A Frantic Call
Jamiliah Rodgers is a proud mother of five children, so naturally, her kids are always on her mind. That was especially the case when she found a mass in one of her breasts while taking a shower. After her initial fear was over (thanks in large part to a frantic […]
A JOYful 2019!
A video message from co-founder, Joy Blondheim. We are thankful! Thankful for every person who has helped us spread the word that early detection is saving lives. Thankful for every survivor who has become an inspiration to all of us. Thankful for the funding that has provided life-saving mammograms and […]
All Alabama. All The Time.
“Our state has so much to offer! It’s full of natural beauty, but especially full of amazing, hard-working and talented people. I enjoy the relationship and creativity of good collaborations with our brand partners. It’s very rewarding to be able to draw on my own creative and professional background to […]
Big-Hearted Bikers
(pictured above are Helen Philips and the Save the Tatas group at a recent check presentation to Joy to Life) One of the most amazing things about Joy to Life is watching people who travel in completely different circles come together to save lives. Breast cancer affects everyone, and when […]
Breast Health: Important All Year
Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October may come once a year, but with one in eight women being diagnosed with breast cancer annually, this is a topic that’s worth discussing year-round. During October, you wear the pink and hear the statistics, but you think, “it will never happen to me,” […]
Bruce Pearl Family Foundation
We have been blessed to have been able to partner with some amazing organizations that share our vision and values. One of the most recent, is The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation, founded by Auburn University Head Basketball Coach, Bruce Pearl. Bruce is a leader, both on and off the court, […]
Carrie’s Story
Every survivor has a story…this is Carrie Ward’s. (Video produced by Alabama News Network for Tickled Pink 2019.)
Eating By Elaine
Joy to Life magazine is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with food blogger and healthy eating expert Elaine Gordon, whose blog, Eating by Elaine, features tons of delicious easy-to-make dishes that are nutritious, plant-based and free of common allergens including gluten, dairy, soy and peanuts. We’ll be posting some […]
Growing Green
A quick glance inside MGM Greens’ rectangle shipping containers brings to mind a disco, thanks to the intense purple glow, light emitted from thousands of tiny blue and red LED bulbs, filling the small space. The illusion quickly fades; there’s no music or dancing. And yet, there is life, energy […]
Holiday Guide 2019: A Few of Our Favorite Places for Great Things
We know all you want for the holidays is to make sure everyone on your list gets something great. You’re so thoughtful! But with myriad choices, gift giving can be come a real chore. Take some of the guesswork out of your quest for that perfect present by adding a […]
Holly Rowe, Game of Her Life
Famed Sports Journalist Holly Rowe has fought through adversity to beat back cancer, and she shares how her career has helped her on her journey in more ways than one. “During my cancer journey, I started keeping a joy journal to record the little moments each day that made me […]
Jamiliah’s Story
Every survivor has a story…this is Jamiliah Rodger’s. (Video produced by Alabama News Network for Tickled Pink 2019.)
Janet’s Story
(Pictured above are Janet, her daughter Cindy and the bride, her granddaughter, Emilie. Photo emailed from Janet.) Staff meetings at Joy to Life are like most – lots of planning, idea sharing and deadline setting. It keeps our small staff hopping, but for good reasons. However, when a team member […]
Jenny’s Story
Every survivor has a story…this is Jenny Dodson’s. (Video produced by Alabama News Network for Tickled Pink 2019.)
