Day 1 - 2nd Annual Ovarian Cancer Awareness Yoga Challenge

Day 1 of the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Yoga Challenge (9-10-2017)

Introduction:

#OvarianCancerAwarenessYogaChallenge will run 10-16 September 2017

It is THAT time of year again!! I am hosting the SECOND ANNUAL

#OvarianCancerAwarenessYogaChallenge with some wonderfully kindhearted co-hosts and equally kind and generous sponsors! The challenge will run 10-16 September 2017.

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#September is #OvarianCancerAwarenessMonth.The #AmericanCancerSociety shows a change in statistics for women in the #USA for 2017; about 22,440 women will be diagnosed with #ovariancancer That number is UP from last year’s 22,280.  Although, the number of women estimated to die from ovarian cancer in 2017 is DOWN from 14,240 to 14,080. It is a small change, but one in the right direction. * The #ACS states:  “Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system” – Let’s raise awareness, learn more about it, and make a difference!

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For those that do not know, I lost my Momma to ovarian cancer just four days after she was diagnosed; this July was the 10 year anniversary of her passing.

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Hosts:

@lljerseygirl (LindaLee)

@yogasloth (Anna)

@nicole_rn (Nicole)

@farrahbrown (Farrah)

@youromlife (Nicole)

@shiziks (Milena)

@gurugrid (Heather)

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Sponsors:

@lljerseygirl

@yogasloth 

@loneblackbird 

@pawpawyogawear > My tank and leggings! > Discount for participants using the code: aware2017

@kl_wellness (USA residents only)

@youromlife 

@fourseeapparel 

@gurugrid > My yoga mat!

@bootyshawl > My #bootyshawl

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To be eligible win prizes at the end of the challenge, all participants must:

1. Follow all hosts & sponsors

2. Repost the banner and share awareness by tagging 3 people

3. Follow along with the hosts and poses each day from the 10^th through the 16^th of September, posting for each day.

4. Please be sure to tag all the hosts and sponsors in every post, along with the tag #OvarianCancerAwarenessYogaChallenge

5. Finally…please make sure your account is public.

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Here are the hosts and poses for each day:

Day 1 – @lljerseygirl - #Sukhasana or #EasyPose

Day 2 – @yogasloth - #Marjariasana or #SeatedCatCow

Day 3 – @nicole_rn - #BaddhaKonasana or #ButterflyPose 

Day 4 – @farrahbrown - #SetuBandhaSarvangasana or #ModifiedBridgePose

Day 5 – @youromlife - #Virahadrasana1 or #WarriorI

Day 6 – @shiziks - #Malasana or #YogiSquat

Day 7 – @gurugrid - #Savasana or #CorpsePose

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Tonight, I am posting for Day 1 (Sunday, 9/10) for the SECOND ANNUAL #OvarianCancerAwarenessYogaChallenge

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Thank you all for helping us raise awareness for such an important cause! I will be your host for Day 1 and the AWARENESS for today can be found in the link under my bio; it will take you to read Haley’s story. She shared her story last year and I have some great updates. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer December 2015 at the age of 22. I think it’s important that her story of survival be shared. Too often, women aren’t diagnosed until the cancer is late stage; my Momma was one of those…she passed away just four days after her diagnosis in July 2007.

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Day 1 – #Sukhasana or #EasyPose

Sitting on the floor, cross your legs at the ankles and to ease tension on your hips, you can place a folded blanket or small pillow underneath you; many find this position is more comfortable when their hips are raised. Raise your shoulders up and then back and sit with your back straight. You can rest your hands on your knees or put them in prayer position with your thumbs touching your chest.

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Take slow, deep breaths; breathing in and out through your nose.  Try to sit like this for 20 breaths (one breath = one inhalation and one exhalation); if you can only manage 10 or 5, that is fine too.  Just focus on your breathing--listening to the sound of your breath. The more you practice this pose, the easier it will become.

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This pose helps to calm the mind, relieve anxiety, open the hips and strengthen the spine. You can also strengthen your upper arms and chest by pressing your palms together and releasing as you breathe, known as a palm press. 

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Please make sure to honor your body and ONLY do what is comfortable for you. If you are under a doctor’s care, please check with them first before attempting any of the poses. The information provided is not intended to be used as medical advice.

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Please see @yogasloth for Day 2’s (Monday, 9/11) pose and refer to my IG page about the poses, ovarian cancer awareness, and if you don’t know who is posting for the day, come look at my page.

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#Yoga #YogaChallenge #IGYogaFamily #YogaForACause #OvarianCancerAwareness

#SeptemberYogaChallenge #OvarianCancer #Cancer #Awareness #Symptoms #Statistics #Prevention #TEAL #ForMyMomma #ForAllCancerPatients #MakeADifference

AWARENESS:

Haley has an IG page: @fromfightingtothriving and a blog that I would love for you to visit, the website is: http://fromfightingtothriving.com/

Haley was diagnosed on December 15th, 2015 and as you can imagine, it was devastating. In her blog she writes, “it was the worst day of our life. As we were planning our wedding we found out as young 23 and 24 year olds that the life we had always dreamt of was going to end right then and there. I was sick. VERY SICK. I got diagnosed with Stage IIIC Ovarian Cancer. For those of you who know anything about this disease you know that the life expectancy is 3-5 years after diagnosis (if you’re lucky). I had what was one of the most rare and deadly forms Low and High Grade Serous Carcinoma” – Here I will share some of what she shares in her blog.

