Ann Leonard applied for Answers for Angels’ (AFA) grant during the month of November which is Lung Cancer Awareness month. As a rule AFA awards $350 to individuals with cancer, but during the month of November, AFA awards $500 in memory of 2 very important individuals to our organization who also had lung cancer.
Answers for Angels a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization offers programs and services to support individuals and/or families impacted by cancer, especially children and those seeking research-based alternative treatments.
Ann is currently going through chemotherapy with the hope that the tumor on her lung will shrink or disappear. She’s participating in the cancer treatment by changing her diet to eating a low sugar and low salt diet and increasing her exercise by walking on the treadmill; but, there are times after chemo that she’s tired and will sleep until she has more energy.
Unfortunately, Ann lost her husband Joseph several months ago from Paget Disease on August 21, 2019. He was the family provider and now a son has taken over the company business of Leonard Motor Express in New Lenox to help pay the rent and bills.
With your help, Answers for Angels provided a $500 Meijer gift card to Ann to offset groceries and household items that she would spend otherwise.
Answers for Angels and Ann Leonard value the support that you’ve given us and we’re very thankful for your consideration of cancer patients and their families.
Sincerely,
Katie Davis, President
P.S. If you know of somebody who has cancer, please refer them to www.AnswersForAngels.com.
Melondy applied for the Answers for Angels grant during the month of November which is Lung Cancer Awareness month. Answers for Angels (AFA) a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization offers programs and services to support individuals and/or families impacted by cancer. As a rule AFA awards $350 to individuals, but during the month of November, AFA awards $500 in memory of 2 very important individuals to our organization who also had lung cancer.
Melondy is a single parent undergoing treatment for lung cancer at a hospital in Oak Lawn. On May 17, 2018 she had surgery to remove the tumors and since then she is in excruciating pain. She has concerns and fears of not having a roof over her and her 10-month old baby’s head, not having enough money to pay rent, utilities, and groceries. Her concerns and fears were growing so much so that throughout the day, she would look at her baby, count to 10 and take a few deep breaths to help reduce the stress.
With your help, Answers for Angels paid for Melondy’s Commonwealth Edison and Nicor Gas bills and provided a Wal-Mart gift card for groceries and household items for her and her little baby which totaled $500.
All of us at Answers for Angels, Melondy and her baby value our donors and we are very thankful for your consideration of cancer patients and their families.
As you may or may not know, in March we wrote a blog on Tara, the 20-year-old who was fighting for her life after being diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. Tara had an initial surgery to remove the mass and started her battle with this disease by using strictly alternative methods and eating a completely raw, organic diet. However, she has been forced to employ more traditional methods due to her tumor coming back and growing quite large.
Despite her unfortunate circumstances, Tara has been keeping an optimistic outlook on life and still has high ambitions with school, becoming self-sufficient, and traveling to Mexico for her brother’s upcoming wedding. As her medical treatments have come with an outrageous price tag, Tara and her mom created a line of natural products called Honey Hill Naturals, which consists of sprays, hand soaps, and lip balms to help finance her recovery. More products are to be added soon and you can also get a #TARASTRONG bracelet on their product page.
Check out her natural goods below:
Fine Mist Spray- $9
(choose Lavender, Lemon, or Clove’s Spray)
Honey Oatmeal Hand Soap- $3
(made with vegetable-based goats milk, organic honey, & organic oats)
Not only will you have some fantastic (and natural!) products, but you will also be supporting an amazing, beautifully-spirited young woman who is trying her hardest to find the positive in her situation. It is so often that so many of us take for granted in our lives what others would give anything to have, even if it just means having a normal day. We cannot always put ourselves in another’s shoes in order to truly sympathize, but we can do our best to make sure those shoes are nice and comfy for the bumpy road ahead. Tara, we are sending you countless thoughts and prayers and will be supporting you endlessly on your journey.
If you have a moment, please check out Tara’s blog and also consider dropping off a donation that she can readily use for her treatment.
As always, Answers for Angels appreciates your support in supporting others.
When Mary was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in April of 2016, her life changed tremendously. On top of the emotional adjustments that one must make when faced with such news, her life was also being affected in other ways. Her retirement options changed. She had to learn how to better manage her stress at work and to let go of that which she could not control. She had to finally put taking care of herself before taking care of others.
In those efforts to put herself and her health first, Mary sought out a nutritionist that she had heard about through a friend as she trusted natural means of healing over traditional medicine, which can be toxic. She began treatment by having a blood panel done in order to know what deficiencies she had and where to start. The idea behind correcting deficiencies with vitamins and supplements is that as you bring your body into optimal functionality, the better prepared it becomes to fight cancer. Having blood panels and other tests done can be quite revealing and also very beneficial in one’s treatment plan.
