Focused on a Cure: Pink Pearls

Last Night we attended the Pink Pearls event held at Concord Vintage Motor Company. The 2010 Focused on a Cure Exhibit was displayed right when everyone walked in the door. People were enjoying the exhibit when entering the event.

Special guest Molly Grantham from WBTV News was the guest MC for the event. Molly has personally been touched by breast cancer in her family. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, her grandmother was a breast cancer survivor and her great grandmother passed away with breast cancer. Molly did a wonderful job hosting this event.

Models strutted on the runway in fashions by Brooks Brothers, Cache, Coldwater Creek, Doncaster, Kids CO-OP, and Neta’s.

This year’s event was the 30th anniversary of the Healing Threads Fashion show. Neta’s has been supplying clothes for all 30 years of the fashion show. This year was extra special because Neta herself modeled in the show. It was also the first time in Neta’s life that she had ever worn pants. Neta is a typical southern bell wearing dresses all her life!

There were two special models in the show to Focused on a Cure. Sabrena Thomas and Lou Hamilton were both models this year. Both ladies are both breast cancer survivors and part of Cabarrus Health Alliances Sisters in Partnership.

Over the thirty years of the Pink Pearls Fashion show Northeast Foundation has raised over 5.75 million dollars contributed to Breast Cancer awareness and research. This year’s event through sponsorship, donations and ticket sales raised $65,500.

We would like to thank Northeast Foundation for their support of Focused on a Cure as well as say thank you to them for all they do for Breast Cancer awareness.

Way to Go Guys!!      

http://www2.independenttribune.com/news/2010/sep/26/fashion-show-benefit-northeast-foundation-ar-420207/

To learn more about Northeast Foundation please visit their website at http://www.cmc-northeast.org/

Focused on a Cure: Sisters in Partnership Meeting

Today Karen and I attended the Sisters in Partnership meeting at Cabarrus Health Alliance! For those of you who are unaware of what Cabarrus Health Alliance does, they are an organization that provides health care to those who cannot afford the type of health care necessary for their particular illness.

Sisters in Partnership is an African American organization that promotes Breast Cancer awareness as well as provides a group for ladies to attend, talk about their illness and give support to one another.

As a personal testimony, I can say from the bottom of my heart that these ladies touched me today. They made me want to work harder for Focused on a Cure to beat this illness that they have over come. Each survivor went around and gave personal testimonies and I wanted to share a few of those testimonies with you.


 I am Bertha Williams. I am 96 years old, praise the Lord above. I am a multiple cancer survivor. I have had both breast and kidney cancer as well as I now live with a rare form of blood cancer. When I went in and was told that I had breast cancer, I told the doctors that I did not want to go any further, I was ready to go home to my Lord. However God was not done with me. Doctors gave me three months to live and here it is 8 years later!! I prayed for strength which he gave to me. Everyone else prayed for my healing so he answered their prayers as well.

I am Mrs. Pearl Asbury. My daughter went with me to my oncology appointment when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I told the doctor then that I had a great granddaughter due that week and that I was refusing to go along with his plan because I wanted to feel good when I was there with the great grand baby. The baby was born and it was a joyful occasion. I went back to the oncologist after getting back from my trip to start his treatment. They ran all of their traditional test and found that I no longer had cancer. That was 6 years ago, and I have been cancer free ever since. Praise the Lord!!


Another lady spreads awareness by purchasing Avon Breast Cancer bracelets and giving them to people that she meets. She meet a lady at the bank who had on wrap. She went over to talk with her and tell her how beautiful she was. The lady said " Thank you I forgot my wig in the car", girl you look beautiful without it and gave her a bracelet.


There were 10 survivors in attendance at this meeting and each story was more touching than the last. These two stories that I shared were the two that stuck out the most. The only common theme of all of their stories was that they were thankful to God for leading them through. They knew that this diagnoses was just a stepping stone in their life that God had handed them to lead them to another journey. All of these ladies were meant to do great things and they have.

Cabarrus Health Alliance received a large grant this year from Focused on a Cure 501(c)(3) and this is why. They provide services to people like Mrs. Pearl and Mrs. Bertha. These ladies are what provide us with  stories of healing and inspiration.

I hope each of you receive as much of a blessing from these stories as Karen and I did today!!!


For more information on Cabarrus Health Alliance and Sisters in Partnership please visit their website at: http://www.cabarrushealth.org/

Focused on a Cure: Thank You

We received this letter from the Cabarrus Health Alliance recently.

Dear Karen and Renda,

On behalf of the Cabarrrus Health Alliance, I would like to thank both of you and the Focused on a Cure Foundation, for awarding this grant to our cancer screening and outreach programs, from the Piggin' Out for Pink and other fundraiser held in 2010.

Sisters in Partnership has proven to be a powerful tool in the fight against breast cancer, because the basis of this program is networking for information, advice and support. This program received $X, which will be utilized for breast models, printed educational and promotional materials for outreach projects, and to promote outreach events and BCCCP clinics, all for the purpose of community education and support about breast cancer.

Mammograms received $X, which will be utilitzed for diagnostic procedures including screenings and mammograms for low-income, uninsured and underserved women, ages 40-64, which will result in early breast cancer detection and a more positive prognosis.

Under the direction of Program Coordinator, Virginia Hunter, both of these cancer outreach programs have seen great successes and tremendous growth in recent years. With the generous support of Focused on a Cure, Cabarrus Health Alliance will be able to reach out to the community and serve an even greater number of women in the coming year, with the hopes that this early detection, education, and follow-up care will save precious lives.

Cabarrus Health Alliance and the Cabarrus Health Alliance Board sincerely appreciate the wonderful work your foundation is doing to spread awarenss and to provide hope for so many. Your generosity is a tremendous encouragement to us.

Best regards,
Charles C. Phillips, Chairman
Cabarrus Health Alliance Board