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Redmond Reporter, May 22, 2015

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2 • REDMOND REPORTER • MAY 22, 2015

We’re on a mission If you’re reading this message, you may feel as we do at Susan G. Komen Puget Sound: we’re on a mission. It’s so important that everyone have access to breast cancer screening programs, as well as equal insurance coverage for cancer treatments. The lives and well-being of our loved ones and all the women in our communities are at stake. Everything we do is aimed at fighting this awful disease, and you can help. Educate yourself about breast health. Encourage your loved ones to be screened. Be an advocate. And don’t forget to join us for the 22nd annual Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure® on Sunday, June 7 at Seattle Center. Together we’ll celebrate the strength and courage of breast cancer survivors while raising critical funds to battle breast cancer locally. To save $5 and have your registration fee matched dollar-for-dollar, sign up in person at an Xfinity store from April 20 through Race day. Donations are accepted and matched as well; up to $35. Our thanks to Comcast for their generous matching program, which could bring in as much as $25,000 for our cause. Our appreciation also to presenting sponsor QFC and all the companies and teams who come together to make Race such a great experience each year. Check out our website and fundraising app and be sure to sign up your friends, co-workers and family for Race for the Cure on June 7. Got kids? We’ll have plenty of fun for them and – for the first time – your canine friend! If you’d rather volunteer – or just make a donation – we welcome your participation as well. After Race for the Cure, please check out our other upcoming events and opportunities. Together, we’ll make a difference against breast cancer and in our communities.

Research Volunteers Wanted . . . Do you currently use Clarisonic products? Would you like to use Clarisonic products? We are looking for volunteers between the ages of 18 & 70 to participate in Clinical Studies evaluating Clarisonic products. If you are interested please contact us: Phone: 425-952-3730 Web: https://consumertesting. lorealusa.com/clarisonic/ Survey4.asp

If you qualify, you will be compensated for your participation in completed studies

th 7 JUNE R2FARMS

Yours in the fight,

GE N REMLIN ARNATIO C

David Richart Executive Director Susan G. Komen Puget Sound

XFINITY STORES OFFER RACE FOR THE CURE REGISTRATION, DONATION MATCHES Comcast is matching Race for the Cure Puget Sound registration fees and donations up to $35 for those who sign up in person at participating Xfinity retail stores. To double your donation, head to your local Xfinity retail store and look for the pink iPad display. Race registrations will be accepted and matched at Xfinity stores through Friday, June 5 and donations through Race day – Sunday, June 7. Comcast has committed to support the matching campaign up to $25,000. The company will match one registration fee or donation per participant. “Employees throughout Comcast participated in the Race for the Cure for years, and it’s exciting to take this support to a new level. I can’t think of anyone at Comcast who hasn’t been

touched in some way by breast cancer through personal experience or family and friends. We are excited to partner with the Susan G. Komen Puget Sound and be a part of the solution to end breast cancer,” said Steve Kipp, Vice President of External Affairs for Comcast. Washington State has the 5th highest breast cancer incidence rate in the U.S., according to a 2015 American Cancer Society survey. Breast cancer affects women and men across regions, ethnicities, and ages. In 2015, there are expected to be nearly 295,000 new breast cancer cases and over 40,000 deaths in the United States. For more information about the registration and donation match and a list of participating Xfinity stores, visit: www.KomenPugetSound.org/ ComcastMatch.

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KOMEN PUGET SOUND

Rock ‘n’ Soul for the Cure

August 15, 2015 • Benaroya Hall, Seattle Rock & Soul for a cause! Enjoy an evening at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle with Kalimba Band’s R&B, soul, and funk-inspired sound while playing a part in the local fight against breast cancer.

