What a Day!

"The weather was glorious, the crowd monstrous, and the atmosphere electric. What a wonderful race day."

A friend sent me an email with the above and I couldn't say it better myself. I hope that all of you had at least half the amazing day that I had on Saturday. I still start to cry every time I think or talk about it. Thank you for your part to make it the day it was! 

I am so sorry that Shawna and I did not do a better job about keeping the blog up as Race Day approached. Both of us got rather busy with everything going on. I hope you were able to get the information that you needed.

Of course, now that it's all over, if you didn't make it to the Pasta Party--another awesome event!--I'm sure you are wondering who won the awards. All of our teams did an excellent job of recruiting this year. We had 25,363 people registered as a team member on over 900 teams. However, this number of teams is unofficial as I have not had a chance to make sure how many have at least 10 members. Anyway, here are the winners: 

Largest Teams by Category with Team Captain and # of Members:
Public Relations/Media - Paper Dolls (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) - Donna Anderson - 49
Social Group/Organization - Little Rock Futbol Club Girls - Clara Rankin - 66
Church - St. Mark Baptist Church - Regina Moss & Shelia Jones - 121
Government Agency - ASP Angels (Arkansas State Police) - Sheila Standley - 124
Small Business - Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions - Yoneko Johnson - 131
Non-Profit - SPP Power Puffs & Line (Southwest Power Pool) - Linda Helms - 205
Community - Searcy Team - Anna Overbay - 224
High School - MSM2011 (Mount St Mary Academy) - Grace Crifasi - 286
Financial/Investment - Simmons First - Amanda Horton - 363
Corporation - Blue Cares (Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield) - Damona Fisher - 957
Hospital - JRMC (Jefferson Regional Medical Center) - Rebecca Pittillo - 1077
School - UAMS / Cancer Institute - Celese Marshall - 1406

Team T-shirts (alphabetical order):
Lee's Ladies - Rhonda Theis
The Pink Pals - Carla Stewart
Woo Pig Boobie! - Janna McAfee

Participants' Choice T-shirt:
You might remember that this was new this year. People were able to vote on their favorite shirt at the Race Space, $1 per vote. The winning shirt:
M'Iraqis (Insultech) - Kenneth Andrews

Congratulations to everyone! I believe Shawna took photos of the winning shirts and will ask her to post them.

You can still order 2012 Fired Up for the Cure calendars featuring local firefighters. Click here for more information.

You can also still register for the beautiful diamond necklace and earrings. Click here for more information.

And last, but by no means least, you have until November 22 to submit your donations toward the fundraising prizes. Be a FUNDRAISING HERO by helping women in Arkansas who are underinsured and need assistance. $150 is the average cost of a mammogram in Arkansas; raise $150 and possibly save a life.

Once again, thank you for making the 2011 Komen Arkansas Race for the Cure a success. Mark your calendars for October 13, 2012 but keep in mind that this could change. We plan around the Razorback schedule and it is up in the air with Texas A&M joining the conference. Watch here, facebook and komenarkansas.org for future details.

Love you all,
Jill

Surviving

What am I doing?

I am walking as a Breast Cancer Survivor as well as to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Arkansas. I began my fight against Breast Cancer February 2009. It then metastasized to my liver in 2010, and then onto my brain in 2011. I can say that fighting this fight, again, has not been easy. BUT, you have to keep fighting every day and stay strong. DO NOT GIVE UP! Cancer doesn't give you a choice in what happens to your body, but YOU have the power to control how you react to it. If you give in, the cancer will take over. If you fight-like-a-girl, it loses! In my case, I have fought for 2 ½ years now and even at my weakest moments, I wasn't going to allow cancer to run/ruin my life and guess what? I am still winning!

My fight may have ended once the cancer began to metastasize, but with all the new technology/research that is available due to mostly the Susan G. Komen Foundation, I am still able to keep up my fight and continue to beat this! I want to continue to help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer in hopes to put an end to it!

