Monthly Archives: March 2012

Meet Your Fairy Godfather.

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I’m PRO any guy who is willing to make a fool of himself. The fact, that a man is willing to do it for an OUTSTANDING cause, well, doesn’t that just make it even better?

Bob Carey is getting people’s attention. Why? Because he isn’t afraid to Do It Like A Woman, quite literally. Carey isn’t ashamed to put on a woman’s pink tutu & photograph himself for the millions to look at. In fact, he’s promoting it. Yep, that’s right, this isn’t a quiet, back of the closet, photos stuffed in a shoebox thing, it is a movement. A movement called The Tutu Project.

(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project

The Tutu Project began in 2003 as a joke. As Carey puts it, “I mean, really, think of it. Me photographing myself in a pink tutu, how crazy is that?”….Hmmm…now, do you really want me to answer that?

Pretty Crazy, but it’s working! Within the past week, Carey has gained the attention of the masses with a feature in Time magazine & a write up in The Huffington Post. The people love Carey!

One of our BOD’s is actually who brought Carey to my attention. She approached me last week ago saying, “Lauren, you have to check this guy out. He’s just crazy enough for you to find interesting.”–& that my readers, is a very lofty goal. But, she was right! Carey is just crazy enough.

I love him. I love this project. & I love the story behind it (which we’ll get into…) AND, we at Do It Like A Woman are happy to support & raise awareness for any & every organization, project, &/or idea that gets our attention. That is why, I’ve chosen to dedicate this entire blog post to The Tutu Project, Bob Carey & his wife, Linda Carey.

So, ladies & gentlemen, prepare to meet a godfather or ahem, fairy godfather, who won’t put a horse head in your sheets, but who will put a smile on your face–guaranteed.

(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project

I know what you are wondering…what makes a grown man decide to put on a pink tutu & photograph himself? And, what is this great cause that I keep going on & on about, but thus far haven’t dropped any information about: Breast Cancer, but more importantly, love. This man’s love for his wife & really, all women. This is a man who is truly all about Supporting His Ladies.

Carey first slinked into a pink tutu as part of a photography commission by the Arizona Ballet in 2003. A commercial & fine art photographer, Carey was amazed at how a simple addition of pink tulle could transform an image. So, six months later, after moving to NYC & after his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with breast cancer, Carey set out to transform something more than a background with his pink tutu. He set out to transform his wife’s mood.

Linda beat the cancer only for it to reoccur in 2006, & with the cancer’s reoccurrence came the tutu’s. Linda has been in chemotherapy ever since, but she’s quoted in The New York Daily News, saying that she feels good most of the time. And, while most women are afraid to share their husbands, Linda is not. She shares the tutu pictures with fellow patients to brighten their days, as well.

And while we are all in awe of Carey, he is in awe of his wife (& rightly so, he should be–we are!). Carey says, “During these past nine years, I’ve been in awe of her power, her beauty, and her spirit. Oddly enough, her cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing–no, the only thing–we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves, and share a laugh with others.”

To date, Carey has taken more than 100 tutu pictures, which he shoots himself with the help of a tripod. The overwhelming positive reaction has even inspired Carey to take The Tutu Project further. He & Linda are self-publishing a book of his images entitled, “Ballerina”, with the proceeds going directly to breast cancer organizations. Linda & Bob’s goal: $75,000.

How can you help them out? Go to their website. Take some time to look & laugh at the photos of Carey everywhere from the Grand Canyon, to Times Square, to Italy wearing nothing but a pink tutu & his bicycle shorts underneath. We’ve shared some of his photographs on our blog today, but there’s a WHOLE lot more where those came from. Each photograph, if its possible, more aesthetically pleasing & funnier than the last.

(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project

If you’ve got the money, SPONSOR the man. Come on now, how many guys do you know who will don a pink tutu in support of your ladies? Even more so, how many men do you know who will do it in the snow?

(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project

But, If you can’t afford a sponsorship, buy a shirt. I’ll go out on a limb & bet you that every time you see that logo of Carey in a pink tutu, you’ll be reminded that laughter really is the best medicine & probably let out a laugh yourself–that’s certainly worth $30.

And, Bob Carey, continue to Do It Like A Woman…is that weird to say? Either way, we support you! (& you too, Linda!)

Sources: The Tutu Project website,  The Huffington Post, Time Magazine , & NY Daily News.

xxL

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A shake that really “shakes” things up.

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Breast Cancer, hurts. Being unhealthy, hurts.

