We must be the change we wish to see in
the world - -Mahatma Gandhi

The Self chec™ Story

Thea's words (making memories with her dad, Michael, in 1981)
While I sat with him on our rocking chair in the living room of our apartment, my dad told many stories that afternoon in 1991. He did what no father or mother ever wants to have to do, make a tape recording for me to remember him by because he knew he didn't have much time to live. He was 35 years old and dying.

Although his stories were always funny, it was a very, very sad time in all our lives. It's just not fair to learn about suffering when you are so young. No child should ever have to endure this kind of heartache.

Through my mother's work on Self chec™, I know now that my father did not have to die of colon cancer. Every day the thought still comes into my mind, if only he had taken better care of himself...

Joan Peckolick's words (Founder and Director of Self chec™)
I have taken two thoughts out of a report the American Cancer Society published on March 31st, 2005. Let me share them with you...

"More than 60 percent of all cancer deaths could be prevented if Americans stopped smoking, exercised more, ate healthier food and got recommended cancer screenings.

In designing our communities and our lives, we inadvertently have made a lot of choices that work against health."

The above is positively outrageous to me. These statistics translate into the yearly deaths of over 350,000 people we know and love. This makes my seven years of devotion to Self chec™ ever so much more meaningful to me, and hopefully to you, too.

Creating Self chec™ has been my way of trying to make a difference in the fight against cancer so that children like my Thea won’t have the rest of their lives informed by the loss of a parent; and you and I won't have to suffer the premature loss of another dear friend, partner or relative to those cancers that are preventable, treatable and often curable when found early enough.

Self chec™ will help keep you healthy so you can see your children grow up, take that long-awaited vacation you planned for and, most importantly wake up each morning, the first day of the rest of your life, knowing you are taking good care of yourself. Now, it's your turn to stop for a moment and really think about what you would write down to convey your personal hopes and wishes.

Like many of us, I've seen loved ones, friends and colleagues die unnecessarily of cancer, while others live a long, productive and healthy life when their cancer was caught early enough to be treated and sometimes cured. I've asked over and over again, why does one person live after being diagnosed with cancer? Why does another person die?

I believe the answer exists in four words that have the power to change each one of our fates: prevention, screening and early detection. Self chec's™ goal is to help you understand these life saving actions and become your partner in changing your personal attitudes, motivations and ultimate fate.

Self chec™ is about taking control in a world that often seems out of control. It’s about meeting the challenges that affect our lives so deeply. Taking care of our health is one of those important challenges and I hope you will agree that this really needs to be our number one priority.

It also seems to me that keeping healthy should be the great equalizer between the “haves” and the “have nots”, but it is not. That is why we are asking corporations, foundations, the media, along with the government and individuals themselves to come together again, to take part in our Self chec™ Life Saver Community. Together we can get Self chec's™ life saving message out to the general public and also begin to build the support systems needed, especially by the underserved communities.

If you think of Self chec™ as a very special gift you’ll be giving to yourself and those you care about, it will not be difficult to make the commitment to take care… and we’ll be right there to support and cheer you on.

So please introduce your family, friends and colleagues, along with the folks you know in the medical, corporate, foundation, government and media communities to Self chec™. You can do this through our caring card kits and Web site. Also, learn how to do your self-checks, sign up for free email reminders, push our buttons, tell us your story and read about others who have taken the leap of faith to take care.

I welcome you to join me, my daughter Thea and our Life Saver friends by becoming " the change we wish to see" in our lives and in the fight against cancer. Don't you think it's time?

Be a Life Saver... Don't Forget to Self chec™