◦•●◉✿ 𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓛𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓻 𝓐𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓱 ✿◉●•◦

       

This year I am doing the Lung Cancer Awareness Month post a little bit differently. Me and my mother share the same birthday which is today, November 1st and as a tribute to her life and our birthday, I chose to do the blog post on Lung Cancer today. I miss her each and every year and hard to believe it has been 19 years since she has been gone because it still feels like yesterday. Please read this post and take heed of the information given. Be safe... 

As with other cancers, lung cancer is heartbreaking, deadly, and attacks like an army. Before telling useful information and facts about lung cancer, I would like to share my story...

My mother smoked cigarettes for many, many years and all attempts to stop smoking just weren't successful. In 1997 I remember it so very clearly, I was at work and my mother was at the doctor getting results from tests that I had no idea she had taken. While it wasn't the best idea for my middle sister to contact me at work, she did and the words that escaped her mouth, I would never forget the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach... Through tears she said... "Mommy has cancer." The phone dropped without me even realizing it and my heart sank and all I heard her say wasn't those words, but to me, it conveyed into, "Mommy is dying." I started crying so hard that my supervisor had to take me to her office and let me get it out there. That day began the journey of my mother's cancer fight and as scared as I was, I was determined to help her get through this fight.

We watched as she endured lung surgery to remove half of her lung, chemotherapy that made her extremely sick and took all of her hair, radiation which made it hard for her to breathe and made her chest area hard and discolored. This was not easy to watch but my mother... My mother is my hero because through it all, she prayed, she smiled, she kept a constant smile and glow to her. You would never believe this woman was enduring so much.

Four years later, they said cancer had gone however, due to all of this trauma, she had heart trouble, diabetes, thyroid surgery, asthma but cancer itself had become what I say dormant but what the doctors said... gone...

A year later, I would never forget, two days after our birthday (we share the same birthday), in November it was 70 degrees out, we had celebrated our birthday by going to times square and having a ball. Two days later she ended up in the hospital, blood sugar spiked, they admitted her and two days after that she was in ICU with the doctors telling us she would not make it, her lungs had filled with blood, and the cancer they said was gone had woken up with a vengeance! But my mother wasn't done. God knew the family wasn't ready to lose her. After two days of not waking up, she awaken, bright-eyed, smiles, and said it was time to come back.

We had my mother for two months after that and as I write this it's ironic everything was happening in twos. On January 31, 2002, my mother lost that fight to Lung Cancer, and while God gained an angel the world lost an amazing soul...

I told my story to wake people up especially smokers.

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the leading cause in people who have never smoked. For more information about radon and testing your home, please visit EPA.gov/radon.

Other risk factors include:
  - lung scarring from tuberculosis
  - occupational or environmental exposure to:
     • secondhand smoke
     • radiation
     • asbestos
     • air pollution
     • arsenic
     • some organic chemicals

Genetic predisposition may also play a role in lung cancer development.

People who have never smoked account for between 20,000 and 30,000 lung cancer diagnoses every year.

As more people quit smoking, the percentage of cancers diagnosed in people who used to smoke will continue to increase.

For certain people at high risk, screening for lung cancer using low-dose CT scans is proven to save lives. New guidelines will help you understand if CT screening is appropriate for you.

Get screened if you are 55 to 80, you are currently smoking or quit within the past 15 years, you have a smoking history of at least 30 packs. 

1 pack/day X 30 years = 30 pack years

1.5 packs a day X 20 years = 30 pack years

Get screened, get tested, STOP SMOKING!

Signing off

Cassie D Shaw  aka

     Big Sister On Point

(❁´◡`❁) GREEK HIGHLIGHT 411-OCTOBER EDITION (❁´◡`❁)

 Eta Sigma Delta is back with GREEK HIGHLIGHT 411. The Flawless Sapphires have been pretty busy but we are back up and ready to interview the sororities and fraternities on the grid to bring you the latest of whats going on in the Greek world. . Our sorority for the month we chose is Zeta Gamma Rho! Big Sister Sweet and Sassy sat down with Founder Tia Kimagawa. Heres what she had to say.

Christy: Tia! Its an absolute pleasure to be sitting down with you today. I hope you are doing well!

Tia:  I am doing great, thank you. Its a pleasure to be here.

