Rene Syler Update

Dear Buddies,

Belated Happy Mother's Day greetings. I hope your day was truly special, spent in good health with loved ones.
Don't forget the most important thing you can do for yourself, in this month celebrating mothers, is to make your health a top priority.
Remember to do your monthly breast self exam; schedule an annual mammogram if you're over age 40; and see a doctor or nurse practitioner every year for a clinical breast exam.
It's O-K to put yourself first - so that you can be here to enjoy and care for your loved ones.

I want to update you on another "Buddy", former CBS Early Show anchor Rene Syler. As you know, Rene authored the book "Good Enough Mother" to rave reviews. She sent me this NY POST story about her book moving to new heights on the small screen.


-- Former "Early Show" co- anchor Rene Syler - who also authored "Good Enough Mother" - has inked a deal with Meredith Corp. to join Parents TV, where she'll adapt her book brand to the small screen. Beginning next month, Syler will host "It Moms" (first show: "Traveling With Your Kids"). The deal is a partnership between Parents TV and Syler's company, Goodenoughmother.com. Parents TV airs on Comcast (On Demand) and on parents.tv.--


We wish Rene the very best with her new television deal!!!!

One more item:
In just 26-days, the Susan G. Komen National Race for The Cure will be held June 7th. on the National Mall. As always, 9 News Now will have a team that will be running/walking and everyone is welcome to join.

To join Team 9, here’s what you do:
1. Log onto http://www.nationalraceforthecure.org/
Click the REGISTRATION NOW link on the left hand side.
Click on the REGISTER NOW link again on the left hand side.
Click I AGREE
Click JOIN A TEAM
Find on the list: TV9 Team WUSA9 and hit CONTINUE
From there fill out your personal information


And on Race Day, stop by the 9 News Now broadcast location and say hi.


Have a great week!

4 Weeks & Counting to the Race For The Cure

Dear Buddies,

From Komen For The Cure & Buddy Check 9, this is your reminder to sign up for the Race For The Cure.
Can you believe it, the 2008 Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure® is 4 weeks away! Please join me & the 9 News Now team Saturday, June 7 on the National Mall in Washington DC. Follow this link to register online and join your Buddies from 9 News Now.
Komen For The Cure offers several special registration options. You can register to Sleep In for the Cure®. Register and receive a Race t-shirt, official 2008 Race bib, special SNOOZE bib and a fun gift. You can Sleep In on Race Day or change your mind and join us on the National Mall.
Make Race Day a family event and register your children for the Susan G. Komen Kids for the Cure® race. Komen Kids for the Cure is a great way to involve children ages 5-12 in the experience and excitement of Race Day. It is a powerful and emotional sight to see so many people assembled for others who have been touched by breast cancer.
For more information, go to www.nationalraceforthecure.org.
I look forward to seeing you Race Day.

Countdown to the Komen Race For The Cure

Ready, Set, Go! Register now for the June 7th Komen Race For the Cure on the National Mall at www.wusa9.com. Click on Race For the Cure
Channel 9 is once again a proud broadcast sponsor of this inspiring community gathering.
Over the next 5-weeks, you'll be meeting women & men, survivors, advocates, caregivers and supporters who want to help Nancy Brinker keep her promise to her sister Susan to find a cure for breast cancer.
Thursday, May 1st, I'll profile art students at Woodbridge High School who have created a "Tree Of Life" for the Cure. Their inspiration is artist and survivor Joni Relyea. We first profiled Joni 4-years ago. She couldn't walk or run in any of the races, but Joni could offer support and help raise money with her paintbrush.
See the Tree of Hope come alive at Woodbridge High School Thursday, May first on 9News Now at 5AM or watch the streaming video on the Buddy Check 9 homepage.

Spend Your Rebate & Save A Life

Thankfully, April 15th is behind us. Now, many eligible Americans are waiting for their 2008 economy stimulus rebate from the federal government!
The Bush Administration wants you to spend it, thus giving the economy that much needed shot in the arm.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation agrees. And PCF founder Carolyn Aldige wants you to consider spending a portion of that rebate on saving a life.
Carolyn Aldige writes:

"We all have been touched by cancer, some of us many times over. Wouldn’t it feel great to educate someone about how to reduce their risk of cancer? Wouldn’t you be proud to save someone’s life by enabling them to get screened for cancer before the tumor has a chance to spread? Wouldn’t your money be well spent on cutting-edge research that may lead to halting a deadly disease?
If you answered "Yes!" to any of these questions, then now, more than ever, is the time to "pay it forward." Put your money to work today with a donation to the Prevent Cancer Foundation!
We urgently need your help to fight cancer before it needlessly touches another human being. Your tax-deductible donation will fund the research, programs and initiatives of the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Won’t you help us with a gift today to carry out our mission to promote the prevention and early detection of cancer through research, education and community outreach to all populations, including children and the underserved?
The economy stimulus rebate can do more than revive the economy. It can save lives."

Thanks Carolyn for being a Buddy and for this wonderful suggestion.

Wanted: Women for the Sister Study

We don't know what really causes breast cancer. But there is a way you can help. Buddy Check 9 has reported on the Sister Study several times over the past years...but it is obviously a message that needs to be repeated. Please read this article from the AFRO newspaper by Alafaka Opuiyo and then click on the link provided. Remember something you say or do in the Sister Study may help another Buddy & finally answer the question - "What causes breast cancer?"

