Tennis Great Navratilova Being Treated for Breast Cancer

I was saddened when I heard the news that tennis legend Martina Navratilova has breast cancer. According to news reports, the cancer caught the 53-year-old Navratilova off guard. She readily admitted that she got too busy in her life and went for four years without getting a mammogram. Now she’s paying the consequences.

This only goes to show that cancer can hit anyone at anytime. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve accomplished in your life, or how fit and healthy you feel you are. For women over 40, it’s important to get a mammogram every year.

Navratilova is a tough cookie, so I’m sure she’ll fight this disease with the same ferocity as she battled opponents on the court. She is expected to make a full recovery.

MLB “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer”

Once again, Major League Baseball and its 30 clubs are teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise funds and public awareness to fight breast cancer. The initiative begins this Sunday, May 13 (Mother’s Day) and continues through May 19, and incorporates several activities on and off the field for fans and players alike.

Some of the highlights:

Fans can make monetary donations by logging onto www.komen.org/mlb at five different levels: Single ($25), Double ($50), Triple ($75), Home run ($100) and Grand Slam ($250). MLB Charities will also commit an additional $50,000 donation.

More than 200 players will use a pink bats during their games on Mother’s Day, more than twice the number of players who participated last year. The pink bats will be autographed and auctioned on MLB.com at a later date, with proceeds going to the Komen organization.

During the games, players will also wear pink wristbands and ribbons on their uniforms. Pink ribbon logos will be displayed on the base pads.

A special Komen for the Cure public service announcement will run on the scoreboards and on the PA systems at all the ball parks.

For more information, visit www.komen.org/mlb.