Christy: You are very welcome. Lets jump right on in, so tell me a little background about you?

 

Tia: I have been on Tia, for 12 years, and my first account puts me at 14, im old *laughs* I am a mother, fiance, daughter, I am entrepreneur, and founder of Zeta Gamma Rho. In my non sorority time, I am typically at home, Im a homebody, I stay on my sim most of the time. I have alot of business ventures, I have TKO which is my clothing line, Rolling Meadows which is a residential Sim, I am my mothers on demand manager for her resort and her residential communities as well.

Christy: Im not gonna call you old, but you certainly have been on the grid a long time. So what made you want to start a sorority? When was it founded?

Tia: Zeta Gamma Rho was founded in 2013, from myself and one other lady. She fell sick and went on hiatus. When we hit the grid officially it was January 14th 2014. Zeta Gamma Rho was founded because we wanted to have a group of like minded sisters. We are for quality not quantity. Theres so much petty on the grid, and id be lying if iI said theres not petty moments within our organization as well, but my sisters and I have such a great bond. Those are my sisters more than my RL sisters. The core of Zeta Gamma Rho sisters have remained with me, and we build with each other each and every day. I surround myself with ladies who have attributes, who want to learn, who can teach me something, and thats one of the things I love about Zeta Gamma Rho, we never stop learning or growing.

Christy: I love that about your sisterhood. It is so important to have a close personal bond with your sisters! So tell me how do you feel Zeta Gamma Rho is different from the rest of the sororities in Second life? 

Tia: I think that ZGR is not fake, we are anti social, and the thing that stands us out the  most is that at the end of the day we are family. We have issues just like any other, but we are sisters but we pride ourselves in respecting each other.

Christy: I love that answer! So tell me what are your philanthropies?

Tia: NO Kid Hungry, Purple Purse, Breast Cancer Awareness

Christy: Ive never heard of Purple Purse, could you go into further detail?

Tia: Why sure I would love to. Purple Purse is a charity that supports women of domestic violence..women who are looking to get out of a DV situation. Its not just about physical abuse, there is also mental, emotional, sexual and financial abuse. So purple purse allows the women who are seeking to escape, they provide the funds to do so.

Christy: Sometimes we often forget about Financial Abuse as well. I love that philantrophy! Do you have any signature events? 

Tia: October we have No Kid Hungry we always host a dance with the dead party, but this year it will be called Monster Mash. In March we have our black excellence gala where we celebrate the minority owned and operated businesses on the grid.

Christy: That is awesome! Do you have any events coming up?

Tia: October 23rd is our Monster Mash Event for No Kid Hungry, we would love to see everyone there!!!!!!

Christy: One more question, Are the ladies of Zeta Gamma Rho by chance having a pledge line this year? 

Tia: We will not be taking a pledge line until the first of the year, but please be on the lookout for further information with pledging and our events on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ZetaGammaRhoSlSorority

Christy: Sounds great! Do you have any closing remarks or anything you would like to add?

Tia: One thing i would like people to know about Zeta Gamma Rho is that we may be small but we are a force to be reckoned with and we support everyone on the grid. We dont bite, so we would appreciate the same type of love and always willing to lend a helping hand to the Greek community. We are looking to do collabs if anyone is interested. 

Christy: Right on! Eta Sigma Delta would love to collab with you. We may need to talk again about setting something up! Thank you so much for your time, and doing this interview with me!

Tia: Thank you so much!

🎉 ★彡 ʜᴏᴍᴇᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ ʀᴇᴄᴀᴘ! 彡★ 🎉

If you missed any part of the homecoming month then I'm sorry to hear that because we had fun and tapping into the supernatural was a vibe!! Each day you saw a different side of the supernatural!  ESD 8th Annual Homecoming month was off the chain! Not only was it fun but it was also for a serious cause... Sickle Cell Anemia Disease. This week we have raised a total of $58,500L for Sickle Cell which is more than we made within the last 2 years. The goal is to donate more and more each year. . If you donated give a pat on the back to yourself because you have made an impact toward saving a life. For those that can't thank you themselves, allow me to say thank you on their behalf. 

Sickle-Cell Anemia is a disease that occurs when the red blood cells in the body are shaped like crescents, which can block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. Blocked blood flow can cause pain and organ damage and also raises the risk for infection.

