The Brick Magazine - Jun 2021

BRICK

THE

JUNE 2021

MAGAZINE

ANN ARBOR

WORK AND LIFE FOR WORKING MOMS 4 KEYS TO NOURISHING YOUR INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP

PLUS! RAISING THEIR VOICES FOR CHILDREN FIGHTING CANCER

Chef Allison Anastasio NOURISHING FAMILIES

S P IN N IN G T H READS I NTO

The fabric of our old lives is unraveling.

Yet, somewhere deep inside, hope whispers of new possibilities.

We’re being called upon to weave a new normal out of our old threads.

Enjoy a Complimentary Coaching Session as a gift to yourself!

Together, we can spin those threads into gold.

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC Life Empowerment Coaching, LLC 1785 W. Stadium, Suite 104 | Ann Arbor, Mi 48103 | 734.717.7532

www.LifeEmpowermentCoaching.com

734.994.5111 • LEWISJEWELERS.COM

THE

BRICK MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

JUNE 2021

Publisher • Sarah Whitsett

Managing Editor • Tanja MacKenzie

Art Director • Jennifer Knutson

Copy Editor • Angelina Bielby

Marketing Director • Steve DeBruler

Photographer • GE Anderson

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Contributors >>

Liz Crowe Jen DeGregario

Melissa Matthews Marilyn Pellini Lisa Profera

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Maria Sylvester Marji Wisniewski

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THE BRICK MAGAZINE makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising, editorial content and placement; however, we cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and will accept no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement. No content can be duplicated without the permission of The Brick Magazine, LLC

4 | The Brick Magazine

6

Virginia Is for Drinkers

10

Nourishing Families with Chef Allison Anastasio

16

Work and Life for Working Moms

18

4 Keys to Nourishing Your Intimate Relationship

22

My Personal Food Issues

26

Introducing Delta-8 THC, Delta-9's Chemical Cousin

28

Raising Their Voices for Children Fighting Cancer

BECAUSE YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION, MAKE YOURS COUNT maizehouse.com/ book-online

@Maizehouse MaizeHouse.com

Welcome to Booze 101 with

Liz

Virginia Is for Drinkers

by Liz Crowe

Photo by Elevate

6 | The Brick Magazine

H

ello and welcome to June! This month, I’d like to share a little junket I took — fully masked and socially distanced — to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Why Virginia, you ask? Well, his name is Cameron and he’s my first-born. He’s finishing up a pharmacy residency at the UVA hospital and about to launch himself out into the world of adult-sized things, like student loan repayments and such, but also more fun things like job interviews. This is his second year in Charlottesville and he has spoken highly of it — in terms he knows his mother appreciates, bless him.

“Mom, you’ll love the breweries and wineries.” I’m so proud.

Anyways, we made the trek and I can attest that that area of Virginia is absolutely gorgeous, with rolling hills and mountain-top wineries, and yes, some very good breweries. What follows is an observation of an old American city that’s facing some well-needed realities about its history, but mostly a review of some alcoholic beverages I consumed. Enter at your own risk.

We met at a brewery called 3 Notch’d, which is named after a famous horse ride on a trail through the Virginia woods during the Revolution that was marked by three ax notches. The ride, made by Jack Jouett, was made to warn the guys in the Virginia Commonwealth legislature that the British were coming. I made my mark there (that’s what they ask you at this, one of four taprooms in the state) by trying their 40 Mile IPA — which, in keeping with the ethos of the place, commemorates the 40 miles Mr. Jouett made to save the Founding Fathers. It’s one of their flagships, and it was spot-on, style-wise. Bitter, crisp, slightly higher in alcohol than some, but similar in form and structure to a Two-Hearted from Bells. The food was really great — you know you’re back in the South when there are deviled eggs on the menu.

The next day, Mr. Crowe and I took a self-guided tour of the University of Virginia campus. It’s a nice parallel to the University of Michigan in that it carries a fairly hefty price tag even for in-state students. But it also comes with similar cachet for the degree obtained. The most interesting thing we added to our “I didn’t know that” list were the Lawn Rooms. These are actual dorm rooms that were built around the perimeter of “The Lawn” behind the Rotunda, which is the building planned and implemented (as were most buildings on the original campus) by Charlottesville’s most famous guy, Thomas Jefferson. It was a gloriously sunny day and we noticed that there

were piles of firewood outside these rooms, which stretched along both sides of The Lawn. Some of the doors were open, so we joined the families taking campus tours and peeked inside.

It turns out that if you are a fourth-year student in good standing, you can apply to live in one of these singleoccupancy rooms, each one with its own fireplace that is needed to supplement the hot water heat. You go outside into the, well, outside to get to the toilets and showers.

There are a few washing machines shared by the other Lawn Room residents (and something called “The Range,” which I think is behind The Lawn). It’s super cool in a historical way, but a stark contrast to the fancy, expensive high rises being built for student living at most campuses.

This, too, is an expensive option. But the waiting list is as long as Thomas Jefferson’s to-do list, and since this is a college campus, there is controversy — including the fact that, apparently, running nude from the steps of the Capitol all the way down and back up the (pretty long) expanse of grass that is The Lawn is a rite of passage.

Moving on from there, we hit a couple of breweries. The first one was Random Row, which was a small place with minimal food service where I tasted the Aleatorio Diablo, a spot-on, perfect Mexican Lager. It was so perfect and refreshing in a Negro Modelo sort of way, I had two of them instead of trying something else like a good reviewer. But I did taste Mr. Crowe’s Sublimation Stout, an Irish style on nitro, and it too was delicious with a lovely, creamy finish.

We grabbed food at a place down the road called Kardinal Hall that served beers from all over, including a few familiar names like Founders and Bell’s. I tried a cider from Bold Rock in Nelllysford, VA, which was just what I needed to go with the (prepare yourselves) poutine. After that we meandered a couple more blocks and arrived at our final brewery for the night, Rockfish Brewing, which is adjacent to and part of a garden store that also sells home brewing and wine making supplies. It’s a pretty cool place — small, with minimal food service. I tried their California Common, which is a hybrid style sometimes called a “Steam Beer” (think Anchor Steam) that was a fine ending for the evening.

The next day, Son Number One guided us around four wineries. Now, if you’re somewhat skeptical of wine from Virginia, allow me to alleviate that for you. These places are 60% atmosphere and 40% wine, but they’re on a scale of decent to excellent, to my non-sommelier yet highly opinionated palate. We began the day at one of the more scenic (and most popular) ones, King’s Family, which is

June 2021 | 7

also a horse farm and has a polo field.