Deborah Farrar

Deb’s Diamondhead Divas

Posted by: Shawna Long

Skate for the Cure....Amazing!

Brittany Schmucker and Adam Munday

Thanks so much to all who attended the Skate for the Cure this past Sunday! The event was a great success raising $1250!! That is more than ever before and that is thanks to all of you! Hope everyone had a good time! Wasn't Brittany Schmucker and Adam Munday amazing!!! I look forward to seeing lots more from them!!!

Also a big thanks to those that planned the event!! Great job!!!!

Skate for the Cure!!!!!

Join us!!!!

Diamond Edge Figure Skating Club
presents
Skate for the Cure
Sunday, September 11
2:00-5:00 p.m.
at the Arkansas Skatium
featuring
the Ice Dance Team of
Brittany Schmucker and Adam Munday
Ice Show at 3:15 p.m.
Admission $10
(of which $8 will go to Komen)
Skate with us before the show!!! I don't know about you but I spent A LOT of time at the skating rink growing up....I'm a child of the 80's!!!! Just about every song I hear from the 80's reminds me of the rink!!! Some of my favorite childhood memories are from there so I'm excited about combining two of my passions. This will be a GREAT show....it will be dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of 9-11.

Shawna

Don't forget Roping for a Cure THIS SATURDAY!

Giddy up!!! The 5th Annual Roping for a Cure will take place this Saturday September 10, 2011 at Smith Arena in Rose Bud AR!!!! Click here for more information: http://www.smitharena.com. This looks like it will be a great time! Lots of work goes into planning events such as these! So dust your boots off, grab your family and head on out there! This event is held in memory of Danielle's mother Betty Jane McAfee Smith. Last year they raised OVER $21,000! Wow.....all proceeds going to find the Cure! Non profit! Amazing!!!!!

Roping begins at 9:00 SHARP Breast Cancer Survivor Tribute at 12:00 noon Kids Roping at 1:00 p.m. Live Auction at 2:00 p.m. - lots of great items Have fun!!! Take some pictures and send them to us!!!!! It should be a BEAUTIFUL day!!!!! Shawna Long

Three Miles of Men Honorary Chair Highlighted

Our very own Anthony Lucas will be highlighted on HBO's "Hard Knocks: A Decade of NFL Training Camps".

"Be sure to watch “Hard Knocks: A Decade Of NFL Training Camps” tomorrow (Wednesday), August 31 at 9 pm CT on HBO. The special is scheduled to run for 90 minutes and will feature D1 Little Rock Facility Coordinator Anthony Lucas. Anthony suffered a career ending injury during Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys. Hard Knocks will take a look back and then feature Anthony's role since with D1."

Be sure and watch,
Jill

Survivor Cheryl Harrington's Story~This is my Storm

THIS IS MY STORM!!!
On November 20, 1999 I realized I had a lump in my right breast. This was on a Saturday, so I had to wait until Monday to see the doctor. I went to my OB GYN on Monday and he did a mammogram and said I needed to go to the hospital and have an ultrasound done. During this time, my mom called me at the doctor's office and told me my grandmother had just passed away, so I left the doctor's office and went to the nursing home to comfort my mom and family. At that time, we had no idea what was going on inside my body. I went that afternoon and had the ultrasound...turned out there was suspicious activity in the breast and they wanted me to have a biopsy. They tried to do the biopsy by needle aspiration in the doctor's office but wasn't successful. On December 9th they did the biopsy and confirmed it was breast cancer. On the 27th of December I had a mastectomy. I can still remember what we called then the "blood babies". I went home with them to keep the fluid out of the surgical area. At that time, I had 9 positive lymph nodes and they classified me as Stage IIB Breast Cancer. I went through a series of chemotherapy and found out I am severely allergic to Taxol. Of course, after the chemotherapy, I had a round of radiation for 45 days...the next five years was spent taking Tamoxifen. During this time, I had reconstruction surgery to the right breast, which any woman who has had that done knows how painful that can be.

