So, without further ado, I hereby announce the winners of our 12 contests:

Contest: Ribbon
Prize: Go Pink for October mug by Dana P. @ PeaPod Studio
Winner: Laurie

Contest: Mammogram
Prize: A blog review by Bloggeries
Winner: Tina

Contest: Self-breast exam
Prize: 30-minute design consultation by Jacob C. @ Just Creative Design
Winner: Kristarella

Contest: Microscope
Prize: Survivor buffs by Hayley T. @ Cancer Survivor Stuff
Winner: Kayce D.

Contest: Lump
Prize: A pair of gemstone earrings by Catherine @ La Perle Jewellery
Winner: Sandy

Contest: Mastectomy
Prize: Tile Necklace in Crabapple Floral choker by Lisa C. @ Polka Dot Cottage
Winner: Sandy

Contest: Ultrasound
Prize: A banner ad design by Selene B. @ iDesign Studios
Winner: Sandy

Contest: Bra
Prize: “Hearts and Tears” by Moon @ Custom Moonlight Designs
Winner: Kristarella

Contest: Share your story
Prize: A woven wire beaded bracelet by Sharon H. @ Mana Moon Studios
Winner: FL Hopkins (My Story)

Contest: Design and win
Prize: A single-use premium theme by Bhavesh R. @ PremiumThemes.net
Winner: Evelyn T (P4O vertical banner)

Contest: Breast cancer is…
Prize: A year of webhosting, which includes 200MB disk space, 10GB monthly bandwidth, 5 addon domains and 5 MySQL databases by Emily @ Swank Web Style Design Studio
Winner: The Laundress

Contest: What have you done in conjunction with P4O?
Prize: Lean Cuisine Lunch Tote by Laurie and Nikki @ Our3Day
Winner: Sandy

Congratulations to all winners! You will receive an email from me in the next few hours, so please get in touch with your sponsor and arrange for the delivery of the item/product that you have just won, OK?

To all our sponsors, thank you very much once again for making my Pink for October so meaningful :D

See you guys next year!

– Pelf Nyok

The word for today is BRA. This is a simple one, isn’t it? :D

That’s right. Go look for a picture, or a comic strip, or draw one if you can, that best describes a bra, obvious or otherwise. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description (or a joke or an anecdote) about it on your blog (also, please do not copy-and-paste from Wikipedia or other online sources) and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Thurs, Oct 30th, and the winners for these a la photo hunt contests will be announced on Oct 31st. Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

It is very easy to participate — All you need to do is write a blog post on your blog, telling us what you have done since October 1st to spread awareness on breast cancer. Have you been writing about breast cancer every other day? Have you been talking to your friends about self breast exams? Have you been reading up about the myths and truths regarding breast cancer? Have you been volunteering in a hospital, helping cancer-stricken patients? Have you been walking for a cure?

Whatever it was that you have done, we would like to know ALL about it. But don’t forget to leave us a comment in the comments section! Otherwise we wouldn’t know that you have participated! :D

On Oct 31st, I will randomly pick one blog post, and the lucky winner will win one of these prizes. It’s that easy! :D

Good luck!

– Pelf Nyok

“Breast cancer is …”

It is very easy to participate — All you need to do is think of a slogan or whatever you call it, and complete the sentence in NO MORE THAN 20 words. Write your slogans in the comments section. Slogans that have more than 20 words will be disqualified.

On Oct 31st, I will randomly pick one slogan, and the lucky winner will win one of these prizes. It’s that easy! :D

Good luck!

– Pelf Nyok

The word for today is ULTRASOUND. We had a contest on mammogram, and now we have one on ultrasound. This clearly shows that my creative juices is running out :D

Now, go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that best describes an ultrasound, be it an ultrasound machine or a comic strip. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description about it on your blog (please be original and not cut-and-paste from Wikipedia) and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! I know I am repeating this, but be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 26th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Monday, Oct 27th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

The word for today is MASTECTOMY. You see this coming too, no? :D

That’s right. Go look for a picture, or a comic strip, or draw one if you can, that best describes a mastectomy, obvious or otherwise. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description (or a joke or an anecdote) about it on your blog (also, please do not copy-and-paste from Wikipedia or other online sources) and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Wed, Oct 22th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Thurs, Oct 23th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

The word for today is LUMP. You see this coming, didn’t you? :D

Now, go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that best describes a lump, obvious or otherwise. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description about it on your blog (please be original and not cut-and-paste from Wikipedia) and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 19th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Monday, Oct 20th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

The word for today is MICROSCOPE.

That’s right. Go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that best describes a microscope, obvious or otherwise. Then write a description about it on your blog and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Wed, Oct 15th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Thurs, Oct 16th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

The word (or phrase, in this case) for today is SELF BREAST EXAM.