So, here’s a shake that can help you with BOTH. From the highly educated mind of Dr. Patrick Quillin, PhD, RD, CNS and former vice-president of nutrition for a national network of cancer hospitals from 1990-2000…yeah, yeah, yeah…we get it: he knows his shit….HERE is the the Dragonslayer shake (it even comes with a cool name).Image

Ingredients:

  • 4-8 ounces of rice milk or dilute fruit juice, including apple, cranberry, orange, fresh-squeezed, juice extracted, etc. Or add twice the specified water to a can of unsweetened concentrated apple juice.
  • 10-15 grams of powdered protein (listed in order of preference): ImmunoPower, whey, soy, alfalfa, egg white, non-fat yogurt solids, & spirulina. *Do NOT use powdered proteins that are based on non-fat milk solids.
  • A powdered formula with a combination of Acidophilus and Eliminease or its equivalent). The mix should include a fiber, an herbal laxative, proper bacteria for colonizing the intestines, and botanicals for detoxification. A powdered mix with all of this can be found in the Colon Care section of your health food store.
  • One sliced, ripe banana or less, depending on how thick you like your shake.
  • 2-4 grams of buffered high dose vitamin C powder
  • 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil

**If you hate measuring as much as me, one scoop full for the powders, will do just fine.

Directions:

  • Use a blender….(duh)…
  • First add the oils to coat the bottom of the container for easy mixing and cleaning.
  • Add the powdered ingredients & cut up fruit
  • Blend until smooth, or about 15 seconds

…VOILA.

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This shake has been mother tested & mother approved (huge victory!). In fact, she even noticed an improvement in how she felt when drinking the shake on days after she had radiation therapy. It is also, ME tested & ME approved, made with orange juice, it tastes almost like a creamsicle.

P.S. For those of you wondering what ImmunoPower is, it is a scientifically-formulated nutrition supplement designed to bolster “host defense mechanisms” in people who are being medically treated for cancer and hay fever relief. It’s also just goddamn good for the everyday person. BUT, at $109/canister, my recommendations go out to only those of our readers with cancer/hay fever. For the rest of us, whey protein powder–is the WAY to go.

To learn more about ImmunoPower, click here. (& don’t let the lovely couple featured on their homepage deter you, if I’m that happy at that age with my 8th husband in a Niagara falls/beach mash up…maybe this shake really does work miracles)

xxL

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Let’s Talk: DIET…

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Ladies, uncover your ears!

I know that I just broke “girl code” by mentioning the dirtiest of the dirty four letter words. Yes, even I feel ashamed for saying it in public! &, sure, it would be better if we put it off another week…

BUT, YOUR fat may be KILLING you…

Fat isn’t just unattractive. Its destructive. Destructive to not only your physical self but to your self esteem as well. Part of Do”ing” It Like A Woman is being the hottest, baddest bitch you can be–which is a “skinny” bitch.

Now, I know that I’ve just pissed off some or most of you. You ladies are comfortable with the way you look & don’t give a damn about what I or anyone else has to say about it. AND that is AWESOME, you are lightyears ahead of the rest of us women, you are an evolved species–as long as your BMI is also in check with your attitude.

This isn’t an appearance issue (though we’re always the hottest at our finest), it is a quality of life issue. Being overweight can impact a person’s entire quality of life. It goes way beyond health issues like diabetes, heart disease, & cancer–& into the daily aspects of our life. It can cause joint pain, difficulty breathing, disrupted sleep, mood swings, and that sluggish/tired feeling that you just cant kick even after your tenth cup of coffee or fourth 5 hour energy.

Not only that, but for those of you cancer diagnosees and survivors out there–my warriors–it can actually cause your cancer to reoccur. FAT feeds TUMORS.

Now, I wasn’t always a dietary example & I am still far from perfect. There was a time once where I thought wine and vodka was an appropriate diet aka the liquid diet. And, there was also a time in college where I lived solely off of Subway’s 5 dollar footlong meals. Even as recent as this past year, while living in Boston, the majority of my meals began to consist of laffy taffy candy & whatever I could get half off at the restaurant I was working at. It was a bar, you figure it out.

BUT, I have always been a health addict. Even if my own health habits were slacking, I was a silent support system to the women in the magazines that I was reading. I would think “YOU GO GIRL” as I took another bite out of the chocolate bar I was eating..seriously.

What finally changed? I got off my ass. And put all of what I’d been reading, to work…on my ass.

Its spring time & time to do some spring cleaning…internally.

So, what’s the best diet? A GREEN diet. I could lecture on it and sustainability, but that sounds about as appealing to me, as it does to you. I don’t even want to hear me talk on that…we’ve all heard it before: been there, done that.

Instead, I’m going to give you four simple ways that you can experiment with a GREEN diet straight from my bible, Kim Barnouin (one of the women behind the Skinny Bitch franchise)’s new cookbook: Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook. The latest addition to my growing library of green diet books including Kim & Rory Freedman’s Skinny Bitch collection and Kimberly Snyder’s The Beauty Detox Solution. Check them out, these ladies know what they are talking about. Need proof? Look at them. They all look fabulous…bitches…

The "BIBLE"

Here they are: The 4 Simple Steps to Experimenting with a GREEN diet:

Step 1: Get acquainted with your spices. Put that salt shaker down! The only thing you should be shaking like a salt shaker is a perfectly healthy toned ass. Learn how to cook and flavor your foods with herbs and spices instead of fattening oils, butters, & Paula Deen’s staple: lard. Herbs are your best friend. & I don’t mean the herb that was your best friend in high school. I mean your cilantro, oregano, basil, chive, rosemary, mint, parsley….get on a first name basis with them, learn their likes and dislikes, let them inside you…(too far?)

