Ever since her Mom’s diagnosis, Tracy has been on a quest for education.  “It became my mission to inform myself and my friends.  My Mom’s diagnosis put me in an immediate mode of action.  Women need to be educated about this disease and how to protect themselves.”

Tracy and her Mom, Sharon, at Swing for the Cure

That mission to help friends and family grew into a broader desire to educate as many women as possible.  Tracy and her Mom created the Sharon Reves Foundation and started a local tennis tournament called Swing for the Cure.  “First and foremost, the goal of the tennis tournament was to raise awareness.  Plain and simple.  Fundraising was just a side note.”

Eventually, Tracy’s Mom, Sharon, lost her battle with breast cancer.  But Tracy’s fire to educate women burns on – and it’s stronger than ever.

Tracy joined the Memphis-MidSouth Susan G. Komen Board this year as the Education and Third Party Events chair.  Her calendar stays full as she speaks throughout the Mid-south about breast cancer awareness.

I asked Tracy how women can best protect themselves.  She recommends following Susan G. Komen’s guidelines.

“Only half of women over 40 are getting mammograms,” says Tracy.  “That’s a staggering statistic.  You’ve got to be actively involved in your breast health.  You can’t close your eyes and ignore it.”

Here’s what Tracy says you can do to protect yourself:

1. Know your risk 
o Talk to your family to learn about your family health history
o Talk to your provider about your personal risk of breast cancer

2. Get screened
o Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk
o Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
o Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every year starting at age 40

3. Know what is normal for you
See your health care provider if you notice any of these breast changes:
o Lump, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area
o Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast
o Change in the size or shape of the breast
o Dimpling or puckering of the skin
o Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
o Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
o Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
o New pain in one spot that doesn’t go away
 
4. Make healthy lifestyle choices
o Maintain a healthy weight
o Add exercise into your routine
o Limit alcohol intake

For more information on breast health, or to book a speaker for an event, visit www.komenmemphis.org.

Reminder:
The Memphis-Midsouth Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is Saturday, October 29 at 8am at The Shops of Saddle Creek.  You can register online.

The Church Health Center was founded in 1987 by Dr. Scott Morris, a family practice physician and ordained United Methodist minister, to provide quality, affordable healthcare for working, uninsured people and their families.

Dr. Scott Morris and the Church Health Center use their Komen Grant to help women like Manuella

Today, I checked in with Kelly Kraisinger, Development Specialist at the Church Health Center, to find out more about how they are using their Komen grant funding.  During our discussion, she shared an amazing story with me.

“Recently, a patient named Manuella came to see Dr. Morris.  She came in for what she thought was going to be a routine breast exam.  Her 18-year-old son Juan in normally there to translate, but he wasn’t there because he was away at college on a scholarship.  Tests revealed a cancerous mass on her breast.”

How do you tell a woman who can’t understand English that she has breast cancer?

The language barrier made it difficult for Dr. Morris to convey the bad news, so he called the woman’s son and asked if he could translate the diagnosis.  Once Dr. Morris broke the news, Juan began to cry.  After a few minutes Dr. Morris handed the phone to Manuella whose eyes began to well up with tears as she heard the sad news.  Dr. Morris knew that this may be the loneliest she will ever feel in her life and consoled Manuella while he shared her treatment options with Juan.

At first, she was reluctant to pursue treatment because she needs to work in order to send money to her son at school.  But, the Church Health Center is currently in the process of getting her treated and on the road to recovery.”

Year after year, Memphis’ commitment to the Race for the Cure through registrations and donations allows Komen to put funds back into our local community.  Consider signing up for the Race for the Cure today.

Race for the Cure
Saturday, October 29th
8:00am
The Shops of Saddle Creek
Germantown, TN

Important Read:  Your Breast Care – Helpful Hints for Women

In March of 2009, while shaving, Jess discovered a lump in her arm pit area.  After a biopsy, mammogram, and ultrasound, the doctor told her the terrible news.  “You have cancer.”  She kept thinking, “There must be some kind of mix up.  Not me.  I have no family history of cancer.”