Alas, polo season had not yet begun, but our experience there was no lesser for it.

We started with their basic tasting menu: five different wines from white to pink to red. I’m not a huge rosé fan, but their “Crozet Rose” (pronounced “Cro-zay Ro-zay”), named for the town we were in (Crozet, VA), was one of the nicest I’ve had in a while.

We progressed to a more expensive tasting menu of red blends that we all agreed were lovely and had every intention of purchasing, but I draw the line at $75 a bottle and the ones we liked best, alas, crossed that line.

The views of the mountains from the huge back patio were worth the trip, though. It was everything you think of when you think “Virginia:” green rolling hills dotted with barns and fences, the occasional picturesque group of horses — all of this framed by tall mountains. And of course, there is wine to drink while you’re looking at it.

Photo by Michael Discenza

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

8 | The Brick Magazine

Our next stop was up some winding mountain roads to Afton Mountain Winery, which has cute little rental cabins (ergo I know where I’m staying next time, if we get back there). This place had a “hacienda” feel to it — large house with red slate tile roof, mirrored on the rentable building next to it, right beside the grape vines, all four sides glass. We tried their basic tasting again, reminded that COVID has put its stamp on this industry as well — no professionally-guided tastings, everything is self-guided.

The bottle we chose was a Cabernet Franc, a grape that apparently grows very well in Virginian soil. It was a bit later, close to lunchtime while we tasted and chatted here, and the outdoor tables filled with groups of friends and families with little kids and dogs, who ran around while their parents sipped on picnic blankets.

We decided to try out one of the more famous ones, Veritas

Photo by Kelly Lacy

Winery, next. It’s a huge complex, with a restaurant and several rentable buildings all around it. And it was crowded. But our timing was good and we only waited in line for a few minutes for our little box of mini bottles and branded glass — that’s something that made me want to ask how these places afforded to give away glassware left, right, and center. Hungry by this point, albeit in a mellow, wine-tasting day sort of way, we got their boxed charcuterie board, which was yummy and a perfect fit for our picnic blanket (we were too late to get a table). These wines were top-notch, and by the time the clouds were rolling in, we decided to buy a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc. But the line was way too long. Of course, being the savvy customer that he is, Mr. Crowe told me to ask the hostess outside the restaurant if I could buy one. No surprise that she ran right in and charged my card and brought me the bottle. One gets to skip lines when one Reaches a Certain Age, we decided.

Our last stop was new to the group and a sort of a “Oh, why not try one more?” as we made our way around the mountains outside Charlottesville. To say that you can’t turn in any direction, walk a few feet, and find yet another picturesque place for a girls’ day out, family picnic, or super scenic (and no doubt super pricey) wedding with wine made from the vines growing around you, is an understatement. So we pulled into Septenary Winery, which is part of Seven Oaks Farm. It was yet another look — this time a huge, old, many-columned mansion with an addition on the side that had a little pool, some tables, snacks, and the requisite tasing samples. We were a tad, uh…let’s call it “saturated by beauty” at this point, and did not anticipate finding anything new or worth purchasing.

We were wrong. The red blend we bought, Manor Reserve 2015, is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot, and I would hold it up against almost any California red blend in the $30-50 category.* The day went off without a hitch. I got my winetasting day nap and felt refreshed for dinner, which we

had in an older part of Charlottesville — the Belmont Area, which reminded me a lot of Kerrytown in Ann Arbor (where Mr. Crowe and I purchased our very first house back in the late ‘90s. Never should have sold that house. But I digress).

If you love American history, really great wines served in places that feel straight out of central casting for “scenic wineries,” amazingly well-crafted beers, and friendly people, I can’t recommend a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia heartily enough. I even know an Airbnb you’ll love.

And now for a quick observation about the breweries, something that struck me as one of the early adopters — and, dare I say, founding mothers — of breweries in Ann Arbor. There wasn’t a single beer that any of us had that was not an exact representation of the style it purported to be. Which is why I want you to repeat after me: “There is NO excuse to drink bad beer anywhere you go, even if you drink at local breweries.”

Cheers to everyone!

*I am not a wine expert and I also did not ask any one of the extremely friendly staff how much of their grapes were used vs. juice shipped in from California. It didn’t really matter, since these places are worth the trip in a more big-picture, beautiful setting sort of a way.

Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, brewery founder, craft beer marketing consultant, and avid sports fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales, public relations, and fundraising, plus an eightyear stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse, all of which provide ongoing idea fodder for novels and other projects. www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor (fan page) www.twitter.com/ETLizCrowe June 2021 | 9

Photo by GE Anderson

10 | The Brick Magazine

Nourishing Families with Chef Allison Anastasio

by Marji Wisniewski

I can’t tell you how many times over the last year I dreamed about a personal chef coming to my home and cooking healthy meals for me and my family. I, like many others, have felt the pandemic burnout in my kitchen this year. Chef Allison Anastasio, from Last Bite Chef, understands this and offers her families creative cuisine that she classifies as contemporary comfort food. In our time together, I learned that Chef Allison offers personal chef services with a fresh global-inspired menu every week and accessible online cooking classes. With the support and inspiration of Chef Allison’s culinary creativity, her families and students are bound to get out of a cooking rut and satisfy their kitchen boredom — and their hunger!

It’s a quiet Friday night at home. I’ve just finished cooking at one of my families’ kitchens all day. Although I have ingredients to cook myself a number of dishes for dinner, I start making a grilled cheese and put on some music. For me, a grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food; it’s what my mother used to make for me.

There’s something about going back to that place of comfort. It echoes what food is for me — the point of comfort where there are no words. Where you feel memories instead of speak memories. My mom would butter both sides of the whole wheat bread and add ample amounts of real cheddar cheese. For me, it meant she was taking care me, even though it was something so simple.

I was born and raised in New Jersey in an ItalianAmerican family where food was used as a general display of love. Small things made an impression on my young palate: my grandfather’s intense dark coffee, my uncle’s fresh salad dressing with bright ginger, my mother’s smooth asparagus flan, and the salad bar at family dinner, complete with bitter escarole and radicchio. My young inner chef was savoring and studying each element.

As a middle school student, I made homemade marinara sauce — a family tradition — a Home Ec assignment with a formula to execute to perfection. In high school, I worked at a bakery as a cashier, but I was drawn to the kitchen.

I treasured those hours in the back organizing, taking inventory, cleaning, and portioning ingredients for the next morning. However, in college, I had an entire new menu of studies in neuroscience, psychology, education, and vocal performance. On paper, food and cooking took a back seat, but my most treasured moments were at my best friend’s parents’ house, fifteen minutes from campus, where we’d go to get a home-cooked meal after classes.

