Starting Over Is Not Easy ... Mother Baby Child Blog
I was over 35 when I gave birth to Baby Max. My middle son was 11 years old and my older son had just turned seventeen. It wasn't easy starting over again ... Mother Baby Child is a blog to share parenting experiences, as well as what marriage is like after being a single mom for so many years. Get info on having a baby, raising children, babies, tweens, teens, homeschooling, mom blogs, work at home mom. business marketing, Christian and celebrity moms blog posts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
This is the time of the year for an "in your face" reminder to get a mammogram and show our support to others battling breast cancer. I believe this is the 28th year for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ... It amazes me how long it has taken to get women on board to commit to their health - breast health in general - and there are always more to influence each year as the pink ribbons flow and once the realities of cancer hit closer to home. I am not going to make this a long post as I already have the post and resources for you on my other blog. Please visit: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and share the information with your loved ones. Any time I hear the word CANCER my mind wonders to memories of friends and loved ones who are battling or did not survive the devastating disease. The reality is that one point or another we are either 1 of the 8 women diagnosed, or know someone that has had breast cancer / cancer. This is why I post the information each year. Please make sure to get your mammogram if you have not already and get involved in breast cancer awareness as you can as it is the 2nd most common disease that kills women. The info is on that blog post for free resources and ideas of how you can support no matter your budget.
October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.
It is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Canadian Autism Awareness Month, Pregnancy Loss and Infant Loss Awareness Month, National Cyber Security Awareness Month and so on. There are more than 40 observances this month, but Amanda Todd's suicide due to offline and cyber bullying has started a Canadian movement and trending on Twitter (#RIPAmandaTodd) to raise awareness of this age old form of victimization; especially since October is National Anti-Cyberbullying Awareness Month, too.
National Bullying Prevention Month History (2006 - 2012)
PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention founded National Bullying Prevention Month in 2006. It was originally called the National Bullying and Awareness Week and scheduled for the 1st week in October. In 2010, the observance was extended to the month of October and renamed National Bullying Prevention Month. The goal is to raise awareness of the devastating effects of bullying in schools, homes, communities. Most importantly, it is a movement to stop bullying which damages self-esteem, depression, anxiety and can eventually lead to sexual promiscuity and diseases, drug and alcohol usage, cutting, eating disorders and suicide.
Amanda Todd Committed Suicide 10/10/2012 @ 15 Years Old
Amanda Todd posted this video a few weeks before hanging herself. It was taken down and then reposted on the YouTube channel where I found this video. Amanda had experienced years of bullying due to two mistakes she had made as a young teen. It is a tragic end to what some consider a situation where her parents should have taken better control (her mother is computer savvy and works in the school district), though most parents of a teen know that teenagers are the least controllable of all ages. Sometimes life's circumstances do not permit the to take such situations into ones own hands. In this case, an anonymous online stalker kept the "mistake" Amanda made going no matter what school she was in. Amanda Todd was just shy of 16 years old when she committed suicide; she was 12 years old when she flashed the boys during an online chat. Regardless, Amanda Todd's story is tragic and this video speaks volumes for many other teen girls that have experienced the same bullying from peers.
Carol Todd Speaks Out About Her Daughters Death - http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Amanda+Todd+speaks+about+daughter+death/7386696/story.html
B.C. teen's suicide could lead to criminal charges
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/13/bc-amanda-todd-suicide-charges.html
Tyler - Age 16 - Suicide Story
This video is from Tyler. He is a 16 year old cutter than turned to friends for help after considering the impact his committing suicide would have on his parents and friends.
Brooke DaLion - My Bullying Story
Brooke was a 16 year old High School sophomore when she posted this video (April 2, 2012). It shares how years of bullying affected her life (5th grade until sophomore year) and how she started to overcome this bullying problem after joining the school choir. Ultimately, it was the support of those new friends.
BULLYING VIDEOS / SUICIDE VIDEOS
YouTube has years of videos like these. Some with kids telling their stories by note cards and others feeling confident enough to literally "speak up" about the bullying and the effects it had on their lives. Bullying is NOT a new problem, but the following organizations, including McGruff the crime dog, are doing to help raise awareness and implement programs to stop bullying among teens, tweens and school age children.
Use these links ... Share these link ... Discuss with your children and educators. I know from experience with my children that schools are not always on top of the bullying situations as they should be; even if they have implemented an official Bully Prevention program. It is our job as parents to make sure these bullying situations are handled correctly whether it is your child that is getting bullied or your child is a bully. Additionally, make sure to monitor your child's Internet and cell phone usage for such situations. Make your teens understand that they need to delete any naked or risky pictures they receive because it is considered pornography and they can get in trouble; that they need to tell on the sender - if not the actual person - because it may very well be a bullying situation.
I am sitting here in amazement that another year has gone by so quickly! WOW! It feels like it was just yesterday that I was sharing the memory of my friend in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and information on how to support her 2 cancer foundations this month. I am sharing this information again in this blog post, so that you can learn more about breast cancer - the 2nd leading cause of death among women - get checked and learn ow to support this beast cancer foundations.
What is breast cancer? How can I detect it?
The National Breast Cancer Foundation has a What Is Breast Cancer page that shares a video and incredible statistics to learn more about what breast cancer is, the risk factors, types of tumors, etc., as well as the rare diagnoses of men with breast cancer each year and how to detect breast cancer early.
How can I become involved in breast cancer awareness?
Both the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Susan G Komen for the Cure website have valuable breast cancer information and ways that you can help support their fight against breast cancer; including online and offline marketing materials by registering with Susan B Komen.
