Today we made payments for two UK ladies to have their PIP implants removed and replaced. This could not have been accomplished without the tireless fundraising of our friend Tina and her generous MFI supporters. Tina selflessly fundraised for women in great need while she personally was dealing with capsular contracture. Thus, we have invited Tina to create her own account and raise funds for a revision.

Although Tina’s pay if forward for PIP account will close, it was a successful endeavor. Fundraising for a charitable cause directly through MFI has never been done before. This was a watershed event and we appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience throughout the process. Allowing Tina to utilize MFI for a different outcome made a huge difference to two women in need (Rebecca and Sue). Below I’ve attached a letter of gratitude from Sue Coates, one of the women who will undergo surgery on June 13th, because of your assistance. We’ll conduct a follow up interview with both Sue and Rebecca after their operations.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello MFI,

My name is Sue Coates, I am one of the ladies you have offered to help with the removal & replacement of PIP implants.

I found out in January of 2012 that I have PIP implants, and I must say the news came as a very big shock. After several letters from my local NHS hospital I was seen by a consultant, who offered no help at all. I was devestated and didn’t know where to turn.

I contacted a PIP implants help group on Facebook, where I met Antonia Mariconda, Tina, and other supporters. They offered assistance in getting a removal and replacement, which has been wonderful. I really dont know where I would be without the support of our small group of wonderful women.

As for my upcoming surgery, I cannot stress to you how greatful I am for your kind donations. This has been such a hard time for my family and I, but your generosity and Tina’s fundraising has made such a difference to us. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I am an emotional girl but when I got the call telling me about your support I nearly fell off my chair. Honestly, I cried quite a lot, which is no surprise considering what was being offered to me.

What you are doing is a wonderful thing, and if there is anything I can do in return then please dont hesitate to ask.

Thank you again you are a truely wonderful people.

We received this lovely thank you note the other day from KayDee, that I just wanted to share with the rest of you (with her permission of course). Not to sound too cliche, but it really are these ‘little things’ that make a huge difference for me personally. And despite all the ups and downs, good times, and bad, it’s the moments like this that make it all worth it in the end. So a big THANK YOU, right back atcha KayDee! As well as to all her donorsthat made it all possible!

Not sure what this has to do with selling cars, but I suppose that’s the point.

[ via: adweek.com ]

Well, that’s what focus groups saw anyway. The image seen is actually the Vimy Memorial in France, dedicated to Canadian soldiers who fought and died in the World War I battle that helped turn the tide of the war.

Many participants in the focus group knew nothing about the history of the battle. Numerous others indicated the images on the new bill too closely resembled the Twin Towers before 9/11 and were too pornographic. Really?!

The new bill:

The Twin Towers with topless ladies in question:

Not actually the Twin Towers with topless ladies

[ From: buzzfeed.com ]

In Slate, Jezebel.com staff writer Lindy West has an interesting review on a new book by Florence Williams that came out this week: Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History. According to West, the book offers a comprehensive social, cultural, medical, and scientific history of the human breast, with writing that is “scientifically detailed yet warm and accessible.”

An excerpt from the review:

Williams’ journey begins when, alarmed by a news article about toxins in breast milk, she decides to get her own milk tested. And, surprise! It’s packed with toxins—specifically, chemical flame retardants—that Williams is funneling directly into her baby. (“Well, at least your breasts won’t spontaneously ignite!” her husband jokes, because that’s exactly what you want to hear when adjusting to the news that you’re a human baby-poison factory.) This sends her down a rabbit hole in search of deeper understanding of her own anatomy— into the evolutionary history of mammals, to Peru to investigate nursing and weaning, back to the first breast augmentation surgery, and all over the world to interview more boob experts than you can shake a pasty at.

And she discovers that breasts are complicated. Impossibly so. She learns that it’s the breast’s permeability that make it such an evolutionary powerhouse (lots and lots of estrogen receptors help human puberty occur at the optimal time; nutrient-rich breast milk makes for giant brains)—but that same permeability is also, partially, what causes one in eight women to develop breast cancer. Our breasts make us great but they also make us vulnerable, and you can’t help but come away from Williams’ book feeling a bit helpless. (Self-examinations! Self-examinations are key!) While she makes the story as dynamic as possible, there’s no escaping that this is science journalism—there are lots of PBDE levels and octa-203 and penta-47 and dioxin and “lobule type 4” and other such enemies of lively prose. But that’s OK—there are enough surprises and genuinely horrifying learning moments to keep a reader (especially a lady-reader), uh, latched on.

The review concludes with “Five Things I Learned About Breasts From Florence Williams’ Breasts,” with West taking a comedic approach, surprisingly, without undermining the book’s implications. Parting quips aside, the book appears to delve into uncharted areas of breast science and sociology, offering a fascinating exploration of the past, present and future of breasts, and what we can do to save them.

Amazon.com, I’ll take two please.

You can read the full review here: Your Breasts Are Trying to Kill You.

[ From slate.com (via: boingboing.net) ]