GOOD KARMA

SO THE STORY BEGINS.

Once upon a time…

Actually, let’s go back in 2007. After a three-month maternity leave, I began my preparation to re-enter the workforce. As part of that process, I made the decision to continue breastfeeding my son, which meant I would be navigating motherhood, juggling a demanding job, and figuring out how I was going to do this pumping thing at work. Being a new mom was hard enough. HOW WAS I GOING TO DO IT ALL?

At the time, I didn’t have many friends who were breastfeeding and I felt like it was going to be a big hurdle for me. I was exhausted and feeling the pressure. Maintaining some semblance of order in my life as well as my sanity seemed almost impossible.

Another challenge I faced was the pumping arrangement at work. Thirteen years ago the workplace generally wasn’t as open and accommodating to breastfeeding as it is today. Thankfully, my employer at the time, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, was ahead of the times and provided lactation rooms. IT STILL WASN’T EASY.

This is when I met Amy. It’s funny how you meet certain people in your life and just connect. Amy was a fellow employee who had given birth a few months before me. We met one day waiting to use the lactation rooms. It was so refreshing to meet and bond with someone who was in the same boat as me. For the first time, I didn’t feel so alone in the journey. Breastfeeding was a choice, and a very intimate one, so having another mom to connect with was a bright light. It became commonplace and extremely comforting to see Amy every day.

This was how our friendship began. After our breastfeeding and pumping ended, Amy and I stayed connected through our workplace interactions. We would run into each other in the office, grab an occasional lunch and so on.

Fast forward 6 years. By this time, I had left the company and, sadly, Amy and I lost touch.

NEW CHAPTER.

Thanks to Facebook, re-connecting with old friends has never been so easy. Rekindling relationships with friends from the past has really been a wonderful experience for me.

Back to Amy. In 2020, Amy and I reconnected on Facebook. Shortly thereafter, I found out she was experiencing some big changes in her life that would bring us back together and write a new chapter in our friendship. The connection that had initially brought us together would ultimately reunite us again.

I was excited when Amy and I reconnected. As usual, I did my due diligence and perused her profile page to “get reacquainted.” To my horror, I quickly learned that she had been battling breast cancer for the last five months and was scheduled for a double mastectomy on June 2, 2020. I was so taken aback. I couldn’t believe another friend had cancer. I immediately felt guilty that we had lost touch and I wasn’t there to help her through this trying time.

We started to talk about her journey, how she found her breast cancer, and the chemo treatments that followed. She was so brave and stoic. Even during her darkest days, Amy never stopped thinking about how she could positively impact others.

Throughout her chemotherapy, she learned that there were hundreds of other women just her.  While at the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute, she often heard patients asking for ginger ale and snacks, but none were available. The freezer and refrigerator, which is meant to hold patient’s lunches, snacks, and beverages, was bare.

A CALL TO ACTION.

With the help of her kids and their close friend, Amy created a webpage to raise funds to help other cancer patients during their chemo therapy treatments. The Nourish to Flourish 2020 campaign proudly partnered with AHN to raise funds for the Cancer Institute. The program helps provide cancer patients with a variety of nourishing food options during their treatments.

But Amy didn’t stop there. This is when she asked me for help.

Amy and I were talking and she asked for my help with her campaign. She knew she needed a bigger presence on social media to raise more funding and awareness and make her program sustainable in the long run. I WAS ALL IN!

Although I personally haven’t been affected by breast cancer, I know many who have fought and continue to fight breast cancer. Over the last 5 years, I have worked to raise awareness and funding to help others who have been afflicted by breast cancer. Through my Avon business, I am able to help organizations in the community raise money and awareness.  When my customers purchase Avon products, I am able to donate the proceeds to designated organizations.

So, together, Amy and I collaborated and created a strategy for success to raise funds to help put her program on solid footing. I was so touched by Amy’s story, I committed to donate 100% of the proceeds to her cause!

Fundraising is exactly what is says FUND-RAISING. It takes commitment, consistency, and a passion to raise awareness about your cause and the willingness and drive to ask others to participate.

During the month of June, an online fundraiser was set up whereby customers could “SHOP FOR A CAUSE” to support the Nourish to Flourish Campaign. We worked together and created an online presence, shared her story of bravery and began our campaign to hit our goal of $1,000.

Amy worked tirelessly even during her double mastectomy recovery to reach out to her network and ask for help. Amy was a great partner and she executed the steps I set forth for success perfectly! With the generosity and support from the community, I’m so proud to report that we raised $1,800 for the Nourish to Flourish Avon fundraiser.

KARMA.

I DO believe in KARMA. Doing good deeds and helping others will bring the same your way down the line. But helping others is also a powerful way to boost your own happiness in the here and now while also fostering happiness for those around us.

OUR MISSION.

I am PROUD to be part of this community of empowered women who empower others.

For over 134 years, Avon has inspired the financial independence, health and wellbeing of women – and the fight against breast cancer is central to their mission.   The Avon Breast Health Promise aims to ensure every woman, every day is breast health aware.

Avon’s Independent Sales Representatives raise funds for breast cancer programs and provide an army of educators, offering information and raising awareness around the world.

Since the launch of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade in 1992, Avon has worked to impact the lives of women and their families and has contributed more than $800 million to breast cancer causes, educated 180 million women about this disease, and funded breast health screenings for nearly 20 million women.

NOURISH TO FLOURISH.

Want to learn more about Nourish to Flourish? For more information on how you can contribute snacks or monetary donations to the Nourish to Flourish drive please visit: https://give.everydayhero.com/us/nourish-to-flourish

ARE YOU READY TO FIND YOUR MID-LIFE HUSTLE?

What does this year have in store for you? Want to be part of a community that gives back? It’s the time to take on new challenges and take risks that will render big rewards and not just in your bank account. Join the Avon family today!