After Mary struggled with detox symptoms in the beginning of her treatment, her nutritionist recommended taking a True Health Diagnostics test in order to find out more information on her genetic makeup. For years Mary had known that something was off as she was incredibly sensitive to medication and also had an unusual, life-threatening reaction to anesthesia at one point. Her nutritionist hypothesized that she might not be able to process things at maximum potential and thus wanted to investigate further. Sure enough, not only was Mary missing the genetic marker for processing anesthesia, but her liver was also only detoxing at 40%. To correct this, she began taking supplements that would support and clean out her liver. She says that she already feels more energetic after starting them and will remain on them for the rest of her life.
Mary has also made several other changes to her life. She routinely walks and practices yoga. She has cleaned up her diet by eating tons of organic vegetables and also by avoiding dairy and sweets. She regularly sees a licensed therapist to assist her with the emotional aspects of her journey, as having such an illness can be incredibly hard on an individual, like riding on a roller coaster that you never wanted to get on in the first place. She is learning to find peace and feels empowered after her sessions. For anyone going through this journey, therapy is an amazing tool and can bring an inner peace that will strengthen your mind, soul, and physical body.
We wish you the absolute best, Mary, and hope that you continue with your positive steps in healing. We also hope that you continue with the swing and country dancing! Keep those feet moving, and that heart full. As Oprah Winfrey has said, “Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance”.
As always, we feel very blessed to be able to help support Mary on her journey and would love to help as many people as we possibly can. As if dealing with cancer itself is not enough, we understand how burdensome it can be on patients and their families to make ends meet financially when health bills, travel, and other expenses chip away at your financial security. We are dedicated to making this experience easier for those in need and couldn’t do so without the support of our amazing community. If you would like to help others fight the fight of their life, please contact our president Katie Davis at katiedavis@answersforangels.com. You can also donate by clicking the “DONATE” button in the top right area of our webpage.
The holidays are right around the corner and you can really make a difference in making this a special holiday for those affected by cancer! Thank you to all and God Bless.
Were you watching the news last night, October 3, 2016, on Channel 5 in Chicago? They showed a news clip about families on the south side who are angry about the cell towers located on their child’s school building. Parents, citing unknown risks, want more testing on potentially harmful radiation levels in classrooms.
One of the parents was walking his son to kindergarten at Sutherland Elementary on the south side. He looked up and saw 2 towers on the building, which he had never seen before. He immediately started to research what they were. He was not alone with his concerns. Parents of another school in the Beverly and Mt. Greenwood neighborhoods prepared a petition asking for answers about potential risks from the phone towers on the school buildings.
NBC5 Investigates filed Freedom of Information Act requests with 409 public school districts across the Chicago area, and found that 139 local schools rent space on their grounds, buildings, and smokestacks for cellular antennas. Over 90 of those are Chicago Public Schools – most of them elementary-level — where kids may attend for as many as nine years.
The Beverly parents were especially alarmed by news of a recent study from the National Toxicology Program, which seemed to show a direct link between cell phone RF and cancer. It turns out the National Toxicology Study was done in Chicago at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Moreover, its findings were reported worldwide. “This is by far the largest study that’s ever been done in the world on cell phone radiation,” said Dr. David McCormick, who ran that project.
“I don’t blame the parents for being concerned,” he said. “My first question would be, does your child use a cell phone? Because if your child uses a cell phone, the exposure is very likely to be substantially larger than the exposure from the cell tower.” A few weeks ago, during Childhood Cancer Month, Answers for Angels wrote an article about cell phones in the hands of children, which links to cancer. Find that article here.
National health and communication experts, including the American Cancer Society and the FCC, have said there is no credible health threat posed by cellular equipment.
NBC5 Investigates has compiled both a list and an interactive map, showing all of the schools, throughout Chicago and the suburbs, which have cellular antennas on their property. Tilden High School located at 47th and Union, Chicago, rents a cellular tower. Elementary School District 159, 6202 W. Vollmer Rd., Matteson rents a cellular tower also.
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there is a lot of push for women to go get mammograms in order to detect any signs of breast cancer. There’s an estimated 200,000 new cases of breast cancer every year in the United States. One in eight women will take on this disease and it is the leading cause of death in women from ages 40 to 55. Therefore, it’s not an issue to be taken lightly.
Taking care of yourself and taking precautionary measures in preserving your health are things that should be done, but have you ever questioned if the methods in which you do so could actually be hazardous to your health?
