Yesterday, the American Cancer Society launched Choose You, a new program created to inspire women to make their health a top priority to stay well and help prevent cancer. The Choose You program is just one more way ACS is helping create a world with less cancer and more birthdays and we couldn’t be more proud to share it with you!

And what an amazing 2 days it’s been since the program launched in New York City! Between hanging out with Matt and Meredith on The Today Show to Ellen Pompeo inspiring comments on Good Morning America, The View, and Jimmy Fallon, Choose You has made quite a splash!

It all began bright and early yesterday morning when the American Cancer Society descended upon The Today Show to tell Matt, Meredith, Al, and Ann all about our new program. But it wasn’t just us – we had many supporters on the plaza rocking our blue Choose You shirts! Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Then it was off to Good Morning America where Ellen Pompeo continued to inform viewers about the importance of making their health a priority! As we know, 1 in 3 women will get cancer in their lifetime, but 50% of all cancer deaths are preventable if we did what we know works – maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise, quit/avoid smoking, and get our recommended cancer screenings. By taking control of our health today, we’ll help celebrate more birthdays with our loved ones!

But the day wasn’t over quite yet – there was still a launch event in Times Square! ACS executives were joined onstage by national sponsors, Walgreens and Sprite Zero, to help kick off the program, with help from Ellen Pompeo of course! Ellen gave an inspiring speech, reminding us all that no matter how busy life gets, your health comes first!

And then it was time for the moment we’d all been waiting for … to officially launch our new program, Ellen powered the Choose You flower via the world’s largest digital sign – the Walgreens Times Square billboard! I’ve never seen anything so big!

We even had some of our dedicated Bloggers for More Birthdays on hand to capture all the action! Thanks Amie and Julie!

But before we all could say goodbye to NYC, we had one final event – a “Blue Carpet” luncheon for 100 VIP guests, kicking off Choose You in style

But the Choose You program – and these amazing launch events – wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many! Thanks to Walgreens, Sprite Zero, Ellen Pompeo, and all of you for everything you did to make the Choose You launch such a success! Visit ChooseYou.com today to make your commitment to living healthy and let’s all create a world with more birthdays.

You can help prevent cancer and create a world with more birthdays — and it’s as simple as choosing you! Put your health first and make your Choose You Commitment today!

One of my favorite things about the first few months of a new year is the renewed sense of hope that abounds. Whether focused on a healthier lifestyle, a more fulfilling job, or more quality time with family, commitments are made and renewed, all driven by hope and optimism.

Those people who stay committed to their goals will continue to feel hopeful as they see the results of their efforts. Others will lose hope and resolve to try again in 2011. Some people don’t need a holiday to have hope though, it’s simply a part of who they are and they share their hope every day with others who need it.

Some friends and I had the pleasure of meeting just such a woman several weeks back. Her name is Karen Seaberry and, most appropriately, she is the manager of the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Baltimore, Maryland.

For nearly 10 years, Karen has been sharing hope with cancer patients and their caregivers who stay with her at her 26-room “home away from home” during their treatments. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge® is a safe place – with a 52-person family, as Karen calls it – for people traveling to facilities like University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and St. Agnes as they battle the disease by undergoing the best treatment options away from home.

As you would imagine, Karen is quite humble and not too interested in talking about herself. She’s more than happy though to brag about her recently renovated facility, the community she’s building inside the Hope Lodge, and the community outside it that supports her efforts and helps her give hope a home 24/7, 365 days a year.

The Baltimore Hope Lodge – one of 28 Hope Lodge locations the American Cancer Society operates nationwide – is one of the oldest in the country. The facility is as beautiful as any hotel a family could find. What’s more, Hope Lodge provides far more services and amenities than most any hotel, and they are all free – it’s the only lodging of its kind that doesn’t charge a penny—easing the financial obstacles many cancer patients find themselves facing on their journey to getting well. Residents at Karen’s Hope Lodge not only have a large, comfortable room, they also have spacious community living facilities, including a formal dining room, an activity room, a computer lab, cancer information library, and laundry facilities. There’s also a shared kitchen area where residents can cook meals for each other or just enough for themselves. Each patient is assigned a private refrigerator space so that they can shop for what they need and enjoy – replicating as many of the comforts of home as possible.

When we visited we toured the beautifully decorated spaces, chatted with some residents, and really got an appreciation for what the Baltimore Hope Lodge (and all American Cancer Society Hope Lodge locations across the country) mean to their residents. As we walked through the facility we asked lots of questions about how it operated and how they handled demand. Memorably, Karen told us that, “Cancer doesn’t discriminate, and neither do we.”

In fact, unlike other facilities, Hope Lodge doesn’t ask their residents’ financial status. They accept residents on a first-come, first-serve basis, but they do try to reserve some space for patients who may have urgent treatment needs that could not be anticipated in advance. Many Hope Lodge locations even have rooms that are set up for immuno-compromised patients who must take special care not to get sick. While we were there, the Hope Lodge had a full house, including several bone cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer patients. Those we talked with told us how much the Hope Lodge meant to them and how they enjoyed the emotional support when they experienced when they became a part of the 52-person family; for those who stayed during the holidays, many said they had never enjoyed the holidays at home as much as they did at the Hope Lodge—amazing words from people fighting for their lives.

