By Guest Contributor:
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women. Often women are diagnosed over the age of 50, however that is definitely not always the case.
E! Correspondant, Giuliana Rancic was only 36 years old when breast cancer rocked her world. My Mother was 48 when it rocked ours.
In 2004, Breast cancer hit my family hard when my Mom was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer– which is a very aggressive, high risk form of this cancer. My mother went through treatments and was scheduled for surgery, but unfortunately, before she could have the surgery, she took a turn for the worse and she did not make it.
With her passing, there were 3 things that I immediately knew–
1. I had to become educated on this disease
2. Regular screenings would be a must– early detection is key!
3. I needed to be involved in some way.
Over the years, what has fulfilled me has been participating in fundraisers and being there for woman and families who are going through similar tough times. Which is why attending the Giuliana Rancic Fab-U-Wish Pink Party this past weekend was even more special.
Being a survivor herself, Guiliana’s charity celebrates women who have overcome their battle with breast cancer and ovarian cancer by providing them the opportunity to spend a day feeling “fabulous” by living out one of their biggest dreams.
The evening began at the new Vince Camuto store in New Jersey’s Westfield Garden State Plaza.
When I walked in, “Oh. my. gosh” were the first words that fell out of my mouth, as I began to drool over the spring shoe collection on display.
The gladiator sandals were calling my name almost immediately, so of course I had to scoop up a pair.
The price range on this spring collection is reasonable for designer shoes and you will not find anything like these Vince Camuto styles. Each pair was more gorgeous and chic than the next. If I could have, I’d have taken a size 6 in nearly every pair.
Unfortunately, time did not allow for our scheduled interview with Vince, however we did snag a photo with the talented designer before heading to the next part of the evening where Giuliana kicked off the Fab-U-Wishes Pink Party!
Giuliana Rancic Kicks Off The Fab-U-Wish Pink Party!
During the evening there was a runway show of Vince Camuto’s spring line and Giuliana granted the wishes of 2 breast cancer survivors which included a day of pampering and tickets to see a Broadway show.
Sitting Down With Giuliana
Giuliana was kind enough allow me to interview her that night. She was so incredibly down to earth and sweet. I thanked her for putting her story out there, for doing such a wonderful job lifting these women up, raising awareness, and how it all touched my life.
During the interview, Giuliana told me about a wish she granted for a young woman that battled and over came breast cancer in her twenties– TWENTIES! One of the ways the young lady got through her tough time with the disease was through listening to Rhianna. So Giuliana granted her ultimate wish– meeting Rhianna!
Giuliana told me that she has kept in contact with this particular Fab-U-Wish recipient, and many who followed her story on Instagram are still providing her encouragement when she is down.
Like those who sent encouragement virtually through instagram, when someone we know and love are battling a disease, many of us want to offer help and show that we care, so I asked Giuliana her advice on what we can do or say during these times, – “Positivity is key!”, she said. “(Let them know) it does get better!”
Being in a room with a fashion mogul like Giuliana, I had to ask some fashion tips. We all want to be on top of our A-game and fashion ready for the warm weather right?
Being a petite lady, I asked her recommendation to elongate a look for petite women like myself.
“Very tall wedges for the little ones, always want to fool people” and a staple for taller women she recommended “smaller wedges, even flats”
Seeing first hand what this incredible charity is doing for so many women, I left the Pink Party with my heart (and my love for fashion) feeling full.
