GINA (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act) Passes in Senate with Flying (Pink) Colors

I recently blogged about the efforts to make it illegal to discriminate based on genetic information, and am happy to report that thanks to the 16,000 of you who contacted your Senators, GINA (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act) passed through the Senate unanimously. The next step is for the House and the President to approve the bill, which will hopefully happen soon.

According to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, GINA prohibits discrimination by health insurers and employers on the basis of genetic information. So now, thanks to GINA, women who would otherwise have avoided genetic testing because they feared discrimination – thus being denied information that could help them manage their health or their family's health – will have protections under federal law. The passage of GINA is an important step that presents a great opportunity to promote personalized medicine and the use of genetic information in health care. This will lead to better research and development for new targeted drugs and treatments, which will save lives.

Lance Armstrong Runs for Livestrong in Boston Marathon

Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, ran his first Boston Marathon today with a time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, 58 seconds. The third marathon for Armstrong (he ran the New York marathon twice), who ran it to raise money for his foundation Livestrong, stated again how much more difficult running a marathon is over cycling.

"You can't compare the pounding or running with the efficiency of a bicycle," he said. "Nothing even comes close to comparing the pain, especially it seems like this course, with a significant amount of downhills ... that really take their toll on the muscles."

Great job, Lance, and a big "thank you" for validating us marathoners!

To support Livestrong and other great cancer organizations, please go to the cancer page on Uptown Liz.

Support the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and Save Lives

There is a test that can tell you if you are a carrier of the breast cancer genetic mutation. If you test positive you are 85% likely to get the disease, and it is recommended that you have your breasts and ovaries removed. This is an issue that, unfortunately, I will have to make a decision on one day. One enormous downside is that if your health insurance company finds out your test results, they will drop you and you will become uninsurable with all insurance companies. My sister’s oncologist has recommended I don’t get the test for this reason, but my OBGYN (as well as other OBGYNs I know) have recommended I do get the test because of our family history with the disease. My 28 year old sister, Liz, died from breast cancer, my paternal grandmother died at 42 from the disease, her sister (my great aunt) died at 47, another paternal aunt died at 65, my aunt (grandmother's daughter) is a breast cancer survivor as well as several paternal cousins, and my other aunt decided to have her breasts removed as a preventative measure (and that’s just on my dad’s side).

This gross oversight has led many to forgo testing denying them important information that could help them save their own lives. It has also led many to opt-out of clinical trials, which in turn hurts advancements in cancer research.

What can you do? Join me and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation in helping to support the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) being brought to the Senate. Please take a minute and send a pre-written letter (you can add your own words as well) to your Senator by going to their website. If this bill is passed, it will save countless lives.

If you are further interested in this topic, a new book just came out called Pretty Is What Changes by Jessica Queller. She’s a thirty something year old writer in Hollywood who’s mother battled breast cancer and later died from ovarian cancer. The book is about her decision to have her breasts and ovaries removed once she tested positive from the genetic test.

Olympic Marathon Hopeful Trains for the Toughest Two Trials of Her Life

Being a marathon runner and someone who has lost a sister to breast cancer, this story really touched me. I know how challenging it can be to train for a marathon. I cannot imagine training (at the Olympic level) while working and taking care of a young child who is battling cancer, but that is exactly what Emily LeVan is doing.

On November 5, 2007, Emily's three year old daughter, Madeline (Maddie), was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Emily and her husband Brad, who live on a farm off the coast of Maine, had their entire lives changed that day. Although Maddie is responding well to treatment, the weekly trips to the Maine Medical Center in Portland and the Maine Children's Cancer Program Clinic in Scarborough and the numerous financial, physical, mental and emotional challenges of having a sick child take their toll. But the family has been inspired by the support they have received at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and the Maine Children's Cancer Program (MCCP). They feel incredibly fortunate to have these resources available and want to make sure other families have them as well.

Currently training for the 2008 Olympic Trials, this emergency department nurse is taking her love of running and raising money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The fundraiser entitled Two Trials, which started on January 18th (Maddie's birthday) and will end on April 20th (the day of the Trials), represents two marathons - the one that Emily is training for and the one that Maddie is enduring with cancer. Since a marathon represents 26.2 miles, Emily multiplied that number by two and came up with their fundraising goal of $52,400. Emily wants to use her running to benefit something greater than herself, and with Maddie in the BabyJogger having logged thousands of miles with mom and run a few races herself, I have no doubt that's exactly what she will do.

My best wishes for Maddie's full recovery and an Olympic run for Emily.

Cynthia Nixon Named Spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation

Sex and the City star, Cynthia Nixon, recently revealed she battled breast cancer in 2006. A routine mammogram showed a small spot and after an operation and six and half weeks of radiation, she is cancer free. She stated the reason for keeping the matter private, "I didn't really want to make it public while I was going through it. I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital, that kind of thing."

Nixon, who's mother is a breast cancer survivor, was not completely surprised with her diagnosis. "I always sort of thought, I'm probably going to get breast cancer," she said. "There's a really good chance."

"I felt scared," she continues. "I thought, 'Oh, I don't want this to be happening.' I was very cognizant of if it's going to happen, this is the best way for it to happen, that it's found so early and we can just get right on it."

Since becoming a breast cancer survivor, Nixon will be the new spokesperson for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation - the world's largest breast cancer advocacy organization.

President Bush Awards the Late Navy Seal and Hero Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor with the Medal of Honor

I remember hearing this story on the news and it being especially difficult to think about because my brother, Nathan, was getting ready to enlist in the military (not long after we lost our sister).

The Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military tribute, was awarded posthumously to Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor on April 8th by President Bush. The Navy Seal, 25, sacrificed his life by diving on a grenade to save two other Navy Seals and three Iraqi Army troops in Iraq in September 2006.

“The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it,” President Bush said, quoted by the New York Times. “In that terrible moment,” Bush continued, “he had two options — to save himself, or to save his friends. For Mike, this was no choice at all. He threw himself onto the grenade, and absorbed the blast with his body.”

Petty Officer Monsoor, who joined the Navy in 2001, was no stranger to heroism. He was also awarded posthumously the Bronze Star for “his extraordinary guidance, zealous initiative and total dedication to duty” and the Silver Star for pulling a fellow soldier to safety under enemy fire.

A tearful President Bush presented the Medal of Honor, which was created during the Civil War for acting beyond the call of duty and has been awarded almost 3,500 times, to the parents of Petty Officer Monsoor. He was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes on Wednesday and is the first member of the Navy and the third member of the Armed Forces to receive the award for his bravery in Iraq.

My heart and thoughts are with his family.

Salma Hayek is Saving Babies with Pampers

Actress, producer and new mother, Salma Hayek, has joined efforts with Pampers and UNICEF to help provide lifesaving tetanus vaccines to women and babies in third world countries. The One Pack = One Vaccine campaign, which started two years ago in the UK, has funded more than 25 million vaccines. For every Pampers product that is marked with the campaign sticker, the company will donate $0.05 to UNICEF - the cost for one vaccine.

According to UNICEF, typical childhood diseases like tetanus have been virtually eliminated in the United States through a routine immunization. But in many countries, half of all neonatal deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases are caused by tetanus. The disease, caused by bacteria called Clostridium Tetani, has a fatality rate as high as 70 to 100% in some countries. Each year approximately 140,000 infants and 30,000 women in developing countries die from tetanus.

Hayek, who appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show today, announced that Pampers was donating over one million vaccines in Oprah's name. To support this initiative, make sure to purchase Pampers' products between April 1st through June 30th.

Lisa Ling Bites into the Horror of Puppy Mills on the Oprah Winfrey Show

No stranger to witnessing human suffering, investigative reporter Lisa Ling, turned her focus on another kind of suffering - animals in puppy mills. The shocking discovery of how man's best friend is treated in these abusive, factory-style breeding operations, aired on the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday. The hard to watch video of dogs who have spent their entire lives in small cages, never to walk outside, with injuries untreated only to be put down when they are deemed no longer useful, sent a powerful message to animal lovers everywhere.

What can you do to help? According to The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the number one way is to stop buying animals from pet stores (who obtain their animals from puppy mills) and adopt from shelters or rescue groups instead. There are millions of companion animals in shelters across the U.S., and one out of every four dogs at your local shelter is a pure-bred. Most shelter animals have already been spayed or neutered and have received all their vaccinations and veterinary checkups. It is estimated that over 4 million dogs and cats are put down every year in shelters in the United States alone.

The American Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCA) 10 ways you can fight puppy mills:
1. Do Not Buy Your Puppy From a Pet Store
2. Make Adoption Your First Option
3. Know How to Recognize a Responsible Breeder
4. See Where Your Puppy Was Born and Bred
5. Internet Buyers, Beware!
6. Share Your Puppy Mill Story with the ASPCA
7. Speak Out!
8. Tell Your Friends
9. Think Globally
10. Act Locally!

To support animal causes by shopping on Uptown Liz, go to our Animal Cruelty page.

Ramona Russell of Uptown Liz at Vision to Venture

I have been invited to particpate on a business panel for the Vision to Venture conference. This event for women entrepreneurs is hosted by Microsoft Office Live Small Business, and will have experts share insights and practical advice on how to take your business to the next level.

Make your dream of being a successful business owner a reality. Whether you've already launched your business or are thinking of starting one, join other enterprising women for this unique blend of high-impact sessions and networking opportunities.

Attend in a city near you or register to view the event online for FREE.

Wentworth Miller Fans Raise Money for UNICEF

Wentworth Miller, star of the hit TV show Prison Break, has a loyal and charitable fan base. They recently joined together to raise money in the actor's name for UNICEF. The fundraising effort, appropriately named Wentworth Miller Fans For Charity, will run from April 1st - June 30th.

According to their website, UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. They have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes them unique among world organizations, and unique among those working with the young.

Miller, 35, adds, "It’s my privilege to be a part of the entertainment business, an industry that has reached out to and touched the lives of billions of people around the world. It gives me tremendous pleasure to think that many of those same people have been motivated to reach out to others in turn. This charitable effort was conceived, organized and executed by a group of generous fans willing to donate their time and energies to a worthy cause. I’m honored to participate in this process, and I thank you for doing the same.”

McClatchy Varsity Baseball Team Goes Bald for Childhood Cancer

My friend and head varsity baseball coach of C.K. McClatchy high school, Mike de Necochea, is helping to strike out childhood cancer. Mike, along with his players and assistant coaches, will be shaving their heads to help bring awareness for the St. Baldrick's Foundation - the world's biggest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer. In eight years, events have taken place in 18 countries and 46 US states, raising over $34 million, and shaving more than 46,000 heads.

The C.K. McClatchy baseball team's event takes place on Saturday, April 5th at 12:00 p.m. at the CKM varsity baseball field and everyone is welcome to attend. To donate and help with this wonderful cause, go to the CKM Baseball page. If you would like to go bald or volunteer, you can register online and start sending out the message that CKM Baseball cares about their community.