Black women needed for breast cancer study

Millions of women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually; especially Black women. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is conducting the country's largest study that looks at genetics and environment to assess the risk of breast cancer called the Sister Study. Women who have sisters with breast cancer are used for the study.
Since the study started in October 2004, it has recruited over 38,000 women but only 5 percent of them are Black women. In Washington, D.C., only 35 Black women have signed up to participate in the study.
"Recruitment of African-American women has been slow but steady," Carrissa Dixon, recruitment coordinator Sister Study said. "I think fear and a lack of trust [prevent] Black women from participating."
Dixon is responsible for disseminating information about the study to Black women. She said that most breast cancer research is conducted with White women and that it is important for Black women to participate in these studies so they are represented in the findings.
Churches, Black hair salons and Black hair shows are some of the venues Dixon has used to sign women up for the study.
"There is a need for Black women to participate in the Sister Study —— the nation's largest study that examines genetics and environment to assess the risk of breast cancer. Currently, only the five percent of the participates are Black women."
"I would like to see the 'gatekeepers of the Black community' take a leadership role in helping Black women understand the importance of this issue," Dixon said. "We need to let researchers know we care about our health."
She said that minorities groups are often called "hard to reach populations." "Sometimes it is the message and the messenger that creates the barrier," Dixon added.
According to Paula Juras, MD, NIEHS specialist and the project officer for the Sister Study, it is too early to determine any patterns among the Black women who are participating in the study. There is strong evidence to support that Black women under the age of 45 are being diagnosed with breast cancer more then their White counterparts, Juras said
NIEHS hopes to enroll 50,000 women by the end of the year. Women in the United States and Puerto Rico ages 35-74 that have not been diagnosed with breast cancer are eligible to participate in the study.
The study consists of participants answering questions about their jobs, hobbies, diet and things they have been exposed that might influence their risk of getting breast cancer. Then, a health technician collects samples of urine, blood, toenail clippings and house dust. This will give researchers a better image of the woman's environment and genes.
Col. (Ret.) Doris Brown, MD, MPH, program director at the National Cancer Institute and a participant in the study, said each participant's information is kept confidential and will not be shared with an external agency. The study will last for 10 years. According to Juras, once the data is compiled and analyzed, it will be shared with various health organizations and government agencies.
For more information about the Sister Study visit www.sisterstudy.org

P.I.N.K Tea & Silent Auction

Good Morning,
I hope to see many of you Buddies this weekend. This Saturday, April 26th, All Shades Of Pink holds its first annual P.I.N.K. Tea & Silent Auction at the Camelot of Upper Marlboro.
All Shades Of Pink, a non profit founded by Glen Dale, Maryland resident Denyce Whalen-White, is establishing an emergency found to serve as a stop gap resource for families needing help to pay a utility bill in danger of being cut off. All proceeds from the tea and auction will benefit the ASOP emergency fund.
For more information or to reserve your tickets, call 301-356-4688 or email ASOP@allshadesofpink.org. No tickets will be sold at the door; seating is limited.
Prince George's County First Lady Leslie Johnson will be the emcee. Marc Heyison, founder of Men Against Breast Cancer and I will also be there.

Register For the Komen Race For The Cure

This is your Komen Race For the Cure update. We are a little less than 2-months away from Race Day.
The 2008 Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure is Saturday, June 7. Register here and join the 9 News Now team as we broadcast the race LIVE from the National Mall.
Besides walking or running for the cure, there are many ways for people, old and young, to take part.
There is the Susan G. Komen Kids for the Cure race for children (ages 5-12). And for those who can't make it to the National Mall on June 7th, you can register to Sleep In for the Cure. Sleep In allows you to support the Race while still under your covers when the starting horn sounds!
Your support of the 2007 Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure helped take us one step closer to the finish line in the fight to end breast cancer forever! Whether walking or running, sleeping or cheering, volunteering or pledging The team from 9 News Now hopes you will continue your support as we race for the cure and watch our LIVE broadcast Saturday morning June 7th.
For more information, go to www.nationalraceforthecure.org.
And to view my special Komen Race For the Cure profiles, click on Buddy Check 9.

All Shades Of Pink Tea & Auction

It's the 9th of the month; have you called your Buddy?

When you call to remind your Buddy about the steps she or he should take for good breast help, tell them to check out my Buddy Check 9 report featuring Comfort Blankets and All Shades of Pink founder Denice Whalen-White.

All Shades Of Pink offers People In Need Of Kindness [PINK} emotional & financial support during their time of treatment. Along with the Comfort Blanket program, All Shades Of Pink is establishing an emergency found to serve as a stop gap resource for families needing help to pay a utility bill in danger of being cut off.

On Saturday, April 26th, All Shades Of Pink holds its first annual P.I.N.K. Tea & Silent Auction at the Camelot of Upper Marlboro. All proceeds will benefit the emergency fund.

For more information or to reserve your tickets, call 301-356-4688 or email ASOP@allshadesofpink.org. No tickets will be sold at the door; seating is limited.

Prince George's County First Lady Leslie Johnson will be the emcee. Marc Heyison, founder of Men Against Breast Cancer and I will also be at the April 26th. event.