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The Bolingbrook mom of three and grandma of three rallied her team of 16angels at her side and 117 of her sixth grade students on the sidelines toraise more than $4,500 for breast cancer research. That was only a start toher now lifelong plan to help others through their cancer journeys.
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Zamirowski's altruism underscores what goes on behind the scenes every dayamong the more than 3 million members of the CarePages.com community. Manyfind that after or during a health occurrence they benefit emotionally andphysically by unselfishly reaching out to others facing a health crisis.
Joana deBelkadi, a bereavement counselor in Santa Cruz, CA, for example,overcame colorectal cancer and now offers support and hope to childrenbattling cancer. And Sarah Doyle, a suburban Boston mom, joined Mothers ofOmphaloceles, a support group that meets online, after her son beat tremendousodds and overcame the usually fatal birth defect.
"We see this over and over again among our CarePages members," saysDr. Sharon Langshur, co-founder of CarePages.com, an online community thathelps people cope with the emotional aspects of a health challenge. "Goingthrough a health occurrence can be a life-changing experience that transformspeople and prompts them to want to give back and help others."
Recent research commissioned by CarePages demonstrates that giving back isan integral part of the community experience, and Langshur has seen it playout in many ways. She offers her insights with these tips for giving backafter a health occurrence:-- Giving Back is Good for You. People find there are "feel good" benefits for doing something as simple as posting a note of support for someone going through a healthcare experience. -- Share Your Experience. Posting on their CarePage or sending an e-mail, card or message of encouragement can be powerfully inspiring and supporting. -- Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Start small by just doing something nice for someone else. -- Volunteer Your Time for a Worthwhile Cause. Numerous healthcare organizations and projects in your neighborhood could use your help, if even for only a few hours a week or month. -- Raise Money for a Cause: There are myriad 5K walks, runs and organized events in communities throughout the country to raise funds for research to overcome disease. Consider rallying friends and family and hitting the streets to help. Langshur, her family and the CarePages staff joined thousands of others in the Chicago Y-Me walk this month. -- Raise Awareness. Use your CarePage or someone else's to create awareness of a specific condition or a fundraiser being held to support research for that cause.
SOURCE CarePages.com
