Mary Foley - Increasing Women's Sanity, Confidence & Fun

You Think Halloween is Scary. Try Cancer!

I bet you have some special girlfriends in your life.  I hope you do because we all need at least one or two - - to laugh, to cry, to scream “You have GOT to be kidding me!” 

One of those girlfriends in my life is Casey Quinlan and two years ago in December that’s exactly what I said when she called to tell me she just discovered she had breast cancer.  Over the next 9 months she went through surgery, chemo and radiation. 

Thankfully she beat it. But she did more than beat it; she wrote a book about what the experience was like and how to truly take charge of your healthcare experience.  It’s called “Cancer for Christmas:  Making the Most of a Daunting Gift.”  (The number of doctors involved alone was enough to spin my head.  How easy it would be for them to miss communicate or unintentionally drop the ball!)

Appropriately, her book was released earlier this month in October for Breast Cancer Awareness.  How appropriate that October ends with Halloween.

“You think Halloween is scary.  You ought to try fighting cancer!” Casey told me.  That, in a nutshell, is Casey’s humor.  I love it!

Why am I sharing all this?

Because you or someone you know may be fighting the good fight against cancer (or any other life-threatening illness) and could really benefit from Casey’s candor, humor, and practical encouragement.  Like these gals who told Casey:

“Just finished reading your book.  Could not put it down!  I sure had my share of Dr. Surgeon Ego's and Drive-by's!  Thanks for seeing the funny side of things.” - Bethann C

“I loved it (which is no easy trick when talking about cancer) and found it not only amusing, but informative. It will give people the push to get
involved in their health care, and to do it somewhere between the
shock treatment of diagnosis and before chemo brain sets in.” ~Donna M

To put a dot on the exclamation point of October, Casey has decided to give away some extra goodies if you pick up a copy of her book TODAY!

Buy only 1 copy of “Cancer for Christmas” and she’ll send you her Must Ask List of questions that you MUST ask your family doctor or specialist.  If you’re a care-giver, these questions are important for you to have, too.

Buy 2 or more copies of “Cancer for Christmas” and she’s also send you 2 special audios - - an interview of Casey on my “Girlfriend We Gotta Talk!” radio show with Susie Galvez AND her Proactive Patient Podcast with podcast partner Dorothy Erlanger, who is an ovarian cancer survivor.

Imagine how encouraging these could be for you or a friend!

How do you get these extra goodies?

1. Go to Casey’s webpage and click on the Amazon order link:  http://tinyurl.com/ydk868c

2. Send your Amazon confirmation e-mail to info@cancerforchristmas.com.  Casey will then send you the link to download your goodies.

You will also be giving to Save the Tatas Foundation because Casey gives back a portion of all “Cancer for Christmas” sales to them.  As for me, I get the warm fuzzies for helping my good girlfriend. That’s it, but that’s a heck of a lot!

P.S. – Tomorrow I’ll share what I found out about living like Halloween nail colors!  No wonder Halloween is all about orange and black. 

What I Learned in Costa Rica

Many people have been asking me “Mary, are you okay?  I haven’t heard from you in a while.” 

It’s true, it has been a while.  It’s been nearly two months since I’ve sent out an e-mail or posted anything on my blog.  That’s like a decade in internet time, huh?

I sincerely appreciate the concerns and know I have some “splaining” to do!

First, I’m fine.  Now, that is. 

The reason you haven’t heard from me is simply because after turning in a completed manuscript of my new book “Live Like Your Nail Color Even If You Have Naked Nails” to my publisher in early July, I WAS WIPED OUT! 

You could say I was living like that nail color “Little Church Mouse.”  That’ what my friend and radio show co-host Susie Galvez calls me because I tend to go and go and go until suddenly I’m curled up over in a dark corner fast asleep.  And, I gotta say she’s right!

Of course, I haven’t been completely out of it because each week we’ve continued to do our “Girlfriend We Gotta Talk!” radio show, including a live recording from the Retail Marketing Expo at the Richmond Convention Center. 

Now I’m feeling more rested, in part because Crazy Glue and I just got back from a vacation in Costa Rica.  First time there and wow, what a country!  We went with friends who showed us things that we may never have discovered if we were by ourselves. 

Zip lining, black sand, volcano coffee, and resistant Irish skin are just a few of the items that made it on my list of What I Learned in Costa Rica that’s fun and handy for many a vacation. 

What I Learned in Costa Rica

1.  Pura Vida, Baby!  It literally means "pure life" and is basically the Costa Rican way of saying "Life is good."  What struck me is how much the Costa Rican people are happier with less, and that they are much closer to the natural world.  I snapped this photo of a hand painted sign on the beach where the locals were cathing fish.

 

2.  Black sand is HOT!  By noon, be ready to run, not walk, across it.

3.  Look, Ma, no hands!  Zip lining throught the air across the mountain tops is SO MUCH FUN!  Sure, it's a bit scary at first, but the views and free feeling are so worth it.  

4.  If you see amazing waterfalls, who cares if it starts raining!  You're getting wet anyways.  (Notice the RED purse?  Even got a comment about it from the gal who we just me and agreed to take this photo...LOL!)

5.  Beer never tastes better than when you're in hot, salty air!  Imperial, the beer of Costa Rica, was the group favorite...often!

6.  Paved roads with bridges and no cows is soooooo American!

7.  Despite my Irish skin, which clearly has Teflon melanin on my legs because they are still so white, you can still have fun with friends and your honey.  Just direct their attention to above your waist and you'll be fine!  LOL!

8.  You can live like your nail color anywhere in the world, including on the beaches of Costa Rica! 

Girlfriend We Gotta Talk … on TV this morning!

Exciting news!

“Girlfriend We Gotta Talk!” is getting out of the radio studio and into the TV studio this morning!

Susie Glavez, my co-host, and I  will be appearing on the “Virginia This Morning” show on CBS affiliate WTVR Channel 6 here in Richmond, VA.  They want us to share our “Top 10 Ways to Increase Your Sanity, Confidence, and Fun.”  They have NO IDEA what antics we’re planning, props and all!

Want to watch live?  If you’re in Richmond, tune your TV dial to Channel 6 starting at 9 am.  We’ll be interviewed by 10 am but they won’t tell us the exact time because it might change at last minute.

Want to catch it online?  Check out the “Virginia This Morning” web page after the show to see if they posted our interview.

Wish us luck!  ;D

Cheers,