The Elixir: Must-See – Soul Food Junkies on PBS Tonight
Tonight at 10 pm, Independent Lens on PBS will premiere the documentary titled: Soul Food Junkies. Bryon Hurt, award-winning documentary filmmaker, published writer, anti-sexism activist and lecturer, sets out on a historical and culinary journey to learn more about the soul food tradition and its relevance to black cultural identity. Through candid interviews with soul [...]
The Elixir: For Those of Us With Pre-Existing Conditions…
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) For some of us, having medical insurance means survival. People, particularly the young and healthy, never really think about health insurance until they need it. I implore you to look and listen to these stories and then to take it one step further and vote on November 6th and allow [...]
Survivor Stories: Eileen Z. Fuentes | Good Enough Mother
How did you first find out you had cancer? I was sleeping and had an itch on my breast and when I went to scratch, felt a lump. Even though I had stopped nursing just a couple of months prior, intuitively I felt that something was terribly wrong. Since I work in a hospital, I [...]
My Heart: Eileen Z. Fuentes
BY Led Black (@Led_Black) 4 years ago today my life was turned upside down. On that fateful day, my wife and mother of our 3 young girls, Eileen Z. Fuentes, was diagnosed with breast cancer. To make matters worse, it was an aggressive form of breast cancer that was ominously named triple-negative, which meant it [...]
The Elixir: Age Is Nuthin’ But A Number – Ernestine Shepherd
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Recently, I started to notice that my body was craving exercise. Sitting in an office for extended hours a day and being stuck in traffic definitely were taking it’s toll. I consistently eat healthy but have not been exercising like I know I should and it has started to show (both [...]
Conference For Young Moms @ The Shabazz Center on Saturday, September 8th
For more info: http://youngurbanmoms.com/ Related: An Open Letter to a Single Mom and a March Uptown Gem – The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center We invite you to subscribe to the Uptown Love newsletter, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at UptownCollective@gmail.com.
The Elixir: The Business of Breast Cancer Awareness and Pink Ribbons
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Since my breast cancer diagnosis in 2008, I have intuitively felt uncomfortable with the use of pink ribbons. Well-intentioned friends and family flooded me with gifts displaying them and while I was grateful for their sincere efforts to support me, I never used those products. As time went on, I began [...]
The Elixir Profiles: Gabby Douglas – When You’re Down To Nothing God’s Up To Something
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) So for the last couple of weeks, I have slept all of 2 minutes! Why? Because of the Olympics. I have a short attention span and events like swimming, track and gymnastics are just enough time to get me completely focused and later jumping around my living room like a dork. [...]
The Elixir Recipes: Popsicles, Promises and Plan B’s!
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Recently, the temperatures rose to 100 degrees and so my aim was to post a refreshing summer recipe. In my mind, I wanted to share how to put together a quick Latin-inspired quinoa salad but my kids had a different idea. They wanted popsicles. So as a way to try and [...]
The Elixir Recipes: Mangu 2.0
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) If you’re Dominican, you definitely know what mangu is. For those who are not, it can be compared to it’s American counterpart, mashed potatoes. Just like mashed potatoes are very common in American homes, mangu is our signature breakfast dish. Most of my Dominican friends associate this dish as unhealthy since [...]
The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Arthur Gewirtz
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Photography by Briana E. Heard (@beheardphoto) Laura, who is a volunteer at DOROT, an organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of the elderly and bringing generations together, greeted us and introduced Briana and I to Arthur. He immediately lit up and asked for a kiss on the cheek. What a charming [...]
Uptown Health: Free Breast Cancer Screening
On Saturday April 6th and Wednesday April 10th Councilmember Jackson and the American-Italian Cancer Foundation are joining various community groups to bring free mammography screenings to the residents of West Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood (see attached flyers). The service is limited to women 40 years and older who are residents of New York City and [...]
The Elixir: Letting Go of F.E.A.R.
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real I had a conversation with a friend who is overworked, exhausted and losing herself in her dedication to the cancer patients she serves, an honorable justification for sure. She admitted to me that she no longer lives in her home as she only “visits” on [...]
The Elixir: How I Knew I’d Meet Oprah!
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) If you would’ve asked me if I thought I’d ever meet Oprah, surprisingly I would have responded with a confident “YES!” Since my diagnosis, I’ve never allowed many things to stand in the way of my dreams. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I had been talking about it [...]
Our Wellness Contributor Eileen Z. Fuentes Launches Her Own Blog TheSPEACH.com Today
BY Led Black (@Led_Black) Drumroll please…. The Uptown Collective’s wellness contributor and my wife, Eileen Z. Fuentes has launched her own blog today, www.theSPEACH.com, which also happens to be her birthday. The site will be a health and wellness blog for women and is a direct result of the triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis she received [...]
The Elixir: Secrets of a Long Life – Pilar De Jesus Gonzalez
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Photography by Briana E. Heard (@beheardphoto) I’ve always felt a deep admiration for the elderly. Growing up, I lived in the same apartment building on 181st and Bennett as my grandmother and great-grandmother. We were on the 3rd floor and they were on the 6th. Together, they’d pick me up [...]
CUMC’s Department of Surgery Blog Profiles Our Very Own Eileen Z. Fuentes & Her Women’s Wellness Series
Women’s Wellness Series by Columbia Surgery Making a difference in the lives of women with breast cancer. It’s one thing to know that we ought to eat a healthy diet and exercise. It’s another to change our lifestyle and put that knowledge into daily practice. And it’s yet another entirely to inspire others to do [...]
The Elixir – It Takes A Village To Heal
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Photography by Art By Dj Boy (@ArtByDjBoy) & Jyoti Kaushal Last year local residents were shocked to hear that North General Hospital located in central Harlem was closing its doors after filing for bankruptcy. This was devastating news to our already medically underserved community but more directly to those patients [...]
The Elixir – Breast Cancer & Food Therapy
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Television shows, magazines, and products are all proudly bearing pink ribbons. Even the George Washington Bridge is being adorned with glowing pink lights this month to raise awareness. People everywhere have participated in one of the many cancer walks for themselves or a loved [...]
The Elixir: In Defense of the Home-Cooked Meal
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) In the age of instant gratification, many opt for takeout or highly processed food that minimizes cooking times and effort. I hate to break it to you but nothing comes without a price. A recent study showed that a third of our food is eaten outside the home. Such foods [...]
Health & Wellness Super Site Care2 Profiles Our very Own Eileen Z. Fuentes
BY Led Black (@Led_Black) Not only is Eileen Z. Fuentes the Uptown Collective’s wellness contributor, she is also, more importantly, my wife and the mother of my 3 daughters. I have seen this woman go from a heartbreaking triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 34 to the subsequent surgeries and chemotherapy treatment, to [...]
The Elixir SOUL Food Series: Get BERRY Healthy This Summer
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Photography by Briana E. Heard Happy Summer Uptown! For those unfamiliar with my SOUL food series, please note that it stands for: Seasonal, Organic, Unprocessed and Local! When we are on a quest for good health, it isn’t always easy. There are so many obstacles in our path. However, the summertime [...]
The Elixir SOUL Food Series: Papaya
BY Eileen Z. Fuentes (@theSPEACHgal) Back by popular demand, the Uptown SOUL food series is happy to introduce to you one of my favorite warm weather delights, the precious papaya. Before I proceed, I’d like to clarify that SOUL food is not exactly what you think… at least not coming from the Uptown Collective’s wellness [...]
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