MizFit PINK Monday Facetime (video/giveaway post).

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-041gnYLjY

Who inspires YOU?

Do you fall into the I’m awed by the woman down the road who bravely fights breast cancer without all the hooplah (and life-ease) fame brings along with it camp?

Or are you, as many are, inspired by famous individuals like Christina Applegate, Edie Falco, Melissa Etheridge, Olivia Newton John, Suzanne Somers, Richard Roundtree (lets not forget the men!), Cokie Roberts, Cynthia Nixon, Elizabeth Edwards, Robin Roberts (and the list goes on & on…) who step up and share their experiences in hopes of helping others?

Me?  Im hoping that this blogger is reading & proffers yet a THIRD CHOICE in the comments.  I already have a few more ideas so you can rest assured I’ll join you there…

For your trouble (underwritten by a generous individual who wishes to remain anonymous) you shall be entered to win this lovely, charitable, step-counting prize:

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Winner announced Friday. USA and CANADA only.

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Comments

  1. I’m more in awe of the men and women who have to deal with it without all of the fame and money.

    I had a neighbour who saved my daughter’s life (when my oldest daughter was 4) by doing the Heimlich on her when she had passed out from choking on some food.

    Several years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her body was not coping well with the treatment. We moved several times and I lost my contact details for her during one of the moves. I’ll never know if she survived or not, but I will always be thankful to her.

  2. Lance Armstrong for me, not just the recovery from cancer, then winning the most gruelling of sporting events 7 times in a row, but mainly for all the great work his foundation does.

  3. My coworker, Kathleen, was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 6 years ago. She has 2 older kids and 2 younger, her youngest was only 2 when she was diagnosed… but she went through treatment, worked as long as she could, and now spends countless class periods teaching her students about embracing the day, doing what you love… she’s my inspiration 🙂

  5. I am not certain what I think.
    As much as I mock celebrity worship I think that cancer is a equalizer and the fact that they “out themselves” when they discover is for some reason makes them more human to me.

  6. One of my best friends recently was diagnosed with breast cancer. It runs in her family; both her mom(stage 4 now) and her sister have it. Thankfully, she was able to catch it early enough, but has been through quite a bit of painful surgery with more to come. Her attitude is nothing short of AMAZING. She looked at it as an opportunity to make her life better with her husband and 3 children. They spend tons of quality time together, husband works less and they are not running around ‘chasing the dream’. She is very confident about her prognosis and the docs are amazed by her attitude, too. She has clear margins and her scans look great. She is going about her life concentrating on the things that matter and is happier than I have ever seen her.

  7. My MIL. She is new in dealing with her cancer(though not breast cancer, to me cancer is cancer and such a stinging word) therough this whole ordeal she has been dealing with herself by caring for others, being sure all around her are ok, dealing, coping and most of all fed! She has shown herself to be such a strong woman and he battle is just beginning. I am honored to be there right beside her for when she needs an arm to rest on.

  9. THANKS to all of you who have shared already…and I can not wait to get more insights into what you think.

    Im torn but tend to lean toward being inspired by “real” people yet thankful for any attention brought to this terrible disease.

    on a different note my email is down (nationwide thing) so if you need to contact me please use the YAHOO!

    MizFit08@yahoo.com

    not any other address you may have…

  10. I am inspired by the regular men and women who fight the disease day in and day out. There is a man in my husband’s office who had cancer last year. Every time I saw him I’d say, “We’re thinking and praying for you,” and he would just shrug the comment off and say, “Thanks. How are you doing?” Wow.

  11. Thanks for mentioning Richard Roundtree.

    Men are the lost fighters of this disease as everyone focuses only on the woman.

    Andy

  12. Inspired……more like completely BLOWN away by what my best friend and college roommate went through over the last 2 years. He fought and (for now) beat Leukemia. 2 very young kids and an amazing wife…..a brother who was his bone marrow donor…..
    With a smile on his face and a grace/faith that never waivered, he told all of us he was going to beat it, there was simply no other choice.

    I can share that when I first saw him after his initial treatments, it took all my adult composure to not break down and start crying like crazy.

