To Live & Give

WHEN THE DOCTOR REVEALED to Holly Rose that she had breast cancer, a somber image of life without her husband and their two daughters flickered before her. Time stood still. Memories perched on her heart while the future seized the unknown.

“I thought, I’m not going to be there for them,” she chokes. “I’ve done nothing to leave them a legacy.”

When she was diagnosed in 2009, Rose says she had no reason to suspect breast cancer. She was an active mom, exercised regularly and believed she ate healthy. But when a childhood friend’s playful post on Facebook prompted her to perform a self-breast exam, she discovered a lump.

“You just intuitively know [that] this is not good,” she says.

After nine months of treatment including two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, Rose survived breast cancer. Deciding to make it her purpose to “live and give,” Check for a Lump was officially formed in 2011.

The organization’s mission is to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer through education, free mammograms and diagnostic testing via mobile mammography units, a free wig program, and access to several resources in Arizona. In addition, various events such as the Pink Out 5K and the upcoming Wig Out on March 31 assist with fundraising efforts.

Rose says during her treatment, what helped her get through was simple kindness, compassion and generosity from family, friends, neighbors and strangers—including a community on Facebook.

People delivered meals for weeks at a time, while neighbors supported them with wigs, cards, flowers and offers to watch Rose’s daughters. Friends also showed up at her doorstep sporting gloves ready to scrub her floors.

“There was always someone cheering me on and cheering me up when I was at my lowest moments,” Rose shares on the organization’s website. This outpouring of support was something she wanted for all women fighting breast cancer. But humorously referring to her past career as a serial entrepreneur, she admits didn’t know a thing about running a nonprofit—nor was she interested. Rose was painfully shy and terrified of public speaking.

“I said to myself, ‘Really, God, this is what you want me to do?’ But the purpose and the passion were bigger than I was, so I had to humble myself,” she says.

Initially, the organization’s mission was to educate women in detecting breast cancer early on by performing self-exams. But it soon expanded to educational outreach programs with sponsorship assistance, community grants and supporters. Check for a Lump also formed relationships with other nonprofits, hospitals, doctors and breast-cancer related businesses in the community.

One essential resource is the Wig Program, which gives Arizona breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy the ability to receive a free wig. As of June, more than 1,950 wigs have been provided since its inception.

Five years ago, Ashley Plum received a wig through the program. A caregiver for her husband who was also battling cancer and a mom to their then young daughter, the Glendale mom had her hands full.

“At first, I was super angry. Not sad or holding a pity party, but angry because I was the healthy one,” she says. “I was the one that took care of everyone. I was always on.”

While enduring the whirlwind of scans, doctor appointments and chemotherapy, Plum says the worst part of having breast cancer was losing her hair. While chemotherapy was physically difficult on her body, the hair loss was emotionally tough.

“It was my identity. My hair was always fun with different colors and shades,” she says, adding that your hair also provides a natural protection. “When you lose your hair, your head is very sensitive because the skin is exposed to all these elements. There’s a lot of stuff you don’t think about, and nobody told me when I was diagnosed.”

Since their family was financially strapped and quality wigs run nearly $300, Plum was elated when her application for a free wig was approved. “Having that wig gave me a sense of normalcy. I could go to the store and people wouldn’t stop me saying, ‘Oh, you poor thing.’ It gave me the ability to not think about the cancer for a while.”

Today, Plum and her husband are cancer-free.

The support she received from Check for a Lump also prompted her to give back, which she strives for as the nonprofit’s director of development.

“My role allows me to show women that they can get to the other side,” Plum says. “A positive mindset makes a huge stand in the way to heal and get better.”

Providing support from others enduring the same battle or in remission, Check for a Lump hosts monthly “Survivors Unite” activities, ranging from yoga in the park to making tie-dye breast cancer support T-shirts. These free activities are designed for breast cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers. The nonprofit also offers free comfort kits to women going through cancer treatment.

Plum says the future goal of the nonprofit is expand their reach, especially in Latino and Native American populations. “We would really like to grow more, reach more, bring awareness and help everyone we can in the state of Arizona.”