Survivor Celebration Join us at the 2015 Breast Cancer Survivor Celebration aboard a Holland America Line cruise ship. Enjoy a gourmet lunch with stunning views of Puget Sound and the Seattle city skyline, meet other breast cancer survivors and be inspired by special guest speakers. Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, Seattle. Registration begins in August. ®

September 18-20, 2015 Greater Seattle Area

Lunch for the Cure

SEATTLE CENTER FINISH

Denny START: 2nd & Mercer E/B Mercer to 5th Ave. S/B 5th Ave. to Cedar W/B Cedar to 4th Ave. S/B 4th to Seneca (East side of street) N/B 4th to Denny (West side of street) W/B Denny (W/B lanes) N/B 2nd Ave to Seattle Center FINISH: 2nd & Harrison (Int’l Fountain)

October 6, 2015 Hotel Murano Bicentennial Pavilion, Tacoma Lunch for the Cure® brings together Pierce County’s business and community leaders to raise funds for breast health outreach and education in Western Washington and for breast cancer research globally.

Power of a Promise Luncheon ®

October 28, 2015 • Downtown Seattle

The Power of a Promise luncheon brings together the Seattle and Eastside communities to make a powerful statement of commitment to Komen’s promise of a world without breast cancer. Learn more about these and other events at komenpugetsound.org.

We Race because at the current rate, 13 million breast cancer deaths around the world will occur in the next 25 years. When you participate and fundraise for the Race, we fight these statistics together. In 1980, the 5-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (cancer confined to the breast) was about 74 percent. Today, that number is 99 percent! Komen has played a critical role in every major advance in the fight against breast cancer - transforming how the world talks about and treats this disease and helping to turn millions of breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors. This progress was made with your continued support and together we can reach our vision of a world without breast cancer.

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Race Day Schedule 7:00 AM

10:55 AM 11:15 AM

®

Mercer

START

8:00 AM 8:15 AM 8:30 AM 8:45 AM 8:45 AM 9:00 AM

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is a 60-mile walk for women and men who want to make a personal difference in the fight to end breast cancer.

• One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. • Because every minute, somewhere in the world, someone dies from breast cancer. • And because, breast cancer knows no boundaries—be it age, gender, socioeconomic status or geographic location.

Registration and timing chip booth open Kids for the Cure® Race Women’s Only 5K Run Co-ed 5K Run One Mile Walk Co-ed 5K Walk Paws for the Cure 5K Dog Walk (NEW!) Survivor Parade Fundraising Awards and Closing Ceremonies

Register

e Av 4th

Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Why We Race

5th Ave

September 12, 2015 Holland America Line at Pier 91, Seattle

JOIN THE RACE. Everybody’s Welcome! 2nd Ave

Komen Puget Sound Upcoming Community Events

RACE FOR THE CURE • 3

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Join us on Sunday, June 7 as we come together to celebrate breast cancer survivors while raising critical funds for the fight against breast cancer. Seventy-five percent of funds raised at the Race support local breast health screening, education and outreach programs. Twenty-five percent of funds raised go toward global research to find a cure. Visit komenpugetsound.org to sign up.

New this Year Your canine companion can be an official part of this year’s Race when you register them for Paws for the Cure 5K walk! Paws for the Cure will begin at 9:00 am at the start line on Race day. A Race bib and pink bandana are included with your dog’s $25 registration fee, which must be purchased as part of an adult walker registration. Only one dog is permitted per adult walker registration.

REGISTER ONLINE: KOMENPUGETSOUND.ORG •

Join a Team Multiply your impact, multiply your fun! Participating in the Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure® with a team increases the fun, the laughter and maybe even the tears you share on Race day. Did you know that every two minutes a new case of breast cancer is diagnosed in the US? Help us fight back by forming a team in honor or in memory of someone you know impacted or touched by breast cancer. Together you make an even greater impact than you could alone. Teams can be of any size and team members do not have to participate in the same event. There is no extra cost to form or join a team.

Make a donation Even if you can’t walk or run, you can lend your support to the breast cancer fight by making a general donation or giving to a participant or team. Visit the Race website to find out how.

Fundraise for the cure Fundraising for the Race is easy! When you register, you automatically receive your own fundraising website which can be personalized. Use it to encourage everyone you know to visit your site where they can see what you are doing in the fight against breast cancer and make a donation on your behalf. The Race website has a full list of other resources you can use to help you achieve your fundraising goals.