    His name is Steve…..and he’s the bravest most courages person I know.

    Marc

  13. I’m a head-in-the-sand person when it comes to this. My poppa died of lung cancer, my cousin died of leukemia, a friend’s dad died of throat cancer. I don’t like to think about it much or in depth.

  14. I’m inspired by anyone who faces cancer with courage.

    I think fame makes most things easier & simpler but not cancer.

    Love the PINK facetime and writing 😉

  15. My family by far. Our family has a gene mutation (that I thankfully don’t have) that took my mom and my aunt’s life, but so far has been unsucessful in taking my grandmother, other aunt, and cousins lives…even after trying at least twice for the last two!

    My mom handled everything with such grace and stride…it was amazing and as inspiring as a person can be. She let herself have the pitty party once in a great while, but made the conscious decision to feel grateful for her life and grateful for what she had. Really apreciating what she was given – even when she had no hair, and everything tasted yucky, and her feet hurt. She left large shoes to be filled.

  16. Generally I don’t feel inspired by anyone, but I will say that anyone who faces up to their problems/issues/health matters and faces them dead on instead of hiding and not making it public in any form has my respect. Each person who brings attention to something, anything, takes away a bit of the fear and msytique surrounding it, and that’s the best thing to do.

  18. I’m inspired by my grandmother who her husband died in the early 50’s leaving her with a restaurant and a 2 year old to raise on her own. She did both when women didn’t do things like that. She did it all without help from anyone else – she was amazing!

  19. Actually, I’m inspired by anyone who faces tough circumstances with courage and a fighting spirit!

    I sometimes feel discouraged that we as a culture don’t seem to care about various diseases and misfortunes unless they happen to a celebrity or someone we know personally. Like all the politicians who don’t give a crap about medical research until a famous person or one of their own relatives needs help. Would be nice if we could use our imaginations and allocate resources based on need, even if we don’t personally know the victims of some of these devastating diseases. Dream on, I guess…

  20. While I think celebrities bring a good face to cancer (see Patrick Swayze) AND it certainly humanizes them to me, I am more inspired by people I actually know who deal with it.

  21. Shelley your comment has started me thinking about us (the great unwashed masses US) & how we intrude on celebs. with cancer in their final days.

    I thought that so frequently with P.Swayze.
    Whether his family felt that way or not—I just wanted some privacy for them.

  22. Anyone who deals with these dread diseases and has to also do the laundry or try to still work is a hero to me.

    Among the celebrities, I admire most those who suffer from, and thus bring attention to, the rarer illnesses and cancers that get little note, and less research.

    Call it a personal quirk (of which I have too many to count…).

  23. So many have inspired me. I have seen these children on Extreme Makeover Home Edition that are dealing with it & raising awareness & money for it & wanting the show to redo the hospital where they stayed.. they all are inspiring.

    I also love the things Elizabeth Edwards is trying to do & has done thru all her personal & physical struggles. An amazing women.

    So many inspire me. I think all fighting any cancer inspire me…. that they keep trying to move forward.

    It is a difficult question but there are too many to count that inspire me!

  24. I am inspired by anyone who has cancer and does not bury it under the rug. I am inspired by those who show us what it’s like and shout about it. I’m inspired by both men and women who go wigless in public. I’m inspired by any cancery person who can still get out of bed at the end of chemo week and go back to work. I’m inspired by a young woman who’s 39 years old, that has ovarian cancer and was told 2 weeks ago that she has 6 months left to live. And she is so out there in her blog talking about how she wants to live. I’m inspired also by people like Elizabeth Edwards who is also dying and has put up with John Edwards b.s. (and I used to think he was cute).

    I like people who have cancer and don’t bury their head in the sand and I am inspired by other people who can sit there and listen (or read) and hold that information with a kind, loving heart.

    I am also inspired by those who do not walk out or give up on a relationship with someone who’s been diagnosed, out of their own needs. I’m inspired by people who stay, help and continue to love when things get really difficult.

  25. I look at women who battle more than once and still fight. I am amazed that they keep going knowing that it could come back again, and again. I know for me the idea that its not cured but that its a continual battle. They inspire me.