About one year later, at a routine CT scan, the doctor noticed a few spots that he believed to be scar tissue, but he wanted her to return in two months to make sure.  After two long months, she endured another CT scan and a biopsy of her lung.  Her breast cancer had returned as Stage 4 to her lungs, sternum, and lymph nodes. After going to MD Anderson for a second opinion, her doctors felt that the same chemo would be best.

Jessica and her husband wanted to add in some alternative methods along with the chemo.  She started juicing and ate a vegetarian diet most days, in addition to a few natural meds.  Along with that, the doctor put her on an oral chemo and a IV chemo, but after about a month the oral chemo started to burn the palms of her hands.  Since a PET scan showed that the tumors were shrinking 50% after only three months, her oncologist said she could quit taking the oral chemo, and continue with just the IV chemo every three weeks.  She lost her hair, and her finger nails started to break in half.

After seven chemo treatments, her PET scan showed NED (no evidence of disease).  Everyone was thrilled!  Her oncologist wanted to follow up with three more months of chemo just to make sure they got it all.

One morning, a week after her seventh chemo treatment, Jess had a seizure while lying in bed.  After what seemed like an eternity to her husband, James, they arrived at the ER.  They did an MRI which showed a 3cm mass on her brain.  One would not think a seizure to be a positive sign, but as Jess puts it, “Had it not been for the seizures, the doctors would not have found the brain lesion”.  Four days later they did surgery to remove the mass.  Thanks to working out and being in good physical shape, Jessica recovered quickly.  She was released to go home just two days after brain surgery.

Now Jessica is undergoing gamma knife radiation and her last two chemo treatments.  Her motto is strength, perseverance, and endurance.  She is a true warrior.  In fact, her friends have named her G.I. Jess.

Her husband started a non-profit foundation and multi-sport racing team with a goal to spread cancer awareness, early detection of the disease and outreach to those fighting cancer in the local area.  Jess claims that not a week goes by that we are not introduced to people who are scared, “They need someone to talk and guide them through this journey.”

To date, there are about fifty G.I. Jess Warriors for a Cause members and growing.  Ever since recovering from her battle with cancer, she has been helping other survivors find safe and effective ways to workout.  She and her husband both have helped men and women alike find ways to fight and beat their cancer with as few side effects as possible.  She has found exercise, walking, running, swimming, yoga, and boxing are great tools for survivors.

G.I. Jess Warriors

A love for exercising, a strong connection to her faith, and a positive attitude helped Jessica fight and beat this cancer twice now.  She is a survivor several times over!

You can check out her Web site at www.gijesswarriors.com for more information.

Reminder:  The Memphis-MidSouth Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is October 29th.  Register today!

October is Breast Cancer Action month, and I’ll be posting each week to introduce you to some amazing Memphians who are fully committed to the fight against breast cancer.

Along the way, I’ll share some interesting breast cancer facts and ways that you can help make a difference.

In the meantime, consider signing up for the 19th annual Memphis-MidSouth Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  It will be held October 29th at The Shops of Saddle Creek.  Funds from the race are used for research, education, screenings, treatment, and support.  75% of the race proceeds are invested right here in our community.

Maybe you’d like to join Coach Josh Pastner’s team!  The Memphis Tigers’ Head Coach is the 2011 Honorary Chair for Race for the Cure.

Check back here on Monday, and I’ll introduce you to 29-year-old Memphian Jessica Hambrick.  She also goes by G.I. Jess – Find out why next week!

Last year, I volunteered at the Junior League of Memphis’ first annual 5K For Kids.  It was a beautiful sunny day and more than 650 participants registered for the race.

During the event, several runners came by and said, “This is hands down the best 5K in Memphis.”  What a compliment for the inaugural race!  I’m not sure if it was the flat & fast race route, the family-friendly atmosphere, the water stations (stocked with orange slices), or the post-race party that caught their attention.  Regardless, the race got some glowing reviews.