Shortly after college, I moved to Ann Arbor and taught first grade for a year in Detroit. There are few things that I love more than a classroom full of kids. That kind of chaotic energy is something that I live for. Hopeful frenzy resonates with me and is why I have my little brood of my own four children.

PURSUING A SIMMERING PASSION When I started my family, I stayed home for about ten years. During that time, I did a lot of cooking. When I was

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Photo by GE Anderson

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home with four young hungry mouths to feed, there was constant cooking (and cleaning up afterward). However, my approach to food back then was more of an independent study. I was inhaling cookbooks. I began to realize that my cooking wasn’t just out of necessity or a hobby, but rather it was something that I was skilled at, something that fed my brain in a way that no other thing had.

However, I’ve always struggled with my imperfect career path. With my psychobiology degree, I might even say I had imposter syndrome for much of my early days as a chef. I’m grateful that I could stay home when my children were young, but I do feel as though the price I paid for that was a compromise to my career. Most days, I don’t regret this part of my journey; however, some days I hear an internal argument in my head saying that my career path wasn’t strong enough. I struggled for years with being the type of person who hadn’t had a linear track. My path looks more like cobblestones than concrete.

One of the decisions I made to help overcome these feelings of inadequacy was to enroll in Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts School. A culinary arts degree provided me the tools to dream, plan, and execute what has been simmering for a long time. After completing the program, I stayed on as an employee, spending time as head sous chef and doing R&D for culinary competitions, and ultimately passing the Master Chef exam of the American Culinary Foundation.

BEING PRESENT IS A GIFT In 2016, I started my personal chef company, Last Bite Chef. I wanted to be able to cook during the day when the kids were at school. As a personal chef, I typically cook for four to six families each week. A family gets about five hours of my devoted time where I’m just cooking for them. This allows me to be a present parent and also a present chef. I’ve found that restaurant chefs tend to be “married” to their job, most days working from noon until midnight. You have to physically and mentally be there.

You can tell which restaurants have chefs who aren’t present; the restaurants just aren’t that great. Part of why Zingerman’s is amazing is because Ari is there pouring water into glasses. He doesn’t have to, but he knows it’s part of the customer service experience.

I chose the tagline “Contemporary Comfort Food” for Last Bite Chef. My food is dynamic, bright, and satisfying, and the quality is optimized when heated and served for a family meal. The dishes are more plant-based and designed to showcase the vegetables instead of the meat, which is ends up being more of a side than the main attraction.

Part of the creative process for me is to write a fresh menu every week. It’s intellectually satisfying for me.

Families choose meals from that menu every week that focus on lots of fresh vegetables, different flavorings, and cuisines from around the world. It’s restaurant quality, but a little healthier.

FORAGING FOR FRESH Eating local and seasonal foods is ideal for your health.

When you eat seasonally, you’re responding to your body’s needs. When it’s cold outside, you need to listen to your body and eat things that are heavier, like hearty squashes. When it’s hot outside, your body wants foods that are lighter and brighter. It’s how our metabolism works; our body intuitively wants us to eat this way.

I’m not always able to buy 100% locally, but whenever I can, I like to support our farmers for the local economy and for nutrition. The less time an ingredient spends in transit getting to your plate, the more nutritional value it has. We are lucky that there are so many people passionate about fresh food living in this region.

I love this time of year when fun and unique food items pop up at my favorite farm shops like Argus Farm Stop, The Produce Station, and Agricole. I frequent these smaller shops where they care about finding local, seasonal products. Right now, I’m cooking with ramps — making ramp butter, pickled ramps, and dehydrating them for seasoning. Ramps taste like a cross between a scallion, a leek, and a green onion. They have a little bite. Ramps can’t be grown; they can only be foraged. Foragers go into our local woods and find ramps and bring them to local markets. Ingredients like this in the spring show the earth is coming to life again.

Asparagus is also starting to come up. Asparagus straight from the garden just tastes so much better than the kind purchased off the grocery shelf. Flavors are much more vibrant when we have the opportunity to eat something really fresh and closer to where it came from. It’s like you can taste the love and the passion in growing and picking it.

MUSIC FEEDS THE SOUL Speaking of tasting love and passion, I often listen to music while I cook. Sometimes I wonder if people can tell when I’m listening to Billy Holiday or Tchaikovsky. Does that music taste affect the food? Does it taste different based on the music I have playing that day?

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Photo by GE Anderson

You can find my apple grilled cheese recipe on YouTube by searching “Oozy Grilled Cheese with Apple: Quick Bites.”

Class Schedule: June classes: $20 per screen, sign up at https://www.lastbitechef.com/teaching.

Last BITE SIZED cooking class series: In just one hour, you can learn a delicious and practical cooking technique for your home kitchen. Each session is interactive, fun, quick, and approachable.

June 6 - Shashuka (Eggs poached in Moroccan spiced tomato sauce) June 13 - Crispy Duck Breast 101 & Frites

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June 20 - Chinese Scallion Pancakes June 27 - Herbed Salmon Cakes & Sriracha Aioli

Music runs through my veins the same way my family’s marinara does. I’ve been a musician my whole life, primarily as a vocalist. I’ve studied classical voice and used to be a member of the UMS Choral Union. I loved the power that coursed through me when I was surrounded by a hundred singing voices. Besides when I’m cooking something fantastic, I feel more alive than ever when I’m singing.

I taught my kids to sing and make music at the same time they were learning to speak. There’s always music in our house. Sometimes one of my children will just pick up an instrument and start playing. I find that if I sit quietly and wait, another kid will join in and start playing another instrument. And on my luckiest of days, all four kids will join in and play, and when that happens, I feel as if I could die of happiness right then and there.

Music and cooking have many similarities. There’s an artistic element to both. There’s a visceral feeling that’s expressed when you’re indulging both arts at the same time. I find that music has the ability to convey an unspoken set of emotions and ignite our senses the same way that food does.

FACILITATING A CULINARY COMMUNITY I often hear my friends and clients say, “I don’t know what to cook anymore — I’m tired of it.” Some of this fatigue is definitely from the pandemic. But sometimes, people just need to invest a little time to learn a few new things in their kitchen and climb out of that cooking rut we all find ourselves in at some point.

I recently launched a weekly curriculum of online cooking classes. These one-hour “Bite Sized” classes are designed to be completely accessible and inclusive. Through my journey of accepting myself as a personal chef, I realized that I love to nourish people. Being able to teach others how to cook has been a wonderful part of my work.