    I like the name that the celebrities do bring and make it normal and that ANYONE can get it. I like that it helps the normal people who may not have the access and understanding to prevention and treatment without seeing celebrities talk about it.

  26. The ones that inspire me the most are those closest to me because I can watch their daily struggles and how they cope. With celebs it always seems like it’s about the “this is me AFTER” rather than “this is me in the mess of it.” My aunt is currently in remission from Stage IV breast cancer… which she achieved while taking care of her husband with prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome and working as a nurse full-time. She never quit. I’m so proud of her!

  27. My grandma had breast and bone cancer nearly 20 years ago, but she did not survive.

    However. She was originally given 6 months. She stayed alive for a solid few years; my mum is adamant that the reason she was able to live for so long was because she wanted to see her grandchildren (my sister and I) grow up.

    That kind of strength is amazing. Especially because the only memories I have of her are of her smiling. If she was afraid or in pain, she never showed it when I was around.

    But I do also get inspiration from people that I know, and celebrities- I think the fact that people are doing stuff and willing to talk about what they have been through, spreading the awareness, is a beautiful beautiful thing.

    Loved all of your pink today!

  28. Honestly, I think it’s great that celebrities come forward and help to raise awareness for their disease. More people need to get their regular checkups and be active in their own health.

    But my real heros are much closer to home. My Dad died of brain cancer almost 5 years ago. He faced treatment and death bravely; struggled through recovery of 2 brain surgeries, chemo and radiation, and finally hospice care at the end of his life. I only hope to have the grace and strength he had during those terrible months.

    My Mom has never had cancer, but she played the emotionally draining role of primary caretaker to Dad during his illness. I can’t imagine what she truly felt during that time – she’s talked some, but she doesn’t like to dwell on it.

  29. My grandmother inspires me! She wasn’t diagnosed until she was in her early 80s and she couldn’t cope with conventional treatment. She hung in there, though ,and worked with her doctors to figure out treatments she could tolerate. Memaw’s next birthday will be her 90th and she just got an ‘all clear’ on her most recent mammo.

    I love October for celebrating the lives of those who fought and lost the battle, and cheering the victories of those who survive. But it’s also sobering to think of the many who don’t have access to early detection programs. Even when it’s through bad choices of their own, I still feel sad. And more determined to support (with $$$ when I can) the folks who are working to provide free or income-based testing and treatment.

  30. My mom had breast cancer in the late 70s. She was very sick and I don’t know how she survived it, but she did. She was a quiet warrior.

    I think that it helps when people share their stories.

    Mom beat her cancer, but suffered the rest of her life with lymphedema in her arm. I don’t hear much about that.

    The one thing I learned from my mom was don’t ever cry “why me” because there is no answer. Just go forward and fight.

  31. For me, it’s more inspiring to see the real person struggling with cancer. Celebrities have access to the best doctors and newest techniques, which a lot of average people don’t have. Christina Applegate, for example did get a double masectomy, but also didn’t come out and say “I’ll never get implants”. For most women, spending tens of thousands of dollars on their chests isn’t feasible.

    Also, celebrities can take time off from their jobs, and focus on recovery. For the average person, leaving the job isn’t an option.

  32. THANK YOU KATE!

    This Blogger always reads, even when I’m not commenting.

    As far as celebrities go, they do get the word out. People do tend to look up to (and look to) the rich, famous and beautiful for answers (even when they’re not experts, or are dead wrong). Look at the impact Montel had on the MS community… before that, MS was barely spoken of.

    I’m a little more critical than that. The rich, famous and beautiful get better health care than many of the rest of us do. I just read THIS ARTICLE this morning about an uninsured student who’s lack of insurance lead to a late discovery of his cancer, and while eventually charity allowed him to have the surgery needed, he doesn’t have a definitive outcome yet… except for ruined credit and harassment from bill collectors. The rich and famous get their surgeries, and their reconstruction, and you never hear the bad stuff.

