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Posts with tag style
Posted Apr 24th 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Chemotherapy, Cancer Survivors

If you've ever visited the website
My Breast Cancer Network, part of the
Health Central conglomerate of health and medical information, you know the appeal of this site is its insightful navigation menu, comprised of three helpful locators --
Find,
Manage, and
Connect.
With a click on the
Find button, you can search answers to questions, check symptoms, and locate resources. Choose
Manage and you can take action, achieve goals, and resolve problems. If you wish to get advice, find support, and share your experiences, take a simple tour through the
Connect community.
My Breast Cancer Network currently invites all viewers to connect with one another through a new feature:
Show Us Your Chemo Style. You can simply visit this portion of the site and view photos submitted by others. Or you can submit a photo and caption of yourself, a friend, a family member. My Breast Cancer Network says it like this:
What does it mean to be confident during and after chemotherapy? Are you proud to be bald and beautiful? Does a wig, scarf or hat make sense for you and your style? We'd also love to see your new hair, as it grows back in. Share your favorite photos!
I did it -- go take a look -- and you can too.
Posted Jan 2nd 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Leukemia, Daily news, Celebrity in memoriam

CBS
60 Minutes newsman Ed Bradley lost his life to leukemia on November 9, 2006. And ever since news of his death reached the world, reactions have been overwhelming -- and like nothing correspondent Lesley Stahl has even seen.
"I've been around here a long time and there was a quality of reaction from the public that was personal in a way I can't explain and everyone here has had the same thing," she said. "We have all been flooded with e-mails."
Bradley was the king, says his former correspondent Bob Simon. "He had the most authoritative presence and style on the broadcast and that's not replaceable," he said.
Faced with the huge loss of Bradley, CBS won't even bother to replace him in the middle of the TV season. Instead, his workload will be spread around -- a unique arrangement for
60 Minutes -- for as long as it takes to find the next full-time person armed with the ability to take on Bradley's correspondent role.
Bradley's death also robs
60 Minutes of its only on-screen black correspondent. And while it's important to represent diversity, the powers that be believe it would be a mistake to fill the spot with someone just for the sake of addressing the issue.
So those at CBS will just wait for the right person to come along -- while they collectively grieve for the right person they just lost.
Posted Oct 3rd 2006 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Blogs, Cancer Survivors, Survivor Spotlight

Adriene Hughes was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her 44th year of living. She found her lump after participating in a 5K walk, which for some reason, caused her breast to swell. The swelling led her to the lump -- and that's how she discovered her cancer. Adriene lives in Southern California, works as a media specialist, and spends her time taking photographs, knitting, and baking cookies and breads.
I have never met Adriene, have never spoken with Adriene. But we have communicated through our on-line journals and through e-mail ever since November 2004 -- when we each received a breast cancer diagnosis that changed the course of our lives forever.
Adriene is a gem, a treasure, a true inspiration. And here are her words.
Continue reading Survivor Spotlight: Adriene Hughes survives with style
Posted Oct 1st 2006 7:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Blogs, Products, Celebrity news

Julia Fikse, founder of Ta-tas trademark brand clothing, who wants to do some good in the world, has built a company based on the philosophy that laughter heals. As Fikse states on the
Ta-tas company website, "Our mission is to celebrate the varied beauty of women through playful expressive clothing and accessories. We believe all people are uniquely designed by God and should feel comfortable, valuable and beautiful as they are."
Some of the slogans screen printed on tees include:
caught you looking at my ta-tas;
ta-tas unite; and
save the ta-tas. Fikse is living her goal of doing some good in the world as she donates five percent of every sale to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in hopes of finding a breast cancer cure in our lifetime.
She is fun and funny, as you will learn as you browse through the Ta-tas website or read the
Save the ta-tas thoughts on breast cancer blog. There are more than a few celebrities who think her line of clothing is fun and help promote the cause. A quick read-through finds Fran Drescher wearing
caught you looking at my ta-tas tee to an Emmy SWAG party and making the front page of the LA Times Calendar because of the tee. Kate Beckinsale, Abigail Spencer, Haylie Duff, Daisy Fuentes and Jessica Alba have answered "where do you take your ta-tas" in photos published by Fikse.
Fikse asks for photo submissions of people wearing a ta-tas tee and is also open to design suggestions for future tees. Like I said, she is fun. Visit the
website, read the
blog, save the ta-tas.
Posted Sep 26th 2006 2:00PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Books, Celebrity news, Movies

Cate Blanchett is
set to star as Marisa Acocella Marchetto in
Cancer Vixen: A True Story, the cartoonist fashionista for Glamour and the New Yorker who discovered, while planning her wedding to celebrity restaurateur Silvano Marchetto, that she had breast cancer. Marchetto also realized she had let her health insurance lapse right before being diagnosed with cancer.
With stylish aplomb, she has become phenomenally popular for her colorful personality, and the telling of her breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship with a sense of humor and fashion flair that included wearing her favorite high heels to chemotherapy and noting that her hospital gown reminded her of Diane von Furstenberg designs.
Amazon features an exclusive cartoon on the
Cancer Vixen: A True Story book page and portrays Marchetto as a "self-described shoe-crazy, lipstick-obsessed, wine-swilling, pasta-slurping, fashion-fanatic, single-forever, about-to-get-married big-city girl cartoonist with a fabulous life." Blanchett is reportedly in talks to produce the film as well, with her husband, Andrew Upton, through their company Dirty Films.
One of our bloggers and breast cancer survivor Jacki Donaldson, in a
previous post featuring Marisa Acocella Marchetto, recommends
Cancer Vixen: A True Story as a "must read." For all women facing breast cancer, I agree. Never underestimate the positive benefit of a spunky attitude -- sense of humor -- and a really sexy pair of high heels when it comes to facing the struggles with breast cancer.
Posted Sep 13th 2006 5:36PM by Dalene Entenmann