After being taken off of Tamoxifen because I had survived the five years, I thought my cancer was gone for good. In April of 2006 my back began to hurt really bad. I went to the emergency room on several occasions and they told me it was pleurisy. I continued to hurt and was losing weight quickly; my throat began to feel like it was closing in on me. I went to my regular physician and he ran a series of test on me. He told me the scans came back and showed I had nine sizable tumors in my right lung and several throughout my body. He put me in the hospital for dehydration. He immediately sent the Oncologist in to see me. I was in really bad shape, told my husband to take me home and make me comfortable...the cancer was very advanced. Of course, I said "no way"--we will fight and we did. Started Chemo immediately, but my back was still killing me. My Oncologist began treating me for shingles. Thought that was where my pain was coming from. After many months of chemo and sickness, I went to see a pain management doctor. I thought surely they can help me...I had what is called a pain block...I still don't think childbirth compared to the pain that procedure gave me. Of course, the pain was no better...so I went to a neurosurgeon who found that the cancer had eaten my T1 away and it had collapsed...good reason for all the pain huh ! He scheduled surgery and put in donor bone tissue and placed a titanium plate from my C7 to T2. He said the cancer was wrapped around my spine and was able to remove a small amount of it. I was placed in a neck/back brace and had a hospital bed brought in to my home for comfort. I didn't do everything the doctor said to do, but I did do enough to get through the ordeal.

Next step, of course, was to radiate the tumor wrapped around my spine. I guess things had come a long way since my first experience with radiation because what they planned was very unexpected. They had a face mask that molds to your face and bolts down to the table. It was a total nightmare for me and when I left out after the first visit crying, my husband and I decided there must be something else that can be done.

We had seen the TV commercials about the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and thought we would see what they were about. I was able to get online and chat with them. It was within a very short time, I was scheduled to fly out to Tulsa, Oklahoma and visit with them and see what they thought of my case. Ross and I were both very impressed with the hospital, it was like nothing I had every experienced. It was warm and very welcoming....I still don't know how they do it but they can remember names like no one I know. They set us up with radiology and immediately had a game plan. My first request was they not use the face mask.....not a problem; they had a shoulder mold. That was the best news I'd heard in a while. I stayed and had the treatments and felt really good about the outcome. It's hard to not feel positive around this group from the center.

After all was said and done, I had a hysterectomy and began a regimen of Arimadex. My cancer had been 100% estrogen fed and 70% progesterone fed, so this was a must. That was in May 2007. I have been having Pet Scans every three months since. In September of 2008, I had my first clear scan...no metastatic disease. You can only imagine how excited and thankful to the Lord we were to get that news. We decided to extend the timeframe of my scans by one month, so the next was scheduled for January. Immediately after this scan, my husband and I looked at the films ourselves. We had gotten pretty good at reading them. We knew we saw something that didn't look right; just wasn't for sure. The Oncologist said it could just be inflammation and let's give it three months and see what we look like. Ross and I both were concerned the cancer was returning and awaited the three months for another scan. Once I received this scan and we looked at it; we knew immediately we were looking at another battle.

I immediately called the CTCA and scheduled an appointment but decided we would go and listen to what our own Oncologist had to say. She wanted to give it another two months and let it grow a little bigger so they could get a better reading....my husband was so disgusted he left the room. To say the least, we couldn't wait to get back to the CTCA.

As of this date, I have now battled this cancer five (5) times ! I've had a lot of chemo over the last few years and a lot of radiation....but God has been with me all the way ! I have been able to use my cancer as a ministry to reach people that are sick and tell them how Jesus can heal.
I am on Tamoxifen again....it worked for five (5) years; so maybe it will work again !! I go back in October 2011 to do all of my scans and see how things are going. I have a great support system....

We have all the confidence in the world that we will see a clean scan again one day....as my husband puts it, you can only get better when Jesus is in charge of the hospital you are going to and he walks with us each step of the way!!!

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, food and love shown my family over the years! Now, let's support this very worthy cause....

