46 Cancer Moms Help Their Children Feel "Normal" and Raise $1 Million in the Process

Nashville, TN, February 26, 2013 In May 2009, Miranda Beamer celebrated her fifth birthday. She was barely a year out of treatment for Ewings Sarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. As Miranda blew out her candles, her mom Tiffany Beamer set a goal to raise one million dollars for childhood cancer. Tiffany rallied Cancer Moms nationwide and formed 46 Mommas. 46 months later, on February 24, 2013, that goal was finally reached.

The number 46 is important, says Tiffany Beamer, the founder of the 46 Mommas team. Every week day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer; every year, 46 new mommas shave for the brave. Our children lose their hair by treatment, we lose ours by choice.

Officially, the mommas shave for the St. Baldricks Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research. Unofficially, they shave for their children, as each momma has been touched by the ravages of childhood cancer. Since the mommas inaugural shave in September 2010, 138 different cancer moms have shaved for the team, 46 at a time. By the end of this June, another 46 will shave, bringing the official tally of mommas to 184.

In the United States, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. Of those, 20%, or about 2,500, lose their lives, making childhood cancer the number cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America.

While most of the children lose their lives to cancer, some are victims of the treatments they go through, most of which were originally formulated in the 1970s. Until a few years ago, there had been no new drugs designed solely for the treatment of childhood cancer in more than 30 years. Those that do survive the treatment often suffer complications, even decades after the end of treatment.

About 46 Mommas
46 Mommas Shave for the Brave team is a grassroots group of women who have shaved their heads for St Baldricks to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer. The group was started by Tiffany Beamer in 2009. The mommas shaved for the first time in September 2010. To date, 138 mommas have officially shaved for the team, with dozens more organizing events to help in their fundraising efforts.

The 2013 team of 46 Mommas will shave this year on June 30, 2013 at the Arneson River Walk Theater in San Antonio, Texas.

About St. Baldricks Foundation
The St. Baldricks Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. Since 2005, St.Baldricks has awarded more than $103 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldricks funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials. For more information about the St. Baldricks Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.
# # #
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Tiffany Beamer at 615.646.9665 or email at tbeamer(at)comcast.net

Contact Info
Tiffany F Beamer
7053 Meadow Ridge Circle
Nashville, TN 48

Phone: 6156469665

Website: http://www.

Source:
46 Cancer Moms Help Their Children Feel "Normal" and Raise $1 Million in the Process

See also:

Agilent Technologies Helps Students Acquire Real-World EDA Skills with New Licensing Program
SANTA CLARA, Calif.Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today launched the Agilent EEsof EDA Student License Program, designed to provide access to Agilent EEsof EDA software on students personal...

PPR announces that Redcats has entered into an agreement with Nordic Capital Fund VII for the sale of Ellos and Jotex
PPR announces that Redcats has entered into an agreement to sell its Nordic brands Ellos and Jotex to Nordic Capital Fund VII for an enterprise value of 275 million.Ellos is the leading home shopping...

Geneva 2013. Alfa 4C, pure sportiness
Alfa Romeo returns to the Geneva Motor Show with a spectacular booth that unfolds like a winding, dynamic road, the ideal place to present the world premi?re of the Alfa Romeo 4C, the ?compact...

Early Menopause May Occur In Women with BRCA Gene

Women with harmful mutations in the BRCA gene, which put them at higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, tend to undergo menopause significantly sooner than other women, allowing them an even briefer reproductive window and possibly a higher risk of infertility, according to a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.

Moreover, the study showed that carriers of the mutation who are heavy smokers enter menopause at an even earlier age than non-smoking women with the mutation.

While the authors note that further research is needed, given the size and demographics of the study, women with the abnormal gene mutation should consider earlier childbearing, and their doctors should encourage them to initiate fertility counseling along with other medical treatments, the scientists said.

The study will be published online in Cancer on January 29, 2013.

This is the first controlled study to explore the association between BRCA1 and BRCA 2 and the age at onset of menopause, the authors said.

Our findings show that mutation of these genes has been linked to early menopause, which may lead to a higher incidence of infertility, said senior author Mitchell Rosen, MD, director of the UCSF Fertility Preservation Center and associate professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. This can add to the significant psychological implications of being a BRCA1/2 carrier, and will likely have an impact on reproductive decision-making, Rosen said.

Mutations in either of the genes BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 can produce a hereditary, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Some women decide to reduce their risk by undergoing prophylactic surgery to remove at-risk tissue, including their breasts and ovaries. The abnormal genes are the most identified inherited cause of breast cancer carriers are five times more likely to develop breast cancer than those without the mutations, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The new study was designed to determine whether women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have an earlier onset of menopause compared with unaffected women.

The researchers looked at nearly 400 female carriers of mutations in the BRCA gene in northern California and compared their onset of menopause to that of 765 women in the same geographic area without the mutation. Most of the women in the study were white because almost all of the BRCA1/2 carriers within the UCSF cancer risk registry are white.

The scientists found that women with the harmful mutation experienced menopause at a significantly younger age 50 years -- compared to age 53 for the other midlife women.

Heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes a day) with the abnormal gene had an even earlier onset of menopause -- 46 years. By comparison, only seven percent of white women in northern California had undergone menopause by that age, said the authors. Smoking has been shown to alter menstrual cycles and estrogen status, among other impacts.

The authors point out that while their study shows a possible increased risk of infertility for the mutation carriers, further study is needed. They also said that data regarding the age of natural menopause is limited because most women with the mutation are recommended to undergo risk-reducing surgery after they complete childbearing.

Women with the mutation are faced with challenges in reproductive choices, said study co-author Lee-may Chen, MD, a professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services. These data may help women understand that their childbearing years may be even more limited by earlier menopause, so that they can make decisions about their reproductive choices and cancer risk-reducing surgery.

The first author of the study is Wayne T. Lin, MD, MPH, who at the time of the research was a resident at UCSF and is now a fellow at the Brigham and Womens Hospital at Harvard Medical School. Other authors include Marcelle Cedars, MD, a UCSF professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services ; and Mary Beattie, MD, clinical professor in the UCSF Department of Medicine. Study data was collected from the Cancer Risk Program at UCSF and the northern California site of the Study of Womens Health Across the Nation, a project of the University of California Davis and Kaiser Permanente.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants NR004061, AG012505, AG012535, AG012531, AG012539, AG012546, AG012553, AG012554, and AG012495. Support was also provided by the UCSF Cancer Risk Program Patient Registry, which is supported by the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Study of Womens Health Across the Nation has grant support from the NIH, Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the NIH Office of Research on Womens Health.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

Follow UCSF
UCSF.edu | Facebook.com/ucsf | Twitter.com/ucsf | YouTube.com/ucsf

News source: NewsWise

Source:
Early Menopause May Occur In Women with BRCA Gene

See also:

February Birthstone Amethyst - The Jewellery Channel Unveils New Items
The February birthstone and zodiac sign of Pisceans is the captivating gem known as amethyst. These semi-precious jewels belonging to the quartz family are best known for their outstandingly rich...

MP Antenna Announces New Sales Representation
MP Antenna, the exclusive developer and manufacturer of advanced Multi-Polarized antennas, announced today the appointment of J R Brophy & Associates LLC to provide sales support throughout...

Universal Understanding Expands VA Medical Center Solution Delivery with the Addition of its Clinical Collaboration System in Partnership with Extension
Universal Understanding (UU) today announced the further expansion of its VA Medical Center solutions delivery with the launch of CCS, a care-team focused communications solution that streamlines...

Incurable Cancer: New Book "I Am Living to Tell" Explains How One Woman Beat It and Remains Cancer-Free Seven Years Later

Forty-two year old Laurie Beck enjoyed a busy life as the successful owner of a Pilates studio, a wife, and mother, but then things took a dramatic turn -- she learned that she had lymphoma and an incurable form of cancer. Today however, nearly seven years after her diagnosis, repeated tests show no signs of cancer in Becks body.

How did Beck beat cancer? In her inspirational new memoir, I Am Living to Tell, Beck describes her healing journey, which began with her decision not to pursue chemo right away and to practice watchful waiting instead, something her oncologist at Bostons Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recommended as long as she felt well. Beck recounts her efforts to heal herself by developing a healthier mind, body and spirit using a combination of Western and Eastern medicine and alternative healing modalities. For example, Beck:

• Let go of the unhealthy feelings of resentment, anger and abandonment she had been harboring for decades toward her mother, grandmother and ex and learned to forgive.

• Focused all of her intentions on getting well using meditation, prayer and, prayed, and positive visualization.
• Surrounded herself with love.
• Began to pay close attention to what she put in her body; developed a healthier approach toward exercise; and pursued healing forms of exercise, like Qigong.

Bottom-line, Beck learned what she had done in her pre-cancer life to create her bad health. Then, she healed herself by making peace with her past, doing everything she could to rid her body of chronic stress, learning to love herself, and believing in her own power.

Anyone struggling with a difficult health challenge will draw strength and inspiration from Becks healing journey and the lessons she learned about herself and life along the way. To help them pursue their own journeys toward better health, Beck ends her book with a chapter that discusses tips and tools that can help them heal their minds, bodies and spirits.

I Am Living to Tell by Laurie J. Beck, ISBN-10:1475269013, $14.95, can be purchased in soft cover at http://www.lauriebeck.com, at Amazon.com and at other online bookstores.

News source: PRWeb

Source:
Incurable Cancer: New Book "I Am Living to Tell" Explains How One Woman Beat It and Remains Cancer-Free Seven Years Later

See also:

Easterm Clinical Trials Moscow Russia Contract Research Organization Joins ACTO
On December 13, 2012 Eastern Clinical Trials (ECT), a contract research organization (CRO) with operations in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, has been accepted into the Association of Clinical...

Discovery Services LLC to Exhibit at LegalTech New York
Discovery Services LLC, a leading document review, legal staffing, eDiscovery, and litigation support services firm in the U.S., today announced that the company will be an exhibitor at LegalTech New...

New Health Benefits of Water Report Now Available at CoffeeServiceNow.com
A new Health Benefits of Water report is now available at CoffeeServiceNow.com, the leading provider of coffee, water and food service quotes for businesses recently announced. The new report offers...