The concept of the classes is that the students will learn a new cooking skill and make a recipe on Sunday night.

After the hour-long class, they can then log off and enjoy what they’ve created with their family. To me, that’s a beautiful gift that I can give to my clients.

Currently, my classes are only offered online, but I do envision the classes moving to in-person at some point in the future. I would love to find a brick-and-mortar space (and an investor to support me) that includes a kitchen with a workshop. I dream of a space that feels as much like home as your own kitchen — where people come and

feel so welcome and comfortable that they don’t want to leave. This would allow me to continue to combine my passion of being a personal chef and teaching, as this has proved to be my personal recipe for success.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING IS THE KEY INGREDIENT The other day I was browsing in Patel Brothers, a small grocery store that sells Indian foods, and I realized I didn’t know anything about the products on the shelf in front of me. To me it was an electric feeling, because it showed me how much more I have to learn. There were aisles and aisles of ingredients at this store I’ve never cooked with. I felt the urge to taste each one and figure out how I would include it in a dish.

Whether you’re chef or not, experimenting with food keeps things interesting. What else do you have to do three times a day in order to live? What you eat gives you life. We all can get tired of adulting, but it’s the little points of light out there still left to explore that ignite the soul.

I love nourishing families with food full of spirit and full of life. I’ve always had an instinct for food, an obsession with high quality, a passion for experimenting with ingredients, and a devotion to deep, complex, and global flavors. Just like my toasted grilled cheese in my pan, my career has seen a slow and steady growth instead of a quick burn. And I’m grateful for that. This path I’m on might not be the linear one I had envisioned when I was younger, but I’ve learned it’s about being patient.

As I’ve grown older and more white hair takes over the black hair on my head, I realize that slow and steady growth is what drives my journey. I have parlayed all of my interests into one exciting career and adventure, and it tastes delicious.

With a passion for marketing that started as a young girl, Marji Wisniewski created her own marketing and communications organization in 2017. As owner of Blue Zebra Marketing Solutions, she helps local and regional businesses and non-profits tell their story through branding, graphic design, content creation, and PR, focusing on customized solutions for each client that are more unique than a zebra’s stripes.

A Michigan native, Marji received her bachelor's from Western Michigan University and master’s from Wayne State University.

When not working you can find her gardening, doing Pilates, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family and two dogs.

June 2021 | 15

Work and Life for Working Moms

by Melissa Matthews

L

ast Friday, my boss asked me to stop by her office to check in before the weekend. Under normal circumstances, this would probably cause many of us to start mentally updating our resumes and planning to spend the weekend filling out unemployment papers. For me, though, I don’t work under what many of us have come

16 | The Brick Magazine

to know as “normal circumstances;” I was honestly not worried at all.

It’s not uncommon for my boss, the owner of the company, to “check in” with her staff. She does this for many different reasons, but mostly because she knows

fighting a court battle where my son and I were victims of parental alienation. Because of an unqualified local therapist and his false testimony, I lost custody of my son.

The therapist has since been suspended by the state of Michigan under five counts of negligence, including sexual relations with one of his patients. As it turns out, my son and I were not his only victims.

The stress of losing my son inevitably put me in a very dark place where I found myself deeply depressed, 60 pounds overweight, and heavily reliant on alcohol and sedatives to sleep. As I suffered through this, so did my quality of work. But instead of shaming me or firing me, my boss chose to love me through it. She offered me a month off to practice self-care and rest. She checked in with me daily and invited me to her home on the weekends to take walks, reflect, and regroup. She cooked me dinner on my birthday knowing that I would otherwise spend it alone.

The 30 days came and went, but there’s no doubt in my mind that that month led me to where I am now. I overcame the addictions, started eating a plant-based diet, lost 75 pounds, and am currently training for the Detroit Free Press marathon. I also obtained my personal trainer certification and have started a wellness department for my twelve co-workers that focuses on fitness and whole-being wellness.

Photo by by Kimmi Batchelor

Following my boss’s lead are the twelve other women I have the pleasure of spending each day with. We spend more time lifting each other than trying to find ways to climb to corporate ladder because frankly, we’re all already at the top. As part of a woman-owned and operated company, we were established as a result of being bullied by the oh-so-familiar “boys’ club.” Instead of continuing to live and work under uncomfortable circumstances, we decided to start our own company based on the very simple idea of taking care of ourselves and each other.

Not only are we professionals in our trade, but we’re also professionals at fixing each other’s crowns without telling the world they were crooked, and most days we give each other more grace than dirty looks.

that if we’re not okay, the company won’t run at its best.

It’s the “We’re only as good as our weakest link” mentality.

There’s nothing she won’t do to help us through anything we’re dealing with, work-related or not.

We’ve thrown out the idea of a work/life balance — we’ve realized that work and life are really one actuality, and our goal is to make it the best it can possibly be. Do you ever wonder why the term “working mom” is so familiar, but nobody ever talks about “working dads?” Is it because all dads are expected to work, or is it because working moms are still a minority?

I spent the last decade (and over half a million dollars)

When I was a child, both of my parents worked. They

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Photo by by Prateek Katyal

were both successful professionals who were highly respected in their industries. My mom did, and still does, all the cooking and cleaning. When we were young, she did the majority of the parenting. Don’t get me wrong, my dad was more than willing to help, but my mom put these expectations on herself that made her feel like she had to juggle it all. To boot, it was totally acceptable for my dad to “work late” at the bar with clients or on the golf course, take fishing trips on the weekends with the boys, or spend entire Saturdays in the garage. I don’t remember my mom going anywhere with friends unless it had something to do with me or my sister, like a sporting event or Girl Scout trip. I’m not picking on my parents, I had a wonderful childhood; it’s just interesting to reflect on social norms from 30 years ago. Why did women put so much pressure on themselves to please absolutely everyone?

These days, during a time when self-care and wholebeing wellness are at the top of everyone’s priority list, working moms still seem to be considered “highmaintenance” or even “divas” when we ask for time for ourselves. Why is it “high-maintenance” to not want to spend every weekend cooking and cleaning and moming? Where is the balance there?

My company notices this, and has spent the last five years perfecting what we consider an extremely comfortable place to work. Instead of stressing about having to stop at the store and get milk on the way home from work, we have a delivery service that brings

18 | The Brick Magazine

it to us, along with anything else we need. If our kids don’t have school one day, we have an on-staff nanny ready with crafts, snacks, and hugs. The same nanny has gently tended to newborn babies while our new moms acclimate back to work. She watches our school-aged children during the summer months and stepped up during the pandemic to help tutor and home-school while our essential working moms kept the company running.

