Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Disney Marathon Runners to benefit Strength for Life....



Dee, Jess and Desiree are running the 2012 Disney Marathon in January to benefit Strength for Life.

Please give them your support - any amount helps.  All proceeds go directly to the programs we offer at NO COST to cancer patients/survivors.



"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility
to give something back by becoming more."
~ Anthony Robbins

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fios coverage of our 2011 Sky Dive




Waldo Cabrera covered the Sky Dive fundraiser. Thank you - so much for spending time with us - many hours - so happy you did take advantage of a jump!

 ( thoughts to Waldo - next time voice over would be much better! )



"It is one thing to be in the proximity of death,
to know more or less what she is,
and it is quite another thing to seek her."
~ Ernest Hemingway

Monday, October 10, 2011

The True Alpha Male......


PREFACE:2009

So Debbie, what have you gotten me into now? As I arrived at her house for a day of "no kids" (except Jack - who was asleep) she presented me with an article about "Leap for Life." "LI Attorney Leaps for American Cancer Society" - Rick Collins raised more than $13,500 for ACS.

Debbie us so excited about this attorney, author of the "Alpha Male Challenge" (hmmmm), bodybuilder and defender of steroid use (what???), lecturer, magazine columnist - yada yada yada. I allowed her to go on, took the article to read and we went to work on the wellness weekend.


So, shame on me - let us not be judgemental! We met with Rick Collins today, what Debbie was able to extract from reading his web site, his bio etc, I was presented with in person. A gentleman, articulate as any I have heard, passionate about health, fitness and nutrition and willing to spend an hour or more of his time with Strength for Life.


His opening statement (isn't that like a lawyer) was how an individual is in control of what they eat and what they do! Especially during disease (dis-ease) that uncontrollable aspect that presents itself - we do have control of some aspects of our life. Evelyn Knapp (the reason for Strength for Life) said that exercise gave her a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation.


Debbie ran to buy the book - sold out in Border's, Commack. I have not read the book, I am interested in reading the book now after meeting Rick. I have looked through the table of contents - no quiche in there but there is cilantro! There are wonderful recipes for food and there is a full recipe for fitness! There is information that I recognize GAS - not as in flatulence - as in the General Adaptation Syndrome - our body's reaction to stress. The excerpts are inviting - you will want to run out (like Debbie) and buy this book. It covers it all diet, exercise and ATTITUDE!

Thank you, Rick Collins! We are gaining altitude for the Strength for Life Leap!

Please take the time and visit Rick's web site - I could not begin to add his credentials to this blog. www.rickcollins.com .


YESTERDAY:

My plunge of yesterday was directly related to Rick Collins - again we visited his office in late Spring (recall he is a motivational speaker) and I shook hands on taking the plunge and jumping from the plane.  I pride myself on keeping my word - so, although my senses told me not to do this - I shook hands and went through with the jump. 

There will probably be another blog about this jump - because I am still recalling many aspects of it - some quite amusing.  Who is falling from a plane and worried that their capris are riding up - I actually considered it and adjusted them - my daughter would be proud because she consistenly reminds me "it's all about the look!"

The most difficult part of this jump was sitting on the lap of Adam - my young Brit and having him  slide us both from the very front of the plane to the very back of the plane - OMG - that was torture - THEN, Adam decided we would stand and leave the plane - the alternative is to sit - let me tell you looking down 13,500 feet, strapped to someone I don't know and being able to leave that plane was surreal..(to be continued )

Anyone wondering about my shocking pink BOA??? Debbie ran her first 1/2 marathon last weekend, the Diva Half,  and she lent me the boa  - to be seen - or perhaps to really look like I was as crazy as someone about to jump from a plane ;)

Sunday, October 9, 2011

"How much do I want Strength for Life to succeed? Enough to fall from a plane to raise funds to keep us going. And - fyi - I am afraid of heights - so dig deep in your pockets and give a little or give a lot - just help us achieve our goals and continue to help others feel their absolute best. We are blessed to receive testimonials that give us the reason to continue. One person has an epiphany, or reclaims an activity that slipped away in light of the disease - that is why we do what we do. Help us - and come watch me suit up and be "fall-an-throp-ic".

 


The event was covered by FIOS and Waldo Cabrera who also highlighted a wellness retreat for us on MYLITV - last year. The coverage is phenomenal for Strength for Life and this man is an incredible gift - his patience, manners and professionalism is beyond all expectations. So be on the lookout for this event.

How did I get "roped into this" - I shook hands on it - and followed through. Reminder to self - be very careful when you shake on something!!! ;)


Off my bucket list! Somehow I was not nervous and/or excited - and it was better than I dreamed! We raised nearly $4000 on this event - almost enough to pay for one Wellness Retreat.


