“We are excited to be able to give away such a wonderful product, a product I personally use,” says Chic Galleria owner Beth Anderson. “I know our readers will be thrilled at the opportunity to win one for themselves.”

ProSilk has become a respected pioneer in the professional hair care area with techie tools ranging from the far infrared dryers to tourmaline crystal – ... Read More »]]> Chic Galleria is partnering with ProSilk to give one lucky Chic Galleria reader a ProSilk Pink Ceramic flat iron. This is the same flat iron that Chic Galleria owner, Beth Anderson, uses to style her own gorgeous locks!

“We are excited to be able to give away such a wonderful product, a product I personally use,” says Chic Galleria owner Beth Anderson. “I know our readers will be thrilled at the opportunity to win one for themselves.”

ProSilk has become a respected pioneer in the professional hair care area with techie tools ranging from the far infrared dryers to tourmaline crystal – ceramic flat iron technologies. Creating products for salons, stylists, and you, ProSilk products are sold all over America and are available through the website www.prosilkprod.com.

To enter the contest, email your bad hair day photo along with a short description of how your bad hair days will be solved with the ProSilk Pink Ceramic flat iron. The winner of the contest will have their entry photo and story published in Chic Galleria!  The winner will receive the Prosilk Pink Ceramic flat iron, Hemperor with Natureshea, ProSilk hair clips and (2)Hoss Sauce Exotic Shimmering Moisturizer. The winner will be announced along with their photo on November 23, 2009.

Congratulations Stacy Mygatt!  Your Bad Hair Day has been solved!

My mother died of cancer in 1992.  My brother has had breast cancer and I have had it twice myself.  Four years after Mom died, I found a lump in my breast during a self examination.  I was diagnosed as having an aggressive estrogen negative breast cancer and I was prescribed the normal protocol of surgery, chemo, and radiation.

I was a jewelry designer when I was initially diagnosed with the disease ... Read More »]]> Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here! This special month is punctuated with breast cancer awareness gatherings, fundraisers, remembrances of those we have lost to the disease, and celebrations for our survivors.

My mother died of cancer in 1992.  My brother has had breast cancer and I have had it twice myself.  Four years after Mom died, I found a lump in my breast during a self examination.  I was diagnosed as having an aggressive estrogen negative breast cancer and I was prescribed the normal protocol of surgery, chemo, and radiation.

I was a jewelry designer when I was initially diagnosed with the disease in 1996, and it was an easy decision to use my creativity to raise breast cancer awareness.  My first breast cancer design was the breast cancer awareness ring and the breast cancer poem.  I’ve lost many loved ones to cancer and I know many survivors too—and so I created the ring and poem to honor both those who have lost their lives to the disease and also those who have survived.

My second breast cancer battle began in 2001 when I noticed a change within my breast.  Although my doctor was convinced that it was not cancer, I thought it might be Paget’s Disease, a cancer that many women are not aware of but should be.  My doctor maintained, even after my surgery, that she didn’t think I had cancer.  She phoned a week later with the pathology results—I had cancer, and it was Paget’s Disease.

My husband of 30 years became involved with my best friend during my first cancer treatment, and he divorced me and married her.  He reasoned that I had changed as a result of cancer.

In retrospect, my ex-husband was right—I did change with cancer.  The disease altered both my desires and my destiny.

Cancer has a unique way of releasing our spirits as it invades our bodies.  The disease intensifies our life’s measure because it marks that precarious pause between life and death.  Cancer causes wobbly-kneed weaklings to become strong willed advocates, and it breeds a compassion that we hadn’t previously known.

The American Cancer Society is the largest volunteer organization within the world, and I’m proud that I’ve been part of the organization for several years now.  I began as a volunteer for the ACS’s Reach to Recovery program and now I’m a Reach to Recovery trainer.  All Reach to Recovery volunteers must be breast cancer survivors and they must also be certified through the ACS.  The program matches newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with breast cancer survivors based on age, diagnosis, and other variables.  The Reach to Recovery program gathers vital data in the fight against breast cancer and it allows newly diagnosed women to interact on personal levels with breast cancer survivors.  The interaction is tremendously important because we, as survivors, represent hope for the newly diagnosed breast cancer patients because we have survived.  Please contact your local ACS if you’re a breast cancer survivor to request information about volunteering through Reach to Recovery.

Here are a few easy to-do’s for Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

1. Form  Boobie Squads to encourage friends to get their mammograms and do monthly self examinations.  (I found both of my breast cancer through self examinations.)
2. Watch for any changes within your breasts.
3. Read about Paget’s Disease because most women aren’t aware of how it manifests itself.  Be your own advocate in the fight against breast cancer.  Remember that an early diagnosis means a better chance of survival.
4. Stay updated on the legislation regarding breast cancer and get involved in a grass roots effort.

Together, we really can make a difference.

God bless.

Mary Pat Boyd

And that is where we caught the flu. Yes, you read that right. We caught the flu while at the doctor’s office waiting ... Read More »]]> Every day, you hear more and more on the news about the flu. Regardless if it is of the seasonal or H1N1 variety, you do everything possible to prevent your family from catching it. If you are like me, you tell your children to wash their hands with soap and water, use alcohol based sanitizer like there is no tomorrow, and frequently have a Lysol spray down party. You may also take your child to get the vaccination.

And that is where we caught the flu. Yes, you read that right. We caught the flu while at the doctor’s office waiting to get our vaccinations. I originally thought we were just having side effects from the vaccination. My doctor told me otherwise.

How do you know you have the flu? According to the Centers for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), symptoms of the flu include the following:

• fever
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue
• sometimes vomitting and or diarrhea

So how did we survive? Lucky for us, we all had the flu at the same time so there was no concern of infecting someone else in our household. We all already had it. And we definitely stayed home, well away from anyone else. No need sharing the flu with anyone else, right?

Should your family fall prey to the flu, try these tricks to help you get through it.

Rest

Rest sounds easy enough when you are sick. But Mothers know, when you have a sick child, you get little rest yourself. We all were on the same schedule for medicines and meals which was a great help and allowed us to get the rest we all needed. Pull out books, coloring books, crayons, art sets, movies, and games to keep your child entertained. These will help your child be able to rest quietly and allow you some time to rest as well.

Hydrate

It is easy to get dehydrated when you are sick. Especially for little ones when they have a fever and other unpleasantries. Drink plenty of liquids to stay well hydrated. We enjoyed hot chocolate, smoothies, shakes, ginger ale, and Gatorade. We also ate yogurt and nourishing soups like chicken noodle soup, chicken stew, and tomato soup.

Stockpile

Luckily, we had plenty of soups, Kleenex, drinks, and Tylenol in stock at our house before we caught the flu. If you do not have a supply of the items your family will need for a few days if you were to get sick, make a list and head out to the store to get stocked up. Many of the manufacturers are offering coupons and discounts now for these items. One of my favorite places to check for printable coupons is www.coupons.com.

Hopefully your family will not get sick with the flu this season. If you do, these tips may be of some help while you are all quarantined at home. Stay well!