As moms, we rush home after work to start our second jobs. The second we walk through the door, we’re faced with more challenges that make it impossible to meet the needs of our families as well as our own needs as women — or even, quite simply, as humans. Recognizing this, our company has done everything possible to create an environment with so many comforts that we have no other option but success.

Our creation is based on one simple philosophy: Employees who are happy, healthy, encouraged, and appreciated make a successful business. Here’s how this works for us.

To begin with, we hold weekly mediation sessions with a professional mindfulness coach who teaches us how to improve self-awareness and control. We offer yoga, strength training, and cardio classes daily with our onstaff personal trainer. This is in addition to an hour lunch break that we’re all encouraged to take every day. Our dry cleaning is picked up and dropped off. We have a meal prep service that allows our staff to order personalized meals based on the size of their family and dietary restrictions. They prepare and deliver the food as needed.

Each employee has an identical office set up in their home for days when making it into the office is not an option.

We all remain connected no matter where we are.

While many small companies understand the idea of taking care of their staff, we take it to another level. We take care

of our people, no matter what they’re dealing with at home or at work; we are all deeply invested in each other and our success. If one of us gets bombarded with work at the end of the day on a Friday, five others will pitch in to help and make sure the job gets done. If someone has a personal issue they need to take care of, we figure out how to make that happen for them and pick up the slack when necessary. No one is more valuable than another, and we treat each other with significance.

Understanding this, practicing this, and knowing our worth sets the tone for what we hope to see in future generations and companies. The best boss is one who knows she’s not the best at everything, but is able to see the best in everyone else. Jobs can be taught, and experience comes with time. Finding someone to work for who figures out what you’re already good at and supports ways for you to flourish will always result in success.

Melissa Matthews Allen works at Preferred Title Agency of Ann Arbor.

In addition to working in the title insurance industry for over 20 years, she also runs a wellness business called MindfullyFit.org., and is a certified personal trainer. She was recently featured in the plant-based eating national publication called “Forks Over Knives” as well as “The Exam Room” podcast, which examines vegan nutrition and medical news.

She grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has a 13-year-old son. Her passions include wellness, fitness, family, and helping others find what makes them want to make healthy lifestyle choices.

June 2021 | 19

4 Keys to Nourishing Your Intimate Relationship

by Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC

Photo by Everton Vila

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n anticipation of my wedding anniversary, it’s time for my annual deep-dive relationship reflection time.

I’m still feeling the exhilaration of a second marriage — it’ll be six years with my beloved this July. I’m determined to continue bringing my best self to him — this sweet, caring husband of mine — in as many moments as possible.

With that intention in mind, I’ve made it a priority to regularly devote time to considering how to keep my marriage in tip-top form. Or, perhaps most importantly, to discovering how to keep myself in tip-top form!

Nourish Yourself The first key to nourishing a great relationship is to first nourish yourself. Concentrate, my friend, on tending to your personal garden of delights. Feed your soul exactly what it needs by way of little loving practices to support the essence of who you are and who you desire to become. Take time to lovingly feed your own spirit. Take time to grow. Know what matters to you, and focus there. This type of self-care is essential if you long to bring your best self to a partnership. We can only meet another to the degree that we have met ourselves. For instance, if your physical health is a priority, tend to it 20 | The Brick Magazine

by getting regular exercise and enjoying rich, nutrientdense foods. Or, as another example, make it a practice to deliberately cultivate your personal interests. Devote time to things you relish, such as creative pursuits or intellectual explorations. In this way, you can be generative in your partnership, bringing to it offerings such as your wisdom, talents, or enhanced emotional awareness.

Knowing your specific personal boundaries is essential to self-nourishment as well as for a healthy relationship.

Boundaries protect our values and our precious time. It’s super advantageous to know what’s important to you, and to be able to take a stand for yourself there. Boundaries link us back, time and time again, with our authentic self. There, you honor your deepest truths. Having established boundaries allows you to cherish and protect your unique interests and values. Bringing this clarity to a partnership is invaluable.

Cultivating friendships you treasure, separate from connections your share with your partner, is also a wonderful form of selfnourishment. Let your experiences in these relationships infuse your spirit with new ideas and fresh energy. When you can invest in meaningful personal friendships — connections that truly feed your inner being — you will be able to bring an even more fulfilled version of yourself to a beloved.

Pick Your Couple’s Word

Practice Accepting Influence

A second key to fostering a rich, juicy, dynamic relationship is to organize your partnership around a chosen word. Be playful and light with this. It’s best if it’s a word you’ve picked together. Have it be a word that represents a direction you desire to grow toward as a couple. As I’m sure many of you know, individuals often pick a word they wish to embrace every new year to help them better themselves. This is a similar notion, just couple-directed. For our 2021, my husband and I made up a word that we’re organizing around: “funventure.” We are determined to bring more fun and adventure into our lives.

Accepting influence simply means being open to the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of your partner. It’s a concept I first learned about through the Gottman Institute, an organization that offers a research-based approach to relationships. Interestingly, ever since I’ve started making a concerted effort to accept influence from my husband, things have felt lighter under our roof.

Having a shared word facilitates the growth of shared meaning between you two. And since you’ve both come up with it together, it’s easier to share the responsibility of bringing the intention to life. At any time, one of you can bring it into the spotlight, holding space to make it happen.

Recently, for instance, my husband suggested we take a long, luxurious, country joy-ride in his little lemon yellow Austin-Healey Sprite sports car. Our afternoon delight was definitely a direct result of our “funventure” protocol!

Learn Something New Deliberately deciding to learn something new together can have a wonderful impact on your intimate relationship.

Exploring a new aspect of life, one you are both unfamiliar with yet curious about, allows you a chance to grow, learn, and share together. For me and my husband, the game of backgammon has recently become our uncharted new territory. Granted, we both played years ago in college, yet neither of us could recall specifics without reading the players’ manual. What a pleasure it’s been to share evenings learning the secrets of a great backgammon win!

This richness of connection that bonding over new experiences brings is truly priceless. And it’s a richness on multiple levels! Travel, for example, brings you to a new place with opportunities to experience and talk about individual perspectives of the land, people, and culture.

At the same time, each person is emotionally moved and transformed by the journey. There’s also the opportunity to see and admire one’s partner outside of their regular routines. You’re in a new setting, doing new things without the typical day-to-day distractions. This fresh perspective can awaken new appreciations, and bring a sense of vibrancy to your connection.

Recently, a dear friend of mine shared how she and her husband were discovering the joys of bird-watching.

Together they were exploring places where they could observe different species while savoring walks in nature.