December 2016, Haley had her Cancerversary; it was one year since she had been diagnosed. She went from “Fighting to Thriving” (hence her brilliantly named blog!). Seriously, in all ways, Haley is an amazing inspiration and burst of sunshine. One look at her IG or blog page and you’ll see what I mean.

2017 has been filled with great celebrations, Haley celebrated her 24th birthday and she and her husband also celebrated their first wedding anniversary! Moments that didn’t seem possible when she received her grim diagnosis.

March 2017, she wrote: “For anyone wondering or having someone go through treatment here are a couple of helpful hints…..THE CANCER NEVER ENDS. You will always be fighting, you will always be looking in your rearview mirror terrified of what the next scan will show. In one year, I’ve gone from my diagnosis, to chemo…to 6 months to live to MAJOR SURGERY to healing; to a “Clinical Remission” basically what that means is that the bulk of my tumors are gone but I still have millions of Cancer cells in my body. It is a Chronic Illness and I will fight this forever. Luckily cancer picked the wrong bitch! I’m not going down without a fight! Since this, I have had numerous other surgeries and been faced with surgical  menopause……for all you 20 something year olds..MENOPAUSE IS WAY WORSE THAN A PERIOD. PERIOD!!!!!!! Since they removed so much of my organs that were caked in cancer I am missing my spleen. This means I get anything and EVERYTHING!!I have been sick for so long that my doctor thinks I may have blood clots in my lungs…(SUPER FUN)  I had the pleasure of being sick for over a month and a half with numerous problems..the dates..(Super fun) I had to have a VQ Scan. I had to lay on a table and breathe in radioactive gas while they injected dye into my chest, lungs and heart….to make it even better I was in what was probably the worlds smallest cylinder for 20 minutes having this procedure done. FML…needless to say..I broke my healthy eating streak that day and did some emotional eating with CARBS CARBS AND MORE CARBS!–I regret nothing!”

I think that it is important to realize that having a great support system (family, friends, health care team, etc.) really adds to the situation when someone is diagnosed with cancer. Another very important aspect, is having a positive attitude and mindset. Haley was very lucky that she had a wonderful support network and positive attitude (the mind is so powerful!). I hope that you read through the post below from last year just to see how far Haley has come in her ovarian cancer journey. I really appreciate that she shared her story with me last year and allowed me to share these updates with everyone. Haley, you have my utmost respect and gratitude…plus lots of love and prayers. ~LindaLee

Below is Haley’s story that was shared last year (for those of you that weren’t part of the challenge or do not remember her story).

(From Sept. 2016):  One of the participants in this challenge is Haley who lives in Houston, Texas. She gladly shared her story (mostly in her words) that began last December 2015 at the age of 22; she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer: stage 3C low-grade serous carcinoma, but it is mixed with high grade as well. Her case is rare and she was started on a combo of taxol/carboplatin (a total of 11 weeks on chemo!). She married her HS sweetheart February 27, 2016 wearing a wig, puffy from steroids, and her beautiful dress almost bursting from the large tumor. Monday after the wedding she had a CT scan and was told her body stopped responding to the chemo before she and her family were leaving for their honeymoon. Unbeknownst to her, the oncologist told her husband that it wasn’t looking good. Upon returning from their honeymoon, the oncologist gave them a name of a NYC doctor and stated “if anyone could get it out, he could”. The whole family flew to NYC (husband, parents, and her sister) with her on April 25, 2016. She was scheduled for debulking surgery and her odds weren’t goo: there was a strong chance she’d be left with a colostomy bag and not all the cancer removed. Waking up from surgery, she heard GREAT NEWS: ALL of the cancer was removed and no colostomy bag! During the surgery, she had 33 “items” removed including organs. Currently, she is 4 months out from this surgery.  She really wishes her GYN listed to her when she said she had #bloating (she says she looked 6 months pregnant) #extreme #fatigue #weightgain #pain #kidneybladderissues – she KNEW something was NOT right! Haley also commented that she struggled with doctors not listening to her physical symptoms; a sentiment that many young women share.  From Haley’s story, my momma’s, and many other friends and women that I have spoken with over the years, the most important advice is to be your OWN best #patientadvocate – if something doesn’t seem right, keep pursuing it. Communicate your concerns with your doctor and if that doesn’t work, request a second opinion. My momma didn’t want a second opinion when I knew something was wrong…she didn’t want to hurt her doctors’ feelings. Your life is more important and a doctor should understand, if not maybe seek out new care. We put a lot of faith and pressure on doctors, they are brilliant, but are also limited because there are no good early diagnostic tests for #ovariancancer Symptoms can be very vague and could be related to other benign, non-serious issues.

Please take a moment and send Haley some love, positive & healing thoughts, and prayers for her healing journey. It was an honor to have her share such a life-altering story with me for this challenge. I am extremely grateful. [End of post from 9/2016]