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The best gifts are always those that keep on giving. Through Cook for the Cure, a 15-year partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen, more than $10.7 million has been raised for the fight against breast cancer. In 2016, KitchenAid will donate at least $450,000 to Komen through the program, regardless of sales. The Cook for the Cure product collection, ranging from pink stand mixers and polka dot bowls to pink food choppers, painted plates and hand mixers, is an easy way to give thanks to mom and raise awareness for a cause that benefits so many women.

For other gift ideas that help support the cause, visit www.KitchenAid.com and http://CookfortheCure.KitchenAid.com.

An Essential, Everyday Tool

If some of her best culinary creations include savory sauces, delightful dressings and delicious dips, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to treat mom to an upgrade. This 3.5-cup Food Chopper in Pink is convenient for everyday use and takes up minimal space in the kitchen. With two one-touch speed settings for chop and puree, this chopper ($49.99) is ideal for creating a spicy salsa, creamy hummus or garden-fresh pesto.

Blending Style with Power

With its roomy, 60-ounce patented diamond pitcher design and stainless steel blades, the 5-Speed Diamond Blender in Cranberry creates a powerful vortex to thoroughly blend everything from soups to smoothies. Automatic Soft Start(r) technology pulls ingredients into the blade rather than splattering them outward, keeping them together for controlled blending. This colorful blender ($159.99) offers stir, chop, mix, puree, liquefy and pulse options – everything mom needs to create her favorite dishes.

Handy Little Helper

Whether you need to blend up a milkshake or puree cooked vegetables directly in the pot, this 2-Speed Hand Blender in Pink gets the job done with ease. Two speeds provide blending control for more delicate foods, such as smoothies and baby food. The blending arm twists off for quick and easy cleanup. This hand blender ($59.99) comes with a 3-cup BPA-free jar with lid, so mom can blend away, safely.

Plated Perfection

Featuring artwork by PBS cooking show host Jacques Pepin, the Pass the Plate serving platter generates a $5 donation each time one of these individually numbered platters is passed and registered online. With its fresh and cheery design, this unique serving piece makes sharing even more fun. A great gift for mom, the platter ($24.95) is available at Villeroy & Boch stores or by calling 1-888-886-8318.

Mix in Some Style

Turn Mom’s stand mixer into a standalone work of art this Mother’s Day with the new Pink Polka Dot ceramic bowl. This delightfully dappled 5-quart bowl ($99.99) is microwave, oven, freezer and dishwasher safe, and features a comfortable handle and easy pour spout – a perfect pick for all of mom’s mixing tasks.

Timeless Kitchen Addition

Add a pop of pink to mom’s kitchen with a classic gift that will endure for years. With an elegant 5-quart capacity glass bowl, the Artisan Design(r) Series’ premium metallic Raspberry Ice finish adds radiance to any kitchen countertop. It can handle multiple batches of dough while its 10 speed settings allow cooks to knead, mix and whip a variety of foods and ingredients. With additional attachments that can make everything from pasta to ice cream to spiralized fruits and vegetables, this mixer ($459.99) helps mom take her culinary creativity to a whole new level.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (women exchanging gifts)
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Source: KitchenAid

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The post Cooking Up Gifts for Mom’s Kitchen appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

When a woman finds out she has cancer, the news can be heartbreaking. A roller coaster of fear, anxiety, and sadness can overwhelm her both physically and emotionally. Her friends and family, however, face their own dilemma regarding the situation. How can I help? Do I stay close or give her space? What does she really need?

According to Breastcancer.org, one in eight American women will endure invasive breast cancer at some point in her life. Women who have this form of cancer undoubtedly have touched and inspired others during their lifetime, so when the diagnosis comes, it not only affects the victim but her family and friends as well. The matter begs the question: What is the appropriate behavior when trying to help a friend who has cancer? True, everyone handles sickness differently, but there are a few ways loved ones can help ease their friend’s stress during that difficult time.

Do Stay In Touch

Now, perhaps more than ever, your friend needs the support of loved ones. Call, email, or text, but keep the conversation and messages short. Cancer patients feel different day to day. Some days your friend will feel like chatting up a storm, and other days she’ll want to be alone.

Do Always Be Available

Though your friend may not want to talk when it’s convenient for you, you should always be on call for her. If she wants to vent about her current situation, allow her to do that. If she is staying silent but wants to talk, steer the conversation toward subjects she enjoys.

Don’t Offer Advice About Treatment

If your friend wants to talk about her treatment, let her, but stick to listening instead of offering your two cents. “When I was in decision-making mode, it’s all I could think or talk about. My friend listened to me over and over again,” says Victoria Irwin, who underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. “She didn’t give advice, but acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. That listening was the most helpful thing she could have done.”

Don’t Bring Dinner Without Asking

Though cooking dinner certainly seems like a kind gesture, sometimes cancer patients, especially those going through chemotherapy treatments, follow diets. In fact, taste buds are often altered during treatment, so what you may think is a delicious chicken casserole may actually taste very salty. Instead, ask your friend what groceries she needs and get those instead.

Do Help Your Friend’s Caretaker

The person taking care of your friend’s needs is undoubtedly dealing with stress of her/his own. “Often caregivers neglect themselves because they are so busy taking care of their loved one.” Offer to stay with your friend so the caretaker can get a break or run personal errands so she/he has one less thing to worry about.

Don’t Be Afraid of Physical Contact

The best gift you can offer your friend is love and support through normalcy. That doesn’t mean you should pretend like she doesn’t have cancer; simply let your friend know that she is the same woman she was before her diagnosis. If you have always greeted your friend with a hug, don’t stop. If you’ve held her hand during tough times before, do the same now. Your friend needs you now more than ever. Show your love and support to the best of your ability.

