Choose You Blog

I never signed up for this…..I’ve said that so often,  it’s the title of my blog.  Only this time,  I did sign up for this.  And here’s why:

Did you ever have a moment when you can’t believe the world  is still spinning….because your world has turned upside down?

My son’s 7^th birthday was the last day of life as we knew it— life as it was supposed to be.

I was a typical mom, holding all the strings that tie the family together….. absorbed in my kids and work and everything else on my  overflowing plate.  Like most busy moms, the last thing I had time for was me.   Until suddenly that’s all I was thinking about.  

These pictures were taken before I  told my kids about the journey we were about to begin.   It was the day before I would lose my breast to a mastectomy and lose my long hair to chemotherapy.

Smiling on this day was the hardest thing I had ever done.

Cancer is the wake up call no one wants.  It forced me to do something I’d never done: to put myself and my health as my top priority.

It wasn’t a choice— it was an imperative.

The kids might not remember that I suddenly pulled the plug on fast food for the family;  that I went on a stringent diet, cutting out sugar and fat and  even my beloved chocolate; that I worked out so faithfully –even during cancer treatment I was in the best shape of my life;  that I found ways to relax and manage my enormous amount of stress; that I desperately searched out every preventive measure against cancer that I could find.

The only motivation I needed, I found in the faces of my son and my daughter.   They inspired me to take care of myself—so I would be there later to take care of them.

I was lucky.  The little boy who was just turning 7 is now in college, studying abroad in Buenos Aires.  When I visited him recently, I got a little window into his life— and vice versa.    Spending  time together made it clear—at least to one of us—- something was wrong with this picture.

When mealtime would roll around, Daniel would roll his eyes. “Mom!  You eat too many sweets!”

Me:  “Is it my fault they serve dulce de leche at breakfast, lunch and dinner?”

I knew about Argentine beef, of course.  But until I got there, I didn’t realize there’s another staple of the Argentine diet : dulce de leche. Delicious….but if you’re health conscious,  equally dangerous.  And I’m a person who doesn’t like to use the  words “sweets” and “moderation” in the same sentence.

I’m a cancer activist; I know far more than most people  about cancer prevention and a healthy lifestyle.  But following through is a whole different story.   And over the years since my diagnosis, I’ve started to slack off.

Meanwhile,  my kids turned into the Food Police. Living on his own, Daniel eats the healthy diet I used to nag him about.    Now he’s nagging me-– to practice what I preach.

As I was leaving to return home,  Daniel said to me, “Mom, I want you to promise me you’ll take better care of yourself.”

His request turned out to be a Mother’s Day gift  from thousands of miles away.

Because waiting for me at home was an email message from the American Cancer Society–where I’m a member of the Blogger Advisory Council. That’s when I learned that the ACS is asking women to commit to make their own health a priority…. and  inviting me to participate as one of the featured bloggers.

Talk about timing.   The  sign from the universe couldn’t be more clear.  I signed up on the spot.

The way I look at it, Daniel was speaking for many others beyond himself.   Though all women won’t get such a direct request—there is someone in every woman’s life who would appreciate your commitment to your health.    I hope you’ll think of them, think of this program as a gift to yourself, and Choose You.

Hi, I’m Amy and thrilled to be blogging here at the Choose You blog.  Full disclosure: I work for the American Cancer Society and I have to say that so far, my experience with the Choose You program has been a bit surreal for me.

I’m your average full-time working mom and like most of us, I struggled mightily with how to make it all work. How can I be the perfect mother, wife, daughter, etc. and be the perfect professional all at the same time? I tried so many different work arrangements — full-time, part-time, flex time. All of them had their pros and cons. The one thing I never tried was taking care of myself. You’d think that as a long-time cancer survivor who works at the American Cancer Society, I’d know better. Well, I did know better. I just didn’t do better.

It all caught up with me about a year and a half ago when I slammed face-first into a wall of depression and anxiety. I was completely overwhelmed and didn’t know how to climb out of the pit I had fallen into. I finally got some help through a family therapist who worked with me to pare back on my commitments, take some time for myself, add some fun back into my life and create better support systems with my husband. It made such a huge difference.

At the same time I was going through all of that, at work, we were working on this new program called, “Choose You.” I loved the message — it was one that the universe was already teaching me. I loved the idea of the American Cancer Society recognizing how important women are in preventing cancer and encouraging them to do something no one else was — to take care of themselves.

I was honored when my boss asked me to be a spokesperson for this program. Having left that black pit of dispair behind, I have been making major efforts to improve my diet and get regular exercise since the beginning of this year. I’m actually walking the talk. I’m choosing me! I know the importance of this program in my bones.

But it’s not easy. I still struggle to make the right food choices and fit in the exercise. But I’m trying. My Choose You commitment is to exercise three times a week and to get my mammogram (I celebrated my 40th birthday in March) this year. Check back with me each week to see how I do. You’ll help me stick to it, won’t you?

When she is not fighting cancer in her day job, or being a mommy every other waking moment (and sleeping ones too), Amy encourages moms to find their voice as a mommy advocate at her blog Up With Moms.

There I was standing in Times Square listening to speakers like American Cancer Society national spokesperson for Choose You Amy Swygert and celebrity ambassador Ellen Pompeo talk about the Choose You campaign.

Amy Swygert

Ellen Pompeo

Times Square.  It was surreal.

