these things were simply amazing to me because my aunt was a domestic worker. She spent the majority of her days cleaning house and caring for a white family that lived in Sands Point -not far from our home. The photos of her wards lined her shelves, with places of honor right next to her blood relatives. I must admit that I sometimes felt a tinge of jealousy when I was young because her “children” had the benefit of spending so much time with the aunt that I loved so much. That jealously always quicklydissipated because Aunt Helen had enough love to go around.

    In her death, as in life she was a caregiver. My aunt’s savings helped to finance my education and I remember the day as a young undergrad a switch went off in my brain. I hadn’t been applying myself to my studies, I was doing the minimum in school because I found it easy and could pull out a B in a pinch. But earning B’s when you are an A student doesn’t suffice and I realized that the hard work of my aunt paved the way to opportunity for me. I applied myself to my school work with fervor and on my next break from school I visited her grave site for the first time since her death 7 years prior and thanked her for all that she provided for me.

    I’ve struggled for weeks trying to write the words that capture the beauty and effervescence of my Aunt Helen. She was a beautiful woman both inside and out, a lover of celebrations, always the life of the party and frequently the hostess. She lived a fairly long life, she died at 72 but there are many times when I wish she had more birthdays. Losing her to cancer made it easy for me to respond positively when I was asked to participate on the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Blogger Council. I want to support the efforts of the ACS, “a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.”

    Read more here



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