View the news articles/media on our Life is a Carnival Calendar!

Breast Cancer Calendar
Smart Women Series, as appeared on WPTV, Palm Beach, Fl
January 11, 2008
FORCE staff and members meet and discuss Life is a Carnival Calendar and how it benefits women who need to make decisions about mastectomy and reconstruction.

Leawood woman makes a pre-emptive strike.
Kansas City Star, Nov. 07
FORCE member and calendar model Kelly Braun’s moving story about how hereditary breast cancer claimed her mother and then came after her, and about her decisions for managing her cancer risk.

You Can’t Top This Calendar
The Health Show, radio show, October 21, 2007
FORCE Founder and Director Sue Friedman discusses her story, why she founded FORCE, and the Life is a Carnival Calendar

Why Genetic Testing Can Tell You If You’re at High Risk for Breast Cancer
Sue Friedman and FORCE volunteer Linee Zajic are interviewed in New Orleans in a piece about genetic testing, prophylactic surgery, reconstruction, and FORCE’s Life is a Carnival calendar.

Breast Cancer Calendar Girls Give Others Hope
WFOR Channel 4, Miami, October 8, 2007
Anchor Laurie Stein interviews Sue Friedman and FORCE member Florence Schweitzer about Life is a Carnival Calendar

Breast Cancer Survivors’ Calendar Sends Message That ‘Your Life’s Not Over’
Tampa Tribune, September 13, 2007
Article about Life is a Carnival Calendar and interviews with calendar models Sue Friedman and Marcia Petersen

Mastectomy Patients Mark This Calendar
USA Today, August 27, 2007
Article about “Life is a Carnival”, FORCEs 14-month topless calendar
Calendar_cover
Life is a Carnival Calendar

This 2008 14-month calendar features photos from FORCE members who have undergone bilateral mastectomy; with and without reconstruction. To retain the anonymity of our models, they are wearing mardi gras masks in the photos. This project is meant to celebrate life after mastectomy, to showcase many types of reconstruction and nonreconstruction options in a nonthreatening and positive light, and to educate people about the different types of mastectomy and reconstruction. The calendar contains information about each models surgery with references included to the chapters in the Breast Reconstruction Guidebook which explain each procedure. A secondary goal of this calendar is to raise needed funds for FORCE programs.
Why this calendar?

There’s nothing unusual about a non-profit organization publishing a calendar. But there’s something very unique about this one. “Life is a Carnival” is a bold approach to mastectomy and reconstruction education. Most post-mastectomy photographs feature faceless torsos. We put faces—although festively masked—to the mastectomy and reconstruction experience. More than just a calendar, this is an intimate collection of real women who courageously volunteered to share their bodies and their experiences to help others understand their choices. We chose Mardi Gras as a theme because it celebrates life. Our calendar celebrates life after mastectomy. As these photos attest, life after mastectomy—with or without reconstruction—does go on.

FORCE encourages decisions based on information. Mastectomy is a difficult decision, and a critical issue for any individual with a BRCA mutation or a hereditary cancer syndrome. Those who have been diagnosed may face mastectomy as treatment, especially since they have a 65 percent chance of developing the disease again. Others choose prophylactic bilateral mastectomy to reduce their lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, which can be as high as 85 percent.

You should choose the surgery, with or without reconstruction, only after you’ve consulted qualified experts and you’ve carefully considered the benefits and limitations of all available risk-reducing options.

Whether you’re a cancer survivor or you’re exploring options to manage your risk, whether you’re considering mastectomy or have already had the surgery, we hope you find this calendar enlightening, inspiring and a reminder that you’re not alone. Explore your options, consider different techniques and make informed decisions. We wish you well.
The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook

The description of each model’s surgery includes chapter references from The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook, an objective and comprehensive resource for women facing mastectomy. Easy to read, the book is punctuated with real-life quotes from women who have had mastectomies. For many of us considering mastectomy and reconstruction, The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook has been our guide, our resource, our reassurance, and our companion into surgery. The Table of Contents is listed on page 32 of the calendar.
Other Resources

For more information and links to resources view the FORCE informational section on mastectomy and reconstruction. Our Joining FORCEs Newlsetter has featured articles on mastectomy with and without reconstruction in the following issues