And as icing on the cake, my friend was able to have a woodpecker feast on food in her hand while her husband filmed the magic moment.

Accepting influence does not mean you have to necessarily agree on everything with your partner. It’s rather about simply acknowledging that your partner has a valid point.

It’s a way of saying to your beloved, “What you think about matters and is important.” And, no surprise, what happens when we can remain open to another’s contribution is that relationship satisfaction goes up on both sides. Additionally, research has found that the more one is able to accept influence, the more that partner becomes themselves influential in the relationship. Win-win!

In our home, initiating this practice has meant that I’ve tried to stay really open to hearing my husband’s perspective on things.

I’m then genuinely able to say, “I see your point.” Granted, this doesn’t always mean I agree with his position; but it signals that I care about it. Additionally, I’ve noticed that when consciously practicing this skill of accepting influence, I’m less defensive when discussing a topic I know, ahead of time, that we understand differently. Instead, I stay more curious about my husband’s perspective. Asking him to tell me more keeps the conversation open and on a positive plane, despite whatever challenges the content may hold for us.

Team Us Team Us! This is how I love to refer to my partnership.

How about you? What would happen if you devoted deliberate energy to deeply nourishing your relationship?

Recharge it. Feed and fuel it with love, acceptance, playfulness, and the glorious gift of time. Stay ever awake and aware of all the ways you can say “yes” to your beloved. In other words, make your relationship a beautiful place for both of you to land!

Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC is a certified Life Coach in Ann Arbor, MI who loves empowering adolescents, adults, and couples to live from the HEART of what really matters to them so that they can bring their fully expressed, vibrant selves into the world.

She has a special gift for helping women reclaim their feminine power, and embrace their radiant, sensual, sexy spirits. Their lives transform. They soar into their mid-life magnificence! www.lifeempowermentcoaching.com Instagram: @life_coach_maria Facebook: www.facebook.com/LifeEmpowermentCoaching

June 2021 | 21

My Personal Food Issues

by Marilyn A. Pellini

22 | The Brick Magazine

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any young women today have issues with food for one reason or another. Our culture reveres a thin, lithe, but curvy and sensual body. Nothing else seems to be acceptable. Our ethnic heritage, inherited characteristics, and genes oftentimes tell us something entirely different than that.

Being a chubby baby and toddler, I slimmed out greatly in elementary school, because I simply hated my mother’s cooking. It was plain fare, and the only seasoning was a bit of salt and pepper. She was of Italian heritage, so I never understood why we ate so blandly. One of the reasons had to be that my mom simply hated to cook. She always said that if she was rich she would never want a maid, but would be delighted with a cook. My dad, on the other hand, could have been a chef, and he was always the one to make the spaghetti sauce and a wonderful veal dish with cream and fennel seed. As a pharmacist, he seemed to enjoy adding a bit of this and a bit of that, as if he were making up a tincture or a compound (back then, salves and other mediums were not manufactured in quantity).

Mom often could not tell you exactly what was for dinner until she went to the refrigerator at around 5:00 PM to start the evening’s meal. Since she did not drive, Dad did all the grocery shopping in the area where he had his drug store. He would phone up Joe, the local butcher, and tell him he would like some steaks, chops, etc. but the butcher was allowed to deliver whatever he felt was best. The same was true of the green grocer. He would pick our broccoli, ears of corn, and tomatoes. Sam, the chicken man, was no exception. He sent over what he deemed best, as my dad and all these other shop-owners were great friends. Needless to say, there was always wholesome, nutritional food on our table, as keeping us healthy was very important to both my parents.

As I grew into middle school and high school, I was allowed to make more individual choices. I, like most teens, chose more of the snack foods and sweet things. Having dessert after dinner every night was commonplace back then. Mom would occasionally make grapenut pudding or her specialty, pumpkin pie. Her own personal favorite was called pineapple upside-down cake. Most often, though, she would serve us canned peaches or applesauce and pour a little heavy cream around the rim of the dish. For someone with a sweet tooth like me, even that was a

delicious treat. Since Dad’s pharmacy had a soda fountain, he would take home some of his store’s “made-on-thepremises” ice cream for Sunday dinner along with a few pastries from the bakery that was two doors down from his pharmacy. I was in my glory on Sundays!

During my teen years I was actually quite slim, as I had a way of passing up most of my meal if I heard dessert was in the offering. I did still think of myself as fat, though. Perhaps that is just a teenage girl thing, no matter the time or era or your actual size and shape.

I just wanted to blend in with my classmates and be as inconspicuous as possible (even though I somehow got voted “Best Dressed” in my senior year). That was probably because my mother was a real fashion plate and had a lot to do with steering me towards certain clothes.

She even sent me for a short charm school course, which turned out to be a fine experience because we learned to apply make-up ever so subtly to enhance our youthful beauty, to check our posture often when sitting or standing, and how not to have our high heels click-clack across the floor.

When it was time for me to attend college, that was when food became a real issue. Carbs were a large portion of every meal. Meat was expensive, but carbs were much cheaper to serve. Fewer choices were offered back then.

They talk about the “freshman fifteen,” but mine blossomed into closer to twenty pounds and stayed that way for all four years. I was not fat, though, as I was very small-boned and was firm because of all the walking to and from classes, compulsory gym class, and sorority intramural sports.

Upon graduation, I took my first job as a kindergarten teacher and made a concentrated effort to cut down my carbohydrate intake. Whenever I would go out to dinner, I would scan the dessert list before the main menu. If I knew there was a gooey, decadent dessert I’d love, I would definitely skip pasta as my main course.

When I first started going out with my future husband he commented, “I never met anyone who could pass up a steak for a piece of blueberry pie.” My reply was, “Couldn’t everyone?” Once I got married and did all of the cooking myself, I whipped up dishes I especially liked. My husband, Al, would eat anything and was so complimentary of my cooking. Unfortunately, that meant we both gained weight.

June 2021 | 23

heavy-duty housework, but now that I am older, my kids beg me not to climb on a stepladder. Luckily I have a wonderful handyman who does both outside and indoor work. I now give the heavy chores to him.

So where does this leave me?

With too much time to fill my face, unfortunately. At this time in history, I have another type of food issue.

We have been cloistered for months in our homes with the darned virus holding us at bay. Since losing my husband I rarely cook, but do get quite a bit of takeout, and there is no way to know the hidden calories in that food.

My other food issue is that I really do enjoy eating, but I like to eat only what I like to eat.