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Betty Ehrlich & Elaine Kirkpatrick
When she was three years old, Betty Ehrlich lost her mother to breast cancer. Today, Betty is herself a three-time cancer survivor. Her daughter Elaine has been by her side through all three struggles. The duo shared what they’ve each learned and how prayer and positive thinking have proven powerful […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Beverly Helton
In 2008, a very healthy and active 48-year-old Beverly Helton, who up until the moment she detected a lump in her breast felt “just fine,” was diagnosed with stage III invasive breast cancer. She beat it. Then, in 2017, she was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer, and she’s beating […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with David Barranco
When David Barranco, owner of a favorite Montgomery eatery, was diagnosed with breast cancer, his first feelings were fearful. But now he’s able to inject a little humor into his story. He shares how hope and a supportive cancer community helped him through a trying time. Share a little about […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Dickie Blondheim
Dickie Blondheim, co-founder of the Joy to Life Foundation, shared how he handled his wife Joy’s breast cancer and how other spouses, partners, parents or friends can do right by their loved one and themselves. What were your first thoughts when you heard the diagnosis? Standing at Baptist Hospital, almost […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Dr. Carrie J. Nelson
According to 27-year-breast-cancer survivor Dr. Carrie J. Nelson,fear overwhelmed her in the moments just following her diagnosis, but she moved past emotion and turned her energy outward,founding a nonprofit to help others. Tell us about your cancer diagnosis. My cancer experience began on a winter day in Grand Blanc, Michigan, […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Hayden McDonald
I turned 40 years old, so I scheduled my mammogram. I’m very thankful I didn’t wait! Hayden McDonald is a Montgomery native who has spent her life being active and helping others improve their health by doing the same, working as an exercise physiologist with the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Heather Parrish
I would encourage you [Caregiver/Loved One] to allow the cancer fighter to express whatever emotion they are feeling in the moment, without trying to fix the situation. During two back-to-back battles with cancer, Heather Parrish, proprietor of Montgomery’s Southern Art & Makers Collective gallery and shop, learned the limits of […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Kim Scharf
(Pictured above is Kim Scharf (left) with friends.) Finding out you have a health issue is never easy. When the diagnosis is something serious like cancer, it can be terrifying. But when she was battling breast cancer in 2013, Auburn nurse Kim Scharf got by with a little help from […]
JOY Magazine REAL LIFE – A Discussion with Ronda Walker
A “believe it, be it” attitude and determination to keep moving forward for her kids pushed Montgomery County Commissioner Ronda Walker through a dire diagnoses and to the other side: breast cancer survivorship. Tell us about your cancer diagnosis and treatment. It was one week before Christmas 2014 when I […]
Joy Magazine-Fall 2020
From the editor… It’s Fall! Looking at our cover shot of Rick Hendricks has me already dreaming about cool days that allow me to pursue peaceful exploration during a walk, a run or a hike. Hiking is absolutely invigorating, and I can’t wait to take advantage of all the glorious […]
Joy Magazine-Spring 2020
From the editor… Hello everyone. Our wonderful Joy magazine publishing team (Jennifer Kornegay, Erika Tracy, Nancy Fields) has been extremely passionate about this magazine, and you can see the hard work in every issue. In good times and bad, these smart and talented women have produced a magazine that I […]
Joy Magazine-Summer 2020
From the editor… Hello everyone. This summer may be different for most of us this year. We probably won’t travel as much; we probably won’t be in large gatherings, and we will certainly be wearing face coverings regardless of the summer heat. Although this summer will be different, it doesn’t […]
Joy Magazine-Winter 2021
From the editor… Hello Everyone. Last year was a huge upheaval for all of us, and although I believe it was a tough year that we never want to repeat, I also believe it taught us some very valuable lessons. We are tougher than we think, but without planning and […]
Joy to Life Foundation Expands Funding
Although the Foundation has provided funding for breast cancer screenings for many years in all of Alabama’s 67 counties for women and men who cannot afford them, we are now proud that we can take over the northern counties of Alabama. Previously, the Susan G. Komen Foundation funded these counties, […]