One of the most effective ways in addition to fundraising or monetary donations, is to add a pink ribbon or foundation banner on your blog (include links to these 2 websites). Another popular way to support these breast cancer foundations and get children involved is to shop from the Komen online store. There are very attractive T-Shirts, Jewelry, Accessories, Educational Materials and more.
On the other hand, a blog post leading new readers to these breast cancer foundation websites is also supportive of the cause this month. Please feel free to share your National Breast Cancer Awareness link and / or memories in the comment section below.
Again, I am mourning the loss of my friend, Sandee. I am overwhelmed with guilt this year because she was looking forward to our plans for me to visit her, and I did not make it in time. Working online is not the same without her; I miss our chats about how wonderful her husband was during her end months and how much she loved her dog.
I have been waiting all week to write this blog, but not my heart is so burdened by the remembrance it will bring that it is a little difficult to share this information on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
What is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day?
It is a day of remembrance for those who have lost a baby to death / SIDS as well as for those who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth (pregnancy loss). It is traditionally observed by an International candle lighting at 7:00 pm tonight (October 15) as part of a remembrance ceremony. Some states / organizations choose to host a walk and / or candle lighting. I am sure that you can imagine the devastation caused by any one of these scenarios whether you have lost a child / pregnancy or not. I personally tear up at any serious though of losing one of my children and have spent hours heart broken at these mother's websites. They are so selfless in wanting to educate other moms based on their experiences with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Diseases and other experiences. This does include women who have lost their dreams of motherhood because of miscarriages and stillbirths.
Please make sure to scroll down the page to see if any moms have commented and visit this PRAYER page to pray for an Angel Mom that is hurting even more today as she lights that candle in remembrance of her Angel Baby.
The following are some websites that I would like to share with you on this day:
I have met for many moms and read so many blogs by mothers who have lost their children (or have terminally ill children) that this has become quite an emotional subject for me. I ask that you read and support these women when blog hopping (don't just pass by there important messages to help others and buttons).
Please make sure to LIGHT YOUR CANDLE at 7:00pm in remembrance of moms that have lost babies / pregnancies. Do not hesitate to add to the PRAYER list posted on this blog or launch a prayer list on your blog. Thank you for reading this blog post & participating!
October was once a month that made me think of colorful trees, harvest fests, pumpkin patches and preparing for the winter months, as well as their popular holidays (Thanksgiving & Christmas). This all changed for me in 2008 when I met my friend, Sandee. She had joined a work at home business with me and was eager to make her mark in that industry. Her goal was to make money online. I worked with her as much as I could and we became friends. She was such a sweet person. It wasn't until a few months later that she confided in me that she needed to make up for the income that she had lost when she got breast cancer and could no longer work her government job. She was a breast cancer survivor that had gone through radiation therapy and ended up need a mastectomy; she was left with a weakened immune system, very bad diabetes and bills that she needed to pay. She was the only person that shared her fears, experience and detailed information about breast cancer with me.
I was not completely naive to the fears and seriousness of breast cancer. My step father had a lump in his breast, though his tumor was quickly removed due to early detection and never returned. My step-sister is also a breast cancer survivor. I was told that her experience was far worse than my step-father's removal. This was a close to home as breast cancer hit until I started learning more from Sandee. Unfortunately, she found lumps again a little over a year after we met. She actually called to let me know and shared whenever one was almost dissolved or a new one was found. She often shared her test results. Sometimes she would share feelings of sadness with me, but she was a very strong woman that rarely broke down during her experience. She was hopeful and retained her faith during the process (which is hard when your crying because you feel that your body is falling apart and that you are angry about being sick again). Her family lost her to breast cancer Thursday, May 19, 2011. It was asked that all contributions were made to the National Breast Cancer Society or Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Sandee was a mother, wife and grandmother to 3 beautiful children. In fact, her daughter and I were both pregnant with our 3rd children at the same time. It was a blessing that she was able to meet and spend time with her new grandson before breast cancer took her life. I understood that she knew her time was near when I stopped hearing from her as much. She would check in to see how we were doing and give me reports on her health; she mentioned that she was spending even more time with her grandchildren. God bless her soul.
There are a lot of events, observances and holidays in October, but this month means much more to me than the Fall season or preparing for holidays. I see and think pink much more this month and it is no longer just a pretty, girly, color in my world. Now that you have read this short blog post, I want you to take from it that breast cancer is a serious disease that kills about 39,520 women a year. You never know who you're going to meet or who in your family will get diagnosed with breast cancer. I did not know that my step-sister had breast cancer until after she had fought and survived. You need to get checked for breast cancer instead of thinking that you are immune to the disease because you do not know of any family members of friends that have / had it. Over the years, I have met more people online - that have survived or are battling cancer - than I would like to admit. It is obviously more than just a breast or womanly issue ...
"Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 diseases in which cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious illness and even death."(What Is Cancer: American Cancer Society)
"Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%). The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2011: About 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. About 57,650 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer). About 39,520 women will die from breast cancer" (Key Statistics About Breast Cancer: American Cancer Society)
Yes, October is a month dedicated to increasing the support and awareness of breast cancer, but the breast cancer foundations and breast cancer stores are working year round to help find a cure, educate the public, gain support and donations, as well as campaign to politicians for the needs of people with breast cancer. Please click on the links in this blog post to learn more about what is breast cancer, why you should get checked for breast cancer (mammogram) and how you can help support and increase awareness in your city.