One guest, Miss Lorraine, shared her Hope Lodge experience with us.

The holidays may be over, but there are a few things Karen and her residents “hope” for all year long. If you’re interested in sharing some hope of your own, consider providing one or more of these commonly requested items to a Hope Lodge near you, or making a donation to the American Cancer Society:

• Postage stamps
• Calling cards
• Gas cards
• Gift cards for sundries
• Disposable cups
• Paper plates
• Kleenex
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Lights bulbs

And if you happen to have a Ravens connection, the Baltimore Hope Lodge is hoping to replace a Ray Lewis-autographed football that they recently auctioned. Feel free to ask Ray for one!

We’re very thankful for Karen’s hospitality and offer a reminder that hope, compassion and family support can create a world with less cancer and more birthdays any time of year.

Have you joined the movement for more birthdays? If not, please visit morebirthdays.com and join us today!

Now that we’re in full holiday furor, I’ve been thinking a lot about nutrition and how much our healthy habits change this time of year. I don’t know about you, but I’m in full indulgence mode and I don’t see a light at the end of the healthy tunnel for a few weeks. I’m being dramatic of course, but given how much women focus on their personal health—especially when it comes to weight—this time of year seems a little bit off the charts.

As I was pondering the best way to get back on a nutritious track, I was reminded of some statistics I heard recently about the impact of obesity on America. The National Institute of Health estimates that the annual cost of treating obesity-related conditions is about $120 billion. That’s big money, but it gets worse. Studies conclude that 1/3 of the children in this country are either overweight or obese, and a full third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetime because of it. The numbers are even higher among African American and Hispanic kids.

As adults, we make our choices based on what we believe the relevant facts to be. But I wonder, do our children have that luxury? When it comes to understanding good nutrition and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, do they have the information they need? My guess would be no, and that their food choices and consumption levels are dictated in large part by adults.

Obesity, beyond the dollars and cents it costs on the economic scale, is also a major factor in cancer diagnosis. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1/3 of cancer deaths that could be prevented result from poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity. If you just want to talk obesity, it would be about 14-20 percent—that’s a major barrier to creating a world with more birthdays!

For years now, kids have been taught that smoking leads to cancer and that ultimately smoking kills, but do we view obesity in the same way? That’s why today, I’m sending a big more birthdays “thank you” to the First Lady and the newest White House chef, Sam Kass, for using their influence to spotlight the importance of good nutrition for our youth and for helping make obesity education a national priority. Whether encouraging people to plant their own gardens, thinking green and local, requesting more healthy school lunch choices, encouraging kids to exercise more every day (you may remember the First Lady’s hula hooping demo!), or fighting to make good-for-you foods more accessible in low-income and isolated communities, their efforts will surely help make our kids more aware of the benefits of good nutrition and the genuine dangers of obesity. Perhaps if kids are learning this early enough, they can all make better choices that will lead to a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Now, if I could only figure out the best strategy for avoiding sugar cookies at holiday parties…

Last week, I was so fortunate to attend the American Cancer Society’s 96th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. What a fascinating week it was! The Society’s Annual Meeting is an opportunity for the organization’s two governing bodies and their hundreds of volunteer leaders who are cancer experts and community advocates from across the country to come together to do the very serious work of fighting cancer.

There were discussions about health care reform (something that must happen if we are going to reach its goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem), the rising tide of obesity and its potential impact on the cancer problem, and of course, the latest cancer screening news. It was both invigorating and comforting to see such passion, expertise, and talent being put to work to create a world with more birthdays!

But the session that was most energizing for me was the general session about “The Power and Influence of Women.” It was all about how important women like me are in the fight against cancer. Marketing expert Marti Barletta, the session’s keynote speaker, talked about the different segments of the female market – pre-family, family-focused, and post-family or “prime time” women. Each of these segments represent different life stages of women and each segment has something important to offer the cancer fight – whether it’s their time and talents, their considerable influence on family health habits, or their significant buying power.

After Marti’s presentation, a panel with representatives from Curves, Macys, BlogHer, and others talked about how their companies are reaching and serving women today. During the discussion, Curves CEO, Mike Raymond, said that “women need permission to take care of themselves.” So true! That really hit home with me. It’s clear that women are key to the fight against cancer, but part of that will require us to take better care of ourselves – something I know I need to do a better job of too.

All in all, spending time with so many passionate volunteers and learning how important women are in the fight against cancer left me inspired to do more for myself, my family, and my community to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. I can’t wait to do more with the American Cancer Society!

If you’re at all like me, you’re likely a little confused by all the back-and-forth about mammography screening guidelines this week. It seems like every day there’s been a different recommendation on the news. So I’m left with a lot of questions. Should I still get a yearly mammogram starting at age 40? What do the new guidelines mean for me personally? Will it affect my insurance? How do I get to the bottom of this?

Luckily, the American Cancer Society’s own Dr. Len Lichtenfeld hosted a live chat on his blog yesterday afternoon to clear everything up. He took on a slew of questions similar to mine and really helped clear things up for me.

If you weren’t able to make it for the live chat, check out the transcript on his blog here: http://www.cancer.org/drlen. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Dr. Len for taking the time to reach out, listen to women’s concerns, and give us some straight-forward answers. That’s what this movement is all about – spreading awareness so we can all celebrate more birthdays.