In a trendy dash for style, we welcome the newest blog to the network --
StyleDash. Whether your interests lean towards fashion, food or home decorating, StyleDash bloggers are talking about it.
StyleDash features retro to cutting edge trends in accessories, coiffure, cosmetics, eyewear, home style, jewelry, soaps & salves, foods and much more. It's a place. An event. A state of mind. An attitude.
And as every perfect host knows, when you invite a guest, you have graciously prepared something special to greet them on their arrival.
StyleDash is the perfect host. Enter a
contest to win a designer handbag or book tote -- just for showing up! What are you waiting for? Have some fun, discover cool, or just read trend buzz -- it's all good. We will be right here when you get back. Promise.
Posted Aug 5th 2006 10:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Cancer events, Celebrity fundraisers, Events, Fundraisers, Magazines, Daily news

I read something yesterday written by a reporter who is fed up with the treatment of celebrities in the media. She is tired of the spectacular headlines about babies born to celebrities and adoptions by celebrities and every-day struggles of celebrities that blur the fact that these same things happen to real people -- non-celebrities -- and are rarely covered in the news. Sure, some of the celebrity coverage may lead to awareness. The fact that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are talking of adopting another child may encourage others in the world to reach out to homeless children. But where is the news about hoards of women who gather and walk in search of a cure for breast cancer? And why was the coming-out announcement by former In Sync band member Lance Bass the top news story on CNN the other day? Because people pay attention to announcements like these -- and however disturbing it may be -- is causes a stir. And perhaps, like this reporter says, others will gain some strength from Bass and will tackle their own sexual orientation more openly.
A news story caught my attention the other night. Not because of the news -- initially -- but because of the names that were thrown around. Names like Kelly Ripa and Lindsey Lohan and Molly Shannon -- names that were not all that important in the scheme of the story I would eventually hear. But they hooked me. And then I learned about a great event that took place last Saturday in an effort to raise funds for ovarian cancer.
Super Saturday is a day-long summer fundraising event for the entire family -- created by Donna Karan and sponsored by
In Style magazine. The day features a designer garage sale with more than 200 designers, a raffle, a carnival for kids, food and refreshments, and goodie bags. All proceeds -- from ticket sales and the garage sale and raffles -- go to the
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Last year's event raised $2 million. And this year, the tally for the ninth annual event that took place in the Hamptons, is yet to be reported. What was reported is that the event was a success -- and celebrities were in attendance. And that made me pay attention.
Posted Jul 30th 2006 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, All Cancers, Blogs, Sunday Seven

I've been keeping a journal ever since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. I first wrote by hand in a pink fabric-covered book, sprinkled with multi-colored polka dots. It looked feminine -- which is why I bought it -- and it's vibrance made me feel inspired, motivated, eager to write down the dreaded details of the beginning of my journey. Then I stopped writing in this book and began typing my words in an on-line journal -- a blog. My husband designed the presentation of it, with a pink banner that serves as the backdrop for the title --
my Breast Cancer blog. My first entry was completed on December 21, 2004 and I am still chronicling my journey here. I am also writing for this site -- the Cancer Blog -- and I write whenever and wherever else I can record my words. I do it because it helps me process information in a quiet, calming, introspective way. It soothes me, helps me work through panic and anxiety, helps me heal, and helps me chart my progress. When I look back at what I've written, I realize how far I've come -- or haven't come -- and it helps me move forward. I recommend journaling for everyone, and I recommend these seven simple suggestions for getting started.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven simple suggestions for journaling
Posted May 31st 2006 5:02PM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Childhood Cancers, Chemotherapy, Cancer events, All Cancers, Young Adult Cancers

A few years ago -- I can't remember exactly when -- I cut bunches of red wavy locks from my friend's head. I tied Amber's thick hair into one big ponytail, and I cut away. It was an extreme haircut for sure. Amber's long hairstyle was transformed into a shoulder-length bob, and for good reason.
Amber sent her 10-inch ponytail to
Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that creates human hair wigs and hairpieces from donated hair and gives them to children under the age of 18 who have lost their hair due a medical condition. This was the first time I'd heard of Locks of Love, and I've since met many others who have purposely grown their hair in order to donate it. I have a neighbor who has done it three or four times now. I know two teenage brothers who have cut their long, dark hair for this great cause. And I've known toddlers whose parents have waited for that first haircut until 10 inches could be cut.
Ten inches is the magic number. Once tied into a ponytail, there must be 10 inches of hair hanging beneath the rubber band. The ponytail is cut off and what remains can be cut into a new style. Locks of Love provides the procedures for mailing the hair, and the details can be found on the Locks of Love
website.
I was bald this time last year -- after receiving four rounds of toxic chemotherapy for breast cancer -- and I know how devastating hair loss can be. It affected my self-esteem, and I can only imagine how it affects children whose self-esteem is just forming.
You might consider donating your hair so that a child's confidence can be restored during a time that is so difficult and challenging. I will consider it too -- but I must say that for now, I am enjoying watching my new short, brown, curly hair grow and grow and grow.