Remember Beads

I came across a booth at the Channel 7 Health and Fitness Expo that touched my heart and promotes Breast Cancer Awareness and Early Detection. As I was heading to the NECCS booth which I was going to be a part of for the afternoon, a woman came to me and asked if she could talk with Mrs. Massachusetts for a moment, which I agreed to as I saw the booth name from afar and was going to stop to take a look at anyway. She started off by telling me that their products are designed to promote Breast Cancer Awareness and immediately I stopped the woman and told her that my platform as Mrs. Massachusetts is Breast Cancer and the Importance of Early Detection. We automatically had a bond and connection. This woman is Marth Hayward who came up with this idea after she herself went through breast cancer treatments. You see, Remember Beads promote the awareness to a woman to know what she is looking for when doing self breast examinations which are a must by all women to detect breast cancer at an early stage. The size of each bead represents the different stages a tumor in the breast. What better way to open up conversation and bring awarness then having something that people will ask questions about. The products include lanyards, doorknob hangers, keychains, and necklaces. Another part of the conversation I enjoyed with Marth is that the way that many times they get these products made are by getting together for a party, enjoying conversation and with appetizers and drinks, and making these products. We all have had parties to promote comanies to sell products, but what about making products that actually bring meaning to awareness of a disease that takes too many women away from us each day because they are not aware of how to detect tumors in their breast or what to look for. I am very passionate to learn more about this company, and to have a party of my own with friends to promote my platform and belief in this cause! Please visit the website at http://www.rememberbeads.com/. I thank Martha for her generosity with some beautiful pieces which I am so excited to share with friends and at Mrs. International

Channel 7 Health and Fitness Expo

On Sunday, June 13, I had the opportunity to attend the Channel 7 Health and Fitness Expo. Brooke Bibeault, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA joined me to attend the session by Tedy Bruschi, former New England Patriot Superbowl Champion who is also a Stroke Survivor. I was very interested to hear Tedy speak about his journey after suffering a stroke, especially since the Mrs. International platform is the Go Red for Women Campaign with the American Heart Association with one of the major health risks being stroke along with heart disease. It was wonderful to hear Tedy speak and then have the audience ask questions and make comments. There were a few people that got the opportunity to thank him for giving them hope to be able to bounce back to normalcy in life as they themselves were stroke survivors and were going through the same issues of vision loss, coordination, and various other symptoms from suffering a stroke. Tedy then signed some autographs, and gave the opportunity to 20 lucky kids to throw around a football with him. Brooke and I then walked around the floors of the Hynes Convention Center and were so touched by all the fans we had asking us to take pictures with them and sign autographs. One of the rewarding things of being Mrs. Massachusetts is to be able to be there for children as a role model, especially since I am now a mom, I know how much this means to parents. I then headed to the New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship booth which is an organization I have partnered with. Before I got there, I came across the booth for Remember Beads (http://www.rememberbeads.com/), which was so touching as the start of this company was inspired by a woman who was a breast cancer patient. The story is amazing, and I will be sharing it with you in a post all of its own. This was an afternoon that was one of the highlights of my reign with all the people that I met and the stories that continue to inspire me when it comes to cancer survivors.

Relay for Life of Tyngsborough

Where do I begin but to thank my wonderful team, Queens for Relay, for doing such an amazing job fundraising. Currently we are in first place for our Relay for fundraising, raising over $1040.00, and the tally is still going. You did such an amazing job spreading the word and taking a stance for a wonderful cause. The money raised from Relay will go towards the amazing programs that the American Cancer Society offers to cancer patients and their families as well as to fund research to one day have a cure for cancer. Two of my favorite programs are the Look Good Feel Better Program (http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org/) and Hope Lodge (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/hopelodge/index.asp), which we are fortunate to have two locations in Massachusetts, one in Boston and one in Worcester! My team included Dana Matthews who unfortunately could not walk with us as she was diagnosed with a double ear infection and strep throat! Thank you for stopping by to visit us and offer us your support and dropping off more of your donations, YOU ARE AMAZING! Also included were Jennifer Korzeb, Mrs. Massachusetts United States, Shauna Conwell, Miss ANTSO New Hampshire Miss, Maureen Polson , Lisamarie Forte, and Brianna Mccombs! Jennifer, I will always remember trying to put the tent up in the rain and then having Lisamarie walk down with Maureen and Brianna and telling us that they didn't know that was us, and to think how much they were laughing at us. Thank you to Shauna for all the wonderful conversation as we took laps! Maureen , I thank you for coming back into my life after graduating high school all those years ago, ok, 22 years ago, LOL, and also for bringing Lisamarie and Brianna into the walk and my life. To Brooke Bibeault and her mother Donna, thank you for coming out to support me in the rain and hear me speak during the Fight Back portion of the Relay! Thank you to all the staff and walkers of Relay for Life of Tyngsborough for putting this event together and allowing us to be a part of it! The Luminaria Ceremony was very special and emotional for me to remember my mom and why I walk and participate in Relay. I know that she was with me and thanking me as the song "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban came on. The Josh Groban concert was the last concert we went to together, and she told me that she would never forget that night, and that song coming on was a sign to tell me she is ok in heaven! I love you mom, thank you for giving me the stength you do and for making me the woman and mother I am today! I miss you so much!

I finally left Relay at 4:00a.m. to go home as I was exhausted and needed a little bit of sleep as I started on with my next day full of appearances! I'll post all about those tomorrow!

