Gone Too Soon

In life sometimes, if we are lucky, we come across individuals whose strength, determination, and selflessness leave an indelible mark on our hearts. My friend Liz was all that, sprinkled with extra sugar and spice! We met when we had just both become mothers for the first time, since then, we navigated life together in our new role as mothers and eventually, a bond of friendship, a sisterhood developed.

Our conversations ran deep, we spoke about everything and anything. We talked a lot about the people who mattered the most to us, our families , parents, siblings, spouses, children, and childhood best friends. We connected because we both knew the value of an authentic friendship. We always made time for one another and touched base once a week, even if it was just a quick call or text. We looked forward to spending time with one another, it almost always resulted in buckets of laughter, tears and lots of good food!

Liz had battled cancer twice before , when she found out that she had cancer again , she was resolved on beating it. “ I did it before, I can do it again! I can beat this! “ I believed that she could. She was amazing , her fight with cancer was quiet but it was fought valiantly, with her quiet reserve, her signature smile and with so much dignity and grace. She never allowed fear to consume her. Our friendship allowed her to share her fears with me and it allowed me to help get her back to faith or just let her cry. She sometimes needed a good cry, we both did, and then we would find something to laugh about! Liz made a conscious decision to embrace life fully, second by second, moment to moment. She was determined to be positive and her family served as the driving force behind her strength.

We lost Liz a month ago today, I miss her deeply.

Her loss was undoubtedly heartbreaking for all who loved her but her memory continues to inspire and uplift. In one of our last conversations, she asked me not to allow myself to wallow in sadness when she passes, but to enjoy every second of life and to keep an eye on her kids. That’s a promise I plan on keeping.

My view of life has been shifted because of my friend. Bit by bit, cancer took parts of her, what remained was her kindness, empathy, wit and her sweetness. She always expressed her gratitude and counted her blessings, she lived for her family. She cherished her friendships and paid attention to foster and nurture those relationships. Her children are amazing, a testament to her and her husband’s loving attention and dedication.

She would joke that dying young meant she would never have wrinkles and that she would be reunited with her mother, who had passed away from cancer only a few years earlier. She missed her lovely mom so much, and I know she was happy to have finally been reunited.

I want to honor her legacy by embracing life with the same passion, compassion, perseverance and determination.

In the end, my friend’s journey was not defined by her battle with cancer, but by her unwavering commitment to love, hope, and making the world a better place for her children. May her story continue to inspire us to be better, to connect, to give more, and to cherish each precious moment we have with those we love.

When I look at her children’s faces, I see her smile and her eyes.

Her absence will forever be felt but I will forever be grateful to have known her beautiful soul.

Until we meet again my sweet friend.💔🙏🏻🌸

Every Drop Counts!

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Did you ever want to help a cause but you didn’t think you would be able to do enough to make a difference? Well you can. Even when you think you are doing something miniscule, every drop counts. Mother Teresa said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Real and lasting change only happens in small increments over long periods of time.”

10425135_10153312018176897_6226962147872051310_nThree years ago, Danielle Taylor, a mother of two beautiful boys and a friend decided to compete in a 6 mile civilian military obstacle course. She wanted the challenge to have a purpose. So she and her childhood friend Jeannine decided to raise money for The Morgan Center.

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medalheader2It’s a not for profit charitable organization that provides a safe haven for pre preschool age kids undergoing cancer treatment. These kids can’t attend regular school because chemo compromises their immune system. They can get a serious infection if they go to regular school. The center relies solely on private donations.

The ladies formed team YOLO which stands for You Only Live Once. Today, the team consists of twenty local moms who are all aware of just how fortunate they are to have healthy children.11953109_10101742706993174_9207076420517135135_nOn Sunday, October 4th, team YOLO will be competing in the Bronx at the “Merrell Down and Dirty.” The 6 mile obstacle course will help raise money for the beautiful little children of the Morgan Center.

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You can make a difference by donating whatever you can to help these children who are fighting for their life.

Support Team YOLO by visiting http://www.crowdrise.com/mompower4tmcthemorgancenter/fundraiser/danielletaylor and donating what you can!

Give what you can. Take a step to make a difference in the lives of others.

Source: Preschoolers Shaking Off Cancer

 

Fight Cancer

Recently a mother from my community passed away after battling cancer. Although I did not know her personally, my heart ached for her loved ones. Especially her children. Ironically, just weeks after this young mother’s death, one of my closest friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her news really shook me up. She is a remarkably strong woman and I know she will be OK.

I’ve had people in my family battle cancer, thankfully they survived but I’ve also lost people who I love to the devastating disease. When my friend told me about her diagnosis all I could think of is after all the years of research why do we not have a cure for cancer? Why do we get cancer? Is it in our water? Our food? Is it the amount of stress we have to endure?

Another friend of mine who has looked into the same questions and has fought her own battle with cancer sent me an article written by Professor Keith Scott-Mumby, a British alternative doctor. He has what he calls his three pillars to beat cancer and advises that if we are serious about keeping (or getting) cancer out of our lives, we follow these steps.

Pillar #1 – Diet

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Dr. Mumby says we have to beat the root causes of cancer. Diet is one of the root causes according to Mumby! The World Health Organization estimates that 40% of cancers are caused by diet. Mumby suggests a diet rich with fresh, organic foods (where possible), salads, smoothies, and brightly colored produce. He claims that dairy, soy, grains, and even certain produce can be unknown stressors. This is no surprise, white sugar, white flour, white rice, processed foods, dairy, and soy should be deleted from our diet!

Pillar #2 – Emotional Cleansing

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Negative emotion is also a root cause of cancer.  I can vouch for this! Some of the people in my life who went through cancer smiled through every bad situation in their lives. They never dealt with the pain they were going through.

A Stanford psychiatrist, was shocked to discover that at the ten-year breast cancer survival checkup, women who included therapy in their lives survived twice as long as those who didn’t. Another Yale research study found that cancer spread faster in women who bottled up their emotions.

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Stress is known to be a major cause of inflammation. In fact, inflammation has been discovered at the base of all known diseases.

In other words, stress will kill us through cancer or heart attack or autoimmune disease…if you allow it to control your life!

Pillar #3 – DETOXIFICATION

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This pillar is the most difficult one to control in my opinion. I can’t wrap my brain around how much pollution we have around our lives! We are surrounded by pollution! There  are pollutants in our soil, water, and air and that means they are in our food supply. They are also in our cosmetics, household goods and everyday cleansers! From heavy metals and arsenic to formaldehyde and parabens…products we buy every day at our local markets are filled with endocrine disruptors, estrogen mimics, and poison the cells in our body.

Dr. Mumby suggests reading “The Politics of Cancer ” by Dr. Sam Epstein. In the book he tells us how cancers are essentially preventable diseases. He says there are hidden political and economic factors which have blocked attempts to prevent cancer.

 There are so many things stressing our bodies, junk nutrition, stress, and chemical contamination push these stressors past the brink of what we can handle. It’s important that we take it upon ourselves to be aware and do what we can to keep our loved ones and ourselves healthy.