FYI: The Title comes from a message Brother Dennis Holmes preached when I was very sick….I can still remember most of the words to that sermon….”This is my Storm”…with God holding my hand all the way!!!

Story by Cheryl Harrington


Shawna Long

Diamond Edge Figure Skating Club presents

Skate for the Cure

Sunday, September 11
2:00-5:00 p.m.
at the Arkansas Skatium
featuring the Ice Dance Team of
Brittany Schmucker and Adam Munday
Ice Show at 3:15 p.m.
Admission $10
(of which $8 will go to Komen)

Brittany Schmucker and Adam Munday teamed up at the beginning of August 2010 and placed 6th at the 2011 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. They have quickly gone from Novice level to Senior, which is the highest level in figure skating.

Brittany is 18 years old and attends American University in Washington, D.C. She has been skating for 10 years and is a member of the Tulsa Figure Skating Club. She has qualified and competed in multiple Jr. National and National events. Along with her passion for ice dancing, she enjoys ballet and musical theatre.

Adam is 24 years old and has been skating for over 17 years. He is a member of the Highland Skating Club in Seattle, Washington. He started skating with the intention of playing hockey but quickly transitioned to figure skating due to his fascination with the harness. This is his fifth ice dancing season and is a three-time National competitor for the discipline. When he is not skating, he is working, reading, or playing video games.

They are coached by Alexi Kiliakov, Elena Novak and Dmytri Ilin in Washington, D.C. They will be skating their short dance which for the 2012 season is Latin rhythms with the Rhumba.

In keeping with the Race theme of Hope Runs on Heroes and in observance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we will have a patriotic show with lots of red, white and blue. Come enjoy a fun afternoon in a nice, cool location.

Hope to see you there,
Jill

Train for the Cure

Train for the Cure, sponsored by Weight Watchers, is a running and walking group designed to help get you ready for Race for the Cure. While training for the race, we'll also learn about proper shoe fit and exercise attire as well as how to properly stretch and cool down. But one of our biggest goals is to make it fun!

Interested? Read on!

Who is this for? Anyone interested in getting fit for the race and beyond! You must register for the Race and the Clinic. (There is a one time $10 clinic fee you will pay when you sign up.)
What is this? A fun, positive group atmosphere that will keep you motivated and on track with your exercise plan.
Where do we meet? At War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Enter at the entrance directly off Fair Park.
When do we meet? Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 7 pm, beginning September 13 up until the race.
Why should you join? Why not?

Please remember, participants are responsible for bringing their own water.

Can't make it to the clinic? Gather your friends and play along at home! To do so, register for Race for the Cure online and also sign up for the "Virtual Train for the Cure". You will receive weekly emails that tell you what is going on at the clinic so you can do the same at home. There is no cost for the virtual clinic.

Let us know if you have questions.


BTW, just 64 days until the 18th Annual Komen Arkansas Race for the Cure!

Jill

Roping for a Cure

Yee Haw!!! The 5th Annual Roping for a Cure will take place on September 10, 2011 at Smith Arena in Rose Bud AR!!!! Click on the following link for more information: http://www.smitharena.com. This looks like it will be a great time! Lots of work goes into planning events such as these! So dust your boots off, grab your family and head on out there in September! This event is held in memory of Danielle's mother Betty Jane McAfee Smith. Last year this event rasied OVER 21,000! Wow.....all proceeds going to find the Cure! Non profit! Amazing!!!!!

Shawna Long

I went for part of it last year, and it was a blast!

Jill

Press Conference

(click on image to enlarge)

Jill

Guys for the Girls 5K

Hey GUYS!!!! Here is another chance for you to be a part of the Cure! Join up for the Guys for the Girls 5K in Jonesboro AR. Click on the following link to get more information and register: http://www.racesonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.race_detail&race_id=12030

Looks like it will be a very good time!!!

