What if reading this article could save a life?
What if a phone call to a friend changed the course of their health?
What if a luncheon is the difference between stage zero and stage IV cancer?
Would you read this article, call a friend or go to the luncheon?
Seem simple, right? But it’s not always so easy.
“We are mothers, business owners, employees, siblings, and friends and if anyone in our circle (including a pet) needs our help we are there. We often push everything else to the side to nurture and help in any way that we can, most often putting ourselves last when it comes to taking care of our own health and wellbeing,” says Robin Selden, Tri-Chair of Women Leading the Way to Wellness (WLWW). “We decided we were going to change that by reminding and empowering women to take better care of themselves and to ‘Choose You’.”
It was 2013 that Robin and a handful of friends made this decision and launched WLWW. The mission is straightforward: Choose YOU. Encourage each other, and every woman, to put their health first.
By prioritizing our health, we give each other bigger, fuller, longer lives. A chance to love ourselves, our friends, and our families with more because we choose to have agency over our wellness. Prevention and early detection of cancer start with doing the checklist (i.e., doctor appointments, screenings, etc.) and understanding how health plays a critical role.
“If even one woman hears our message and goes for a screening that catches cancer, then we’ve done our job,” Robin continued.
“For us, it’s not about numbers and statistics, it’s about real names,” adds Maureen Newlove, Tri-Chair of WLWW. “No one wants to walk out of an appointment and kick themselves for not going to a screening and we aren’t going to stand by and let that happen.”
The message is clear. Do the checklist. Prioritize your health.
“By choosing you, putting yourself in front, we are actually giving to our families. I am choosing me FOR my family,” Maureen shares.
Robin and Maureen are joined by Kitt Shapiro as Tri-Chairs for WLWW with their flagship event being a yearly luncheon held with the American Cancer Society (ACS). The event has gained momentum over the past 10 years; an afternoon bursting at the seams with information, encouragement, and messages of empowerment and sisterhood.
The event raises money for CT-based cancer support services, such as drivers, wig programs, and ACS Hope Lodges, a-home-away-from-home for people with cancer and their caregivers when cancer treatment is far away. It also provides funds for local female-focused research and researchers.
Best said by Maureen, “we were the little engine that could….but now are ready to blow things up this year!”
So, what do you think? You’ve read the article now. You’ve heard the rallying cry. Is there an appointment or screening you have been putting off?
Because today is the day to do it. Don’t wait. We all need you to be healthy. You matter to us.
Is there a friend who needs encouragement to make her appointments? Call her!
What to join the luncheon? WLWW would love to have you.
This year the event will be held on May 11th with Keynote speakers Shieva Ghofrany, MD and Journalist and Sports Commentator, Lindsay Czarniak. In addition, this year’s honoree is Seema Bakhru, MD - Chair of Radiology (and the first woman to hold this position) for Norwalk and Danbury Hospitals.
AcsWomenandWellness.com
“If even one woman hears our message and goes for a screening that catches cancer, then we’ve done our job” - Robin Selden