It is estimated that between 90 to 100,000 Americans are living with Sickle-Cell Anemia, many of them are people of color!

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin* S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent-shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels.

When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease. There is currently no universal cure for sickle cell disease.

Hemoglobin is the main substance of the red blood cell. It helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the air in our lungs to all parts of the body. Normal red blood cells contain hemoglobin A. Hemoglobin S and hemoglobin C are abnormal types of hemoglobin. Normal red blood cells are soft and round and can squeeze through tiny blood tubes (vessels). Normally, red blood cells live for about 120 days before new ones replace them.

People with sickle cell conditions make a different form of hemoglobin A called hemoglobin S (S stands for sickle). Red blood cells containing mostly hemoglobin S do not live as long as normal red blood cells (normally about 16 days). They also become stiff, distorted in shape, and have difficulty passing through the body’s small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease.

For More Information, Please Visit:
http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/

Let's go over some of the events this week. 

Day One - DC vs Marvel

Here are some pictures from the fun-filled night!

Day Two... Witches vs Warlocks

Here are some pictures from the fun-filled night!

Day 3... - Heroes vs Villains

Here are some pictures from the fun-filled night!

Day 4, Last Day... Twilight Homecoming Dance

Here are some pictures from the fun-filled night!

Too much fun not many pictures 😊

Again on behalf of Eta Sigma Delta Sorority, we would like to thank our wonderful sponsors for this year's Homecoming.

★ DIAMOND BEAUTY

★ KAPPA IOTA TAU EPSILON

★ GAMMA GAMMA PHI SORORITY

★  NU UPSILON OMEGA SORORITY

★ OLD SOUL PRODUCTIONS

★ VIRTUAL AIR AIRLINES

★ SPARENITY WELLNESS SPA

★ HILLMAN UNIVERSITY

★ SPARENITY YOGA CENTRE

★ THETA GAMMA XI

★ OMEGA XI NU

★ ZETA THETA MU SORORITY

★ UQQN

★ FAMILY LUV MEDICAL BIRTHING CENTER

ETA SIGMA DELTA WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO SHOWED SUPPORT TO US THIS MONTH FOR OUR HOMECOMING 2K21. ALL MONTH WE HAVE BEEN RAISING MONEY AND SPREADING AWARENESS FOR SICKLE CELL. THIS YEAR WE RAISED $58,500L FOR THIS IMPORTANT CAUSE... ONCE AGAIN SHOUT OUT TO ....<3 :-)

TO OUR GREEK COMMUNITY:
★ THETA DELTA ALPHA
★ PHI IOTA NU KAPPA
★ ETA EPSILON GAMMA
★ OMICRON PHI GAMMA
★ ZETA THETA MU
★ KAPPA THETA PHI
★ ZETA GAMMA RHO
★ THETA GAMMA XI
★ SIGMA IOTA NU

★ BETA OMEGA IOTA

★ KAPPA NU CHI

★ ZETA PI SIGMA

★ DELTA EPSILON PSI

★ RHO PSI TAU

★ BETA ETA RHO

★ OMEGA LAMBDA RHO

★ ALPHA SIGMA OMEGA

★ NU UPSILON OMEGA

★ MU ALPHA CHI

★ ALPHA CHI ALPHA

★ XI OMICRON XI

★ BETA ALPHA XI

★ RHO GAMMA PSI

★ TAU GAMMA PSI

★ SIGMA GAMMA SIGMA

★ OMEGA NU THETA

★ GAMMA EPSILON MU

★ CHI SIGMA XI

★ DELTA THETA NU

★ ZETA ETA EPSILON

★ OMEGA XI NU

★ DELTA THETA PSI

TO OUR NON-GREEK COMMUNITY
★ DJ  D"JAE" DO TO YO EARHOLE 
★ DJ SPICE 
★ DIAMOND BEAUTY
★ DJ ANDRE

Huge shout out to the awesome DJ's who held us down and did their thing this week:
DJ ANDRE DVERE

DJ SPICE AKA CLAUDIA URBINA

DJ D"JAE" DO TO YO EARHOLE 

See you all next year with a new theme and new fun! 😊

Signing out

Cassie D. Shaw M.D.

            aka Big Sister On Point