Month: October 2009

Daughter-in-law of the great cosmetic legend Estee Lauder, Evelyn Lauder has been at the forefront in the fight against breast cancer for years. Her story is one of both misfortune and privilege, after first having escaped the horror of the Nazis in World War II and then marrying into a family of wealth and privilege. This woman, however, didn’t turn out to be no average trophy wife. Recruited into the Company by her mother-in-law, Estee Lauder, it was clear early on that Evelyn was a very capable and dynamic young woman. Using her position as a “Lauder” in the company, she further rallied for the cause, and has been fighting relentlessly to find a cure ever since.

I’ve already done a Blog entry about H1N1, but I wanted to address this topic again. Everywhere you look, someone, somewhere in the world is reporting on the outbreak or pandemic of H1N1 (aka the Swine Flu). And it’s some really scary sh&t, let me tell you! We hear of cases where people are dying from the Swine flu. If you knew you could prevent this, and it was as simple as getting a little shot, wouldn’t it be a no-brainer? On the flip side, people are dying FROM the H1N1 shot. Should you risk giving a perfectly healthy individual a vaccine, only to have them develop permanent side effects? It’s a very complex issue.

“Erica, I have to tell you, I’m losing my patience. I’m yelling at my kids a lot lately. I can’t remember the last time I sat on the floor with them to do a puzzle. I’m short tempered with my husband. I’m pulled in a million different directions, and I’m completely frazzled!”

No doubt, infertility is on the rise. One in five couples today will struggle with infertility — the biological inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to full term. The infertility diagnosis can be devastating and demoralizing. Unable to become pregnant or carry a pregnancy to term, women often feel inadequate, alone and depressed. These feelings can overcome you and your life and many women fall into what I call a “paralyzed mode.” They’re almost too scared and too overwhelmed to do anything about it.

I have been fascinated with the Jaycee Dugard case since the media ran with it many weeks ago. A small, beautiful, innocent child, being held captive for 18 YEARS. Eighteen years, much of it spent in a backyard tent and shed that resembled something out of a horror movie. But it didn’t end with an eighteen year captivation. Raped over and over again by her kidnapper, she mothered two children in the process, Angel now 15, and Starlit now 11.