I love ME! spotlight: Liv

It's a bit of a touchy subject, this cancer thing.  Breast cancer is a dirty word in a lot of circles.  Ladies, it's real.  It's devastating.  It could happen to you or a loved one.  Breast cancer doesn't pick and choose its victims kindly.  The most common cause of breast cancer is being a woman.  If you're a woman, take note!  There are websites out there to help you perform self breast exams and to give you information about breast cancer awareness.  liv is one such site!

 

Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992.  That same weekend, her father died from cancer.  Olivia underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction.  Olivia has been cancer free for more than 17 years.

It is because Olivia Newton-John's experience with cancer (her own and her father's) that she has decided to take breast cancer awareness into her own "hands," so to speak.  It is because my family's history that I think it's so important for all women to perform self breast exams.

Almost 26 years ago, my dear sweet aunt passed away because of breast cancer.  Another of my amazing aunts is a breast cancer survivor.  In my family, as well as yours, it is so very very important to not only be aware of the symptoms but to be active in watching for them!

The liv breast self exam aid is made to help you examine your breast tissue.  It's a heart-shaped pad filled with a non-toxic lubricant.  When placed on the breast, the liv reduces the friction between your fingers and your skin, allowing your fingers to glide more easily across your breast and more clearly feel any abnormalities!

Every woman should perform a breast self exam once a month.  As you get used to performing these monthly exams, you'll be able to better tell whether there have been any changes in your tissue.  Here, from the liv website, is a summary of what to watch for in your exams:

Breast Changes to Watch for During a Breast Self-Exam

• Any new lump or hard knot found in the breast or underarm
• Any lump or thickening that does not shrink or lessen after your next period
• Any change in the size, shape or symmetry of your breast
• A thickening or swelling of the breast
• Dimpling, skin irritation or other change in the breast skin or nipple
• Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple discharge (fluid coming from your nipples other than breast milk), particularly if the discharge is bloody, clear and sticky, dark and occurs without squeezing your nipple
• Nipple retraction: turning or drawing inward or pointing in a new direction

If you find any of these changes, Dr. Bodai advises you to see your health care provider as soon as possible for a clinical evaluation. It is important to keep in mind that most breast lumps women find, as Olivia Newton-John’s early ones, are normal. So, don’t be afraid to get to know your body and to follow up with your doctor.

Friends, I love each and every one of you, whether I know you or not.  I beg you to take your health into your own hands.  Begin (if you don't already) performing monthly breast exams.  Begin having an annual clinical breast exam.  Don't let any more time go by before you take control.  What are you waiting for?

  It’s time to LIV.

 Olivia Newton-John wants to be sure every woman is performing their monthly exams!  To help one of you with this essential task, liv is including one liv aid, a $19.95 value, in my "I love ME!" package!  (Just for fun, follow live on facebook and twitter!)  After all, what better way to show--me--that I love me than to take the best possible preventative care of my own body??

I was provided this product at no cost in order to facilitate a review.  All opinions are my own.

Proud to Support Pink: Freschetta review and giveaway

CLOSED

Random chose #2...Jen Crum!  Congrats, Jen, enjoy your pizza! 

October is almost over!  Tomorrow is the last day!  You know what that means?  It means it's getting cold here in Indiana.  It means my birthday is 3 weeks from today!  (I'll officially be "in" my 30s, not just 30!  A "30-something!")  It also means Breast Cancer Awareness month is drawing to a close.

I don't know why I have neglected to post about this sooner, other than that it's just been one of those months, you know?  We all have them.  The months where life swirls around you, where nothing ever slows down, and where you get to the end, look back, and wonder where time's gone and what you've got to show for it.  I can't say for sure, because I haven't personally experienced breast cancer, but I would guess that many of these women have some whirlwind days, weeks, months, just like this one has been for me.  I bet they sometimes forget things.  I bet they sometimes put down their computers and play with their kids because you just never know, do you?

Freschetta pizza has been such a life saver for me this month!  Each week this month we've had one day that's been so crazy, either for me physically or emotionally, or for my family's schedule, that we've broken the rules and broken out the frozen pizzas.  Here's tonight's pizza:

Freschetta pizzas are really yummy!  I really liked the 10-Topping Supreme PizzAmore pizza a lot!  It was delicious!  Here it is, fresh out of the oven:

Not only will you love the taste of Freschetta pizza, you'll during the month of October, Freschetta has been donating a portion of specially marked "Proud to Support Pink" boxes to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center!  October ends tomorrow, and so does the promotion!  Hurry out and purchase one of those specially marked boxes...you'll recognize them because half of the box is pink...and enter the code on the box at www.ProudToSupportPink.com!

I bet your family will love it as much as mine did!

Freschetta's super excited about about their donation to support breast cancer research!  They're SO excited, not only did they send select bloggers a free pizza, but we each received two sets of Proud to Support Pink headphones as well, one to keep and one to give to a friend!

Would you like to win your very own Freschetta pizza and two sets of Proud to Support Pink headphones? You can!  Simply follow this blog with Google Friend Connect and tell me in a comment to whom you'd love to give a pair of Proud to Support Pink headphones!  If you've earned your extra entry from my facebook page, leave "MS Walk" in a second comment!  Do it quickly...Contest will end and a winner will be drawn at 3pm EST on October 31, 2011!

Freschetta contacted me and provided these products in order to facilitate this review and giveaway, but I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.