Toledo Walleye Pink in the Rink March 4, 2017

Always proud to support my local sports teams, breast cancer awareness and Komen fundraising in my community.  Thank you Komen of Northwest Ohio for supporting uninsured women in our community with grant money to local organizations to make sure these ladies have access to life saving mammograms!

Pink in the Rink, Toledo!

I Won't Back Down!

My biggest supporter, Muddonna

Pink sisters, Carol and Melissa

Paint the rink pink... Team Holly,
Knock out Triple Negative!

Let's go Walleye!

Team Power Rangers!

Toledo Walleye vs Kalamazoo Wings

Toledo Walleye win!

TNBC Day 2017

Working with Dr. Iman Mohamed and Jan Tipton of University of Toledo Dana Cancer Center to bring our annual Triple Negative Breast Cancer, A Different Shade of Pink educational event held on March 1, 2017 in honor of TNBC Awareness Day.

 genetics counselor, Colette Gaba

Know your risk...

Consider genetics if diagnosed with TNBC before the age 60...

TNBC may be associated with inherited mutations 

TNBC Survivors

TNBC supporters

Dr. Iman Mohamed explains TNBC is a heterogenous group of 
tumors with an absence of Her2, ER and PR that can be further
divided into different subtypes.

Dr. Mohamed discusses the different subtypes of TNBC
and the need for individualized treatments for these subtypes

Communicate with your child what
IN FACT is wrong...

Porshia, the therapy dog  visits
the cancer infusion center

Survivors, caretakers and supporters getting an
update on Triple Negative Breast Cancer

TNBC sisters, Sharon and Melissa

TNBC sisters, Melissa and Amy

TNBC sisters

Barb and Melissa

TNBC sisters Diana and Melissa

TNBC sisters Melissa and Sandy

Educational vendor tables and refreshments

A Decade of Diamonds Fashion Show 2017

http://thevictorycenter.org

On February 17, 2017, The 10th Annual Victory Center's Luncheon and Fashion Show, A Decade of Diamonds raised over $55, 000 that will go towards supporting their services that are offered to cancer survivors and co-survivors.  I volunteered at this event with registration and gathering up the gift raffle items to be presented to the ticket winners.  I'm always happy to be able to help out the Victory Center where I can and this event surprised me with special guest taking stage, Calysta Bevier singing a couple of hit cover songs, Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" and Sia's "Alive" portraying her own fight, a ovarian cancer survivor in her early teens.

The Victory gals Carol,
TNBC sisters Melissa and Rita

Victory Center volunteers,
Melissa and Devorah

Calysta Bevier and Melissa
I'm a big supporter of our local arts and music!

Rockets for the Cure 2017

9th Annual Rockets for the Cure was held on January 28, 2017 with an University of Toledo 74-72 win over Central Michigan women's basketball.  The Rockets for the Cure event offers free tickets to breast cancer survivors to attend the game as they are honored for their fight against breast cancer.  This 4,309 in attendance event brought awareness and education on breast cancer, which I think is very important for these young college women students to learn the importance of breast health and self awareness.  $10,488 raised from auctioning off the basketball players pink game jerseys benefits UTMC Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and Susan G. Komen of Northwest Ohio.

Breast Cancer Survivor, Anne French
sings the National Anthem

Toledo Rocket ladies go pink for awareness

Breast cancer survivors,
Melissa and Barb Oxner

Triple Negative Breast Cancer sisters,
Joyce Bettinger and Melissa

Toledo Walleye Hockey Benefits The Victory Center 2017

On January 28, 2017, After attending 2 basketball games benefitting cancer research, I attended a third event that evening at Toledo Walleye Hockey with proceeds from jerseys auction benefiting The Victory Center.

Melissa and friends

Always love Toledo Walleye Hockey!

Hoops for a Cause Girls Basketball 2017

On January 28, 2017,  I attended the girls basketball game hosted by Ottawa Hills High School where their girls team played against Maumee Valley Country Day School girls Hawk team in their Hoops for a Cause event in partnership with Lambie's Legacy.   Funds raised at this event supports cancer research and to Good Grief which provides assistance to families in need of support during their grieving process.  Emma Stout, niece of  her late aunt, Margaret Lamb Guyton Stout; spoke on behalf of Lambies Legacy during the game's halftime. Sadly, Lambie passed from breast cancer in 2011 at the age of 42.

Emma Stout speaks on behalf of Lambie's Legacy

Maumee Valley Country Day School Hawks (in the blue)

Pink Sisters Christmas Parties 2016

Center for Health and Successful Living
Christmas Party hosted by Dr. Amy Thompson

Christmas with the Victory gals
Kim, Beth, Melissa J., Laurie, Rita, Linda, Joyce, Carol,
Diane, Areena, Peggy, Traci, Jyll, Lori,
Elaine and Melissa P.

,

Komen Holiday Friend-raiser 2016

On December 8, 2016, I attended a fundraiser event benefiting Komen of Northwest Ohio at the Pub at Paula Brown's Shop supporting my high school friend, breast cancer survivor, Amy. Amy Thorpe, Board Vice President of Komen of Northwest Ohio and Gretchen Awad of Komen hosted this lovely event.

Amy, Gretchen and Melissa

Celebrity Wait Night 2016

So much fun at Celebrity Wait Night on September 20, 2016 with raising lots of cash benefiting the Victory Center.
I spent the night volunteering to sell 50/50 raffle tickets to our guests, and they were buying $5 to $20 worth at a time in addition to gift basket and wine pull raffles.  It was a western theme... tho, I didn't win best western costume, I was still a "rock star" in paying it forward.  The wait staff consisting of many local doctors and other well known people of our local community had also participated in raising tips that were also donated to the Victory Center, a cancer wellness center serving Northwest Ohio.
http://thevictorycenter.org

Not your typical rock star

Selling hundreds and hundreds of dollars 
worth of raffle tickets!

Our 50/50 raffle ticket winner!

Victory gals pink sisters
Sandy and Melissa

Melissa and one of our celebrity waiters,
Dr. Mabry, Breast Surgeon

Komen of Northwest Ohio Breakfast 2016

Our annual get-together of us Victory gals at the annual kick-off breakfast for Komen for the Cure.  The kick-off breakfast is dedicated to the first 500 breast cancer survivors that register for the breakfast event.

The Victory Center Gals: Joyce, Jill, Melissa P.
Diane, Lynnette, Rita, Kim, Areena,
Carol, Lori, Deb, Traci, Beth and Melissa J.

Pink sisters, Elaine and Melissa

Triple Negative Breast Cancer
 Sisters, Melissa and Audrey

Pink sister, Mary, Melissa and my favorite
event emcee, Chrys Peterson

Remembering Tatum...

TNBC sisters Tatum and Melissa

Tatum, one of our Victory gals was so inspiration to all of us and were very saddened with her lost to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Tatum's battle began in 2014 when she was diagnosed with PR+/ER+ breast cancer.  In 2015, not even a year out of treatment, Tatum had discovered a lump in her neck and learned that her cancer has returned metastatic to her lymph nodes, and had actually "morphed" to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. On August 20, 2016, Tatum Hummel was taken from her three very young children and husband.

All of us Victory gals after attending Tatum's funeral
We love and miss you Tatum!