I just read a great article on AHA's You're The Cure website: Be Part of the Rally for Medical Research!

I am so excited to be apart of this amazing event in April 8&9th!

I just read a great article on AHA's You're The Cure website: Be Part of the Rally for Medical Research!

There’s something big about to happen in Washington, DC, that you need to be a part of! On April 8th, thousands of patients and researchers, including hundreds of our You’re the Cure advocates, will join together in our nation’s capital to deliver a strong, unified message to Congress that our nation’s investment in medical research must be prioritized. It’s called the Rally for Medical Research- and just because you’re not in DC, doesn’t mean you can’t be there with us! Here are a few easy ways to get involved:

1. Add your name to our ‘Many Hearts, One Voice for Medical Research’ petition today. Your fellow advocates attending the rally will carry big hearts proudly displaying the names of supporters from across the country, like you, who want our nation’s decision makers to get the message loud and clear: We need cures, not cuts!
2. Help us get the word out! The more names we have on our hearts, the bigger the presence of the heart and stroke community will be at the rally, so encourage your friends and family to sign the petition too. Post the link (http://yourethecure.org/heartsforresearch) to Facebook and Twitter today.
3. Watch the rally from your home computer! On April 8th at 11:00 am EST, the rally will be live-streaming on YouTube, so tune-in to hear from great speakers, including NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins and even a couple of our very own You're the Cure advocates about how critical medical research is. You'll also get to see our red hearts waving in the crowd! Watch here.

Medical research saves lives, inspires hope, fosters innovation, and boosts the economy. Yet, our country’s investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s leading research institution, continues to decline. This threatens the fight against heart disease and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers- and the jobs of the researchers who have dedicated their careers to advancing science that saves lives. It’s time to turn things around- and this rally makes an important statement to Congress. Thank you for joining with us to show your support for making medical research funding a national priority!

A Mom to me

I have been asked many times why and how I got involved in pageants. They get a bad rap, truly but they saved me at a time I really needed saving. I came back from AADA/UF and by some grace was hired full time as as a model on HSN (then HSC ) as a model. It was an amazing letter. Someone who never met me believed or saw something in me. She encouraged me to compete in Miss Seminole Florida MAO. Who did not want to be Miss America. I just never knew how. I was a bit lost for many reasons and it gave me focus so I tried. Oh...geez....my theatrical background and my lack of tan...well.....what it did give me was family. Needless to say, I did not win that year. What I did gain was an amazing Mother.


I won Miss Seminole a few years later and Denny and Judy Pieczonka took me in to their home as their daughter and loved me through Miss Florida and beyond.


Today is my "Mom" Judy's Birthday and I love you. Thank you for always loving me, believing in me, and your amazing applesauce. You and Denny are forever in my heart and parents to me. I hope I didn't cause you to much trouble! Happy Anniversary's you two also.Love you!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUDY PIECZONCKA!

You say its you BIRTHDAY!

I think self celebrating may be wrong in a few books but in mine, I'm good with it. Its rough being 29....again:) I am happy to tell you my husband turned 38 this week. My age,  mystery! Maybe not so much! LOL! Its an interesting birthday with the birth of so much new and the passing and letting go of what is old. The military will do that to you. I had someone once tell me I wear everything on my sleeve, yeah baby, I wear it well!

Still looking for my Shamrock? Insert winning lottery ticket here! Excited for April. May the Cherry Blossoms bloom...finally!

Spring, where are you?

The car, the safe and the legacy.

In the past few days, well weeks, I have been digging through our safes. There is not a lot of importance or of value but there are a lot of memories. What drove me, no pun intended was we gave my nephew one of our cars and I was looking for the title and I came across some great letters. I am a Pemberton and proud of it. Hey by legacy we did invent Coca Cola but more importantly I ran across a letter from my Grandmother Bonnie. My Grandpa, Floyd J Pemberton, received a medal from President Eisenhower and my Dad was in the picture. This was followed up by a letter from my Grandmother of an article that was published in 1955 by the American Magazine  title "I'm Glad I'm Alive".  My intent is to find a scanner this week and post it because it just made me smile. Its not what you think. It was a how to avoid a car accident in a major rig. You see the award he won was for pulling two women out of a burning car when he was driving one night.

I think I search a lot for my family and I miss my parents, no doubt. Their legacy's live on. My Mom its a little harder because of the adoption and questions but we know there was music, go figure :), but the Pemberton's, well we are a very strong breed.

Family is amazing, my family is amazing.

