dailyinspiredthoughts:

My name is Mary Ann Wasil Nilan and I am a five+ year breast cancer kickin’ survivor, health activist and the Executive Director & Founder of the Get In Touch Foundation!  I’m also a mother of three teens, two of them daughters I was determined to teach the importance of breast self exam to.  After finding no program for young girls in existence, I realized that necessity really is the motherhood of invention…and I needed to get this information out to all girls, not just the ones that call me “Mom.”

So, a few years ago, with the help of a friend who is a school nurse, I facilitated a focus group of a dozen girls ranging in age from 8 to 18. All of them were familiar with breast cancer, but every girl, with the exception of my daughters, thought that you actually got breast cancer from wearing your bra too tight. Whoa. That was an eye-opener.

In response to the surprising results of our focus group, and in collaboration with a medical consulting board, I developed the Daisy Wheel. It’s a little larger than a CD, and it has one cut-out petal that rotates over the “8 Tips for 8-Straight” years of the Girls’ Program. The Daisy Wheel educates girls on proper breast healthcare with every tip — from Tip #1, “BSE Breast Self Exam,” to Tip #3, “Lying down, firmly press 3 fingers on your breast in a circular motion. Examine each petal,” to the marching orders of Tip #8, “Did you see or feel something that worries you? Don’t be embarrassed – tell your mom, dad, sister, grandma, school nurse, teacher, your BFF!  Talk about it – GET IN TOUCH!”

Health educators are encouraged to give the Daisy Wheel to girls starting in the fifth grade. The girls use the tool – and receive a new one each year — through the 12th grade.

Our goal is to put a Daisy Wheel in the hands of every girl in the world, thus “changing the world one girl at a time!”  No small goal, but with the help of our friends at Waves of Gratitude and the beauty of their Branches of Hope necklace, we are well on our way!

Each Branches of Hope purchase from the collection of Waves of Gratitude Inspired Jewelry available exclusively at www.wavesofgratitude.com means 3 Daisy Wheels get into the hands of 3 girls!

Grateful?  Oh, yeah…grateful x 3!!!