Studies in the past few years have shown that techniques such as mammograms might actually increase your risk of getting cancer. One mammogram can potentially give you as much radiation as 1,000 chest X-rays. 1,000! A Premenopausal breast is even more sensitive to this radiation and each rad of exposure can increase breast cancer risk by 1%. A decade of screening increases your risk to 10%, and some radiologists fear that it’s even more than that. In other words, by getting checked with mammograms annually starting at the age of 40, by 50 you are at least 10% more likely to get the disease that you are attempting to avoid. That means 37 million women are increasing their breast cancer risk every single year.
Important points to note about mammograms and detecting breast cancer:
If you don’t have breast cancer when you receive a mammogram, you increase your risk every time you check again.
If you don’t have breast cancer when you receive a mammogram but receive a false positive, you increase your risk even more with repeat, unnecessary screenings.
If you do have breast cancer when you receive a mammogram, the compression of the machine can actually spread those cancerous cells.
If you do have breast cancer when you receive a mammogram, it might not save you anyway.
A study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark suggested that those who had received mammogram screening only had a 1% reduction in risk of death as opposed to women who had not received screenings, whose risk was 2%. When you consider that you are increasing your risk 10% by just going to these screenings over the years, it starts to become apparent that you may, in fact, being doing much more harm than good.
So, are there other, safer alternatives to breast cancer screening? The answer is: of course.
Breast Thermography is a 15 minute, non-invasive method of testing one’s physiology in order to detect indications of early stage breast disease. It is a technique that was first introduced in 1956 and approved by the FDA in 1982. Thanks to technology advancement over the years, it is becoming a more reliable tool for detecting breast cancer. This procedure uses high resolution, digital, infrared cameras to detect heat patterns that may be indicative of breast abnormalities. The imaging can show very minute changes and patterns in temperature related to blood flow that might be related to the progression of tumors.
One study at the University Hospital for Tumors showed that Breast Thermography was even more sensitive and detected more changes than Mammography. Out of 26 patients, 31 changes were detected by mammograms while 37 were detected by Breast thermograms.
A standard Breast Thermography procedure goes a little something like this:
Complete a breast health history form
Meet with staff to go over procedure
15-minute wait to allow your body to reach a steady temperature
Positioned in front of imaging system to capture your imaging results
Meet with Thermologist to go over results
The findings can be rated in the below categories:
TH 1- Normal uniform non-vascular
TH 2- Normal uniform vascular
TH 3- Equivocal (questionable)
TH 4- Abnormal
TH 5- Severely Abnormal
It is important that you discuss the findings thoroughly with your Thermologist so that you understand what your results mean. You can also use the results to determine what your next best course of action is. At any rate, and even if you have to get a mammogram as a follow up, it is still safer to get 10 Thermology screenings prior to that mammogram, instead of increasing your risk of breast cancer 1% with every mammogram screening that you have instead.
Your body is a temple and should be treated as such. Ask yourself if traditional, conventional methods are worth putting your health at risk.
This October, protect yourself the healthy way! Look into Breast Thermology clinics near you.
Kolaric D, Herceg Z, Nola IA, Ramljak V, Kulis T, Holjevac JK, Deutsch JA, Antonini S. “Ruder Bosković” Institute, Centre for Informatics and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia. Published June 2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23941007. Accessed September 14, 2016.
Nowadays it seems as though every young kid has a cell phone. The age at which a child receives a mobile device seems to be getting younger and younger with every passing year. While there could be a number of different arguments made for why a child should or should not have a cellular phone, today we are going to talk about the big reason why it might not be a good idea: the fact that they can cause cancer.
It has long been thought that cellular devices might be linked to cancer, but now some studies are showing that they most certainly are. The World Health Organization now lists mobile phone use in the “carcinogenic hazard” category, along with engine exhaust, lead, and chloroform.
Cell phones emit non-ionizing radiation from their antennas. This radiation can be absorbed by the tissues nearest to the antenna, which would be on/in your head. The low radiation can be compared to microwaving food, only your brain is the food. When you’re holding a cell phone up to your head for prolonged amounts of time, you can imagine that you could be increasing this absorption and thus your susceptibility to cancer. The National Institutes of Health revealed that 50 minutes of cell phone use emitted enough radiation to artificially increase the activity in brain cells.
An international study on cell phones and cancer that was released in 2010 showed that participants in the study who used a cell phone for 10 years or more had double the rate of brain glioma. The same results were seen in rat studies, where male rats exposed to the same type of radiation that we are exposed to with cell phones were more likely to develop certain types of brain and heart tumors. Not only is this scary for adults who are increasingly using cell phones for work and maintaining contact with family, but it’s also an even bigger risk for children.
