One picture shows what Susan Komen Race for the Cure is all about.

> I received this note today from a fiend Diana who made buttons for her own breast cancer walk read her story here..I just thought this was so moving..."I am so sorry for their loss. Do you think it would be okay with Jennifer's friends and family if I bought a button and wore it in my Avon breast cancer walk? I know I did not know her but I read the blog and would be honored if they said okay!!!" Diana, I'm going to say it would be more than just OK!

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I suppose I've seen Jennifer Goncalves face a few hundred times between making, packing and shipping 100 buttons for her friends and family to wear in the April 26 Susan Komen Race for the Cure in Newark, NJ. Much like Janine Kelker I feel like I know Jen ~ I wish I could have known her.

Jen's button is one a few I've made without any words and once you see Jen's eyes and smile ~ I think you'll see why words, logos, colored ribbons and wristbands pale in comparison to the powerfully simple message of a face on a button. Jen only 26 passed away from cancer two weeks before her wedding day.

Please check out the Jen's Breast Friends team page and consider making a donation ~ you might want to read this first from Jen and then from her Aunt Lucy Piccininni...

"Cancer took away my hair, my boobs, and my energy...
But it never took away my hope and courage to fight this horrible disease!"
-Jennifer Goncalves

My beloved niece Jennifer Goncalves was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, at the age of 26, in January 2008. After 14 months of battling this disease she passed away on March 20, 2009, 2 weeks before her wedding!

She was unlike any other person on this earth. She was the very essence of compassion, strength, courage, beauty, happiness, intelligence and the list can go on and on. From the time Jennifer was a little girl she had a certain appreciation for the simple things that life had to offer. Her joy for life was clearly demonstrated through her beautiful smile and the sparkle in those unforgettable green eyes.

Jennifer was more than just a daughter, fiancé, sister, niece, best friend, etc.  She was everything to everyone that knew her and all of our lives are a million times better just because we had the privilege of having her in it.  Her time with us was short, but she managed to impact and touch more people than most do in an entire lifetime.   We will always feel cheated that she was taken from us so young and yet we must learn to be grateful that she came along at all.

Even during her most difficult moments, she kept a positive attitude. The strength and courage that she possessed this past year is beyond what anyone could've ever imagined and it shows what a truly remarkable woman she was. Jennifer had the most contagious laugh that could be heard miles away and she had the wonderful ability to brighten up any room that you walked into. (continued...)

After her diagnosis, Jennifer continued to work, completed her master's degree and planned a wedding; all while she managed chemo treatments, doctor’s appointments and surgeries.  There wasn't anything that was going to stop her from LIVING life or get in the way of her doing everything that she wanted to do.  We alI watched in awe; it was that spirit which lead us all to believe that if anyone could beat this, she could.  She never realized how truly amazing all of her accomplishments were, but those of us around her knew.  She would just smile, laugh and behave as if she was doing exactly what she should be doing...as if nothing was extraordinary about it. There wasn't anything that she wouldn't do for the people she loved most and Jennifer truly is an inspiration to us all.

Jennifer had intended to walk on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Essex County Branch Brook Park, Newark, New Jersey in support of all the beautiful women who have been touched by this disease.  Her initial goal of raising $10,000 by her team has been surpassed and it’s now up to her family & friends to continue on with her legacy and to take one step closer to finding a cure for this disease that has taken so many beautiful lives.  No woman, regardless of age, is immune to this disease and we certainly wouldn't want anyone else to go through what Jennifer and our family went through.   Her strength, courage, and hope for a cure live on as we fight in her memory.

Please help support "Jen’s Breast Friends" in raising money so that someday other families can be spared the pain of this horrible disease.  We thank you for any donation that you can make - No donation is too small!  Please click right here

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Anything which replicates (our cells) will probabilistically suffer from errors (mutations). Unless error correction and prevention is properly carried out, the errors will survive, and might be passed along to daughter cells. Normally, the body safeguards against cancer via numerous methods, such as: apoptosis, helper molecules (some DNA polymerases), possibly senescence, etc. However these error-correction methods often fail in small ways, especially in environments that make errors more likely to arise and propagate.Anything which replicates (our cells) will probabilistically suffer from errors (mutations). Unless error correction and prevention is properly carried out, the errors will survive, and might be passed along to daughter cells. Normally, the body safeguards against cancer via numerous methods, such as: apoptosis, helper molecules (some DNA polymerases), possibly senescence, etc. However these error-correction methods often fail in small ways, especially in environments that make errors more likely to arise and propagate.