    I don’t have positive, inspiring models from my family and friends. I’m inspired, but not in the way most people are. You see, I don’t personally know anyone who’s beaten cancer. I do know two women somewhat who are in the struggle now: one woman whose cancer keeps reoccurring, whose breast reconstruction was a failure and lead to an infection that resulted in a long hospitalization and the realization that she’d never have anything like a normal looking breast, and another older woman from my gym class with constant recurrence. Everyone else has died.

    Now I have to say, that my two heros are the woman in my gym class and my grandmother. The woman in my gym class is an active advocate for ALS, a disease her husband died from. She’s in shaky health herself, but she’s out traveling the country promoting ALS awareness and raising money for research, and showing up at the gym just about every other day keeping herself as healthy as she can be.

    My grandmother hung in for months, slipping in and out of comas, each time the doctors calling us all in to say our goodbyes. Then she’d wake up and go about her life. She loved to putter with her tulips, and the thing I remember most is that she used to constantly make doll clothes out of the scraps of fabric she made her own muumuus out of, so our dolls were always dressed like grandma. She typified the term “full of life”, despite the cancer that had spread into her lymph nodes and spine.

    I really believe that those who have lost the battle can be inspirations in the way they chose to life life to the fullest during the time they have.

    Perhaps some will see this as a negative: being inspired by the fear of death to take each moment as it’s offered… to try to postpone or reduce the chance of being put in this same position by diet and exercise (the two methods we know we can control to reduce our cancer risk).

    Sure, for many people cancer is no longer a death sentence because of the advances in medicine, but to take full advantage of these advances, you have to be properly insured or able to afford the medical care and the early detection diagnostics. There are huge groups of people out there whose cancer is found late because they can’t afford health care, and can’t be seen until their condition becomes critical. (like the young man in the Huffington Post article)

    Celebrities hardly make good role models for them: their situation is too far removed to make it relatable. I think we like to look at the rich, beautiful success stories and think “I can be like that” or “She’s the model for a cancer survivor.”

    Celebrity deaths, on the other hand, seem to be forgotten fairly quickly. Look at Peter Jennings. That didn’t raise much awareness, rather “Lung Cancer” was something mentioned only in passing when a cause of death was cited… Even Farrah Faucett’s death seems to have silenced the message she fought so hard to get out in the last days of her life.

  33. When walking the 3-Day, if anyone ever asks me why I do it, I say it’s simply so ALL women and men have the chance to be survivors.

  34. While public people certainly keep the awareness up (altho please alow the dying their much-needed privacy!!), my mother is still my hero. She is a 35 year breast cancer survivor and altho Alzheimer’s will ultimately bring her down, she has exhibited awe-inspiring grace in the face of unfathomable adversity. I am blessed to have her as my mother.

  35. I did the Denver Race for the Cure yesterday and I’m inspired by 55,000 people I don’t know. Running amongst the carnival of people in pink wigs, and pink gloves and boas, and the bands and the cheerleaders, almost everyone I passed or passed me had pinned to their backs ” I Race in Celebration of” or “I Race in Memory of” my mother, or my wife, Grandma Jean, my best friend, Aunt Betty, Dad… Every one of them inspired me.

  36. This post could not have come at a better time. Although not BREAST cancer, a dear dear family friend, Steve, died of cancer last August. Our families were joined at the hip, and I did not realize until he was gone how much he had held the connection together. He was like my second dad, or more like the favorite uncle. His kids were (and still are) around my/my brother’s ages, and our moms were BFF (our families are still close, but a rift has grown between my mom and steve’s wife…my mom loves her but holds a grudge against her for the way she handled his cancer and death…which i do not think is fair). It was truly a match made in heaven. When Steve developed cancer the first time, his oldest son (1.5yrs younger than me) was sent to wilderness therapy for delinquent behavior, and soon after his “graduation” from the program, Steve’s wife began abusing the antidepressants she was prescribed and checked into rehab. All of this while fighting cancer and with a 15 year old daughter at home. Even in his last days in this life, it was NEVER about him. He was always asking about how OTHERS were doing, what was going on in THEIR lives, cracking jokes with the energy he could muster up.
    I remember my mom being in the hospital room with him maybe a couple days before it happened. He looked up at my mom and said, “Amy…It’s a miracle. I’ve beat it.”
    My mom attributes this to the meds and the cancer cells that were literally ON his skull, but I think differently….I think his soul had already moved on to its next juncture (I won’t get into my beliefs too deeply), and it was telling my mom that it was no longer struggling in this body.
    I miss Steve every day but had a ‘moment’ yesterday and it just hit me like a ton ‘o bricks. He would be so interested in everything i’m doing right now, and I wish I could sit down and watch borderline-offensive youtube videos and see him literally fall over with laughter. He inspires me to do good and be good.