Start a new relationship with these guys. The added bonus? It is actually okay to date more than one of these guys at a time.

Step 2: Grow a mini garden in your backyard or buy a garden for your patio. 

A not so "mini" garden..I come from a family of overachievers (if you can't tell...)

Now, my family went a “little” overboard with this suggestion and transformed a sizable piece of our backyard into the produce section of Whole Foods. The upside: we’ve got the freshest ingredients in our foods and we don’t have to feel like an asshole fighting with the plastic bag dispensers at the grocery store anymore. The downside? There really isn’t one. The goddamn thing even waters or “mists” on its own.

Look, the Earth even smiles when you eat green in the form of rainbows...now, if that isn't an argument for a greener life...I don't know what I can say, to convince you--you hard asses!

Step 3: Pencil in Meatless Monday or Meatless tuesday, as well….Meatless March & eventually Meatless everything! Now, here is where I put a little brown in my green life. I am FAR from a vegan. I enjoy my fish, my chicken, and my turkey. I  also hold a deep belief that vegans don’t even like being vegan because every recipe I’ve ever gotten from a vegan cookbook has taken me approximately 3 hours to make at which point, I’m exhausted and don’t even want to eat the food. I think they just like being around the food and spending time with it…(I’m joking, some of my best friends are vegan…but really, what is with the recipes?!) Luckily, I’m defective. I gave up red meat A LONG TIME AGO which means that I can no longer eat red meat without feeling sick. BUT, I know my men certainly do enjoy their steaks, ribs, and burgers. So meatless isn’t for everybody. But, we should at least try and moderate how much of it we eat. & just because you go red meatless, it doesn’t mean that you lose your ability to cook up a mean steak for your men. Though, you can try to use it as an excuse to get out of making dinner--it almost worked for me.

Last night's dinner: Quinoa-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Tomatillo Sauce...it was WORTH the time it took to cook...definitely. From the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin) Can you tell we are trying to get you "into" this? Look at that presentation!

Step 4:  Go to the Farmer’s Market. & don’t just go there SHOP. I  have one of the best times of my week at the farmer’s market (& no, its not because I live a really sad life & no, its not just because of my ongoing silent love affair with one of the vendors). Its because its actually fun!

You can get an ENTIRE pepper plant with 5 peppers on it for $5. Now, that is an investment! Just, please, don't try to be like my father & haggle $5 with the man. It's already a steal!

The produce is inexplicably large which means you can come up with some pretty funny material just based on the size of these eggplants...

The red tomatoes are a HEAVENLY red unlike the assortment of dingy reds & yellows you mostly find in the grocery store..

LYCHEES! Need I say more? If you are a S. FLA citizen pair with Schnebly Lychee wine, trust me. I know my fruit & I know my wine.

& bananas, oh my!

They EVEN make you drinks...like this passion fruit juice I enjoyed. A fruit & a juice which I fell in love with while volunteering in Haiti. Its especially wonderful paired with some rum...In this photo, the rum was excluded....i know, kill joy.

& LAST, but certainly NOT least...They make you sandwiches! I'm a fan of anywhere you can get a sandwich.

To find a farmer’s market near you, check out these GREAT resources:
www.localharvest.org
www.farmersmarket.com
www.eatwellguide.org
www.localfarmmarkets.org

So, Ladies & Gentlemen, if you take anything out of this blog post at all, LET IT BE THIS: MOST OF ALL, I want you to be the happiest, to be the healthiest, most booty-ful version of yourself that you can be. Turning a couple of heads, never hurt anyone’s self esteem. So, Do It Like A Woman or (Man) & BRING SEXY BACK.

xxL

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The Game: Duck, Duck, Goose.

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The following blog post is by our co-president, Bonnie Angueira. A true VOICE in the fight breast cancer. She is undergoing treatment and she is SPEAKING out. When she’s not in her treatment sessions: she is a mother, an artist, and an advocate for Do It Like A Woman & it’s cause.

"Adamant about how much she hated the last picture posted of her, after a day in the Florida Keys, this is the new photograph of Bonnie Angueira, co-president of Do It Like A Woman. She can't complain about this one! xxL"
photo taken by Lauren B. Angueira, LBA Photo

“This is the year that I have been given the opportunity to play life’s ultimate game: 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and this year, I am it.

I can now play to win or die. It is official for the remainder of my life: I am a woman who has had cancer. The illusion that I cannot have cancer, that it only happens to others is gone. The reality is that my life is shattered, like a broken glass: emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Every day, I awake to remember today, I have cancer. I must care for myself differently and remember to eat well, exercise, and push myself to go to the next treatment. This game is a marathon & like in any race there are obstacles, like the emotional hurdles that I have to jump over every day.

