Before You Donate
Think very seriously before donating to any breastcancer organization, or fundraising program until you read their Annual Report to see who their top contributors are, and if they have a product that appears frequently in the message the organization sends to the public. That would be unethical and its illegal. The same applies to a request that the public buys products, but does not receive a "donor receipt" for tax-deductible purpose. Read any and all food labels that breastcancer "non-profits" are promoting to raise money. Some organizations tell the public to help them raise money by asking you to visit their websites, but that only gives them "hits" to increase their sponsors.
Another tip, "signing" an online Petition is not acceptable, so don't fall for such antics. An ethical non-profit, or professional will not request your visit to their website, nor use "cookies" placed on your computer when you visit their site.
Purchase the Breastcancer Postage Stamp, the Post Office will always give you your charitable deduction receipt. Its a valid form of fund raising.
Chemotherapy
I want to thank all of the doctors who have printed this URL out and given it to their patients, or led them to this web site. So many women have emailed me and told me how grateful they were to be "prepared for chemo" and of their gratitude to their doctors. Some women saw the site in the doctor's waiting room on a computer and a few said their doctors first saw the site at an oncology meeting. "Thank you, great docs!"
I have now completed chemotherapy. This is being composed for those about to enter the treatment, floundering about in the early stages or, as I am, trying to decide how to cope with the next step and ignore the unknown. My promise to you, herein, is that I will always be truthful and share with you my emotional response to this disease, it's treatments and how I personally coped. You must first realize that I sought out and built my team of physicians whom I knew I could trust, and who viewed me as an equal member of the team—only after having a non-team approach that will remain forever branded in my memory. It was a horrific experience.
Note: This section is being divided into topics, for my readers convenience. Each page (URL) will be shorter, so you won't have to scroll often. Please bear with me as I try to do this as quickly as possible. The links should work for you. If not, please e-mail me. Thank you.
Links To Planning Chemo Ahead Of Time
Reviewed: April 29, 2006