Tag: Cindy Borassi

True Blue

I felt compelled to write this blog today since March is Colon Cancer Awareness month and I am  a Colon Cancer Survivor.   I have to admit that I first started seeing “Blue” on Social Media which reminded me that I too needed to get the word out about the importance of pre-screening for Colon Cancer since a colonoscopy literally saved my life: Black coffee and lemon Italian Ice…eeech!

 

images-2

 

I realize that I have a story that everyday people can relate to which I witnessed firsthand while sharing it through one of the most popular blogs on The View from Lajeune: A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free

 

on News 8 television with Ann Nyberg:  http://networkconnecticut.com/2015/07/colon-cancer-was-no-match-for-lajeune-hollis/

 

on 94.3 WYBC-FM radio with Juan Castillo: My Happy Surprise this week on The Electric Drum?

 

and through speaking about it at my church, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, CT.

 

People I know from all walks of my life watched me go through colon cancer and beat it so I hope they felt encouraged not only for themselves, but for their loved ones who may or may not one day encounter the C word…

 

images-3

 

As it turns out, Colon Cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers out there so I felt the urge to create my own fundraising page on the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation (CCCF) website: http://events.coloncancerchallenge.org/site/TR/Events/TributeDonateYourWay?px=1104261&pg=personal&fr_id=1060

 

My page is on this website because I admire the fact that CCCF “has been working since 2003 to fund screening programs for the uninsured and provide much-needed funds to young investigators who are committed to finding a cure for colorectal cancer.”

 

images-4

 

And the answer is:  I am “true blue” in a good way, for I am not only a Survivor, but a Believer…

 

 

 

 

The Yellow Brick Road

So me and my sisters, Dana and Casandra, were texting one lazy Saturday afternoon and came up with this great idea. We were talking about how in the past year I did:

a magazine interview:

(pgs 40-41: http://issuu.com/secondwind/docs/nhm_oct_2014-web2e=4001684/9891267)

a radio interview:

(see parts 1 and 2 of podcasts dated 8/15/15: http://www.943wybc.com/Episodes.aspx?PID=2770)

and a television interview:

(http://networkconnecticut.com/2015/07/colon-cancer-was-no-match-for-lajeune-hollis/)

two of the three interviews centered around my colon cancer experience. Then Dana said, let’s put together a colon cancer fundraiser in my (Lajeune) name and we all agreed it should involve water, a good time and people. We immediately thought: why not a cruise!  Here is where the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ kicked in: Dana is a part-time travel consultant so everything involving the cruise travel plans would come out of her agency – Cruise Planners; Casandra is a part-time Quilt Artist so she could create 2 colon cancer survival quilts to raffle off; and I am a colon cancer survivor with a real wish to help others, so Voila, the Lajeune Hollis Cancer Survivors Cruise was born!  We decided on the month of June in 2016, since June is Cancer Survivor’s Month.  We thought it would be nice if everyone wore white on the last night of the cruise which could represent Survivorship and Life.  And we imagined a Carnival Sunshine Cruise to Canada/New England made the most sense as it’s an affordable, good time that is popular with our target demographic, middle-aged adults.   By the way, the interior cabins start at just $569…

carnival-sunshine-1

We leave out of NYC June 30th – July 4th so there is no airfare involved. We are adding $50 to each cabin, which will go directly to CCCF, who “has been working since 2003 to fund screening programs for the uninsured and provide much-needed funds to young investigators who are committed to finding a cure for colorectal cancer.”  Dana initially contacted the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation (CCCF) and sent them my colon cancer survival story blog.  She suggested that I call them myself and share my story.  I spoke on the phone with their Director of Communications (Cindy) and explained my story. After I finished Cindy confided in me that the timing couldn’t have been better as one of the main priorities at CCCF this year concerned the African-American Community who are dying of Colon Cancer (one of the most preventable cancers!) quicker than any other ethnic group. Cindy explained that this is happening because African-Americans are not going to see their doctors on a regular basis so when they do finally come in, the diagnosis is much worse than it would have been. I agreed to allow her to post my colon cancer survival blog in their CCCF Fall newsletter and she asked to be kept in the loop on our upcoming Colon Cancer Cruise so she could get us additional publicity by including it in their newsletter!  Cindy also mentioned that she would be more than happy to provide us with information on early detection for colon cancer which we could hand out on the cruise.  Stay tuned as me and my sisters are happily skipping down the Yellow Brick Road as we speak!

yellow brick road