Cruise for a cure in 2009
Friends invite their gal pals to help fight cancer
By DONNA HICKMAN
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Monday, October 06, 2008
“Turn your vacation into a donation.”
Cruise to the Bahamas for three days next year and a part of your fare goes to fight cancer.
It’s the brainchild of Pam Blackwell who ran the idea past some of her Farmington friends and they gave it a thumbs up.
“I am just overwhelmed by the people I know who have had cancer touch them in some way,” said Blackwell. “My husband is a prostate cancer survivor. So, I contacted Carnival Cruise Lines and found out they have a charity cruise. They will match the amount of money you contribute when you take the cruise.”
So, the prices for the trip have been boosted by $15 each so that money — plus the match from Carnival — goes to the American Cancer Society. Cabins start at $373 per person. Blackwell says 20 cabins have already been booked and she hopes to have 95 booked. She’d like to raise $5,000.
There’s one catch: the trip is only for women.
“We’re calling it Women Cruising for a Cure,” explained Blackwell. “We leave on Feb. 27, 2009 and return on March 2. People will have to pay their own way to Miami and arrive before 2 p.m.”
They’re supposed to travel to Nassau on Saturday and spend the day there, then have a “fun day at sea” on Sunday before returning to Miami by 8 a.m. March 2.
To find out all the details, contact Blackwell at 636-544-0082 or pam.blackwell@sbcglobal.net. Contact Sheila Miani at 573-747-1923 or Vicki Forsythe at 573-760-7094 or send an e-mail to vicforsythe@hotmail.com. The fourth friend helping to coordinate the plans is breast cancer survivor Sheila Allen who can be reached at 573-631-7425 or skaallen@yahoo.com.
“I had a lot of support to help me from friends like these who did everything from sending cards to bringing meals and even mowing my grass,” said Allen, who was diagnosed in March of 2007. “I found it on my own and I went to Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. I went through everything from surgery to chemo to reconstructive surgery.”
Allen said her mother died of lung cancer in February of that same year, so she moved quickly once she discovered a lump in her left breast. She had had a mammogram just two months before and doctors determined the cancer was a fast-growing kind. Now, Allen takes part in research studies at Washington University. On the cruise, she’s being joined by a number of friends from her support system, as well as family that includes her daughter, sister and cousin. They’ll cruise to honor Allen and the memory of her mother.
Forsythe is a 10-year survivor of breast cancer. The cruise will be her first. But, she’s raised money to fight cancer in a variety of ways, including serving as chairman of the local Relay For Life.
“I love this fundraiser because it’s different,” said Forsythe. “It’s a bunch of women and many of us are cancer survivors. We will bond on something like this. Sometimes it’s hard to keep your spirits up and this will be great.”
There is a loveboat connection to this kind of cruise. Blackwell says you take the trip because someone you love has had cancer. You can sign up and give the name of the person you honor. It’s a way to celebrate life, survival and hope.
She said she would like for people to submit digital photos of those they love who have had cancer and that will be part of a power point presentation that will be shown during the weekend. Blackwell, who is herself a travel agent, said she isn’t just hoping for success this year, she’d like to make the cruise an annual event.
“We’d love to find some businesses willing to pay to donate a cruise for someone — perhaps a survivor, someone in treatment, or a caregiver of someone with cancer,” she said. Ultimately, she said she would like to fill a whole cruise ship with people on a vacation to make a donation.
Milano is a 13-year survivor of breast cancer.
“My husband and I had been doing archery and when I started having pain, I thought it was related to that,” said Milano.” As it turned out, I went to the doctor and they found a lump on my rib cage. It was cancer. Tell women to keep up with their mammograms.”
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Cancer Society continues to recommend mammograms for all women age 40 and older every year to help detect breast cancer early. This year alone, an estimated 182,460 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and an estimated 40,480 women will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer in women, and the second leading cause of cancer death (after lung cancer).
The cruise is designed to honor people who have coped with all forms of cancer, but those who take part do not have to be cancer survivors.
Donna Hickman is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact her at 431-2010, ext. 138 or at dhickman@dailyjournalonline.com.
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