Heidi Floyd of The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer

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breast cancer, cancer, heidi floyd, vera bradley, vera bradley foundation for breast cancer, women

Heidi Floyd is a breast cancer survivor who went through her cancer treatments while pregnant with her son.  She now works full time for the Vera Bradley Foundation, which is focused on donating money to breast cancer research.  Her story is, to say the very least, INSPIRING.  We hope every woman and man reads this post and visits Heidi’s blog to become more empowered about the realities and advancements of treating breast cancer.

Love+Water- Can you talk about how you got involved with the Vera Bradley Foundation?

Heidi Floyd- The company, Vera Bradley, which started as a handbag and luggage company and now has other products, was started by two friends who lost someone close to them to breast cancer.  They promised themselves that when their company became successful they would start a foundation to give money specifically to breast cancer research.  They have already donated ten million dollars, and are getting ready to donate another ten million. My mother had died from breast cancer along with many other women in my family.  In my interview with the company to work in the sales department as the IT person, I learned that they had this foundation, which was what made me want to work for them.

L+W- When did you find out you had breast cancer?

HF- Two years later I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself, and I was pregnant at the time.  The first oncologist didn’t know how to treat me.  I got a second opinion at the Indianapolis University Simon Cancer Center, which is where the Vera Bradley research money goes.  I met with a clinician there and he knew what to do.  He had treated 24 pregnant women that year.

L+W- What was the treatment process like?

HF- I could do chemo therapy once I was out of my first tri-mester, but no radiation and I couldn’t take the kind of pain killers or medicine that is normally given to settle your stomach.  They took the baby by C-section a month before he was due in order to make sure that he came out without a problem, and that I was in the clear as well.  He was in intensive care for a while because his immune system was compromised due to the chemo, but it didn’t take him long to recover.  He is five now, and he’s very healthy.

L+W- Did you have to continue with your treatments after your son was born?

HF- I had several surgeries after that, and I’m doing fine now.  I currently take a low dose of chemo everyday, but I have clean margins.  After I completed my treatment I transitioned to working just for the foundation, which has been a very fulfilling job.  I’m able to talk to women everyday and let them know that I believe there is hope out there for finding a cure, because we are seeing more and more evidence of that.

L+W- What do you think people who want to donate to finding a cure for breast cancer need to know about where to donate?

HF- I think the important thing is that many people want to give money to support this research but don’t always know where their money is going.  So it’s important to know there are foundations like Vera Bradley where you know exactly where the money goes.  Donations go directly to research- no question about it.  There are many foundations that display the pink ribbon, but don’t always donate all of that money to areas you necessarily want to support.  It’s important to look into what areas of breast cancer you are donating to and choose the area you most want to support.

L+W- What is the most moving moment you’ve had so far with the Vera Bradley Foundation?

HF- When I speak to groups I’ve heard a couple of times from women that they had wished they heard me speak sooner, because they have a friend or relative that died because they couldn’t find an oncologist who could treat them while pregnant.  This is very moving because I can’t stress enough how important it is to choose a doctor you can trust.  It’s very important to get second, third, fourth opinions until you find the doctor who is right for you, and that’s not just for breast cancer, but for everything.  It’s so important.

Visit The Vera Bradley Foundation
Visit Heidi’s Blog
Follow Heidi on Twitter: @followheidi
Join the Vera Bradley Facebook Fan Page

Face The Sun: The Movie

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breast cancer, cancer, face the sun movie, film, mike moroz

Mike Moroz watched a young friend lose her battle with breast cancer because of a lack of awareness of the risks involved with the disease.  He decided he needed to do something about that, so he wrote a film about her journey with the disease, called “Face The Sun.”  He plans to donate 65% of the revenue from the film to cancer organizations.  The more traffic he gets on his site, the more investors will hopefully invest to get the movie made.  So visit the “Face The Sun” site right now, and then come back and read the moving interview I had with a very passionate and talented writer.

Love and Water- Talk about how you came to write the screenplay, “Face The Sun.”

Mike Moroz- A number of years ago a very close childhood friend of my wife was told when she was 29 that she had something on her breast that could lead to breast cancer, but to not worry about it because she was too young to get breast cancer and to come back when she was 40 for a mammogram.  We lost Diane six years later at age 35 to breast cancer.  I needed a way to respond to that.  It was horrible that there was such lack of awareness for young women about the risks of breast cancer and I wanted to do something about that.  So I wrote a screenplay about Diane’s story to illustrate the dangers of not being aware of the risks breast cancer can hold, and to celebrate her courage throughout her battle.

