Where have I been?

Boy it has been a while since I blogged!! That is not proper blogging etiquette. Well, here we are in November and the last time I posted was January. Nearly a whole year has passed and I wanted to give an update to the happenings at Holistic Living Now before the year closes out and we are in the throws of 2011.

This year I have been making monthly wellness presentations to the patients at the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention. This has been a wonderful experience for me to share my wisdom with adults healing from various cancers such as breast, prostate and the like. I am more certain than ever before that the human spirit cannot be extinguished! We are resilient and can survive so much. Always keep your hope alive no matter what comes your way!

I have just started to teach cooking and wellness at GEMS - Girls Empowering and Mentoring Services. This is special work. The average age of the girls is 15 and they are working to leave the sex trade. Empowering these girls to feed themselves with nutrient-rich foods and habits can help them get grounded in their body and grow beyond this chapter in their life.

My work at the the Children's Hospital at Montefiore continues. I am part of Dr. Karen Moody's IMPACT team for Pediatric Oncology / Hematology. Integrative Medicine and Palliative Care Team is what we are and my part of that is Holistic Health Education and Cooking Instruction. This December marks my second anniversary as part of this remarkable team! With the help of my intern Keith Machler, I was able to get two generous blender donations this spring. Blendtec and Montel Williams both donated very powerful and useful blenders. Now, I go from room to room on the 9th floor making delicious and healthy smoothies for the kids who are inpatients. My next goal is to set up a table in the day hospital waiting area. This clinic is where kids come to get their chemotherapy and have regular checkups. The Bronx has been deemed the least healthy county in the U.S. so our work there can be overwhelming at times. Education is power. My goal is to share my recipes and guidance with as many as possible.

And finally, I created a Holistic Living Now fan page on Facebook. That is a great spot to view photos and videos of my wellness events. There are contests to compete in and conversations to join.

Thanks for reading and please post a note so I can hear your feedback!