Joy to Life Foundation: Re-Committing To Our Roots
In late 2012, when the JTL Foundation decided to start a magazine, it had these goals in mind: to raise awareness of how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent breast cancer and other health issues and provide information and advice on how to pursue such a lifestyle; to spread positive […]
Joy to Life Magazine-Winter 2020
From the editor… Our winter issue of the Joy to Life Magazine is simply fabulous, and I can’t wait for you to read the great information to begin 2020. Who doesn’t want to get better organized this year? I think we would all like to de- clutter our closets, our […]
Learn About Lymphedema
Lymphedema: What is it and how is it treated? Lymphedema is a condition affecting the body’s lymphatic system. When excess lymphatic fluid surrounds tissue cells, it causes excessive swelling in different areas of the body, most noticeably the arms and legs. Lymphedema can be caused by cancer treatments. Learn more […]
Looking Deeper
Plenty of people can draw or paint a likeness of another person. But when a portrait is more than an accurate depiction of someone’s physical appearance, when it captures and conveys not just how they look but who they are – that’s art. For Montgomery artist Elana Hagler, there’s a […]
Lymphedema Surgery Changed Joy’s Life
(video provided by MD Anderson) After breast cancer treatment, Joy faced lymphedema, a common cancer treatment side effect that causes the lymphatic system to become blocked and may result in a swollen arm or leg. Because of her lymphedema, Joy dealt with many infections over the years. Eventually, she went […]
Lymphedema Surgery Eases Symptoms of this Common Cancer Treatment Side Effect
(video and information provided by MD Anderson) Lymphedema is a common cancer treatment side effect that can lead to swelling, pain and sometimes infections. Lymphedema can be treated through noninvasive methods like massage, compression garments and physical therapy. But if lymphedema symptoms do not improve a patient may need surgery. […]
Montgomery Cancer Center Drives Hope with Central Alabama’s First Mobile Medical Unit
Access to cancer screenings and care will soon become easier for the people of Central Alabama thanks to Driving HOPE, a new mobile cancer screening and education unit that Montgomery Cancer Center is putting into place. The self-contained, 37-foot unit will provide underserved communities with cancer screenings, outreach, prevention, and […]
Mowing Down Breast Cancer
Support for Joy to Life comes from all kinds of people, places and companies. One of the most unique places we’ve received support (and lots of it) comes from Bush Hog—a company that produces heavy duty mowers and cutters based in Selma, Alabama. Now you may be thinking, why would […]
myWalgreens Donation Program
We’re participating in the myWalgreens donation program! You can donate your myWalgreens cash rewards to Joy to Life Foundation thru May 31,2022. At Walgreens, you’ll earn unlimited 1% Walgreens Cash rewards when you shop and you can choose how much to donate. It’s that easy. Whether you’d like to contribute […]
Only 34 Years Old
It was a normal day in the office and the phone rang, one of the nurses in the Shelby county health department had just done a clinical breast exam on a 34 year old who had breast lumps in both breasts. She requested a mammogram and ultrasound. I sent her […]
Podcast with Deanne Allegro: Eat The Rainbow
What’s best food-wise for us to put in our bodies is a big question. But Deanne Allegro (Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Auburn University Montgomery) has a unique way of breaking down this monumental subject into “bite-size” pieces that anyone can understand! In this episode, Joy […]
Podcast with Dr. Pam Strickland: This is a Problem, But We Can Fix It
“This is a problem, but we can fix it. It will take work, but we can fix this.” This quote from Dr. Pam Strickland sums up her approach to her work–offering a full range of surgical services to women with breast cancer and other breast diseases. She is a board-certified […]
Podcast with Hands on Healing: Everything is Connected
Did you know that pain in your shoulder may originate from your foot? Did you know that your brain may be hurting you while trying to protect you? Did you know that research is being done that involves training bacteria to fight cancer cells while leaving the good bacteria in […]
Podcast with John Moorer: Be Your Own Health Advocate
For years, John Moorer felt like there was something off with his health. He sought the counsel of multiple doctors, but none of them provided a diagnosis. They didn’t seem to think there was anything he should be worried about. They were wrong. We got the chance to sit down […]