  37. As a breast cancer survivor, I think the answer to your question is “both.” We need the celebrity survivors to come forward and promote awareness for the disease. Let’s face it, if I wanted to go on Oprah and talk about my journey with breast cancer to try to raise awareness and inspire others, it probably wouldn’t happen. Not because I don’t have an inspiring story to tell, but because I couldn’t get past the automated phone menu if I were to call the Oprah Winfrey Show. We need those who are in the public eye to stand up and bring awareness like no one else can. They should almost think of it as part of their “job;” maybe a way of paying back the public for their part in the actress/actor’s success. Now I’m not saying if he/she is not comfortable in sharing their journey with the world it’s ok, but OMGosh if you do, think of the good that could come of it. But we also need people like me, who is the “girl downt he street” to inspire us because most of us can’t identify with the celebrity-swanky-perfect actress. We almost build celebrities up in our minds to have superhuman characteristics, and we need people “like us” that shows us that “Yes, the everyday, average, stay-at-home mom can rise up and beat this disease.” It makes the fight more possible when we see someone like US battle and win.
    So, I think that we definitely need both celebrities and non-celebrities for awareness for any kind of disease or illness. Celebrities bring our illnesses out of the closet and into the public eye and the lady down the street brings us actual HOPE.

  38. Thank you for paying so much attention to this disease (cancer in general, breast and not forgetting the men).
    It has stolen so many people from me.

  39. I’m inspired by the children who have to face cancer, yet get through it with laughter and an innocence that only children have. They show incredible strength in the face of the unknown. I we wish we can all be so brave.

  40. I’m amazed by the people I see who encourage each other during treatment and recovery. They really take the attitude of having a new lease on life…the strength and energy they have is inspiring. I’m glad public figures bring attention to breast cancer, but I think that they’re just to far from regular life to be as inspiring as the regular people dealing with the massive change that cancer brings to their life and still smiling after it all.

    And thanks for remembering the men who get breast cancer. It’s not as common but it does happen…

  41. My grandmother was diagnose with breast cancer when she was in her 60s. She fought it for 30 damn years, and managed to get all the enjoyment she could out of life while doing so. That impressed me.

  42. I have to admit… this last year, I’ve seriously put my head in the clouds when it comes to cancer. Oct 17, 2008 My dad lost his battle with cancer in his pancreas, intestines and bile duct. He was diagnosed 2 months before he died, had surgery 2 weeks after finding out and his body just couldn’t recover from the intensive surgery. Before he died, the cancer was returning, despite the fact that pathology tests showed they got it all during the surgery.
    Reading about or hearing about cancer…. It’s still too close to home.

    But no matter where my head is… I admire those who are fighting, have lost, and won the battle. Really, I admire ALL people fighting ANY disease. No matter where a person is in the journey of ANY illness… it’s the remaining spirit that makes people amazing. My cousin is currently fighting a debilitating disease that some day, will cause her to be bed ridden, blind and unable to care for herself… She’s only 2 years older that me. Being in the healthcare industry for 15 years and KNOWING the full extent of where her life is headed… has only made her spirit stronger and her will stronger. THis is just a personal example of what i mean about the spirit making anyone fighting an illness amazing, no matter if they win or lose. 🙂

  43. No need to enter me I just wanted to say how in awe I am at your comments.

    People take time here to share and I love it.

  44. I’m in awe of anyone fighting the fight, whether they have money or not.

    I am in awe of those that have amazing positive attitudes towards life, much more so than anyone not suffering from a life-threatening disease.

