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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

Identifying Shades of Pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Fran Joyce

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October is breast cancer awareness month. Get ready to be pinked by a sea of products in pink packages and read some “amazing” claims about how to prevent and/or cure this disease.

Remember all that “Pink” doesn’t always translate into green for breast cancer patient screenings/care and breast cancer research programs.

Buyer Beware

Last year I wrote a piece about Pinktober and the need to know where your money is going. Here is the link: https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2017/10/14/pinktober-get-ready-to-be-pinked-by-fran-joyce

You can also read that article by scrolling to October 2017 on our homepage or by entering the words “breast cancer” or “Pinktober” in our search engine.

I won’t duplicate it here, but in a nutshell, be wary of pink foods, clothing and Knickknacks. Some companies donate very little if any of the proceeds from the sale of these items to breast cancer care or research.

I am a breast cancer survivor so Pinktober has special significance for me. Unlike many of my fellow survivors, I am not vehemently opposed to this sea of pink.

Seeing pink can save lives. If a pink bag of chips reminds one woman to schedule a mammogram or do a breast self exam, a life may be saved.

Yes, I know some products are unhealthy and that’s counter productive to this month’s message, but remember no one can force you to buy a pink bag of chips or a pink bar of chocolate.

I encourage everyone to do some research and find the companies who are really helping and buy their products or donate directly to breast cancer research. Also, go to

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/support-breast-cancer-awareness.php and read "Beyond Wearing Pink: How You Can Support Breast Cancer Awareness" by Melissa Brock for some wonderful ideas about how to support breast cancer awareness this month and all year long.

Everything's Coming Up Apples by Fran Joyce

Q&A with Patricia Petrusik, Author of The Sober Cat - article by Fran Joyce