Fashion Show at Sunrise Assisted Living Facility

Christina Polanco, Miss Junior Teen Massachusetts National Teenager helped to coordinate a wonderful prom themed fashion show for the residents of the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility in Leominster, MA. Amongst the models were Amber Coehlo, Miss Teen Massachusetts National Teenager, Brooke Bibeault, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA, Shauna Conwell, ANTSO New Hampshire Miss, Jennifer Korzeb, Mrs. Massachusetts United States, and my niece Lexi Marshall-Sobczak. We each chose a dress to model for the show and so many different colors, fabrics, and styles were showcased. My dress choice was a jersey knit that was black and white diagonal stripe over one shoulder and black on the bottom with a slit on the left leg. This dress is one that my mother and I got many years ago, and it was nice to get the compliments I did on it. I did add a flower to the strap on the left shoulder which everyone liked and thought it to be unique that I had added it. It was a very special memory for me to wear this dress and make me think of my mom and our times together as mother and daughter. You could hear the oohs and ahhs as each girl went out to model her choice dress. Oh, and did I mention that my daughter Sierra was also a model? When it was my turn to walk out, I was carrying Sierra on my hip. As soon I walked out with her, I could hear the gasps and comments about how adorable she was. I put her down on the rug, and she immediately started waving to the residents which prompted even more giggles and cute comments. At the end of the show, we did a parade of dresses and then we got to mingle with the residents. I cannot tell you how touching it was for me to share this experience with my sister queens that I have met throughout my reign as well as my daughter. The cutest part of the event for me personally was when one of the residents asked if she could buy Sierra from me or if I could create a duplicate of her. I was so touched that a little girl could make these people smile as much as they did and I was so proud to share the moment with her. This was one of my favorite appearances and I look forward to one day sharing the story with Sierra and showing her the pictures!

Survivorship Day at Lowell General Hospital

I would like to thank Meg Lemire of Lowell General Hospital for asking me to be a part of the hospital's Survivorship Day Celebration this evening. I continue to meet so many incredible staff members, nursing staff from the cancer center, and patients who have the most amazing stories. It is such an honor to be a part of such a wonderful group of people and organization who are making such a difference in people's lives. Survivorship Day honored just that, Survivor's being treated at Lowell General Hospital's Cancer Center. First there was a raffle drawing which Sierra and I were asked to pull out the winning raffle tickets which consisted of prizes such as a framed autographed flag from the Lowell Devils Hockey Team, a Facial Gift Certificate, a Hair Care Basket, a Mountain Bike, an Autographed Celtics photo, just to name a few. Each person attending was given a beautiful hand crafted heart pillow with breast cancer symbol patterns in all varieties, which was especially dear to me as Breast Cancer Awareness is my platform. The survivors were introduced by their nurses to share their stories with us. I was so proud of Helen Sullivan, a Stage IV Breast Cancer Survivor. Helen and I met at LGH's TeamWalk Open House earlier this year, and have run into each other since at several events leading up to TeamWalk. Helen represents exactly what my platform stands for and shows the hope and courage each patient diagnosed needs to have to fight a cancer diagnosis. Her spirit and will to fight and live life to the fullest is so touching, and I am so happy that our paths have crossed and that we will have a friendship for a long time going forward. Another inspiring story was by a woman named Katie who is from my hometown of Chelmsford. Katie is a two-time breast cancer survivor. The first time was when she was 21 years old and in college. She was forced to attend a human body well-being class by a friend, and this class eventually saved her life. The class taught her how to do breast self examinations. After finding something that didn't feel right, she made an appointment with her doctor which eventually turned into a Stage I Breast Cancer Diagnosis. The class saved her life not once, but twice as later on in life she was diagnosed yet again, this time as a wife and mother. These stories go to show that awareness and early detection do save lives. The evening ended with everyone receiving a battery operated candle, the lights were dimmed, and we had a candle ceremony to honor all the survivors of cancer. Thank you to everyone for allowing me to be a part of this special evening and to be a part of your lives, you have enriched my year as Mrs. Massachusetts with your courage and love for life and inspire me to continue bringing awareness to your cause.

Take Steps for Chron's & Colitis of Boston Walk

I had a beautiful afternoon at the Take Steps for Chron's & Colitis of Boston Walk with my family at the Boston Common. We attended this walk in honor of Sofia Sobczak who is six years old and has Chron's Disease. Team Sofia raised $1,300 and today's walk raised over $200,000 towards helping with treatment and research for both Chron's and Colitis. To learn more about this organization and also about Chron's and Colitis, please visit the CCFA website at http://www.ccfa.org/.

New England Cinderella Pageant

Memorial Day Weekend I got the opportunity to judge the New England Cinderella Scholarship Program. This program is designed for girls ages 2-26 and competitions included personal interview, party wear, casual wear, talent, and on stage questions. I was so impressed with everyone during the personal interviews, especially the young children. They were so spontaneous and conversational, it was wonderful to see the world through a child's eyes. The talkent portions for the Teens and Women were equally impressive! Congratulations to all the winners, and Michele Stevenin for putting on a class act program! Wishing you all the very best of luck in Texas in July at the Cinderella International Finals! Also, thank you to everyone for celebrating my birthday with me and allowing my family to be a part of this weekend with me too! Sierra even go to meet Cinderella and Snow White!