The information is this article was compiled through suggestions via Cancer.org and contributors to Health.com who have undergone cancer treatment(s).

The post The Do’s and Don’ts of Supporting Your Friend Who Has Breast Cancer appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Thirty years ago, a diagnosis of breast cancer was thought of as a virtual death sentence for many women, but since that time significant progress has been made in the fight against breast cancer. Reduced mortality, less invasive treatments, an increased number of survivors and other advancements have their roots in breast cancer research – more than $790 million of it funded by Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest breast cancer organization.

However, the reality is that breast cancer is still a serious disease. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held each October, brings awareness to the disease and empowers women to take charge of their own breast health.

This year, about 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the U.S. and nearly 40,000 women will die from it. Globally, 1.6 million people will be diagnosed, and 400,000 will die. Despite the increased awareness of breast cancer, major myths still abound. Women must remain vigilant against this disease by learning the facts and understanding how they may be able to reduce their risk.

The Myths and Facts on Breast Cancer

Myth: I’m only 35. Breast cancer happens only in older women.

Fact: While the risk increases with age, all women are at risk for getting breast cancer.

Myth: Only women with a family history of breast cancer get the disease.

Fact: Most women who get breast cancer have no family history of the disease. However, a woman whose mother, sister or daughter had breast cancer has an increased risk.

Myth: If I don’t have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, I won’t get breast cancer.

Fact: You can still get breast cancer, even without a gene mutation. About 90 to 95 percent of women who get breast cancer do not have this mutation.

Myth: Women with more than one known risk factor get breast cancer.

Fact: Most women with breast cancer have no known risk factors except being a woman and getting older. All women are at risk.

Myth: You can prevent breast cancer.

Fact: Because the causes of breast cancer are not yet fully known, there is no way to prevent it.

Actions to Reduce Your Risk

Breast cancer can’t be prevented; however, research has shown that there are actions women can take to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

• Maintain a Healthy Weight – Postmenopausal women who are overweight have a 30 to 60 percent higher breast cancer risk than those who are lean.
• Add Exercise into Your Routine – Women who get regular physical activity may have a lower risk of breast cancer by about 10 to 20 percent, particularly in postmenopausal women.
• Limit Alcohol Intake – Research has found that women who had two to three alcoholic drinks per day had a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer.
• Breastfeed, if you can – Research has shown that mothers who breastfed for a lifetime total of one year (combined duration of breastfeeding for all children) were slightly less likely to get breast cancer than those who never breastfed.

For more information on the facts about breast cancer and what you need to reduce your risk, or to find resources in your community, visit Komen.org or call 1-877-GO-KOMEN.

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On most days, I feel like the average stay at home mom. I am in my early thirties raising two little girls while my husband goes out to battle his way through the corporate world. Together, we run a well oiled machine that is on the go from the early hours of the morning until very late at night. We all have good health and pass our annual physicals with flying colors. Like a lot of other young, healthy moms out there, the only day-to-day worry is keeping the busy schedules going. This was true for me up until a few months ago. While attending a mommy and me class with other young moms much like me, I had the opportunity to befriend one that was a true, bona fide supermom. She was helping her husband start his own company working from home while raising a total of seven children and loving every minute of it. She seemed invincible. She was not. She was diagnosed with cancer.

As with most people, it was unexpected. By the time she began treatment, it had begun to spread from her stomach to her back. It was painful to see her health begin to deteriorate and see the effect this had on her family, especially the seven children that depended on her daily care and love. Her fate is uncertain. My heart breaks for her and her family. I had never met someone with cancer on a personal level. The disease had never touched anyone in my family or close circle of friends. It had always been pink ribbons for support and inspirational stories on television. Now, however, it was here and it was tearing at the core of who I am. I am a mom who needs to be healthy to care for my children and a wife that longs to share a lifetime with her husband. What about my daughters? This disease looms over all of us. We need to take a stand and take action for ourselves and for our loved ones. The first question most women have is, “Am I at risk for Breast Cancer?” The answer is yes; all women are at risk for breast cancer. Being a woman is the number one risk factor for breast cancer. Your breast cancer risk increases as you get older. Most women who get breast cancer have no other known risk factors.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FROM THE SUSAN G. KOMEN FOUNDATION TO HELP YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR MISSION OF TAKING CARE OF YOUR LIFE:

Know your risk

• Talk to your family to learn about your family health history.

• Talk to your health care provider about your personal risk of breast cancer.

Get screened

• Ask your health care provider which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk

• Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk

• Have a clinical breast exam at least every three years starting at 20, and every year starting at 40

Know what is normal for you

• Tell your health care provider right away if you notice a change in the way your breasts look or feel.

Make healthy lifestyle choices

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Add exercise into your routine.

• Limit alcohol intake.

• Breastfeed if you can.

Once you’re on track with your own health, get involved in the ongoing fight against cancer. Organizations like the Susan G. Komen foundation provide a wide range of opportunities for all levels of community involvement:

• Fitness events, such as the Komen Race for the Cure (5K), Marathon for the Cure (13.1/26.2 miles) or the 3 Day for the cure (60 mile walk)

• Variety of local events through individual Komen affiliates

• Passionately Pink for the Cure, a creative way to engage friends, classmates and coworkers

• Public policy activities through the Komen Advocacy Alliance

• Products and promotions offered by corporate partners that support our cause

• Direct donation by phone, mail or online

Cancer may seem like a colossal adversary too powerful to be conquered, but if there is unity in this fight then there is hope. We have a responsibility to take action not just for ourselves and our families, but also for the millions of women out there that are just like us. Let’s help spread cancer awareness and join together in order to truly make a difference for this generation and those to come.

For more resources and ways you can get involved visit: ww5.komen.org

Article by Patty Mendoza

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