10.30.2007

check, please


October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

If you happened to catch Deanna Favre's interview last night during MNF, you saw a young woman who is determined to spread the message of hope. Of survival. Of life after beating cancer.

You saw a young woman who's every bit as tough as her legendary husband—a man who puts his own body to the test every Sunday (well, Monday too) on the gridiron.

You saw a hero.

Her new book, Don't Bet against Me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life, is a testament to her unwavering commitment to helping others beat this insidious disease. Here's an excerpt from the back cover:

At age thirty-five, Deanna Favre had it all— A loving husband at the peak of his NFL career Two beautiful daughters A wonderful life . . .

And breast cancer.

No one is immune to tragedy. Deanna Favre is living proof.

A shy, small-town girl from Kiln, Mississippi, Deanna had always been perfectly content to let her famous husband steal the spotlight. Though married to the NFL’s only three-time MVP, she preferred to live a life of quiet anonymity.

But on December 22, 2003, when television cameras zeroed in on a somber Deanna watching her grief-stricken husband lead the Green Bay Packers to a victory over the Oakland Raiders immediately following the death of his father, the spotlight shifted. Deanna’s life was about to change forever.

Tragedy struck again the following October, when Deanna’s younger brother, Casey, was killed in an ATV accident. Four days later—still reeling from the loss of her brother—Deanna was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Through it all, however, Deanna has emerged a survivor. In this candid and inspirational memoir, she shares the triumphs and the tragedies of a life lived both behind the scenes and on center stage. From her years as a single mom and her high-profile marriage to Brett, to her highly publicized battle with breast cancer, and the work she is currently doing through the Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation, Deanna’s story is living testament that with faith, hope, and love, ordinary people can overcome even the most extraordinary circumstances.

So, ladies, we implore you. Just because Breast Cancer Awareness Month is nearing its end, don't forget its life-saving message.

Don't forget Deanna Favre.

If you're over 40, or have a history of breast cancer or other cancers in your family, please talk to your primary care physician today about scheduling your yearly mammogram.

10.26.2007

shoo, shoo seasonal flu

Just a friendly public service reminder to everyone out there in blog-land:

Stay healthy. Get a flu shot.

10.25.2007

well, it's bikini season somewhere

With fall-like temperatures finally catching up with us, I thought posting this rather provocative seven-foot tall pull-up banner display might pique your blogging interests. Or at least make you yearn for a well-deserved tropical vay-cay. It was one of several banners we produced for Doc Bergqvist's booth at the recent Women's Only Health Fair in Erie.

Word is that the banners made quite the impression.

In other healthcare-related news, we just finalized a new hand hygiene campaign for the good folks at Hamot Medical Center. We produced several different educational/awareness posters, banners, wall stickers (near wall-mounted hand sanitizers) and signage for elevator doors. You should start seeing the materials throughout the hospital in about a week or so. Here is a small sampling...

Wall posters:


Hanging banners:
Main lobby elevator door signage (the black line down the middle represents where the two elevator doors come together)...
The idea was simple, really. Let's remind people that the everyday objects we all touch—like light switches, elevator buttons and, yes, potty flusher handles—can collect some real nasty bugs. And we can pass those nasties on real easy like to others. Just imagine the amount of germs that are dancing a jig on your keyboard right now.

Seriously. I can't stress enough the importance of washing or sanitizing your hands. A lot.

Spread the word, people.

10.10.2007

The Boys & Girls Club truly does change lives.

Every once and a while we have decided to post some of our favorite work from the past, not just the present. This really came about while we were searching for some work in the archives and had one of those Clark Griswold in the attic type of moments.

This video we shot and edited for the Boys & Girls Club of Erie still holds a special place in our hearts (and on our reel). We wanted to show people that there are children in our very own community that don't have what most of us take for granted each and every day. We focused on where they live, what they face in their daily lives and how the Boys & Girls Club helps fill that void.

It was an emotional shoot and an even more emotional edit. How the Club affects their lives, indeed affected ours just as much.