From Nancy Brinker's "Promise Me" guest blog on Kindle Daily Post

From Nancy Brinker's guest blog today on Kindle Daily Post:

Looking at my life and the breathtaking scope of the work done by Susan G. Komen for the Cure in this broader context, I’m humbled and elated. All around me every day, stories pour down like rain, bringing fresh life to everything we do. When I sit down with friends and strangers in all corners of the world, I still start by saying, “Let me tell you about Suzy.”

Read the rest.

Promise Me excerpt in Parade Magazine: Meet Suzy and Nan, the real women behind Susan G. Komen for the Cure

In the Sunday paper today, Parade Magazine is featuring an excerpt from Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer, the forthcoming memoir by Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (with a little help from her Memoir Guru):

Stretched out on her chaise, my sister wore a cover-up that left her bare legs in the sunshine. Her limbs were so thin and knobby, she looked like a girl playing dress-up. I had to smile, thinking of the two of us in the backyard when we were kids, dancing in our coconut bras and hula skirts, pretending our ponies were stallions, playing patty-cake with our dolls.

Tears stung my eyes behind my sunglasses. Suzy’s role as a mainstay in my life had begun with the sound of her voice before I was born. She’d been with me for every major moment since. The dizzying speed with which our time together was coming to an end left me breathless.

Click here to read the rest, and (at the risk of sounding like Vince the Slap Chop guy) pre-order now and get a free copy for your sister!

Tasty blurbage coming in for Promise Me

TAWANDA! Some fantastic buzz is coming in for Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer by Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (with yours truly.)

Kirkus Reviews "A powerful memoir...joy, fear, love, and heartache told in a captivating voice...touching, inspiring..."

Cokie Roberts, news analyst and author of We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters "Susan G. Komen for the Cure has become a brand name in the fight against breast cancer...In Promise Me we learn about the remarkable work of that organization, and also finally get to know the woman behind the name--Suzy Goodman Komen’s sense of fun and family comes through these pages as a bright light leading her sister through trials and triumphs."

Laura Bush, former First Lady and author of Spoken From the Heart "...an inspiring tribute to a sister’s love and a must-read for all who know the pink ribbon."

Mehmet Oz, M.D. of The Dr. Oz Show "...emotionally and elegantly chronicles how sisterly love changed the course of modern medicine..."

Kelly Corrigan, bestselling author of Lift and The Middle Place "This is the story of what happens when a big heart meets an iron will. Nancy Brinker will make you sit back and wonder."

Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Einstein: His Life and Universe "This book is about the meaning of life. It will move and enlighten you."

So, yeah...I'm kinda feeling like a ninja today. (Click here to get a free signed copy for your sister!)

But wait! There's more! (Great deal from Amazon on two books by yours truly)

Over the last 12 months, I've been working with Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, on her memoir Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer. This multifaceted project was beyond fascinating for me, and it was personal. I'm alive today thanks in part to cancer treatment developed with funding from SGK. I can't believe it's been almost ten years since the publication of Bald in the Land of Big Hair, my own memoir about chemo and how the experience led to the writing and publication of my first two novels (neither of which is about cancer.) Even more mind-blowing--the thing is still in print! It keeps going like an Energizer bunny year after year, and no one is more surprised than I.

At the risk of sounding like the Slap Chop guy, Amazon is offering a great deal right now. Preorder Promise Me along with Bald in the Land of Big Hair for less than the cover price of one hardcover book. "But wait! There's more!" says Slappy. If you preorder Promise Me now, Random House and Susan G. Komen for the Cure will send a free autographed copy of Promise Me to your sister or friend. Click here for details.

Pre-order "Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer" and get a free copy for your sister

Suzy and Nancy Goodman were raised in postwar Peoria, Illinois, by parents who believed that small acts of charity could change the world. Suzy was the big sister—the homecoming queen with an infectious enthusiasm and a generous heart. Nancy was the little sister—the tomboy with an outsized sense of justice who wanted to right all wrongs. The sisters imagined a long life together—one in which they’d grow old together surrounded by children and grandchildren. Suzy’s cancer diagnosis shattered that dream.

In 1977, breast cancer was still shrouded in stigma and shame. There were no 800 numbers or support groups. The words “breast cancer” weren't said in polite company, let alone on TV or in the newspaper. Just before she died, Suzy said, "Promise me, Nan. Promise me you'll make it change."

Thirty years and one massive cultural revolution later, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the largest grassroots organizations in the world. Millions worldwide have been brought into the promise, and SGK has invested more than $1.5 BILLION in research and services. Last year, when President Obama awarded Nancy G. Brinker the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he said, "In the months after making that promise, Nancy lay awake at night wondering if one person can really make a difference. Nancy's life is the answer."

In September, Broadway Books will release Nancy's memoir, Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer. It was a huge privilege to work on the book with Nancy. Watch this space for more about that. Meanwhile, click here to get a free signed copy for your sister and read the first chapter.

Never underestimate the power (Obama awards Ambassador Nancy Brinker the Medal of Freedom)

Couldn't be more thrilled to see Ambassador Nancy Goodman Brinker receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. As founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Nancy was instrumental in bringing about a dramatic cultural, political, and scientific shift in the way breast cancer is perceived and treated, and the ripple effects from that have had an immeasurable impact on women's health care in America and around the world.

When Nancy's big sister Suzy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980, there were no support groups, pink ribbon races, or 800 numbers. Media refused to print the words "breast cancer." Treatment protocols were limited and brutal. Funding and awareness efforts were tepid. Before Suzy died, Nancy promised to change all that, and over the next twenty-five years, she built one of the world’s leading grassroots organizations.

Nancy pioneered the cause-marketing model that has become the gold standard for charitable fundraising, and awarded over a billion dollars in research grants. Race for the Cure events are staged around the world, raising awareness and pumping funding into local cancer resources.

As US Ambassador to Hungary, White House Chief of Protocol during the Bush administration, and now United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, she took her cause global. And she's just getting started.

From the White House blog:

The President praised the [Medal of Freedom] recipients for breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."

Congratulations, Nancy!

I've never met a more dynamic, committed, and visionary person. I'm delighted to be serving as Nancy's book sherpa on her forthcoming memoir, coming from Broadway in October of 2010. It's an amazing story.

(Scroll down and look left to pink your Twitter avatar with a Susan G. Komen for the Cure "Twibbon.")