I am extremely honored and grateful to have been selected as the 2025 UNICO National Joseph P. Cianci Humanitarian Award. The award will be presented August 2nd, at this year’s UNICO National gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 💜 The award is presented annually after a lengthy selection process involving candidates from all over the USA and is awarded to a person: a. who has demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian deeds and philanthropic endeavors in serving his fellowman b. whose unselfish dedication has touched all people regardless of race, color, creed or national origin c. who must have upheld, believed in and practiced the philosophical goals and objectives of UNICO National, and d. the acts and deeds of the individual must be above and beyond the course of their business/profession I am most proud to have been selected for this award knowing that the success of Rare is Beautiful has played a very large role. Rare is Beautiful will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in November. The success of Rare is Beautiful has been evident as the Rare is Beautiful family has grown all over the world. We continue to succeed in our mission of spreading awareness of Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome. We have also contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to assist children and families stricken with cancer, rare disease or in general need. I would like to thank UNICO National and the Garfield Chapter of UNICO for nominating me. I would also like to thank Rare is Beautiful and all the volunteers for making this possible. 💜 (fb)

Here is an update on our little fighter, as we reflect on when this all started ten years ago today. 💜 More recently, on February 16th our girl took her last dose of Tamoxifen and we celebrated five years breast cancer free! Unfortunately, the celebration did not last long. An annual routine visit to Dee Dee’s gynecologist led to biopsies at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The results showed abnormalities in the cells of her cervix. These abnormalities had to be further investigated through surgery on March 24th. A large portion of Dee Dee’s cervix was removed and the waiting game for the results began. Ten days later, pathology results revealed NO CANCER! Unfortunately, angry little atypical cells made their presence known, began to spread and a decision was made between Dee Dee and her doctors to move forward with a hysterectomy as a proactive approach to avoid cancer in the near future. Dee Dee’s next surgery will follow the full recovery of the March 24th surgery, expected late May. P.J.S. has taken away so much from Dee Dee, now including the ability of carrying a baby of her own. I know the blessing here is NO cancer, yet this blessing comes with more sacrifice. Surveillance is everything with P.J.S. Staying one step ahead will save the life of anyone with this disease. Dee Dee has been through a lot the past ten years. But, her proactive, thorough surveillance has led to better results than the alternative. We are thankful for that. 💜💜💜💜💜 #pjs #mastectomy #hysterectomy #strongestgirliknow #herecomesthesun (fb)