Shawna

Miracle's Pink Team Mix and Mingle

Miracle's Pink Team is hosting a mix and mingle! Check out the following invitation for more details: http://new.evite.com/?utm_source=other_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=invite_details&eml=g_inv#view_invite:eid=0273AAQZXGL24EQUSEPASEQQOHKZO4&gid=0273AAPMT7NZ5QB5CEPAVPX4DWHYBA

Shawna

Have a cup of Hope!

Sitting here on this beautiful and quite Sunday morning (thankful for a day of rest)...drinking my lil bit of coffee with LOTS of Almond Joy creamer (Yum-O).
This mug was given to me by Laurie, my partner in crime for the TEAMS committee. Thank you girlie! Friends truly are a blessing. 

It has lead me to thinking this morning about HOPE. Our theme this year is HOPE RUNS ON HEROES. This means different things to each of us. What do YOU think of when you hear this? The word HOPE to me is so encourging. To have HOPE is to look forward to the next moment! To know that there is that HOPE can push us to go further than we thought we could or have before!

HERO.....gosh I have lots of HEROES! Some don't even know they are mine. You may be someone's and don't know. I KNOW you are! Heroes don't just wear capes.....The first hero in my life was/is my Grandmother. That gives me a great photo op idea! Stay tuned there....My most recent is our Race Chair this year Jill! She is awesome and has changed my life with just a few words....Thank you Jill for allowing me to be a part of the committee!

Ok, so now I wanna hear from YOU ALL! Who is YOUR heroes and WHY? You can post a comment here or on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/komenarkansas

Shawna

Company/Corporate Name

Happy Independence Day! And a special Thank You to all who have served and those who are serving to protect our freedom! I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!

Looks like some of you are well on your way to building your Team for 2011. Way to go!!!!

I wanted to explain a new feature to the online registration: Company/Corporate Name. Although any and all of you are welcome to use this feature, the main reason we added this is for organizations who wish to have multiple teams within their organization.

Examples:
Mount St. Mary's has several teams and compete with each other. Last year they had to keep up with the members manually. This year they can have several Teams under their Company.

For some reason, the guys at SPP don't exactly appreciate the team name: SPP Power Puffs. I just don't understand that. :o) Well, now the women can have their Team and the guys can have their own Team while we can count all of them under their Company.

There are also several teams with multiple locations. If they need to have their information separated, this is the perfect option for them.

If you have already started your team, didn't use this feature and want to, contact Shawna and Laurie at teams@komenarkansas.org. And contact them with any of your other questions/issues/comments.

Thanks for your support and dedication!

Happy 4th,
Jill

Fundraising Ideas

Be sure and check out the follow page for Fundraising Tips!!!!!

http://www.komenarkansas.org/assets/race-documents/101-fundraising-ideas.pdf

Happy Father's Day!!!

I hope you all had a good weekend for Father's Day.....may it have been celebrating with your Father/Daddy, talking to him, remembering him, dreaming of him, father of your children or future child. Cherish them for you never know when they will be gone from this earth.....

Did you know that men can get breast cancer too??? Check out the following link to learn more.... http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancerinmen/detailedguide/breast-cancer-in-men-what-is-breast-cancer-in-men

Shawna

Registration now OPEN!!!!

Yes it is!!!! We are so excited.....We already have over 18 teams registered!!! Remember if you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself (Shawna) or Laurie at teams@komenarkansas.org. We can't wait to see everyone's team shirt designs this year....Have you started thinking about the design or color??? Better get started because the race will be here before you know it!!!!

Have a great week!!!

Shawna Long

Memorial Day Weekend and Less.than.a.week.till.Kick.Off!

I trust you all had a good Memorial Day Weekend. I hope however you spent it that you remembered the reason for the day! I found a good site for information on the day if you would like to brush up on your history or share it with someone who might not know exactly what its really all about. Yes, it is a good weekend for cooking out and getting into the swimming pools for the first time leading into summer but we only get to do that because of those who fought for our freedom...... http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
 

I hope to see you all at the Kick Off this weekend June 5th and get to know you better!!! Laurie and I look forward to working with you to help make this the best Race EVER!!!!

Mother's Day 2011

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!!!!! xoxoxo