I’m a mom of three boys who lives in the DC suburbs.  What was I doing in NYC with little more than 24 hours worth of antibiotics in my system battling strep?

Oh yeah!  I agreed to make a commitment to improve my health–a commitment long overdue (as evidenced by the latest onset of strep brought on by trying to cram too much into my life) and blog about it for the world to read.

I had put every single thing I could think of before taking care of my body, and it was catching up with me.  I tried to ignore it.  I didn’t want to have to work for my health.  I didn’t want to give up delicious food I love so much (ice cream anyone?).  I didn’t want have to exercise (lunges don’t make me happy).

But here I am.  So why?

Last year my very healthy best friend went in for a routine physical with a new doc.  Her doctor, who I consider an angel, suggested a mammogram even though my friend was only 37 just to establish a baseline.  Well you know what happened next.  They found cancer–CANCER!–in my 37 year old best friend.  A mother to three little kiddos all under the age of 5 at the time!

My brave, incredible, wonderful, fighter of a best friend made a choice about her treatment that might have seemed radical to some considering the very early time of detection.  She opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy.  She chose her health.  She said it was simple.  She was a mom and she intended to be one for a very long time.

I want to thank her every day.  She made a choice that ensures I get a best friend who is around for a long time.

So I might think I hate to exercise.  I might miss my yummy snacks.  But if she can make a choice to choose her health, I can too.  Shoot, it’s the least I can do.

So yesterday I made the commitment to be more active.  It’s my first step.

And just to prove how much I need to be held accountable for this, I made my pledge while I was in Times Square.

There’s me.  I’m going to be more active.  Have to now.  It said so on a billboard.

You can make a commitment of your own and share it too.  I’ll be back at least once a week to let you know how I’m doing.  I look forward to doing this together.  It’s always more fun when you have friends to complain about it with, right?  I promise to cheer you on too!

Choose you today.  Seriously.  If I can do it, you can too.

When Amie isn’t popping penicillin, she’s hanging out at the ball field or pounding out her incredibly deep thoughts on her personal blog Mamma Loves.  Oh yeah and if you’re the FTC, her trip to NYC was underwritten by the American Cancer Society (though she did pay for a cab to one of the events herself because her heels?!  While smokin’ they were far too high to be walking six blocks).

It’s finally here – Choose You – the American Cancer Society’s new movement to inspire women to put their health first to stay well and help prevent cancer – officially launches this morning! We hope you’re looking forward to learning all about this exciting new program. Our full Web site is now live, so be sure explore everything you can do on ChooseYou.com.

Mark your calendar – fridge, iPhone, Outlook, Google, or whatever else keeps you on track – for tomorrow, when the American Cancer Society will officially announce the start of an exciting new movement! We can’t give away too many details yet, but we want to make sure you’re in the know about the launch of this brand-new program. Be among the first to find out the big news by: 

• Reading this blog – event updates from our Choose You bloggers will be posted here, starting tomorrow morning.
• Following us on Twitter at @acschooseyou – event and program updates will be posted throughout the day.
• Visiting this site, ChooseYou.com, which will become the official Web site for our new movement as of 9:30 a.m. on May 4.
• Tuning in to ABC’s Good Morning America tomorrow morning between 8 – 9 a.m., when a special guest will reveal all the details about this new program.
• If you’re in New York City, stop by Times Square between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to learn more and join the Choose You Movement.

Don’t forget – the movement launches tomorrow! In the meantime, add this blog to your RSS feed or Google Reader, and check back here tomorrow to learn more.

Women: there are 116 million of us in the United States. We know that one in three will get cancer in her lifetime. We’re everywhere, but who are women really?

We’re moms, caregivers, shoppers, social networkers and businesswomen. And, for the most part, we’re the decision-makers: we make 80% of household purchasing decisions, and we serve as the “Chief Medical Officer” of our family, managing health-related choices and information.

Every one of us – from a single 26-year-old blogger in Manhattan to a 53-year-old teacher in Ohio – takes care of someone else. Maybe it’s your spouse or parent, your niece or boyfriend. It could be your best friend having a rough week, or your ailing next-door neighbor. It could even be a pet. Regardless of who it is, as women, we tend to put the needs of others above our own.

On top of this, we’re busier than ever. Our days are full from start to finish with a myriad of to-dos, lists and obligations. Somehow, we manage to stay connected: we average 171 contacts across e-mail, social networks and cell phone address books; and we typically have 12 devices in our homes (cell phone, computer, TV, etc.) to keep us in the know. But the craziness of life is taking a toll on our health, and it’s time to take action.

Don’t forget – the movement launches May 4! In the meantime, add this blog to your RSS feed or Google Reader, or check back here regularly to learn a little more.

Welcome! Thank you for visiting this site to learn more about Choose You, the American Cancer Society’s exciting new program that focuses on healthy lifestyle behaviors that can help reduce cancer risk. The program officially launches on Tuesday, May 4.

We can’t share all the details yet, but this new movement will give you the information and inspiration to Choose You and live well today to stay well tomorrow. Until May 4, we’ll be posting healthy living tips, quick quizzes and fun information to provide a taste of what’s to come.

So get ready to be inspired to make smarter choices and live healthier starting May 4. In the meantime, add this blog to your RSS feed or Google Reader, or check back here regularly until we launch to learn a little more!