I am five months into breast cancer. I have had three biopsies, a lumpectomy surgery and then an additional surgery to remove the unclear margins. I am, today, halfway through 30 radiation therapies. My left breast has been stabbed, squashed, cut and now, burned. I feel the procedures are somewhat archaic like that of bloodletting. They somehow work under the philosophy that “that which doesn’t kill you, you may survive.“

I firmly believe that after just one penis needle biopsy, not only would this procedure have changed there would be options of pain medications–the penis would not be clamp down on in a trapping mechanism like that of an animal that cannot be freed.

Cancer and it’s processes are brutal and we all express our emotions differently. When you are going through cancer, it is important to find ways to say what you feel, to connect with others and to find new opportunities to give, that is why we started Do It Like A Woman. Cancer hurts. But, through our pain we can find compassion and new opportunities to express our divine and human qualities. We can choose to see our lives as half empty or half full. We can take the opportunity to be strong and live a bold reality. We can Do It Like A Woman: reclaim our femininity, connect to our sisters, our mothers, our boys & our men. Do It Like A Woman gives all of us women an opportunity to play to win. Win against the despair, Win against the odds & ultimately live to beat the stigma of cancer so we can live as every WOMAN should–fully.

Bonnie Angueira, co-president of Do It Like A Woman”

Help US TALK BREAST CANCER to DEATH!

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No Woman Left Behind?

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We at DILAW have lots of different voices because we are a lot of different people. We are young we are old”er”, we are men, we are women, BUT the one thing that is important is that we are united behind ONE CAUSE. That is why TOGETHER we make the perfect cohesive voice against Breast Cancer. This following blog post is just one voice that you will hear & it happens to be that of our co-president, Lauren Angueira, a sometimes “too” fast talking, twenty-something. If she’s provocative or edgy its because she’s trying to get YOUR attention in order to make a DIFFERENCE. BUT, don’t dismiss us based on just what she has to say. Plenty of people will be featured on this blog as a venue for them to SPEAK out against Breast Cancer & in an effort for all of us to Help Talk Breast Cancer to Death. You can do your part by following our blog, liking us on Facebook, and/or following us on Twitter. AND, if you would like to SPEAK out against breast cancer: send us an email to info@doitlikeawoman.org to share your story on our blog & social media. 

“As you grow up, you leave a lot of friends behind. Some friends you lose because of falling outs & some you simply, outgrow. But there are two friends, that you never think you’ll have to leave behind–your breast friends.

Now, growing up, I was surrounded by guys. Not because of my two DD sized breasts–though once I hit adolescence, that certainly didn’t create a male free zone–but because in some procreative joke, my parents in succession had four boys each within two to four years of each other. I wanted a puppy, I got a litter of brothers. & if that wasn’t enough–I was surrounded by mostly male cousins, as well. Its funny that now I head an organization called Do It Like A Woman (irony, huh?)

So, while some women refer to their breasts as their “ladies”. I lovingly and perhaps inappropriately refer to mine as, “my guys” which as I’ve grown older I’ve also been able to adapt into a joke making fun of my actual guy friends: BECAUSE after seeing their choice in girlfriends, is it any wonder why I wouldn’t want two ladies hanging all over me? No disrespect intended here–its just a way I can poke fun at the male stereotype that women are “crazy.” WHICH, having spent my time mostly around guys, I can say  with absolute certainty: if women are crazy, men are crazy too. After all, I’ve never seen a woman cry because her favorite sports team (for which she doesn’t play) lost the game. sorry, guys…love you!

Nonetheless, the premise is the same. We ALL lose friends. And, sometimes we are okay with it–it was you, not me–& sometimes we are not. BUT, no woman is okay with losing her breast friends.

I couldn’t imagine losing “my guys“. That was before my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Nowadays, I’ve been forced to imagine myself in a lot of situations that I never beforehand even would have considered. So, readers, keep in mind as I write on the following topic and for the rest of this blog post that this is only how I “imagine” I would react. Tomorrow, there will be a “guest” blogger who has been through two lumpectomies, is undergoing radiation therapy, is also our co-president here at DILAW, & my mother.–but, for now, you are stuck with me.

When faced with the thought of losing my breasts–I imagine my biggest question would be: what have my breasts ever done wrong to me for me to have to let them go? Sure, they make finding a bathing suit near impossible & I certainly can’t be provocative & go braless ANYWHERE–seriously, I can’t even go downstairs to the refrigerator without a sports bra on. But, unlike other “best friends” they haven’t slept with my ex boyfriend (without my consent–though they did take up an awful lot of his time), and they’ve never talked bad behind my back. They’ve never even met him. They like to point forward. I like to think of them as my not-so-little optimistic twins.  