While watching a movie, a nosh is especially fun. Brunch on a weekend is a favorite of mine. Like so many other Americans, I am now overweight. I do keep trying, however, and was told at my last doctor’s visit that I had lost three pounds in three months. This is especially necessary for me, as getting older has brought with it a rise in my blood sugar.

I have promised myself a better diet for 2021. Although my oldest grandchild is only 19, I tell her that I plan to do the twist at her wedding.

That means I have to stay around and in good health for quite some time to come!

When many women reach menopausal age, their weight unfortunately seems to spiral out of control. This is certainly not good for one’s health as age advances, but with that time of life also comes an “I don’t give a darn” attitude. My stiff bones, falling arches, and overall tiredness made me want to do much less, so the pounds were not melting away as they once did. I always tackled my own

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Marilyn Pellini published her first book, Dear Al, A Widow’s Struggles and Remembrances, in 2018. That same year, she won the first place prize in the New York State Federation of Women’s Club writing contest. In the past, she’s had poetry and articles published in magazines such as On the Water, Westchester Parent, Balanced Rock, and others.

“it has to be more than pretty; it must be livable” R E F L E C T YO U R L I F E ST Y L E . www.birchdesignassociates.com R E S I D E N T I A L • COM M E RC I A L

June 2021 | 25

Introducing Delta-8 THC, Delta-9’s Chemical Cousin

by Lisa Profera, MD

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hen the Farm Bill was passed in 2018, hemp became legal. Any cannabis plant/ product which contained less than 0.3% THC was categorized as “hemp.” This opened up the market for CBD (as I explained in my article in the October 2019

26 | The Brick Magazine

issue of BRICK). The botanical (and arbitrary) designation of hemp by the federal government opened up more “legal loopholes,” so to speak, as products containing other non-THC cannabinoids such as CBN, CBC, and CBG are also Photo by Alexi Romano becoming more popular on the market.

Despite many individual states in the USA legalizing marijuana for medical use, and despite the overwhelming body of evidence that it has many medical benefits (you can read more about the benefits of THC micro-dosing in my November 2020 article), Delta-9 THC is still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance having no medical value. That puts it in the same category as heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. In that case, is there a viable cannabis-derived THC alternative?

I present to you Delta-8 THC, a veritable “chemical cousin” (isomer) of Delta-9 THC. The subtle positioning of the double bond in the chemical ring makes all the difference (it’s attached to the eighth carbon atom instead of the ninth). This double bond is responsible for the intoxicating effects of THC. However, the altered position of the double bond in the Delta-8 molecule decreases these effects.

Delta-8 has been described by some as “diet weed” or a lighter form of marijuana — less intoxicating than Delta-9 THC, but with all of the medicinal benefits.

What do we really know about Delta-8 THC? The research is limited. We know that Delta-8 binds to our cannabinoid receptors somewhat differently than Delta-9, but the exact mechanism still requires more study. People who use Delta-8 have reported similar effects as Delta-9 (euphoria, happiness, elevated mood, increased appetite, better sleep, and pain relief), but the effects are less intense. There may also be less anxiety and paranoia associated with Delta-8, meaning that people who are sensitive to Delta-9 may have a better experience with Delta-8.

Effects may vary, but in general, Delta-8 is thought to be less than half as potent. For example, a typical 10mg gummy of Delta-9 has roughly the same effect as a 25mg dose of Delta-8. The liver metabolism for both Delta-8 and Delta-9 is the same; the liver converts Delta-8 to 11-hydroxy THC, which also has psychotropic effects, with a similar onset of action to its more popular cousin (about one hour). People who have experience with inhaled forms of Delta-8 describe it as a clearer high with less paranoia. The onset of action when inhaling cannabis products is pretty immediate, making it easier to determine your dose. It would be prudent to treat these products with the same caution as you would with traditional Delta-9 products.

A good synopsis of the both sides of the legal argument appears on the Project CBD website — this is definitely

a gray zone. Since Delta-8 and Delta-9 are both THC compounds, they are considered federally illegal, per the Controlled Substance Act and the DEA. People who synthesize Delta-8 THC from hemp-derived CBD think it should be legal, citing the Farm Bill.

In short, we really don’t know if Delta-8 THC is legal or not in some states. Since both medical and recreational marijuana are legal in the state of Michigan, that’s a moot point. Just be careful when you’re in those states where only low-THC medical products are legal (Indiana, Tennessee, and others). For a state-by-state map, go to marijuanadoctors.com.

Just like CBD, Delta-8 products are being sold online and in stores. Since these products are currently not regulated, purity may not be guaranteed, so please be careful where you choose to purchase it. The safest option would be to go to a reputable licensed dispensary. Most dispensaries vet their products. At Apothecare Ann Arbor, we carry Delta-8 THC Soft Chews made by the Helping Friendly Hemp Company (which contain 25mg each). Prices for Delta-8 products are generally higher than those for Delta-9, since they’re more difficult to produce.

Delta-8 gummies are one of my favorite products to recommend for restful sleep. Another alternative product for sleep is the Earthbound Remedies Tincture Sleep Aid — a combo of CBN, CBG, and CBD. This product does not contain THC and is available in-store at Apothecare Ann Arbor along with their other CBD products.

As a certified medical marijuana doctor, I’m here to help people understand how to use cannabis products safely and effectively. To book a consultation with me, go to apothecareannarbor.com and click the Consultation tab.

Owner and Founder of PROJUVU MD; Aesthetics and Lifestyle Medicine in Ann Arbor, MI; Expert Injector, Medical Director; Facial Innovations Medi-spa, Ann Arbor; Medical Director, Northville Beauty Spa; Certified Medical Marijuana Doctor; Certified doTERRA Essential Oils Expert; BEMER Independent Distributor; CrossFit® Level 1 Trainer www.projuvu.com • 1-844-PROJUVU • drprofera@gmail.com www.facebook.com/projuvu/ Request to join my closed FaceBook group, www.instagram.com/youressentialoilsdoctor/

Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this article has been designed to help educate the reader regarding the subject matter covered. This information is provided with the understanding that the author and any other entity referenced here are not liable for the misconception or misuse of the information provided. It is not provided to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, illness, or injured condition of the body. The provider of this information shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity concerning any loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this information. The information presented is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling or care. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should consult a qualified healthcare professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

June 2021 | 27

Raising Their Voices for Children Fighting Cancer

by Jen DeGregorio

28 | The Brick Magazine

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s the Director of Communications for the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, I talk frequently to parents whose lives have been shattered by pediatric cancer. Every single one of them can easily tell me about the last few normal moments before their lives were abruptly changed forever. For Andrew Kaczynski and his wife Rachel Ensign, it was this distinct feeling that life with their six-month-old baby, Francesca, lovingly known as Beans, was completely and utterly perfect.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky this past Labor Day weekend, and the new family was taking advantage of the sunshine with a stroll through their quiet Brooklyn neighborhood. The COVID-19 virus was keeping New York tourists at bay, and while most of the world was struggling to adjust to the pandemic, Andrew remembers thinking, “My life couldn’t possibly be any better than it is right now.”