It was an exquisite day for this, many people came out to support Strength for
Life and Leap for Life - so thank you all - and everyone please know
donations are always gratefully accepted. The programs that Strength for Life
offers have been at 'no cost' to cancer survivors and it is only by our fundraising efforts that we can continue to do this. We have expanded our programs this year and have held classes at five locations. That is how we have spent this year - but in doing so our fundraising efforts were put on the back burner - we can only spread ourselves so thin. We have classes in Port Jefferson, Stony Brook, Hauppauge, Copiague and East Meadow; have made incredible connections and have been able to help a wider scope of survivors.


Our next FUNraising events are a "Psychic Night" to be held on October 23 at Popei's in Deer Park, followed by our 2nd Annual "Evelyn Knapp Run to Remember" a 5K at Sunken Meadow State Park on Sunday, November 20 at 9 am, with a Kid's Fun Run at 8:30.


We have a "Today is a Gift" 2012 Calendar - for a dedication date and/or
month for you to honor a loved one. All proceeds help Strength for Life
continue to offer FREE services to cancer patients/survivors.


Next year our goal is a hiking relay FUNraiser from Hecksher to Sunken Meadow" along the Greenbelt Trail; continuation of the SkyDive and Run and we remain open to suggestions. Last year we were contacted by a "serious" hiker, Raul, who raised money for Strength for Life and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy - by completing a 50 mile "H3 Initiative - Hammock Hiking for
Humanity" Raul has recently contacted Strength for Life and is now planning an 11 day 160 mile trek and will again raise funds for Strength for Life.


If you are, or know someone that would like to participate in any event -and fundraise - Strength for Life will help support the cost of the event - win/win.



    Sunday, October 2, 2011

    Food Matters....watch this video by 10/8/11


    By Dr. Mercola
    "Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food."
    That famous quote by Hippocrates, who is often referred to as "the father of medicine," is somewhere around 2,500 years old, and for a long time this sentiment was treated as fact. Today, many scoff at this notion, thinking nutrition and medicine have very little in common; using food to quench hunger and little else, while turning to pharmaceutical drugs to treat illness.
    Turning our backs on the fundamental truth that "food is medicine" is no doubt at the very heart of our current disease epidemics.
    Another quote by Hippocrates, which is part of the Hippocratic Oath still recited by modern doctors today, is "First, do no harm." Unfortunately, the preoccupation with the idea that there must be "a pill for every ill" now greatly compromises this oath, because the practice of medicine is primarily focused on drugs that oftentimes do FAR more harm than good… Meanwhile, modern doctors receive virtually no training in nutrition.
    Food Matters, produced by James Colquhoun, Laurentine ten Bosch, and Enzo Tedeschi is an 80-minute long fast-paced re-education for the layman on the basics of good health, which incidentally is the only way to prevent disease from occurring in the first place. The film presents powerful evidence in support of ancient wisdom that regards food as medicine, and offers practical solutions to the current health crisis.

    Wednesday, September 28, 2011

    Psychic Night Fundraiser


    Come enjoy an evening of mediumship and help support the services Strength for Life provides to people living with cancer.

    DATE:  Sunday, October 23, 2011
    TIME:   6 - 10:00 pm
    Place:  Popei's Seafood Resturant
                  760 Grand Blvd
                  Deer Park, NY 11729
    Donation:  $65 per person
    includes dinner, one drink, unlimited non alcoholic drinks and a 2 hour "open forum" event with psychic mediums 
    Raffle for Individual Card Reading at the event that night (included in ticket price)


    RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!!
    LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE!!!


    To be a part of this event send
    checks payable to:


    "Strength for Life"
    902 Constance Lane
    Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776


    ***********


    ***********
    Don't forget about our upcoming
    on November 20, 2011 at 9am
    Sunken  Meadow State Park!
    Video from the Inaugural Run!


    ***********
     
     
     
    "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time with a tremendous whack."
    ~ Winston Churchill

    Saturday, September 10, 2011

    John Hopkins Update

    AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

    Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

    1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer 
        cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
        multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
        that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after 
        treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
        cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

    2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a  person's lifetime.

    3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
        cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

    4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies.
    These could be due to genetic, but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

    5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies,
    changing diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day
         and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

    6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growingcancer cells and also destroys
    rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can
        cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

    7.. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns,
    scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

    8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
        reduce tumor size. However prolonged use ofchemotherapy and radiation
    do not result in more tumordestruction.

    9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
        chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
        compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
        to various kinds of infections and complications.

    10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
          mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
          Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

    11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
          cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
    *CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

    a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
        with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute
         would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small
         amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in
        color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

    b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
        gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
        off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancercells are being starved
    .
    c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
        diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat
        like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites,
    which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

    d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
        food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
        growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
        vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
    temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..

    e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine Green tea is a better alternative  and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

    12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

    13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

    14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,  EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroycancer cells..
    Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
          normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

    15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
         the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
         have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

    16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

    1. No plastic containers in micro.
    2. No water bottles in freezer.
    3. No plastic wrap in microwave..

    Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
    Please share this with your whole email list........................

    Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.