L&W- That’s such a wonderful tribute to her, and such a great example for other women to follow.  Where are you in the process of making the film?

MM- We are in the process of getting full financial backing for it.  We recently lost a large sum of the financial backing that would have allowed us to start shooting already, so we are working on getting that back in place.  We have a cast and director, and are finished with most of the preproduction.  Our plan is to donate a large portion of the revenue of the film to cancer organizations.  I’m an actor and this is the first script I’ve written, but have written several scripts since then, two of which have been turned into films.  I currently teach acting and filmmaking at a high school on Vancouver Island.  I’m so excited to make this film in order to start giving back to those organizations that are working so hard to help people and families battling cancer.

L&W- What is the most important message you want to convey through the film?

MM- One is that what we’re trying to do is to generate some significant awareness for young people in particular, and people in general, about the need to be their own best health advocate.  We know our bodies, and if something doesn’t feel right it is important that we advocate for ourselves.  It’s important to get second and third opinions in order to give ourselves the service we deserve.  Also, there is a real strength that is present in families that battle cancer.  The journey is an astonishing one that gives a new perspective to daily life as a result.  There is a need to celebrate that, which I know the film can help give to people as well.  And of course there are the many grassroots cancer organizations that are working very hard every day to make alliances with cancer patients and their families a little bit easier, and they are often grossly underfunded.  So we want to help them by donating a 65% of the revenue from “Face The Sun.”

L&W- That is such an amazing incentive for investors, I would think, since you are not out to make a profit on it yourself.

MM- It’s very true- the whole purpose of the film is to raise awareness and money that we can give back to help create more solid organizations that can offer resources for all cancer patients to take advantage of.

L&W- Is there anything else you want people to know about “Face The Sun?’

MM- I think it’s important for people to pay attention to how they are feeling, how their bodies are doing.  I invite everyone to visit us on our website.  The more traffic we have on our site the more potential investors will see the growing interest in the film, which is extremely helpful in perking their interest in funding it.  When they a large audience in place, it makes them realize that the film will do well once it is made and out on the circuit, and that is what we want them to realize.  65% of the revenue will be going toward causes that support cancer, so we’re extremely excited to get the word out and build our audience now.

If you haven’t already, visit “Face The Sun” now!
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Meet Cindy Papale, Breast Cancer Survivor and Author of "The Empty Cup Runneth Over"

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books, breast cancer, cindy papale, the empty cup runneth over, writing

Cindy Papale is a breast cancer survivor, board member of the Kristy Lasch Miracle Foundation and author of the bestselling book, “The Empty Cup Runneth Over.”  She has the kind of energy that is intoxicating, which is probably how she has inspired countless women to educate themselves on breast cancer and breast health.  Her website is chalk-full of information and inspiration from every angle, and she is just getting started.  She has a second book and a movie in the works, all in the name of sharing her own story with others in order to educate and empower everyone about how to overcome breast cancer.

Love and Water- Can you talk about how you decided to write “The Empty Cup Runneth Over?”

Cindy Papale- The Empty Cup Runneth Over was actually written from my heart after I finished lecturing at high schools and colleges.  The second year into lecturing one young girl came up to me after a talk and said she loved my talk and that she had taped it for her mother, and she suggested I write a book.  It had crossed my mind, but I wasn’t sure how to put it together.  After thinking about it I decided a book was necessary for the students I was speaking to in order to further educate them.  The books I found on the market were, I felt, either too clinical or didn’t provide enough information, and I was moved by how passionate that young girl was to learn more.  So I started to collaborate with physicians I knew almost immediately at the University of Miami Mount Sinai Hospital.  I asked them to help me write informative but easy to read chapters for high school and college students.  Almost all of them said yes.  I wanted to break it down into categories, because there are many different stages of breast cancer, starting with stage 0 and moving into stages 1 through 4.  There is also a type that is not staged, called IBC, or Inflammatory Breast Cancer, which is very aggressive.  Chemo therapy is the first form of treatment for it, and not many people know about it.  So I wanted to cover that as well.  In fact, on my website there is a link to a woman’s story of Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

L&W- How did you feel after writing the book?  What kind of response have you had?

CP- I’m very pleased with the book, and it actually made the top-ten bestseller list with the publishing company.  It was a real accomplishment for me.  Many people purchased it over the holidays, which is such a wonderful feeling, because it’s a wonderful gift to give to someone.  My website gets around 85,000 hits a month, which is a tribute to the message I worked to get across in the book.  I’m so moved by the people who contact me and tell me how much they learned by reading it.  One woman sent me a picture of herself on the beach reading it, and I posted that on my website.  I’m very moved by the connections I’ve made with people.