Rose knows firsthand that the initial bleak image of a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be the end to someone’s story. “This is not a death sentence,” she says. “If it was, I never would have been so grateful or question if I had soaked up every minute of being with my girls. Moments would have swept by if not for my cancer diagnosis. I would never have created a legacy for my kids.” Julia

ARE YOU SOMEONE who likes to eat at restaurants, travel, go to concerts and enjoy streaming services? If so, the no-annual-fee Vivid Rewards Credit Card from National Bank of Arizona might offer the perfect reward points program for you.

Whether you’re going out or staying in, you benefit from no limit on three times the points as rewards (basically a 3% reward on every purchase in wide-ranging select categories). In every other purchase category, you can earn one point per dollar spent.

On the other hand, if you prefer to get consistent cash back rewards that you can set and forget, the no-annual-fee Agility Cash Credit Card from NB|AZ gives you the same 1.5% cash back reward on every single purchase with no limits on how much cash back you can earn.

“With our credit card rewards programs, we offer a great deal of flexibility,” says Robyn Puzey, Vice President, Bankcard Marketing Manager. “Instead of being limited to a set catalog of products or travel itineraries when redeeming your accumulated reward points, with our Vivid Rewards Credit Card, you can choose which past purchase or purchases you would like your reward points applied to, essentially reimbursing part or all of those purchases, based on how many rewards points you have.”

Rewards points never expire and can be saved or “banked” for as long as you want. These are the categories that qualify for three-reward points (worth $.03 on every dollar spent) with the Vivid Rewards Credit Card, which NB|AZ says will help you “experience everything life has to offer”: Eating – Restaurants, fast food and meal delivery services

Playing – Entertainment, like concerts, sports, amusement parks and theaters

Going – Transportation, including gas, public transit and rideshares

Connecting – Digital services, such as streaming, cable, internet and wireless

There’s never an expiration or limit on the Agility Cash Credit Card, either. You earn 1.5% cash back on every single purchase. If you have at least $1 in cash back available, you can request whatever cash back you’ve accumulated be credited to your credit card account any time you want. Or you can set up automatic redemption for set periods of time or cash back amounts.

Applying online for either the Vivid Rewards Credit Card or the Agility Cash Credit Card is easy. Maximizing the rewards on either card won’t require you to keep track of how much you’ve spent in special categories like some other banks do with limits and fees on rewards.

“We offer long-term value for our customers, with transparent, straightforward features,” Puzey says. “Whether you choose reward points or cash back, there’s no limit on spending to get rewards or on the rewards themselves.”

Debra Gelbart

Earn three times the points in a wide range of select categories. 1=1

Earn one point per dollar spent in every other purchase category.

1.5% Get 1.5% cash back on every purchase. No limits on how much cash back you earn.

No annual fee, and no expiration on cash back rewards. Set it and forget it.

) Credit card accounts are subject to credit approval. Certain terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. See the credit card application and disclosures for more details. Offers are available for new credit card accounts only and subject to change at any time.

2 Vivid Rewards For every $1 spent on net purchases, Vivid Rewards cardholders earn 3 reward points for purchases categorized as eating out and ordering in, for entertainment like concerts and theme parks, for gas, rideshares and transit, and for popular streaming and telecommunications services like cable, internet, and cellular phone carriers. The bank does not determine which Visa merchant categories are used to classify purchases. One reward point per $1 spent is earned on all other net purchases. Reward points are not earned on transactional items such as cash advances, balance transfers, returned merchandise, etc. Must have at least 2,500 earned reward points to redeem. Account must be in good standing. See the Vivid Rewards program Terms & Conditions for details.

3 Agility Cash For every $1 spent on net purchases, Agility Cash cardholders earn 1.5% cash back. Cash back is not earned on transactional items such as cash advances, balance transfers, returned merchandise, etc. Must have at least $1 earned cash back to redeem. Account must be in good standing. See Agility Cash Program Terms & Conditions for details.