Bloggers Rally to Raise Funds to Support New Partnership Benefiting Breast Cancer Survivors
This January as Susan Niebur of Toddler Planet (@WhyMommy) waited for results from her oncologist with the outcome of scans that confirmed her fourth bout with cancer, she announced a partnership between LympheDIVAs and Crickett’s Answer. 
The union benefits breast cancer survivors in need of lymphedema garments costing $200-500 for a set of two that are needed to manage post-mastectomy swelling caused by lymphatic fluid.
Crickett’s Answer, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in memory of Crickett Julius, joined forces with LympheDIVAs to help other breast cancer survivors who fight not just cancer but also the side effects, including lymphedema which can limit survivors’ activities. The two organizations work together to provide needed lymphedema sleeves and gauntlets to women who need them but might not be able to afford them or whose insurance companies will not pay for them.
Since the partnership was announced last month, Crickett’s Answer received seven applications from breast cancer survivors for sleeves from LympheDIVAs and the blogging community has held fundraisers to provide additional funds to support the partnership.
Kristen Chase from Motherhood Uncensored got things rolling by agreeing to donate $1 up to $500 for every comment she received on her post. A Parent in Silver Spring’s Jessica McFadden encouraged her readers to comment on Chase’s post and personally pledged a $100 donation on her own site.
Inspired by the “Us Lucky” post Niebur wrote just two days after she started a clinical trial to rid her body of her fourth cancer, Amie Adams (@MammaLoves) created a button titled No Princess Fights Alone. For every blogger who places the button on their site and leaves a comment, Adams agreed to donate a dollar to Crickett’s Answer. PunditMom Joanne Bamberger also pledged her support and up to $500 for each comment received on her Princesses Fighting Cancer post.
Using the power of their audiences, Neibur’s network of blogging friends pledged personal funds to the new partnership between Crickett’s Answer and LympheDIVAs in order to support breast cancer survivors.
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Yes! It was — and is — such a community effort! It’s wonderful!
And you know what was even more exciting than the $1600 dollars raised to support the effort? The almost 50 new articles that mombloggers wrote in support of the effort to get the word out to people who need help — that help is now available for people who need medically necessary lymphedema sleeves but can’t afford them.
Hooray!
What a wonderful outcome from such a sad situation.
It is so wonderful to see the power of women in social media. What a great cause. I am so proud to know all of these women.
Here’s the link to Amie Adams post on Mamma Loves with the HTML to download the No Princess Fights Alone button.
http://www.mammaloves.com/2011/01/wanna-join-an-army/