Now, I’ve been told by my mother repeatedly that there’s nothing funny about cancer & I agree, cancer itself is NOT funny. It is  a mass murderer. One, that we have been unable to capture, contain, & chain down. But, medicine has advanced to a point where we are at least armed in the fight against breast cancer. Unfortunately, our armament oftentimes means the loss of one or both of our ladies via a mastectomy.

DILAW is an organization focused on empowering women. Our multimedia campaign is a not-so silent protest where woman can express their attitude towards cancer and reclaim their femininity. An outlet where they can stick it to that bastard & come up on top. That is our goal–to show women that they can beat the stigma of cancer–that they are still powerful, sexy, and strong because they are still women.

But, unfortunately, to have a cure there must first be a problem. We’ve identified the enemy as breast cancer, but how does breast cancer cause women to feel this way? Through the very method by which the woman fights to survive–a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.

“A mastectomy can take a serious emotional toll on a woman and even affect the way she looks at herself. The loss of a woman’s breasts to cancer can affect her self-esteem, her sex drive (god forbid!, seriously, god forbid!), and just how she feels about herself as a woman….[BUT] a woman battling breast cancer can learn to love her post-masectomy body and feel just as womanly and sexy as she did before breast cancer treatment,” according to an article by Every Day Health titled “Keeping Your Self-Esteem After A Masectomy.”  What do we have to say about this at DILAW: Hells-to-the-yeah! SHE CAN! That is just what we aim to help her do: kick cancer’s ass & get her sexy back.

But, who should we look to as a role model? The everyday woman? Noooo (cue: sarcastic long drawl). Who do we idolize & look up to? Celebrities!

But, joking aside, Guiliana Rancic is a very impressive woman for the simple fact that she was willing to SPEAK about her cancer & she didn’t just SPEAK, in true Italian form, she spoke LOUD.

Now, I know that I’ve shared on our twitter the picture of Guiliana Rancic from her Michigan Avenue spread with her quote about breast cancer, but I figure now is as best a time as any to discuss the article in which “Guiliana Rancic Opens Up”.

 

ImageFor those of you who don’t know who Guiliana Rancic is….she is an E! correspondent who married the first Apprentice winner, Bill Rancic. Think Knocked Up without Seth Rogen & much more suits. She & her husband even have their own television series on E! affiliate the Style Network aptly titled: Guiliana & Bill.

Why does she come up in a blog post about breast cancer? Because she is one of the 250,000 women who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She underwent treatment for estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer–first a double lumpectomy and then when the cancer remained, a double mastectomy last December.

Now, I wasn’t always such a Guiliana Rancic fan, but I also never really cared to hear what she had to say until she started SPEAKING about something other than the fluctuation of Kim Kardashian’s ass size or Miley Cyrus’ latest “bad girl” antics. It wasn’t her fault. She was doing her job. I just wasn’t interested. No hard feelings, Guiliana?

But, NOW that she has found a voice of her own: I’m all ears & I LOVE what I’m hearing. Guiliana Rancic has become a prime example of someone who is Do”ing” It Like A Woman.

How so, you may ask?

The article speaks for itself:

“As the cancer was cleared away, what took its place was a pressing belief that talking about it was an important part of her life’s purpose…she understands that the platform she has built over the last 10 years at E!–and the relationships with millions of young women who hang on her every word about Kim Kardashian or Britney Spears–can serve a greater good. ‘Maybe in some way I’m a little bit of a messenger,’ she says. ‘Maybe God knew that I have a big mouth, that I’m a loud Italian chick, that I wouldn’t hide behind anything. It now starts to make some sense to me why I think I got the cool job, because I think He knew I would do some cool stuff with it.’”

Oh, so, let me get this straight: she had cancer, kicked its ass, & now is empowering other women to do the same? Yep. That’s how a WOMAN does it.

But, Guiliana wasn’t alone. Not only did she have her family & friends as a support system, but she had another support system, as well: Bright Pink and its founder Lindsay Avner, a survivor, herself.

Bright Pink is an extraordinary non-profit that encourages women to Be Brilliant. Be Bold. Be Bright Pink. & according to its website it is the only national non-profit organization focusing on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women while providing support for high-risk individuals. Without all the fancy talk–its a peer support “match–making” service for young women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Only without the romance and fancy dates! (though, I’m sure you could still swindle a dinner out of someone..)

If you have the time, check it out. If you have the money–join Guiliana & Lindsay at Fab Fest 2012 April 15 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Two exemplary women who showed breast cancer whose boss. Two exemplary women who are Do”Ing” It Like A Woman. Two women, we are happy to support.

“I think because breast cancer touches so many people, when someone hears you have it, they just shower you with love. The one word I always saw in all the messages was STRONG. You’re so strong, stay strong, be strong–when you hear something enough, you start believing it. I was like, I’m strong, I’m strong, I’m strong. That helped me get through a lot of this,” says Guiliana.