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4 • REDMOND REPORTER • MAY 22, 2015

KOMEN ON A MISSION TO END BREAST CANCER

Founded in 1992 by local volunteers who shared a vision of ending breast cancer forever, the Puget Sound Affiliate has invested more than $28.6 million to fight breast cancer. Funding from Race for the Cure and other Komen Puget Sound events support community programs, as well as groundbreaking science to find a cure. Komen funds breast cancer early detection and education. Here are just a few of the organizations that benefit:

Cancer Lifeline—

Patient Assistance & Treatment Support, helping low-income patients who are in treatment for breast cancer. Washington State Department of Health—Komen Breast Cancer Screening & Diagnostic Program, lifesaving mammograms and diagnostic services to nearly 8,000 low income women

Franciscan Foundation—

Breast Cancer Navigation Program, screening, diagnostics and treatment for Asian, Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Native American and sexual minority women in Tacoma/Pierce County

South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency—

Native Women’s Wellness Program, providing breast health outreach, education, screening and support to women in rural tribal communities.

THE FABULOUS FOOBS

With a name like The Fabulous Foobs, the Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure team co-led by survivor Dana Chambers would have a good story behind it. Indeed, “foobs” are the result of Dana’s own journey, which began in December 2013 with a needle biopsy and diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma. Dana, married and “mom” to a quarter horse named Gunnar, was told to prepare for surgery, chemo and a long, difficult year. Determined to win the battle, she opted for a double mastectomy, and ended up having 16 lymph nodes out too. Dana recalls a difficult recovery from surgery, followed by a surprising rebound during chemo. Though she lost her hair and experienced pain and fatigue, she took RV trips with her

Also, a minimum of 25 percent of the affiliate’s net income goes to breast cancer research. Here are just a few of the Komen Scholars funded in the past year: • Julie Gralow, M.D., of the University of Washington, is exploring whether there are features found on breast cancer cells at the time of diagnosis that make the cancer cells more likely to spread to the bone or other sites. Dr. Gralow and her team also test whether biophosphonates, a class of drugs that inhibit bone breakdown, can decrease breast cancer recurrence. • Benjamin Anderson, M.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, to continue his professional work in addressing breast cancer disparities around the globe. • Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., of the University of Washington to screen for mutations in the non-coding regions of breast cancer genes that may regulate when and where those genes get activated, potentially identifying novel mutations and new mechanisms for inherited breast cancer.

Dr. King is well known for her discovery of the BRCA1 gene. Studies have shown that mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (combined with other known genetic risk mutations) account for about one-third of hereditary breast cancers.

husband, rode Gunnar and made progress on her quilting projects. “I was not about to let cancer rule my life and take away the things I love the most,” she said. She signed up for her first Race for the Cure and joined thousands of Komen Puget Sound supporters and fundraisers at Seattle Center last June. “At the end of the one-mile walk I was so warm that I decided to remove my bandana in public for the first time,” she said. A photographer captured the moment when a friend kissed Dana’s bald head. That compelling shot – with Dana’s beautiful grin – graces this year’s Race flyers and ads. Dana’s battle isn’t finished. Chemo ended, but her oncologist advised Herceptin infusions and an anti-estrogen medicine along with radiation. With treatments and reconstruction still in her future, Dana works at maintaining a positive attitude, expressing thanks to God, family, friends and a supportive medical team. “I’m going to the gym, walking, riding my horse and living my life,” Dana said. “And I’ll see all of you at Race for the Cure on June 7!”

KOMEN PUGET SOUND • SEATTLE CENTER •

#KOMENPUGETSOUND PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR

Gov. Christine Gregoire

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS –

and help women get lifesaving breast cancer screenings. Join former Gov. Christine Gregoire in choosing these special edition license plates, now available through the Washington State Department of Licensing. Proceeds from the plates fund free breast cancer screening services and follow-ups for women in need through the state’s Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program (BCCHP), supported through a grant from Susan G. Komen® Puget Sound. Gregoire, a breast cancer survivor, credits early detection for saving her life and is committed to raising awareness of cancer prevention and screenings, including mammograms. The first 18 Washington State breast cancer awareness license plates were sold by online auction in October, raising $13,983 for the cause. If you or a loved one need a mammogram but have no insurance or a limited health plan, contact the BCCHP to apply for a free screening. Call 1-888-438-2247 to find out if you may be eligible, or get more information online at www.doh.wa.gov/bcchp. Eligibility for the BCCHP is based on health insurance status, income and age.