The scalps and skulls of children are much thinner than ours and thus can be more easily penetrated by radiation. The impact of radiation can be even greater on a child due to their cells dividing at a faster rate. Children also have more time to accumulate prolonged exposure to this radiation by using their phone and the scariest part is that the health effects might not show up for 30 years. So, while little Johnny might think that calling his friends and talking all night is the cool thing to do, it might not be so cool later down the road if he develops life-changing health issues. Protecting our children is always the number one priority and with that, here are a few things that you can tell them to do (and do yourself) to minimize risk:
Avoid carrying a phone next to your stomach if you’re pregnant.
Don’t carry the cell phone in your pocket next to your groin.
Don’t sleep with your phone under your pillow.
Text instead of talk to keep your phones away from your face.
Avoid using cell phones in elevators, rural areas, or buildings where your phone gives off more radiation to connect to cell phone towers.
Don’t use your cell phone in a Wifi area too often.
Use a wired ear piece instead of holding your phone to your head.
Use your landline instead.
Due to the fact that it takes so long to observe the damage caused by cell phone use, there are still many studies needed in the area and there are likely to be more findings in the future. In the meantime, though, take the necessary steps to protect your child. After all, better safe than sorry!
Exposure to toxins in the environment is and should be a growing concern for the public. We are seeing increasing cancer rates in younger and younger children and environmental toxins are a major reason why. Exposure to these toxins in utero or in early childhood is linked to health issues later in life, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer.
In Alaska, where there are twice the amount of birth defects as the lower 48, environmentalists have noted that this number can be attributed to pollution from the lower 48 and Asia, as well as the cold climate and poor ventilation indoors. The Alaska Community Action on Toxics will be hosting a Children’s Environmental Health Summit October 5th-6th at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. There they will bring together parents, teachers, scientists, health care professionals, and members of the community to share information and ideas, educate, and discuss possibilities for policy changes. If you are interested in attending this summit, read more here.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Make sure you are doing your part in educating yourself and others so that we can protect our innocent children from the harmful effects of the environment and from this terrible disease.
It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and here at Answers for Angels, we stop at nothing to ensure that children get the help they need in their battles with this terrible disease. This month, we’ll talk about another alternative modality that can be used to help heal your child.
In 1989, registered nurse Janet Mentgen founded a type of energy therapy called “Healing Touch”. In this therapy, practitioners use their hands and intent to influence the energy field and promote healing in the patient.
Healing Touch uses light touch or near-body touch, meaning they don’t actually have to make contact in order to shift your energy to flow more effectively. Since our energy fields go beyond our skin, they are able to achieve the same effect in moving energy around as they would by actually touching you.
This type of therapy is used to help restore or recharge energy that has been lost due to physical and mental conditions or illness. This can be from stress, injury, dietary issues, trauma, grief, surgery, or diseases such as cancer.
Traditional treatment for cancer such as radiation and chemotherapy can absolutely drain the patient, as many are known to experience extreme exhaustion and general feelings of not being well. This is in part due to one’s energy being heavily manipulated during those treatments and in the theory of Healing Touch, would need to be corrected by an energy healing practitioner.
The use of Healing Touch has grown rapidly in recent years. Many hospitals and other health facilities have incorporated Healing Touch programs due to its success with patients and the positive reviews that are received afterward. Many have claimed that because of Healing Touch, they have experienced less pain, less fatigue, less anxiety, less depression, lower stress, improved sleep, improved sense of calmness, a more profound spiritual connection, and faster recovery. One study found that those who participated in Healing Touch actually had an improved immune response. They had less toxicity to cells within the immune system aka “natural killer cells”, which play a major role in fighting cancer (Eldridge).
Dr. Weil of the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Clinic recommends energy therapies as he believes that the value of such modalities have been proven beyond refutation. It’s a perfect alternative approach for those following holistic and traditional treatments alike. In either case, there’s a very good chance that it will benefit you in some way.
In a general healing touch session, the patient will sit or lie down (fully clothed) while the practitioner passes their hands over your body somewhere in the range of 2-6 inches from your skin. Once the practitioner assesses the current state of your energy field, they will then begin a systematic process of clearing, balancing, and re-balancing the energy until it is flowing in an efficient, harmonious way. It is a very relaxing experience and some may even fall asleep during the process. At the end, the practitioner grounds you and will encourage you to remain sitting or lying down for a few minutes until you feel comfortable getting up. This is an incredibly noninvasive, gentle, and calming method of treatment.
Check out this video to see how healing touch helps children with Autism and cancer.