So, Ladies, if I don’t say it enough–You are STRONG. You are SEXY. You are POWERFUL. So, BELIEVE IT. I’ll keep repeating myself, but I don’t like to… :) DILAW.

xxL

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To read more about Guiliana’s story in Michigan Avenue, click here.

To learn more about Bright Pink, click here.

250,000.

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250,000.

This is 250,000 grains of rice or 8.5 bags of your standard 5 lb bag of long grain rice. I know JUST how much rice is in this photo. I did the math. I laid the rice out. I took the picture.

Each grain of rice represents one woman in the US, alone, who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

What are the odds?
• Out of 100 average women, about 12 will get breast cancer sometime during their lives.
• Out of 100 women who have one relative with breast cancer, about 24 will get breast cancer.
• Out of 100 women who have two relatives with breast cancer, about 36 will get breast cancer.
• Out of 100 women who have inherited a breast cancer gene, between 35 and 84 will get breast cancer. Women with the inherited gene also have an increased risk of developing ovarian, colon, pancreatic and thyroid cancers as well as melanoma.
Source: Providence Regional Cancer Partnership

What does this mean for you?
That YOU WILL BE affected by breast cancer in your lifetime–everyone will be affected by the disease. Breast Cancer does NOT discriminate based on age, gender, or how good of a person you are.

What can you do to help? Men & Women: Follow our blog, Like our Facebook page, Follow us on Twitter & SUPPORT our cause. Help us talk breast cancer to death by Supporting YOUR ladies!

@DoItLikeAWoman
facebook.com/doitlikeawoman

When is it one HANGOVER too many?

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Whether it be wine, whiskey, vodka or straight tequila (for you wild ladies)…you’d be hard pressed to find a woman who doesn’t enjoy a good drink. In fact, for many women the five basic life necessities come down to: oxygen, food, water, jimmy choo & wine. BUT with research showing that even relatively small amounts of alcohol can raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer, it leads us to question whether or not we are drinking our lives away? When is it one hangover too many?

I’m going to be a straight shooter here & analyze this “glass half full“…”glass half empty“…

The GOOD news: Research on alcohol and breast cancer is relatively recent & most of the early studies come from Europe, where women (men, children & livestock..) tend to drink more than those in the United States.

The BAD news: Last November, Dr. Wendy Chen, a breast cancer specialist, and her colleagues at Brigham & Women’s Hospital reported that overall, women who average three to six drinks a week were 15 percent — more likely to develop breast cancer. In other words, for every 100,000 people, this moderate consumption of alcohol was responsible for 330 cases of breast cancer.

The EVEN WORSE news: Researchers argue over whether or not there is a “safe level” of alcohol consumption when it comes to raising your risk for breast cancer.

The SLIGHTLY BETTER BUT NOT REALLY news: Some researchers say that one daily drink isn’t harmful….Yeah, that’s right: one drink defined as a 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine, or a 1.5 oz shot of hard liquor…

BUT, before we all start “whining for wine” it is important to remember that this is only one study and moderate drinking has proven health benefits as well. A glass of red wine a day has been linked to improved heart and circulatory system functioning. Small amounts of alcohol have also been proven to raise levels of good cholesterol and  may even help maintain bone density in women.

So, what is moderate drinking? The loose U.S. guidelines for women are no more than one glass of wine, beer, or cocktail on a daily basis, and no more than four on any one occasion (after that, it’s considered a binge).

HOWEVER, if somehow the magic of drunk math turns four drinks to six (its happened to us all), there is still hope. BECAUSE, according to another researcher at the Dana Farber Institute, Dr. Charles Fuchs, aspirin has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer. EVEN BETTER, this magic little white pill also significantly reduces the effects of a hangover, which is scientifically proven by myself, one Lauren B. Angueira PH.D. in early twenties drinking.

But, ladies, we want to hear from you. Tell us, will this knowledge affect how you drink?

Personally, I don’t know if I’m ready to retire my personalized, rhinestone, XXL wine glass…just yet.

xxL

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/doitlikeawoman
Follow us on Twitter @DoItLikeAWoman

Sources:

1. http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2012/03/alcohol-and-breast-cancer-what%E2%80%99s-the-risk/

2. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/what-you-should-know-about-alcohol?

3. http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/aspirin-and-cancer-study-daily-use-reduces-cancer-20120322

Why give a DAMN about Do It Like A Woman?

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When you first start a non-profit especially a Breast Cancer non-profit A LOT & I mean, A LOT of people ask: HOW IS YOUR NON-PROFIT DIFFERENT FROM ANYBODY ELSES?

What they really want to know is– WHY are you so special? WHY are you worth their time? & more importantly WHY is what you are doing worth their money? & you know what—it is okay to ask. In fact, you SHOULD ask. Part of Do“ing” It Like A Woman is being straightforward & powerful–knowing what you want and working hard to achieve it.  you know–the whole kicking ass and taking names mantra.

