Celebrate Mother’s Day with Chix 4 a Cause’s 3rd Annual Cindyrella Classic

Who: You, your family & friends, and Chix 4 a Cause

What: 3rd Annual Cindyrella Classic bike ride

Where: Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend, WI or Community Gym in Cedarburg, WI

When: Saturday May 11, 2019 in West Bend or Sunday May 12, 2019 in Cedarburg from 9 am – noon

Why: Proceeds benefit Chix 4 a Cause

Celebrate Mother’s Day by bringing your family and friends to join Chix 4 A Cause for our 3rd Annual Cindyrella Classic bike ride! Our event will take place on Saturday May 11, 2019 in West Bend and Sunday May 12, 2019 in Cedarburg from 9:00 am – noon. On Saturday, start and finish at the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA), 205 Veterans Avenue, West Bend, WI. Routes are 10 or 24 miles along the paved Eisenbaum Trail and bike-friendly roads. On Sunday, start and finish at Community Gym, W63 N645 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI. Routes are 10 or 24 miles along the paved Ozaukee Interurban Trail. Pre-ride ice cream social and safe cycling training are available at both locations. The first 50 paid registrants receive a Swag Package! Women 21 years or better $28.00, Women 16 - 20 years old $28.00, kids 15 or younger free. Save when you sign up for both rides! More information and registration available at https://www.facebook.com/events/2225578757692593/ or chix4acause.org.

Tips for Living with the Uncertainty of Cancer

Living with cancer’s uncertainty before, during, and after treatment is tough. Because everyone’s journey is unique, there is no road map to guide you through. You have to discover what works best for you and create your own path. Here are four tips for living with the uncertainty of cancer.

1. Managing Scanxiety

Scanxiety, the time leading up to a scan and the span between the scan and results, can be unnerving. To manage your scanxiety, try clustering your care to minimize the time between the scan and the follow up. Plan something fun in advance, such as dinner with friends, to keep your mind on something positive. Meditate. Remind yourself that being nervous is natural, but you need to stay productive while waiting for your scan results.

2. Talking with Loved Ones

In many cases, your loved ones may mean well but not know what to say to you. Help them out by initiating conversation. Share a funny story. Check in to see how your loved one is doing. Listen to what they have to say. Let your loved ones share their frustrations and feelings in a nonjudgmental way. Make plans with them. Suggest a place to go for lunch, exercise, or see a movie. Let your loved ones know it’s OK to say that cancer sucks. It does.

3. Making Future Plans

Although it may be stressful, plan for the future as a cancer patient and survivor. Set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Stay flexible to allow for changes, especially when you feel tired from treatment. Focus on why you want to live and how you can work toward it.

4. Being Your Best as a Cancer Survivor

Be your best self as a cancer survivor. Know that you are enough. Avoid comparing yourself to others. The only person you need to be better than is who you were yesterday. Identify as yourself rather than a cancer patient. The disease is part of your experience, not all of you. Give back when you are able. Pay it forward when can because you want to. Celebrate your big and small victories. They all add up to success.

If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, get in touch with Chix 4 a Cause. Learn more about our Gifts of Love program at chix4acause.org today.

Four Things to Expect After Fighting Cancer

Before you enter the recovery phase after cancer treatment, you may not know what to expect. Although treatment most likely was physically demanding, recovery provides its own set of challenges. Here are four things you should expect after fighting cancer and how to plan accordingly.

Lesson 1: Transitioning to recovery is stressful.

Although active treatment for cancer is physically tough, survivorship can be mentally and emotionally taxing. You may become concerned about ongoing monitoring, losing a structured and supportive environment, or reentering society with a lessened feeling of physical well-being due to the side effects of treatment. Your greatest fear may be that the cancer will return or you may develop a new cancer.

Lesson 2: Cancer is not truly over when it’s over.

The post-treatment/survivorship phase brings its own physical, mental, social, economic, and spiritual changes. Whether they are positive or negative, they need to be accepted as your new normal.

Lesson 3: Planning for recovery needs to be a priority.

Although going through active treatment involves minute-by-minute planning by your medical team, entering the recovery phase means the meticulously planned care typically stops. You need to seek out resources in advance to make plans for how to handle your recovery.

Lesson 4: Cancer may provide an opportunity for life-affirming changes.

Many positive life changes can result from battling cancer. You may decide to make fitness and lifestyle changes to reduce your risk for cancer in general. Or, you could participate in activities that you always wanted to do but never took the time to, such as traveling the world. Make the most of your recovery by doing the things that make you happy.

If you or someone you know is fighting cancer, reach out to Chix 4 a Cause. Learn more about our Gifts of Love program at chix4acause.org today.