That’s right. Go look for a picture, or take one if you can, that best describes a self breast exam, obvious or otherwise. But please make sure that your picture is work-safe and children-safe (we hope to keep this contest and website friendly, and not adult-oriented). Then write a description about it on your blog and don’t forget to leave me a comment in the comments section! If you didn’t leave me a comment and your link, I wouldn’t know that you have participated, and most of all, your name will not be in the draw! Again, be creative and think out of the box :D

The comments section for this post will be closed at 11:59 pm on Sunday, Oct 12th, and the next word will be announced at 12 am on Monday, Oct 13th (all times in GMT). Also, I suggest that you subscribe to the Pink for October feed to avoid missing any updates and contests! Please visit the contest page and the sponsors page for more information.

– Pelf Nyok

I’ve known Ellen for about 20 years. I came into her family as wife to whom she called her BBB (big brother Bruce). At age 35, Ellen went to have a mammogram and was told she was too young and to come back when she was 40. Well, at age 40, when they gave her, her first mammogram, Ellen was diagnosed with breast cancer… I wasn’t there when she got the results, but when I found out the news, I was floored!! I couldn’t believe my ears.

How dare such a deadly disease affect our family! Especially someone so young. I can only imagine how she felt when they told her. And what was going on in her mind. I felt such empathy for her. I wanted to just hug her, cry with her and make it all go away!

Through the years that followed, I watched Ellen go through so much pain and trauma that without the help of God to call upon, she would have not been able to come as far as she did. She fought this deadly disease for about 8 years. What a struggle! Each time it knocked her down, she came up fighting with all her might! As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, while fighting for her own life, Ellen suffered the death of her dad in June of 2006, and her mom, in September of 2007.

Ellen use to call and talk with mom every day of her married life. That was mom’s only daughter and they were really close. We got together as often as time would allow. Ellen and her family, own a cabin here in Berkeley Springs and came up from Woodbridge, VA three seasons out of the four. One of her favorite pastimes was riding the lawnmower.

After mom passed away, I could see how Ellen’s little body was getting more and more tired and weaker as time went by. We were able to be together this past thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a little sadder this year because mom wasn’t with us, but being with family is the most important part of any given holiday! Ellen has touched the hearts of so many people. When I first met her, I knew that I was going to love being a part of this family.

On my blogger site, I wrote a post which I named “Courage.” It was my first post about Ellen. Now, before I go on, I’d like to vent if you don’t mind? It was so very hard seeing Ellen go through this battle for so many years. She was one of the most courageous woman I’ve ever known and loved.

Ellen fought this ugly, unforgiving battle with cancer for the last eight years of her life. She’s gone through losing her breasts and her hair. Through the pain of radiation and deadly chemo. She also came through reconstructive surgery of caging some of her vertebrae because it was deteriorating. She endured having surgery on her brain and on one of her eye lids. She came through the doctors trying to rid the cancer in her spine, and also had to live with it attacking her bone marrow.

That September, just before mom passed away, we got word from Ellen that it came back into her brain. Mom was going through some very serious health problems of her own so we thought it best not to add that on her plate. Ellen told us that they were going to try and shrink the cancer in her brain this time but not to get her hopes up. She was truly living one day at a time. She decided not to go through the procedure and they more or less told her to go home and enjoy the quality of life she has left.

At that time, along with the pain n sorrow we were all feeling, I asked God that Ellen would be able to enjoy one more Christmas with her family. It was beautiful. Very poignant. We were there, her honey, Rocky, was there, all 3 of her kids and her 2 granddaughters shared a very special Christmas that year! Just like the year before we knew it would be moms last Christmas so that year was also most unforgettable. God heard my prayer and granted my hearts desire. What a loving God we have!

Ellen passed away January 12^th of this year. She spent her last few days in the hospice section of the hospital. I was very concerned that Ellen has never been baptized, even as a child. I arranged for the Chaplain of the hospital to come in and baptize Ellen. We talked about it for a while but the opportunity never presented itself… until that very time. Her honey, Rocky, her BBB and I were there with her. Along with baptizing her, the Chaplain anointed her with oil and gave Ellen her Last Rights.

I hate this part of life!!! And it doesn’t get any easier to bear each time we have to go through the death of another loved one. I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but with so much pain and sorrow we have no control over, whatsoever, is happening all around us, it’s a wonder how we can pick ourselves up and go on living with that void. Ellen, you live in our hearts and you will sadly be missed!

ELLEN CLEVELAND
NOVEMBER 17, 1959 — JANUARY 12, 2008

You May Be One Person In This World, But To One Person, You Are The World!
If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It!
Your Faith Is A Gift From God!

—Anni