  46. I’m inspired by ANY person, whether famous or not, that has fought or is fighting cancer. I don’t think anybody deserves it..

    I really liked your video today and your pink outfit for supporting breast cancer!

  47. Cancer is an ugly word, but a word that almost everyone can relate to. It is a disease that affects all people in some way, shape or form. When I hear the word cancer my heart goes out to all who’ve lost, won and are fighting the battle, but my thoughts immediately go to my grandmother.

    She fought the battle and fought it hard. She was a non-smoker, but had lung and throat cancer. Rarely did she ever complain, even when she had a hard time talking, walking or when we shaved her head. WHEN I CRIED ABOUT WHAT THE CANCER WAS DOING TO HER, SHE COMFORTED ME!!! Sadly she lost her fight with cancer 13 years ago last week.

  48. Breast cancer hurts me deep. I lost my Auntie to breast cancer, a year after she attended my wedding. The cancer had spread, but she traveled cross country to spend the day with the family. She put on a brave face and didn’t complain, even though we all knew that she may not be with us long. She was an awesome woman and I miss her everyday.

  49. I don’t have much to add, other than “ditto” to everyone who said that anyone who bravely deals with illness or adversity inspires me. For me, personally, I’d say my two would be my mom and my mother-in-law. My mom is a survivor, both of breast cancer and heart disease (prolapsed mitral valve). I’ve found her battle with the latter this year even more inspiring than her battle with breast cancer. They caught her breast cancer early and were able to successfully treat it. Her heart problems, though, caused her to go into congestive heart failure, and that was a much more harrowing experience for us all. Now, though, she’s doing great; she walks 5-8 miles per day and she quit smoking. My mother-in-law is another strong woman whom I admire. She was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago, and yet she was primary caregiver for (until his death) her husband, who was suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease. I honestly don’t know how she stood the dementia part, other than being freakin’ Super Woman.

  51. I did have to say :from all sources. I clearly remember how emotional it was for me to see the survivors run in a Susan Komen 5k race.. a race that I ran with zero training 4 years ago. I cried when I saw them running. On a personal note, my inspiration was my dad whom I lost last year. Till his end, he believed that he would beat it or that the cancer would coexist with him peacefully.

    No need to enter for pedometer.

  52. I would have to say that both the celebrities and the every day men and women fighting cancer every day inspire me. They all bring something different to the table, and all of them do their part in educating, inspiring, and providing some hope to others.

    Thank you for this post. 🙂

  53. I am also inspired by anyone who fights and overcomes extreme adversity. Personally, I’ve been inspired by both. Scott Hamilton (ice skater) was a big hero of mine before he got cancer. When he fought the cancer and came back to skate, I just loved him more. And for a ‘regular’ person, just a few weeks ago we had a women’s conference at our church, and a woman who is dying of brain cancer attended witthout worrying about her appearance. Friends and family brought a big easy chair for her to sit in and she was surrounded by her larger ‘family’, cared for and loved, just as it should be.

  55. I’m more in awe of the every day people who deal with cancer-taking care of everyday life with families, jobs etc.
    However, I am very thankful for the famous people who bring awareness to a cause and very often financial donations.

  57. My grandmother had breast cancer, fought it, and still bakes the best desserts for her many children and grandchildren on demand… LOVE her (and not just for the pie)… she’s always been a fighter and a survivor!

    I have the gene… which is terrifying at times but I’m a fighter too, and I don’t worry about it, I just plan to be proactive!

  58. Anyone who has suffered or seen someone suffer through cancer is an inspiration to me. Diagnosed 3 years ago today with breast cancer….I am thankful for all of the bits and pieces of information and encouragement that I have gotten on my cancer walk. It is not for the faint of heart. It is part of me now and has changed my life. I am most thankful for the 75 year old woman who set next to me every 3 weeks during chemo and taught me not so much about cancer but about life. She was someone that I would never have met otherwise. She was the wisest, bravest most graceful woman I have ever met. She died about a month ago and I am so sad but I will never forget her. All of her wisdom about life has made me a better, braver more graceful woman.

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