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KOMEN PUGET SOUND

RACE FOR THE CURE • 5

THERE’S A SAYING THAT VOLUNTEERS DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE TIME, that it is the feeling of sisterhood among survivors that lies at the root of their joy. Since then, Barb has been an active Komen volunteer, providing support for everything from administrative work in the organization’s downtown Seattle office to greeting guests at events. Her volunteer work, she says, “is just something of a passion now. I want to continue to work with Komen and be a part of the cure.” As Race volunteer cochair, Barb is charged with managing a variety of roles required to ensure the event goes smoothly. However, her greatest joy in the role is in seeing all of the other who are also interested in finding a cure. She is inspired by these volunteers, many of them breast cancer survivors, who share her determination to bring an end to the disease.

WAYS TO SUPPORT A SURVIVOR It may be hard to know what to say or do when someone has breast cancer, even when you really want to help. Susan G. Komen has resources for “co-survivors,” along with suggested ways to offer support and take care of yourself during this difficult time. A co-survivor can be anyone who offers support, including family, friends, spouses, partners, kids, co-workers, healthcare providers, support groups and spiritual advisors. There are many ways to support a survivor. Thoughtful gestures big and small mean a lot, whether the person has just been diagnosed or completed treatment years ago. By giving support you show strength and love. There are three main types of support: informational, emotional and practical. Survivors may need different types of support at different times. Informational support involves learning all you can about breast cancer, because the more you know, the more you can help. You can learn common breast cancer terms and treatment options, make a list of questions to ask the

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doctor, or gather information for your loved one and share what you’ve learned. Emotional support means you’re aware a diagnosis of breast cancer can bring about a wide range of emotions including shock, fear, denial, sadness and anger. As your loved one goes through this, just listen. Let them express their feelings. Give them a hug if it will be of comfort. Practical support means helping with dayto-day tasks. You could offer to cook or clean, drive them to the doctor, deliver a hot meal, do laundry, send a note or watch their kids. Sometimes co-survivors need help too. Support groups are available for caregivers. You can also ask others to help so that you can take a break. By going to www.komen.org/cosurvivor, you can connect with others on Komen’s cosurvivor message board and create an online calendar to assist your loved one. If you’re a co-survivor in need of support or tips, visit www.komen.org/cosurvivor or call the breast care helpline at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636).

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but they do have heart. If that’s true, then Susan G. Komen Puget Sound volunteer Barb Tiller has heart—lots of it. The 70-year-old Seattle native has been an active Komen Puget Sound volunteer for 20 years, beginning her involvement with the Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure in 1996. This year’s Race for the Cure brings Barb’s volunteer career full circle as she tackles the challenge of wrangling close to 500 helpers as the Race volunteer co-chair. “I’ve always loved Komen, ever since I started volunteering,” Barb says. That love was born of a chance meeting with a pair of breast cancer survivors, a meeting she counts as a transformational moment in her journey. “They were so full of life and happy,” she recalls. “They’d just gone through treatment and losing a breast, and I thought ‘How could they be happy going through something like that?’” Barb soon recognized


