braVo! Breakfast Held at Regalo

The designer Jay Strongwater creates pieces found in the most exclusive stores or in the homes of top celebrities. But on Friday, those purchasing his frames, vases or other beautiful objects not only got a collector's item - they also helped out women and men with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Regalo, located between sponsors Renaissance Fine Arts and Radcliffe Jewelers, joined forces with Strongwater and LifeBridge Health in holding a breakfast to benefit the braVo! Financial Assistance Fund at LifeBridge Health.


"This is amazing for us," says Renaissance Fine Arts Vice President Merritt Miller, pictured above with Ronnie Footlick, chairwoman of the LifeBridge Health Board of Directors. "It feels good to work together with Jay and LifeBridge Health in order to give something back."

Each year the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute diagnoses more than 2,000 new cases of cancer and has 25,000 outpatient visits. For some patients, the costs associated with treatment can be overwhelming. The braVo! Fund was established nearly four years ago to help patients in need obtain supplemental services that are not covered by insurance, such as wigs, massage therapy, medications, and transportation.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

LifeBridge Health is proud to be a part of many exciting events celebrating breast cancer awareness in October.

• Wednesday, October 7: A Women's Evening of Breast Health at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital. Join breast surgeon Dawn Leonard, M.D., nurse navigator Deb Kirkland, R.N., and genetic counselor Shannan DeLany Dixon, M.S., C.G.C. at 7 p.m. as they discuss the hot topics in breast health.
  
  
• Saturday, October 17: Pilates for Pink! Join Pilates instructer PJ O'Clair at LifeBridge Health & Fitness at 10:30 a.m. A $30 donation for the Pilates class goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital. Call Kimberlee Strome at 410-318-6831 for more information.
  

• Sunday, October 18: Join the LifeBridge Health team for the 2009 Komen Maryland Race for the Cure! This year's race is in Hunt Valley. There is a $35 donation registration fee before race day/$40 on race day.

• Friday, October 23: 9 a.m. braVo! breakfast at Regalo, 1848 Reisterstown Road. Tickets are $25. Reserve early, as seating is limited. Call Tiffany at 410.484.9640 or at regalo (at) regaloframes.com. A portion of the proceeds from items purchased at the event will benefit the braVo! Financial Assistance Fund at LifeBridge Health.

• Saturday, October 24: The Red Devils Swim for Survivors! Register to swim as a team or join a team of four for the event, held at LifeBridge Health & Fitness. Each team will be assigned a lane for their 30-minute swim between 8 and 11 p.m. Prizes will be given to the team and individual raising the most money. A $30 registration includes food and beverages, T-shirt and raffle tickets. Click here to register.
  

braVo! Breakfast Held in October

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, LifeBridge Health is pleased to announce another exciting braVo! event. Jay Strongwater and Regalo are holding an intimate breakfast celebrating his 2009 collection at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 23.

This will be Jay's only stop in Maryland on his fall tour. The event will be at Regalo, located between Renaissance Fine Arts and Radcliffe Jewelers at 1848 Reisterstown Road.

A portion of the proceeds from items purchased at the event will benefit the braVo! Financial Assistance Fund at LifeBridge Health. The fund helps patients at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital and the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital obtain supplemental services not covered by insurance, such as breast prosthesis, wigs, massage therapy, certain medications and transportation to and from treatment.

Tickets are $25. Reserve early, as seating is limited. Call Tiffany at 410.484.9640 or at regalo (at) regaloframes.com

The Frozen Pea Club

While researching other health care blogs, I recently came across the inspiring tale of the Frozen Pea Club. In case you haven't heard, a Virginia woman thought she had a good idea when she applied a bag of frozen peas to her breast following a needle biopsy to alleviate the swelling and pain. "Ice packs are hard and heavy," Susan Reynolds wrote on her blog. "As much as I try to be a good sport I'm not into having a brick sitting on my chest. That bag of peas added a touch of lightness to what could have been a sad and serious tale."

It turned out to be a great idea.

Reynolds shared her idea on her blog and included a photo of the bag of frozen peas peeking out from underneath her camisole. Word quickly spread and others who had found out about her diagnosis through the Internet began creating pea-themed photos in a show of sympathy.

According to the Washington Post article:

The frozen peas not only have sparked messages of support for Reynolds, 59, but have become the emblem of an online community of people sharing their experiences with cancer.

One online friend came up with the idea of donating the equivalent of the cost of two bags of frozen peas, about $5, to cancer research. That led Connie Reece, another online friend, to establish the The Frozen Pea Fund. As of early this week, the fund had raised more than $30,000.

It's a wonderful story. And a great example of how technology and social networking is transforming charitable giving. But what really intrigued me was how Reynolds says connecting with her online support group has helped bring "lightness" to her treatment.

Having worked with the braVo! art bra project here at LifeBridge Health, I saw first hand how a creative idea can unite a community of people from all walks of life behind a deserving cause. braVo! is a unique display and sale of handcrafted artwork using a woman's bra as the canvas. All proceeds from the sale of braVo! materials go to benefit the braVo! Financial Assistance Fund. This fund helps patients at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital and the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital obtain supplemental services not covered by insurance, such as breast prosthesis, wigs, massage therapy, certain medications, and transportation to and from treatment.

So ... has social networking helped you or someone you know cope with a cancer diagnosis and treatment? What pitfalls should cancer patients be careful to avoid in posting private health information online?