BREAST CANCER AWARENESS AT SCREENING

October is almost here again. As we embrace fall colors, and trees in the parts of northern hemisphere bid adieu to leaves, pink will be the highlight of many gathering and fundraising efforts to tackle Breast Cancer.

Despite the advances in technology and medical care to detect and treat cancers, there are still lots of people worldwide who do not have the favor of getting the right information nor the recommended screening for cancers.

I am honored to work for an organization that is working hard at making sure those in its community are not out of the loop when it comes to screening for cancer. I have the privilege of being one of the co-leaders of an Employee resource group at my organization called MSK Women on the move, and to lead a group of compassionate women who are working tirelessly to organize a fundraising walkathon to raise money for one of our organization outreach program we call BECH.

BECH is Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Breast Examination Center of Harlem. Since its founding in 1979, BECH has screened more than 200,000 women for breast cancer and has an established reputation in the Harlem community for free, high-quality care offered by its professional staff.

BECH has extended its service beyond screening for Breast Cancer.  Below is a list of their services:

• breast cancer screening
• mammograms
• imaging services including ultrasounds and MRIs
• pelvic examinations and Pap smears
• counseling
• patient follow-up
• education

The ladies have a fundraising goal of $12,500 and hope to reach it by December 31^st, 2017. There will be a 5K walkathon held at Battery Park City, on October 8^th to kick off the fundraising. Please if you can, help them reach their goal by click here to donate and share. Every cent counts to help BECH with its mission. I love pink but whenever I see it I feel sad because I am reminded of those who suffer when they shouldn’t.

Thank you for your help and support.

 

 

Me, My tribe and A Solar eclipse

I do belong here, my tribe do exists, there is a great power than us people, love will win out in the end… These are some insights that came to me as I stood on the sidewalk in front of my office building in NYC on Monday, August 21, 2017.

Much of my efforts lately has been spent on job hunting for a more fulfilling role with responsibilities that incorporates my passions, finding ways to create a sanctuary in a shared apartment and finding things to do that I absolutely love so that I can connect with others who share my passions.

At times I feel I do not belong here. I  struggle making deep lasting connection (Astrology lovers I have Chiron in the 11th house in Aries) and feeling accepted as me, the authentic me. I am grateful to the few I have connected with, I so love the laughs.

On this day, for the first time in a while, I felt a sense of relief regarding the issue of belonging. I felt like I was part of a tribe. the moment I had my first view of the eclipse with  a borrowed glasses, I knew was part of tribe eclipse.

At 2:30 pm, I logged of my computer at work, pausing my online viewing of the eclipse. As I got in the elevator to go downstairs I thought " I might be one of a few watching the eclipse outside but its okay, it should not be missed". When I got to the lobby, I was amazed at what I saw  which made me giddy. I then joyfully walked outside to a sea of people in the side walk.

With the political upheaval and unearthing of hate going on in America right now, I said to myself, we are going to be fine because the power greater than us is now in charged. Like the moon blocking the sun from the earth, there will continue to be things great than us that we can’t control and those things should be turnover to that greater power. Our job here is to focus on helping one another, sharing love and enjoying the peace that follows.

The atmosphere outside was enchanting, people were talking and smiling and those with glasses shared with those who had none. I smiled anytime I heard “wow this is amazing”. The passing clouds which occasionally obscured the view of the eclipse did not dampen any spirit, we all waited patiently for it to move. I felt blissful for the rest of the day.

One thing I know is that I will not stop until I feel I am living authentically, and making more heart connections with my tribe. I am here for a reason, which is to have a positive impact in my organization, to the lives of those around me and in this world.
I have a feeling that my tribe will have something to do with that.

Let's stick to the issue to get positive change- Social Injustice. Racism

I was sharing with someone today I am very frustrated with the way our world handles terrorism, social injustice,  racial incidents and so froth. The  conversation after many of these incidents tend to move away from the issue. In the case of Charlottesville, I hear and see people talking more about President Trumps reaction than the alt-right groups and their agenda. All the attacks and name-calling that has followed is making me want to shut down and hide from everyone. But I want to be part of a solution, one that is based on respect, love, open-minded and inclusive.

The universe lately has been bringing me solutions (one new job please). I found an excellent way to help us all talk about this and address this in a way that will be productive, via a Facebook post by Brené Brown courtesy of some a couple of my friends.

Please Click here to listen and share

Career Path: A roller Coaster

Career path are roller coasters but with many loops and checkpoints. The loops are the career stages. The time we spend in each stage is fueled by our drive for growth, the need to excel and our like or dislike to change, our goals and our life circumstances. We all get to that check point at some moment whether by our own doing or by an external force. When we get there will  stay on, or go back around the same loop, or get off completely or do whatever it takes to get to the next loop including seeking inspirational stories about how others jumped the loop.


I volunteer at work to help organized professional development programs. The other day after saying to myself that type of professional program people choose to attend depends on what stage they are in their career and on how close they are to a check point, this thought came into my head: “I am tired of inspirational messages”. Digging deeper, I realized that I am at one of my career check points and I am more than ready to move to the next stage of my career.




I now know what kind of job I want and I know I have the passion and the drive to excel in it. Instead of listening to people currently in the kind of role I want talk about how they got there, I want to hear them talk about what skills they are using to succeed, and deal with job challenges. I am feeling the need for this because I want to  make sure I too am ready to excel in my next stage.

Today i let go and found bliss

The art of letting go even for a moment is a worthy skills I must cultivate. Today, the moment I detached, I felt connected to my inner being. Detaching brought back the inner peace which for the past week, I was struggling to find, thinking it was lost forever. The lightness I felt came with a special surprise, it brought with it smile, my long lost friend.

Lessons for the masses

Let’s stop respecting others, accepting bad behavior based on criteria such as hierarchy, social status, family, foe or friend.

Not all decision should be made on a hunch and in haste. To prevent dire consequences, some decision requires, thorough analyzing which include mapping out good and bad outcomes of said decision. 

The power of fear in society is like a domino effect. It destroys those it consumes, and they in turn can destroy those they touch and in end it can even destroy the brave who had once told tales of beating fear at its game.

Lists! Lists! Lists!

I have finally embraced this “to do list” phenomenon that I have heard about for decades. In May 2016 I took on a volunteer role at work as co-leader of our women's employee resource group. Now weekly and daily lists help me keep track of my to dos for my paid and unpaid role. I even took it up a notch and added my personal “to-dos” the same weekly and daily lists.

My weekly list now looks something like this:

-Prepare Agenda for meeting
-Review and Send out Department report
-Exercise Three days this week
-Buy spoons
-Practice French


I use list to keep track of tasked I assign to others and what needs to be do to run an event.

My favorite things about lists is that they help me prioritize my task and frame my day.