So, i’ll make you a deal here: kick my ass, BUT only as long as you also take our name–take the Do It Like A Woman name & tell everyone. I’m serious, I want US to TALK Breast Cancer to DEATH.

And, that is also why, I’m here the day AFTER our social media launch to answer your questions. In this post, I will focus on what makes Do It Like A Woman shine & sparkle. But, if you have a question about something else or an idea on how you can help us out. TALK to me. I’m here now and forever & ever, & ever, & ever. That is my promise to all of you. There’s a saying that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” BUT, we all know how UNTRUE that statement is. There are some DEVASTATINGLY DUMB questions that can be asked, but I promise to EVEN answer those.

There is no question WHY Breast Cancer funding is needed. The statistics are astronomical & we all want to save the breasts: that is a universal thing that men & women can agree on. Breasts are awesome.

BUT why you should support Do It Like A Woman is a different question. The simple answer is: We are doing something that no one else is doing. We found something that we were able to cure when it comes to breast cancer and we have set out to cure it.

We at Do It Like A Woman are far less concerned with finding a medical cure for breast cancer and far more concerned with what we can do RIGHT NOW to help breast cancer patients and survivors.

As a Communications major in college, I’d lose all credibility and probably be institutionalized if I wrote here that I was setting out to find a cure for breast cancer. I know it is best to leave the medicine to the scientists–which is why a portion of our donations do benefit cancer institutions nationally who are doing OUTSTANDING work in searching for a cure. HOWEVER, as a Communications major in college, I AM highly trained to SPEAK. And, not just speak in written word but through photography as well. And, for that reason, I CAN confidently and legitimately write here that I have FOUND a CURE for the psychological aftermath that a breast cancer diagnosis can cause. And, it is as simple as a photograph.

Still skeptical? Don’t think there is a psychological problem?

This week, The Washington Post posted a series of articles on the issue of breast cancer, specifically how it relates to African American Women. This is what they found: Breast Cancer is LEAST likely to be diagnosed in African American Women but these women are MORE likely to die from breast cancer . (source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2012/03/20/gIQAKN3HQS_graphic.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost).

Why?

Two words: Fear & Silence.

(source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/breast-cancer-toll-among-black-women-fed-in-part-by-fear-silence/2012/03/02/gIQANhzbQS_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop)

An excerpt from the article:

“Sandra Yates knew. As soon as she felt the pea-size lump in her breast, she was  sure it was cancer. Still, she refused to acknowledge it. She wouldn’t go to the doctor. She didn’t tell anyone. And when Breast Cancer Awareness Month rolled around that fall, she wanted no part of it…..It would be nearly nine months before she told herself it was time to act. By then, the lump was the size of a small egg. The diagnosis was Stage 3 breast cancer. Yates, a witty, fiercely independent woman who raised two daughters on her own, doesn’t seem the type to back down from a challenge.”

Could this just be a cultural issue like the article argues? Sure.There’s no doubt that culture plays a huge part in who we are as individuals. BUT–I’d rather see past all the bullshit & look to the real issue: Black or White we are all the SAME. We are HUMAN BEINGS. We feel emotion, we feel pain, and a lot of the time we deal with that emotion and that pain in silence–especially women.

So why is the photography/multimedia campaign so integral to Do It Like A Woman? Why is it a cure?

Let’s circle back to the Washington Post article with another excerpt: “You hear all these stories from these women who had these awesome, victorious experiences. It’s not easy, but they survived, and they’ve survived for long periods and they’re not telling anyone.”

Do It Like A Woman allows breast cancer patients and survivors to SPEAK. It allows them to OWN their cancer. To say to their cancer, themselves, and everyone else: I HAVE OR HAVE HAD CANCER. So What? Look At me NOW. Look at my strength, my power, my beauty. Look at how I am kicking cancer’s ass or have kicked cancer’s ass..How I didn’t let it kick my ass or how I’m not letting it kick mine.

It is the expression of the attitude that is the cure. The photograph is the protest: a not-so silent movement for women to reclaim their femininity–show off their beauty & work what they’ve got without feeling the least bit ashamed, in a platform & in a way in which they are comfortable.

The fact that even one human being has had to suffer from a late stage diagnosis of cancer because of their fear of the cancer is an injustice. One that should outrage you as much as it does me. The fact that there are women out there, women we may interact with day in & day out, who somehow feel less than a woman because of a diagnosis is outraging. The fact that there is a cure for this. That there are people willing to help, people willing to talk to them, spend time with them & document their beauty–that should be encouraging. That SHOULD mean something & that is also why Do It Like A Woman is different, why Do It Like A Woman is worth your support,  & why Do It Like A Woman is worth your time.

