Why do I support LIVESTRONG? I like beer.

If you like beer, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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No, seriously, if you like beer, donate now.
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See, there's a secret we LIVESTRONG Leaders share with Lance, Doug and the crew at LIVESTRONG. You're not really funding cancer survivorship support. Your investing in a future bar.

I mean, the layout is there, with a dance area, a stage, a kitchen, and plenty of space for mingling. The location in Austin, TX is perfect. The artwork is on the walls and there is plenty of parking. It's perfectly accessible by train, too. And did I mention the outdoor dining and drinking area? Oktoberfest will rock.

Still think I'm kidding? I'm not.

There are only 2 things standing between us, today, and this bar.

1) It houses this pesky thing called the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
2) Cancer

Confused? Allow me to explain...

By definition, "We (LIVESTRONG) provide support to guide people through the cancer experience, bring them together to fight cancer—and work for a world in which our fight is no longer necessary."

"... A world in which our fight is no longer necessary."

Lance, Doug, and everyone who is employed by LIVESTRONG, to an extent, prays for the day they that all employees are given the option to accept a severance check and a pink slip or to take on new careers as bartenders, bus boys, waiters & waitresses and bouncers when the Lance Armstrong Foundation closes its doors and is converted into a bar because it will mean that cancer has been extinguished from the planet. The war will have been won. The only thing left for the folks who worked at the Foundation to do will be to find a new career and send themselves off with a brewski while Lance and his buddies turn LIVESTRONG Headquarters into the biggest, baddest bar Texas has ever seen.


So, if you hate cancer, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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If you like beer more, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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If you love Shiner Bock, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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If you love Guinness, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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If you like Michelob, Bud, Miller, or Rolling Rock, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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If microbrews like Fat Tire, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, and He'brew, are your thing, then donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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And, if you never, ever, ever,  want to hear me ask you to donate to LIVESTRONG right now, but you'd much rather hear me ask you out for a brew with the same frequency, donate to LIVESTRONG right now.
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My Contact Submission to Susan G. Komen in response to their withdrawal of funds to Planned Parenthood

To say that my reaction to Susan G. Komen's foolishly dangerous withdrawal of grants to Planned Parenthood, which was primarily used for breast examinations, was strong is an understatement. I've never been a fan of Komen, but this had me seething. If you follow me on Facebook, you've already seen some of my reactions.

My friend, Liza, pointed out that sharing the article isn't enough, but that we should make our opinions known directly to Komen. And she was right.

So, I went to http://ww5.komen.org/Contact.aspx and selected "Report Improper Conduct" as my reason for contacting them. I uploaded a copy of the NPR article, and wrote the following report:

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I am horrified to report that, apparently, Susan G. Komen has employed individuals capable of damaging the ability for women to get aid with breast examinations. It appears that President Elizabeth Thompson, and others, made the decision, and stand by the notion that cutting funds to Planned Parenthood, which provided me with women's healthcare several times while I was in financial situations that prevented me from going to a doctor's office, and provided (until NOW), thousands of other women with breast examinations and other crucial screenings in preventing breast and other cancers that affect women, is a good idea.

I write to you not only as a woman, but as a breast cancer fighter myself.

I acknowledge that, yes, my initial mammogram was in a bus that received funding from Susan G. Komen, but I'm quite certain that the hospital could have received that funding from any number of other organizations had Komen said, "No." And I'm also very certain there is a huge level of "buyer's remorse" now by the folks that accepted that grant.

I was never a fan of Komen, to be truthful. As a marketing professional, and non-profit advocate, I've long had a distaste for the manner in which Komen has glamorized a most unglamorous disease and battle. And the manner in which Koman has laid claim to the phrase, "for the cure," and the color pink itself, has made my stomach churn.

Komen was already on my black list when I was first diagnosed, and I called and emailed repeatedly and never got a response from a single soul, when seeking help and resources. Well, that isn't entirely true - you added me (without permission) to your solicitation list.

But this takes the cake.

No, you aren't going to get any donations from me. And I will very happily explain to any friends or family that ask me to donate to their walks, runs or "whatevers" "for the cure" they are participating in why I refuse to give Komen one red cent, as much as I may love them. I will happily convert them to another cancer non-profit that, regardless of my stance on abortion, women's rights, etc, has been steadfast by my side.

But I will take this one step further. I will be calling meetings, writing, and meeting with every single entity that I'm involved with - from the largest women's organization in the world to the smallest boutique in town - that have an affiliation with Susan G. Komen to show them what hypocrites you are and present them with alternatives.

You cannot say that you support women and withdraw support from such a vital organization like Planned Parenthood.

Welcome to the Boy's Club. And enjoy the fall.