But just a few hours later, their usually happy and healthy baby girl began to vomit non-stop. After a visit to the urgent care, where the couple was told it was likely just a stomach bug, Rachel and Andrew felt in their gut that there was something much worse happening to their daughter. They took her to the ER, where they received the horrifying news that Francesca likely had a brain tumor.

Doctors confirmed that Francesca had an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), a rare and aggressive tumor that would almost certainly and quickly rob them of their child.

“That was the absolute worst moment of my life,” said Andrew. “I knew then that my wife and I were not the same people we were before. I knew, regardless of the outcome, that our lives would never be the same.”

As reporters, Andrew for CNN and Rachel for The Wall Street Journal, the two began what they describe as “the worst reporting project of our lives” and learned everything they possibly could about the horrifying disease afflicting their only child.

advances in leukemia treatments. Rachel and Andrew were horrified to learn that there has been very little progress in developing effective treatments for pediatric brain cancer.

ATRT is rare, being found in less than 10% of children with brain tumors. This type of fast-growing cancer often occurs in children under the age of three, and the survival rate is very poor. For children Francesca’s age, it’s almost certainly a death sentence.

“The first real eye-opener for us was learning that all brain cancer-related drugs were designed for adults,” said Andrew.

“There are no drugs specifically made for kids fighting the disease, and the funding structure leaves no incentive for drug companies to develop new drugs. And that’s just one of the problems in the world of pediatric cancer.”

Through their research, the couple also discovered that brain cancer had become the number one cancerrelated killer of children, surpassing leukemia because of

Andrew and Rachel were frustrated to learn that the few dedicated oncologists tirelessly working to discover new treatments for ATRT are often roadblocked by funding

June 2021 | 29

challenges, and many times are denied access to drugs necessary to move forward with their research.

As disheartening as it was for the couple to accept the dismal odds for saving their child, they were still determined to give Francesca the best treatment possible.

Andrew and Rachel decided to take their daughter to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital, trusting her to the care of Dr. Susan Chi. “We chose Boston for two very specific reasons,” said Andrew. “Most importantly, it was home to one of the only three experts on ATRT in the United States. Second — and this was everything — they allowed both me and Rachel to be with Francesca in the hospital.”

Due to the pandemic, hospitals around the world were instituting policies allowing only one parent to accompany a child during hospital visits or stays. “That would have been absolutely horrific,” said Andrew. “Life sucked. But we had so many more good days in the hospital with her because we were together as a family.”

Francesca underwent intense chemotherapy, six surgeries, and spent her last few days on life support before she passed away in her parents’ arms on Christmas Eve. She was just nine months old.

In the last excruciating month of Francesca’s treatment, it became clear to Andrew that he wanted to use his voice to advocate for pediatric cancer funding. Their daughter’s experience motivated both Andrew and Rachel to continue to do everything in their power to affect change for other families who may one day face their same fate.

Only 4% of the billions of dollars the government spends annually on cancer research is directed toward treating childhood cancer. Of those dollars, just a small fraction is utilized for targeted research related to pediatric brain cancer.

In fact, many pediatric brain cancer researchers depend on funds from private foundations like the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, which has committed more than $1 million in research to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where Francesca was treated.

“Before Francesca got sick, I didn’t realize how the lack of funding was so hugely impacting advances in pediatric cancer treatments,” said Andrew. “I thought doctors had figured it out or had made much more progress than what I later learned. I want to make sure everyone knows the horrible reality that is impacting too many kids right now.”

In honor of their bold and curious baby girl whose

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generous smiles brought joy to unimaginably dark moments, Rachel and Andrew formed Team Beans, raising more than $800,000 to benefit pediatric oncology and ATRT research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The couple continues to advocate for legislation that would funnel money into pediatric cancer research.

“There’s not just one solution to this problem,” said Andrew. “You have to keep coming at it from all angles.

I will fundraise, I will educate people on legislation that needs to get passed, and I will continue to raise awareness. I will just keep pushing.”

September 6, 2021, will mark one year since Francesca was diagnosed. September also happens to be Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and both Rachel and Andrew wanted to do something bold in their advocacy efforts.

They’re actively reaching out to popular landmarks and sights across the globe with a request to “light up gold” anytime throughout the month. Gold is the international color for pediatric cancer awareness. While the family’s request to the Empire State Building was denied, other places like the National Library of Kosovo quickly jumped on board. The Caesars Entertainment ownership group in Las Vegas has agreed to light both the Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas Hotel and the High Roller Observation Wheel at The LINQ hotel in gold. The ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation is currently working to try to get the University of Michigan football stadium and the Detroit Tigers baseball field to light up as well.

Rachel and Andrew plan to spend the anniversary of the worst day of their lives visiting first Niagara Falls and then the CN Tower in Toronto, where both landmarks will also be lit in gold in honor of Francesca.

To learn more about the Team Beans childhood cancer advocacy efforts, visit https://www.facebook.com/ TeamBeansBeatCancer.

In addition to serving The ChadTough Foundation as the Director of Communications, Jen DeGregorio manages PR/marketing and events for several nonprofits across Washtenaw County.

She was one of the first hires at AnnArbor.com and became an integral part of the management team. In 2012, Jen decided to start her own businesses, with a focus on helping small businesses and non-profits.

She splits her time between her home in Dexter, MI and an apartment in NYC where her husband has worked for almost a decade.

Apothecare Ann Arbor is a locally owned and operated organic cannabis company.

We are a team of friendly cannabis and wellness enthusiasts who focus on cultivating high quality organic cannabis products for the Ann Arbor community and the State of Michigan. We are Michigan’s first certified organic cannabis company and are committed to a sustainable, holistic approach towards cannabis cultivation and sales.

Book a Consultation with Dr. Lisa www.apothecareannarbor.com/consultation Whether you want to try cannabis for the first time or you’re an educated patient, our medical team and expert Apothecarists are here to help guide your journey towards better health. Start by setting up a private, virtual medical consultation with our licensed in-house physician, Dr. Lisa.

“I love helping people learn more about the safe and effective use of medical marijuana for their health concerns.”

DRLISA@APOTHECAREANNARBOR.COM | 734.800.2006

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