So, please help support us by spreading the word about us. I’ll say it again & again–We need YOUR HELP in talking Breast Cancer to DEATH.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But, what if that picture was worth a thousand smiles instead? Or a thousand confident, feel-good days? What if it had the power to give a person a thousand more days to live? How about two thousand or ten or twenty thousand? Or, better yet, what if it had the power to give that same person the ability to live a lifetime of 250,000 days or more? What if it was able to make an impact? What if it started a movement? Surely then, it would be more powerful than just a thousand words…& all it takes is YOU.

xxL

Like us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/doitlikeawoman

Follow us on Twitter at: @DoItLikeAWoman

If you are interested in more of the excellent work done by the Washington Post, you can view a photo essay of Sandra Yates’ journey here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/black-women-and-breast-cancer/2012/03/20/gIQAUTLeQS_gallery.html

& a video blog of another strong woman who is an inspiration to the DILAW mission. She took control of her cancer by starting a video diary of her battle–documenting her cancer on her own terms: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/fighting-breast-cancer-a-video-diary-258/2012/03/20/gIQA8s2LQS_video.html

Why Do It Like A Woman?

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Do It Like A Woman Presidents
Bonnie Angueira (Left) & Lauren Angueira (Right)

It’s always somebody else’s aunt, sister, cousin, mother…until its not anymore. When its  yours, When it finally hits home. When you first hear the news, HONESTLY, It doesn’t become any more real. Or, at least it didn’t for me.

I was 9 states away when I found out my mother had breast cancer. That’s 1, 505 miles give or take a few from Miami to Boston. That’s 1,505 miles of denial and 1,505 miles of avoidance. I didn’t have to face my mother. I didn’t have to face the elephant in the room (the cancer) & it would take a whole hell of a lot of elephants to reach me 1, 505 miles away. My friend & I had done the road trip a few months earlier, 1,505 miles was a lot of distance–especially with some company.

My mother’s breast cancer wasn’t something I wanted to hear or talk about. And, even today, it is not a conversation I’m comfortable with. You, the  public, are hearing more about what I think & how  I feel about this than some of my best friends.

So, why am I sharing this all with you? Its is not because I’m finally ready to discuss it, it is not because I’ve transformed into an emotionally mature adult on the subject. It is ONLY because I believe in this cause. I believe in the mission of Do It Like A Woman. & I believe in it wholeheartedly enough to put myself out on a limb here, something I struggle with even in my closest of relationships. So, I guess, you could say that you’ve finally won me over, social media.

We are a big fan of breasts in my family. It may stem from the fact that in a family of seven, there are only two women–my mother and me. Other girls were praying for ponies when they were younger, I prayed for big tits…some prayers do get answered. I’ll eternally be cursed by my mother’s warnings that, “I don’t need to let my boobs out to breathe.” & her constant reminders, that “they don’t need oxygen to survive.” That being said, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer this past November, It didn’t go over well. Faced with the loss of both her breasts or even partial of the one took a HUGE emotional toll out of her, one that the medicine could never & would never be able to treat. Back in Miami, at ground zero, attending these doctor’s appointments with my mother and talking to her and other women going through the same battle one thing became abundantly clear: they weren’t happy. It wasn’t just a general attitude. it was something else.

I’ll never forget the moment when I figured it out. It was February 16 at 2:54 PM according to my Iphone’s notepad, 34 days ago…I scrawled a simple line that would develop into the Do It Like A Woman movement. The note read: “Taking back femininity.”

I was sitting in the Oncologist’s office listening to her talk to my mother when I finally got what all of these women had been trying to telling me. The cancer wasn’t just robbing them physically of their womanhood but psychologically, as well. It was right then at 2:54 PM on February 16 that Do It Like A Woman became my mission and now, March 21 at 10:31 AM that I am honored to get to share with you what me, my mother, and a handful of my closest friends have been working on. How we’ve chosen to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer and how this injustice can be stopped.

Thinking back as I wrote this note to when I first found out about my mother’s breast cancer and to when I told my friends, I remember one thing clearly & that is: how much I HATED hearing “oh, so & so that I know had breast cancer. your mom will be just fine” EVERYONE said it. Because EVERYONE knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer & now, we are counting on that “so & so” that you know, that you can honor, or that you can help by liking our page, following our work and spreading the word about us.

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in their lifetime. That means that virtually EVERYONE will, at some point, be affected by the disease.

This also means that this isn’t just a woman problem. & we at DILAW would NEVER neglect the men in our lives. This campaign while focused on helping women reclaim their femininity acknowledges that we wouldn’t be able to stand as tall without the men in our lives supporting us. So men, while we may not say it enough–we appreciate you & we need your help too.

But, most of all, right now: we need YOUR help to spread the word about us! Use your voice! Tell your friends! Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter (@DoItLikeAWoman), & promote us on your blogs & social media sites! The more people that know about us, the more women we can help, the more fun events we can hold, the more money we can raise, & the closer we come to helping find a cure. We need YOU to HELP US TALK BREAST CANCER TO DEATH!

Ps. we have a lot of exciting things coming up in the next couple of months. so, be sure to stay connected!

xxL