6 • REDMOND REPORTER • MAY 22, 2015

Margeson still cancer free, urges others to get checked By Samantha Pak

S

ince Patti Margeson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, she has been working to raise awareness about the importance of getting checked. From participating in walks and runs — in various capacities — to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Patti Margeson with her dog Layla. SAMANTHA PAK/REDMOND REPORTER Foundation, to helping run special events at local breast. In addition, Margeson as well. Margeson said she businesses, the Redmond also learned that she had the inherited the gene from her resident has been doing her BRCA 1 gene — a genetic father. part to spread the word. mutation that prevents her Men with the BRCA 1 For Margeson, getting body from fighting estrogen- gene have a higher risk of dechecked regularly was what based cancer. As a result, she veloping breast cancer, proshas her living cancer free also had a total hysterectomy tate cancer and skin cancer. for almost three and a half as there was an 85 percent of Some men with the BRCA 2 years. She even has a tattoo her getting cancer again and gene have an increased risk of “1-11-2012” on her calf, for pancreas, gallbladder, bile marking the date of when she an increased risk for ovarian cancer. duct and stomach cancers. was deemed free of cancer. While breast cancer is largely associated as a female GETTING OUT, CHECK THE cancer, Margeson said it afSPREADING WHOLE FAMILY fects both genders. THE WORD Margeson had gone in for “This isn’t just a female Since she has been cancer her annual mammogram in thing,” she said. “Men can get free, Margeson has particiNovember 2011 and learned breast cancer.” pated in the Susan G. Komen shortly after that appointShe added that while 3-Day walk three times. She ment that she had breast most women will look to the has walked it once and done cancer. Because the cancer maternal side of their family route safety for the event was caught early, she received to see if they might carry the twice. She will be doing route treatment and underwent BRCA 1 gene, it is important safety again for this year’s surgery to remove a fiveto check with both sides event from Sept. 18-20. centimeter lump in her right as men can carry the gene, Margeson said with the lat-

ter, she rides her bike on the route alongside the walkers, helping them cross streets and making sure they stay on the path. If a walker can’t finish the walk, she said part of her role is also to call for a van to pick up the walker. “They feel like they’re cheating (if they don’t finish) and it’s not,” Margeson said, adding that when she did the walk, she had to call her husband to drive her part of the way. For the 3-Day, Margeson’s husband, Redmond City Council president Hank Margeson, will drive alongside her team, taking people’s coats when they get warm, charging phones if needed and filling any other need. Patti said one year, he even drove one of their team members to Seattle because she needed to get a blood transfusion and then drove her back to meet up with the rest of the group. “He’s just a great sport about it,” Patti said. In addition to the 3-Day, Patti is also planning to participate in Komen Puget Sound’s Race for the Cure 5K. The event is June 7 and she signed up to partici-

pate in January. During the registration process, she also checked that she will be walking with a dog — a dog she did not have yet. But since then, she has gotten a dog, who she has named Layla, and the two will be doing the 5K together. Hank said they are now empty nesters — their son and daughter are in their 20s — and when their son moved out, Patti told him she wanted a dog. “She convinced me it was worth her while,” he said.

OUTSIDE INTERESTS

Since she has been cancer free, Patti — who works as a child-care provider out of their home — bought a farm so they could have a place to board her and her daughter’s horses as the farm they had been boarded at previously changed hands and the new owners couldn’t take them. To pay for the property, Patti took a second job, working part-time at Aegis of Redmond. “I discovered I love old people,” she said with a laugh. “I just clicked with them.” This, combined with her first job, made for up to 90-

hour weeks. Hank said his wife would not have been able to do this if she wasn’t feeling well health-wise. He added that Patti is also the type of person to fill in the gaps and help out wherever it is needed. Patti agreed, saying that caregiving is in her nature. “All my friends are in diapers or just out of them or getting ready for them,” she said with a laugh. As a cancer survivor, Patti said she has reflected back on her life to see what she would have done differently if she could. And while there is not much she would change, she said she would have taken more time to focus on herself and taken better care of herself — making sure she was exercising and eating right. She said she also would have taken some time to develop her own interests and hobbies. Although, she said, she did rediscover her love of horses — which she had as a girl — through her daughter’s involvement in equestrian sports. “You got to do things for you,” Patti said.


KOMEN PUGET SOUND

RACE FOR THE CURE • 7

Kirkland woman honors co-worker in Race for the Cure Maimon’s team created by local breast cancer survivor ByTJ Martinell

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t this year’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Kirkland resident and breast cancer survivor Peggy Maimon’s team intends to honor a friend - coworker and fellow breast cancer survivor Char Davis. “She was the glue that held us all together,” Maimon said. “We’ve had more laughs than I can count.” For Maimon, a volunteer at Susan G. Komen, her team’s name, “Char’s Dream Team,” reflects not just the kind of the relationships she had with Davis, who recently passed away, but with other coworkers past and present since she first started working there five years ago. “I fell in love with each and every one of them,” she said. “It was so positive, I hated going home.” When she first approached the foundation with the idea of working