On Saturday, May 7, the Junior League will host the second annual 5K for Kids.  The event is focused on Taking Steps to End Childhood Obesity.  This is a critical issue facing our nation’s children today, so I hope you’ll gather up some family and friends and come run or walk in the race!

Click here to register.

I’m so proud that Memphis is a big running city!  And with at least one 5K each weekend, runners have lots of options.  But, I can tell you with certainty that the Junior League would be enormously grateful to have your support at this event.  I hope to see you there!

Huge Pro:  The cost is only $40 for a fantastic 10-week training program.

Get the application here:   Junior League of Memphis Web site.

When:
- 10-week program starts February 9, 2011

Where:
Church Health Center Wellness, 1115 Union Avenue 

Topics covered in the LEAD Program:
- Overview of Nonprofit Leadership
- Communication Styles and Methods
- Leading a Meeting
- Decision Making
- Goal Setting
- Delegating
- Building a Network
- Developing a Personal Brand
- Marketing a Personal Brand
- Creating an Action Plan

If you, or someone in your organization, are interested in participating in the LEAD program, please submit an application by January 25.

If you have questions, contact Jennifer Morgan via e-mail at lsujenn@comcast.net.

- You don’t have to go anywhere to pick it up
- It supports your Memphis community
- It lasts for a whole year
- You can be as involved with it as you’d like

The perfect gift is a membership to GiVE 365.

It costs $365 (a dollar for each day) and here’s my favorite part:  you could join for $365 as an individual, a couple, or even as a family.

I joined GiVE 365 earlier this year, and I am in love with the concept.  As part of this new initiative by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, my $365 was put into a pool with the other members’ donations.  And then – TOGETHER – we got to decide how to spend our funds right here in Memphis.  It was up to us to figure it out together.  How powerful is that?

Here’s how it worked this year…so you’ll know what to expect.

Half of each annual donation goes directly to the community in the form of grants, and the other half goes into the GiVE 365 endowment fund, which will continue to grow for future giving.

To kick things off, an e-mail was sent to members, and we voted on an overall theme for the grants.  This year we chose “Fostering Community in Memphis.”

Next, the Community Foundation solicited proposals from area nonprofits to address our chosen theme.

Then, members were given opportunities to review the grant proposals.  Here’s a picture of Stacey Greenberg and me discussing grants in our small group.  (Don’t I look very serious?) 

After we narrowed down the list, GiVE 365 members met at The Westin for grant presentations.  Grant finalists each spoke about their organization and how the grant money would be used if they were chosen.  Here’s a photo of GiVE 365 member, Virginia Stallworth, with Marcellus Harper and Kevin Thomas from Collage Dance Collective.

Ultimately, the GiVE 365 membership voted and here’s how we collectively decided to award our funds:

1. Center for Southern Folklore, Grant amount: $1,325
2. Dress for Success, Grant amount: $5,000
3. Friends of Levitt Shell, Grant amount: $5,000
4. Hattiloo Theatre, Grant amount: $2,500
5. Indie Memphis, Grant amount: $7,500
6. New Ballet Ensemble and School, Grant amount: $5,000
7. Splinter Youth, Inc., Grant amount: $7,000
8. Su Casa Family Ministries, Grant amount: $1,325

Throughout the year, you get the opportunity to see the grants in action.  Imagine joining GiVE 365 as a family and enjoying the process together…even attending a theater performance or festival made possible by you!

I strongly encourage you to consider a GiVE 365 membership for your friends or family this holiday season.  (I hope I didn’t make it sound like a lot of work, because it’s not.  You can be as involved as you’d like to be!)  The larger our membership, the greater our impact.

To join GiVE 365, please contact Ashley Harper at 722-0022 or aharper@cfgm.org.   To learn more, visit www.give365memphis.org.

I hope your holidays are merry and bright!!

That’s what we’ll be called if the new charter, recently filed with the Shelby County Election Commission, is passed on November 2.