YOU'RE THE CURE!

On April 8th, thousands of survivors and researchers, including hundreds of You're the Cure advocates, will be in Washington, DC for the Rally for Medical Research to deliver a strong, unified message to Congress that we must prioritize of nation's investment in medical research. You can show your support and be there with us by adding your name to our "Many Hearts, One Voice" petition today! Every name added will be proudly displayed on hearts your fellow advocates will hold at the rally.  

True Heroes

About 10 years ago, I was introduced to a wonderful man, Joe Finch.  Little did I know, he and the  journey would change my life.  The Armed Forces Foundation has done so much for so many. Joe and Monika, well so much more.

About 6 years ago Andy and I were so honored and blessed to have met Josh Huffman and Heather in Virginia and through the many arms of the AFF...Homes for the Troops...Andy and I were honored to emcee the event in Michigan that helped provide an amazing home for him. Josh and Heather are great heroes. It in moments that reminds me of the importance when it so easy to get  lost in the the day of  just "me". I received a great update today! Josh is doing great and I just bet there are some amazing things ahead. Save a hug for me!

I was so happy, honored and blessed to have been asked back to help serve at Walter Reed for the monthly dinner the Armed Forces Foundation host. We are asked not to take pictures of the patients but I will tell you they are the TRUE TRUE TRUE heroes, inspirations..... What people don't see is the day, the every day, The families, the every day. The staff, the every day. When you are in patient day after day, the beeps, the smells, the staff, the noise it becomes your life. It becomes your family of sorts. So even when the initial "war" has passed and the "healing" has begun its the journey that is is the hardest.

A special thank you and someone who walks the walk to Hannah Brewer Dell. Miss Maryland Teen USA. Whether the AHA, USO, or AFF your arms always reach that far. Love you.


From the smallest heroes to the biggest souls may God find speed tonight.

Thank you to the Armed Forces Foundation and thank you to "Uncle" Joe and Monika Finch and so many more that give. I am honored to have been volunteering with you for so long, blessed to be part of the military community and a big thank you for all you do.

Heart disease and women

DALLAS, February 19, 2013 — A new study shows women’s heart disease awareness is increasing, with the number of women aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death nearly doubling in the last 15 years, but that this knowledge still lags in minorities and younger women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Among the study’s major findings, researchers comparing women’s views about heart disease in 1997 and today found:

• In 2012, 56 percent of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death compared with 30 percent in 1997.
• In 1997, women were more likely to cite cancer than heart disease as the leading killer (35 percent versus 30 percent); but in 2012, only 24 percent cited cancer.
• In 2012, 36 percent of black women and 34 percent of Hispanic women identified heart disease as the top killer — awareness levels that white women had in 1997 (33 percent).
• Women 25-34 years old had the lowest awareness rate of any age group at 44 percent.

Among the women surveyed in 2012, researchers found:

• Racial and ethnic minorities reported higher levels of trust in their healthcare providers compared with whites, and were also more likely to act on the information provided—dispelling the myth that mistrust of providers contributes to disparities.
• Compared with older women, younger women were more likely to report not discussing heart disease risk with their doctors (6 percent among those 25-34 versus 33 percent for those 65 and older).

About the Study

In 1997, the AHA commissioned a national survey to assess the awareness and knowledge of heart disease risk among women. Researchers then determined that only one in three women correctly identified heart disease as the number one killer of women. Since that time, the AHA has worked to increase women’s awareness of heart disease, such as by launching the Go Red For Women campaign in 2003. As of 2012, the number of women who know that heart disease is their leading cause of death has nearly doubled.
The study showed barriers and motivators to engage in a heart healthy lifestyle are different for younger women, who also said their doctors were less likely to talk to them about heart disease.
“This is a missed opportunity,” said Lori Mosca, M.D, M.P.H., Ph.D., lead author of the study. “Habits established in younger women can have lifelong rewards. We need to speak to the new generation, and help them understand that living heart healthy is going to help them feel better, not just help them live longer. So often the message is focused on how many women are dying from heart disease, but we need to be talking about how women are going to live — and live healthier.”
Mosca also said efforts need to be culturally sensitive to reach more minorities who are at high risk for heart disease.
Learn Go Red For Women’s expert tips to live healthy and more ways to prevent heart disease. Know your risk for heart disease and take the Heart Checkup on Go Red For Women.
Find out more about how you can get involved with Go Red to help us bring awareness to women’s number one threat.
Read more about the American Heart Association’s study at Heart.org.