If you are interested in implementing healing touch into your child’s treatment plan, research local facilities in your area to find which ones offer this amazing program.
After the Flint Water Crisis that exposed 6,000-12,000 children to lead poisoning, water toxicity is becoming a topic that (rightfully so) remains in the forefront of parents’ minds. In New Jersey, several schools within the city of Newark showed elevated levels of lead. The same is true in Howland, Ohio and other cities nationwide. The question remains: is the water that your children ingests really safe?
According to experts, there is no safe level of lead exposure, especially when dealing with children who are most vulnerable to its effects. Even small amounts of lead can be incredibly dangerous, as the levels build up in your body over time. For children 6 and under, it’s an even bigger risk since they are still physically developing and absorb it easier than adults do. It can hinder or damage brain development, which is why it’s not something that you want your child to come into contact with. Other issues that it can cause for children are behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, headaches, anemia, seizures, coma, and even death. Yet more than half a million children ages 1-5 have blood lead levels higher than the “level of concern” which is 5 micrograms per deciliter.
Why is that number so high? Well, part of the issue is that it can be hard to detect the signs of lead poisoning. Below are some indicators that you need to be on the lookout for with your child:
Fatigue, lethargy, or hyperactivity
Headaches
Weight Loss
Insomnia
Irritability
Constipation
Nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
Poor Appetite
Metallic taste in mouth
Learning difficulties or reduced cognitive abilities
Slowed growth
The other part of the equation is that while testing is getting better due to the latest crises, it’s something that needs to happen much more frequently and consistently in order to keep our children safe from harm. If you are worried about the piping system at your child’s school, get in touch with the school administration and talk to them about having the water tested.
Even the soil that children play in might be contaminated with lead, especially if it’s in an urban area or near busy roads. Keep this in mind when choosing where to live so that you children can get into a safer, more environmentally friendly district. Both inside and outside of school, take extra precautions to ensure that your child isn’t around or in contact with contaminated soil. What can you do?
Don’t let your children play in soil near industrious areas or roadways.
Dowash their hands and clothes after playing outdoors.
Do mop or wet-wipe your floors and interior surfaces to remove dust that may be contaminated.
If you suspect that your water may be supplied by lead pipes (or even worry about it in the slightest), then there are also several things you can do at home to help avoid contaminated water.
Make sure you have a water filter. This can be an inexpensive fix to a potentially dangerous issue.
Run the water for several seconds at each tap before use.
Only use cold water for drinking or cooking, and especially for baby formula.
You can also contact your local water supply to inquire about the levels of lead in their system or have your own, home water tested by a certified lab. You can contact the EPA’S Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or get in touch with state or local authorities to determine how to get your water tested.
The U.S National Toxicology Program also classified lead as “reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens”. In other words, it is thought to be quite capable of causing cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency concurred—the results are in that lead is not something you want to mess around with. Studies have shown links between lead and kidney tumors as well as tumors of the brain, lung, stomach, and other organs in the body.
If you haven’t been concerned about lead contamination before reading this, it’s time to reevaluate. No dangerous risk such as lead poisoning is worth your future or your child’s future. Now that it’s almost time to head back to school, make sure your child is protected when they do!
Thank you very much for attending the inaugural AFA 5K event last Saturday on July 23, 2016, at McCarthy Park in Tinley Park, Illinois.We are thankful to everyone who participated, donated, raised funds, and volunteered.
Check Your Time
If you haven’t done so already, you can check your time at:
There were more female participants at the AFA 5k than male.
The youngest participant, age 5, and the oldest participant, age 83, are both male.
The Youngest Participant & Fundraiser
Connor C. asked his mom Heather about a poster they saw with a picture of a child suffering from cancer.She explained that people run to raise money in order to help kids find treatment to feel better.Connor decided that he wanted to run to help care for the kids.He trained for weeks prior to the AFA 5k and he was very excited to help raise funds for our organization.Many people cheered him on as he crossed the finish line!Participants commented, “I thought I was running next to a rock star or celebrity because everyone was cheering him on!”He’s such a trooper who touched our hearts!
Our Lovely Guest Speaker
Somebody else who touched our hearts was also a participant of the AFA 5k: Kristin Sauer.She’s the recipient of AFA’s 10th grant who spoke of her journey in healing Stage 3 Breast Cancer using alternative methods.Through your support, help, and encouragement, we are able to provide a grant to those affected by cancer. Kristin’s story comes out on Tuesday, August 2nd.Watch your email box for ‘Kristin’s Story’.
We look forward to organizing next year’s AFA 5K.Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the event; the information you provide helps us improve the next AFA 5K.
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