(Personally, I think we’ll also be called progressive, innovative, and forward thinking.)

You can read the charter, FAQs, and other helpful information at http://rebuildgovernment.org/.

Here’s a quick summary from their Web site:

Local Control of Government

• Metro government gives all Shelby County voters a voice in who leads our local government. A new government will enable voters countywide to determine the direction of our region.
• Elections for the Mayor and Metro Council are nonpartisan. This will ensure the best candidate for the job always wins, taking the power away from political interests and parties and giving it back to the people.
• Local County jurisdictions will not change. Germantown will remain Germantown, Collierville will remain Collierville, and so on. If you currently have a local jurisdiction with a local Mayor, none of that will change with a Metro government.

Education

• The Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools are not merged in this Charter. This is only a consolidation of Shelby County government and Memphis City government.

Reining in Taxes

• The Charter includes a three-year cap on property tax rates. This forces the new government to identify and implement efficiencies such as reducing duplicative management. In the long run, the only way to bring down taxes is to cut spending, and that’s exactly what establishing a Metro government will do.
• There are three tax districts: General services, urban services, and special districts, setting up a fairer way to fund public services.
• The Charter centralizes support services, including security, fleet management, information technology, printing, and property management. This reduces duplication of costs and increases efficiency, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
• The Charter requires a five-year plan for strategic planning, quality, and budget.
• The Charter mandates a review by an independent Charter Revision Commission every 10 years. This review will help ensure our government is structured wisely and our tax dollars are being used efficiently. Additionally, a new Inspector General position will prevent waste fraud and inefficiency.

Economic Development

• The Charter creates an Economic Development Department with a laser-like focus on job creation.
• Metro Government will allow us to compete with regional peers to attract new business and bring jobs to the area. Metro government will eliminate the red tape and costs that overwhelm businesses when dealing with our two separate governments.

Ethics in Government

• An independent Ethics Commission would be established, as well as iron-clad rules. This new government will have the strongest ethics rules in Tennessee. The new Ethics Commission will oversee all departments and agencies of the Metro Government, as well as the constitutional officers and courts/clerks offices.

Law Enforcement

• The Charter strengthens law enforcement. It establishes an appointed Police Director as chief law enforcement officer and Sheriff as head of corrections, court security, and warrants to centralize functions and make them more efficient.
• Merged firefighting services will create more efficiency and better response time for greater safety.
• 9-1-1- Emergency Communications will be centralized operations to eliminate delay and confusion.

Have you read the charter yet? Any opinions?

Maria and Jose Marquez, along with their six children are warm and safe at a Red Cross shelter in Memphis, Tennessee. A few days ago, things were much different.

“When we woke up at four in the morning, water was inside our house and covering the cars outside,” says Brenda Marquez, 16-year-old daughter. “We had to swim to dry ground.” It was terrifying for everyone. They have nothing left.

What makes it even more difficult and heartbreaking for this family is that their home burned to the ground in December. Red Cross volunteers were there to meet their immediate emergency needs. A few months later, they moved into a new home.

“We were just recovering from the fire,” says Brenda with a sigh. “It’s hard to believe this is happening.”

While the Marquez family waits until it’s safe to return home, they’ll be cared for and comforted at the Red Cross shelter. Warm meals are served three times a day. Red Cross counselors and nurses are providing an extra layer of support.

And, a little extra care was delivered to the family’s youngest daughter, Priscila. On the day she turned seven, volunteers gave her a Red Cross teddy bear.

A sweet “thank-you,” came from Priscila, who has held on tightly to that bear since getting it.

While the Marquez family has to start all over again…for the second time, they realize how lucky they are. “I’m just so happy we still have our six children,” says Maria.

She’s also overwhelmed by the support of Red Cross volunteers and partners and is grateful to everyone for their help. “Thank you! Thank you!”

Volunteers from 37 states are helping families like the Marquez’s across the state of Tennessee. If you want to help the Red Cross, please donate to the Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting www.redcross.org. You can also text RED CROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.