Kirkland resident Peggy Maimon created a team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to honor a former co-worker, Char Davis, who died from breast cancer. Maimon is a breast cancer survivor. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

for them, she attended health fairs, but decided that she needed to work at the office. “The moment I walked in, I had friends,” she said. “I fell in love with them. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed working there and with women who

volunteer.” Since then, she said she has done “everything there is to do,” which included heading the volunteers for the annual Race for the Cure. “It is so exciting to see 500-600 volunteers to show up in the morn-

ing,” she said. “It is truly amazing…what a wonderful group of volunteers, and we need more of those.” One of the highlights of her time with Susan G. Komen was chairing Seattle’s Power of a Promise Luncheon in 2013. Since 2008, the luncheons have raised more than $1 million for breast cancer research, according to the foundation. Among the things she said she’s learned since working at the foundation is their vigilance in determining where grants should go. Sitting in on a grant committee meeting on one occasion, she said she was in awe of how the committee examined grant applications to ensure the money was spent only on cancer research. Diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago, Maimon said the women in her family have dealt with it going back to her

great-grandmother. “They were both very strong wonderful women,” she said of her mother and grandmother. “A lot of women are not like that. A lot of women wallow and feel sorry for themselves and cry. The women I know through Komen do not do that. I guess that’s leaning on other people and knowing other people understand you.” Because of her family medical history, Maimon said when she diagnosed herself she was not shocked. “It was just always wondering when I would get it,” she said. “But I’m a survivor and I’m healthy and I’ve been taken care of.” At the same time, by the time she had breast cancer, she said a lot of progress had been made since her mother had been diagnosed when Maimon was in junior high. Although her

mother survived and lived to be 80, Maimon said there is a hushhush attitude around the disease, which was far less understood than it is now, and so it was rarely discussed. “People died in those years, and now there’s people reaching out to be people, women reaching out to women,” she said. “It’s amazing how women reach out to women. Before, it was a quiet disease.” While she said she doesn’t know whether or not a cure will be found in her lifetime, progress is still being made, and major advancements in the medical field allows doctors to provide more options and better advice for patients in recent years. “They’ve come a long way in treating breast cancer,” she said. “There’s been a lot of research and success that has Komen dollars behind it.”

Breast cancer and family life Patients get well faster with family support.

Family is at the heart of everyday life for most people. Busy schedules are filled with work, school, daycare, and hobbies. Add to that all the shopping, housework, and a few other activities and suddenly you’re faced with overload. Such is life, vibrant and joyful, until the day when the unthinkable happens. Mom (or even Dad, although it’s more rare) develops breast cancer. Even though breast cancer primarily affects women, men can also receive this diagnosis. A newly diagnosed person sometimes has to leave her job, either temporarily or permanently, to undergo the appropriate treatment. The family has to

reorganize and confront increased expenses and a reduction in income, especially if the parent has to be sent away to be treated. Indeed, oncology centers are usually located in large urban areas. It is quite understandable that parents feel totally distraught at the thought of having to leave their children and suffer through this ordeal all alone. Fortunately, many types of support are available. Common supports are loved ones, self-help groups, organizations and foundations that provide counseling, and accommodations near specialized oncology centers. With the Internet, webcams, and social media, it is now much easier to communicate from a distance and experience the support of family. It is important to stay in touch with children and stay involved in their daily lives; it helps make the long wait seem shorter, and it soothes everyone’s worries. In happiness as in adversity, it is comforting to be able to count on a united family. Send a clear message to those treacherous cancer cells—the family will have the last word!


8 • REDMOND REPORTER • MAY 22, 2015

A Step in the Right Direction Join QFC and the Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure as we raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Ensuring that all women have access to breast cancer early detection and quality treatment support is the ultimate goal, and QFC is committed to seeing this happen. Understanding the facts about the disease and knowing the warning signs can help protect you and your loved ones. Here are some useful tips: • Talk to your family and learn about your family health history • Complete monthly breast self-exams • Be alert to any changes in your body • Notify your doctor immediately if you notice any changes or have any concerns • Have yearly check-ups and mammograms, as recommended • Spread the word by talking and sharing with mothers, sisters, family and friends. Love and knowledge are powerful weapons in this battle.

QFC is proud to be the Local Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure. We will see you at Seattle Center on June 7th!


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