L&W- What is the most moving experience you’ve had so far with writing the book?

CP- The most moving experience overall has been knowing that I’ve touched people’s lives.  People reaching out to me, telling me how much they’ve enjoyed my book and how it has helped them.  One woman told me that she got a mammogram after reading the book and was diagnosed with cancer, so she felt the book actually saved her life.  That touched me deeply.  I sat back and I thought that if I could touch one life, I would have felt accomplished, but now I’ve touched so many.

L&W- How has surviving breast cancer impacted your life today?

CP- I believe everything in life happens for a reason, and we can choose to look at the positive lesson at hand or choose to see the negative.  Surviving breast cancer has changed my whole way of life.  My twenty year marriage ended, which was extremely devastating to me.  I was faced being single again, with breast cancer, wondering if a man would love me again.  In fact my last chapter in the book is titled, “Will Someone Still Love Me After Breast Cancer?”  I was just finishing my book when my divorce took place.  But I’m happy to say that my life has been consumed with so many blessings as a result.  My time is filled with writing my books and helping to educate people, and they in turn have helped me get back on my feet and feel like myself again.  Having had breast cancer is a gift without the bow- what I mean by that is the not-so-good part of the gift is that I lost my breasts, but the good part is being able to give back to others as an advocate.  And getting brand new breasts in whatever size I wanted!  But giving back is what is so wonderful for me.  It’s still scary, but I’m taking each challenge as it comes.

L&W- What advice would you give to someone who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer?

CP- The advice I’d like to give to diagnosed breast cancer survivors is to be up front and let people know.  Being diagnosed with breast cancer is not a death sentence.  Losing a breast can be devastating, but one must always move forward and surround yourself with positive, loving people.  You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family, and there are always certain family members who can put a damper on things, but I disregard what they say, and my family of friends makes that extremely easy for me to do.  My biggest support system was my friends and my co-workers.  They were amazing, and made me feel everyday like I was going to make it.  That was invaluable to me.

L&W- How did you feel when you found out you had breast cancer?

CP- Well, I worked for a breast surgeon for 11 years, and both of my aunts had breast cancer, so I was already well educated on the topic.  90% of women do not have a history of it in their families, so that’s important to know and why women should be getting mammograms on a regular basis.  When I heard for the first time that I was positive for breast cancer, my first thought was not whether I was going to die, but how bad do I have it.  I had no complications with my surgeries, other than the emotional aspects involved, and I just took it all one day at a time.  It’s so important to find a support system that helps you stay grounded, and that’s exactly what I had.

L&W- What kind of breast reconstruction did you choose?  Can you talk about the options available?

CP- Sure- I waited five years before having breast reconstruction.  I was afraid to go back under anesthesia, and of my body rejecting the implant.  I chose saline implants, but you can also get silicone, and they have a new silicone implant that is supposed to be really amazing.  I want to clarify that there is a difference between breast reconstruction and implants.  Reconstruction involves reconstituting the breast, including the nipple.  Implants are inserts that fit under the muscle and give you your shape back.  The day I got my mojo back was the day they took the bandages off and I saw the curves back on my body!  I started to cry and couldn’t wait to go shopping.  My outlook on life changed, and I didn’t look at things the same way.  I think it’s important to take your time and really decide what is best for you and your body.  And trust yourself and your instincts on the matter.

L&W- Can you talk about the non-profit organization that you are a board member of?

CP- I’m a board member to the Kristy Lasch Miracle Foundation, which helps women under the age of 30 with medical expenses who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Kristy was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 22 and lost her battle at age 26.  I read about her foundation in an article and made a point to contact Kristy’s friend, Laura.  Through that I was introduced to Kristy’s parents.  They told me they had found Kristy’s journal in a box, and I asked them if I could include her journal in my book, and they said yes.  As a result of our wonderful meeting and collaboration, I became a board member to the foundation.  It has been a privelege and an honor to serve this foundation, and they are growing little by little each year.  It’s a wonderful service they provide to young women.  Nothing could be more valuable.

Visit Cindy’s website and learn more about everything she does.  And take a look at her Ribbon in the Sky items on Cafe Press.  15% of the profits go to the Kristy Lasch Miracle Foundation.

Visit Cindy’s website here: http://www.theemptycuprunnethover.com/main2/index.php
Follow Cindy on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/#/cindypapale
Follow Cindy on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/CindyPapale