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I'm in a transitional period in my life right now. I'm still adjusting to waking up at 7:15 a.m. every morning, making myself look presentable enough for a professional setting, and working a 9-5 job. I can't roll out of bed five minutes before my class or shift at the Copy Center, throw on sweatpants and a hoodie, and be on my merry way half-asleep anymore. Difficult as this transition has been, I can honestly say that I'm very happy with the way my life is panning out. On the other hand, someone very special to me is also going through a transitional period, though his is not going as smoothly as mine. He's at a job he's not crazy about in a city he couldn't dislike more. He continues to come up with big ideas that will serve as a sort of "quick fix" to get him out of the job and the city that he's never been fond of. The big ideas look good on paper, but they, too, always come up a bit short. Maybe he should just suck it up and stick it out? It's not easy seeing him like this, but it can't be this difficult forever; things are bound to get better there. After all, the job does pay well. When you see someone you care about struggling, your immediate instinct is to help him or her in any way possible. What can I do to make his situation easier, especially when I'm several hours away? After all, at twenty-two years old and barely into the professional world at all, what do I know about career decisions? I've spent many nights wide awake recently, wracking my brain and trying to come up with some way to fix all of this. It finally dawned on me months into the entire ordeal: tell him to do what makes him happy. Tell him to do what makes him happy. It's an extremely simple concept, really. Could I tell him to pack up his life, his career, and everything else he's acquired since moving away and just come home whether he's secured a definite life- and/or career-plan or not? Risky (and perhaps foolish) though it may be, that's exactly what I should have been telling him all along. Decisions like the one he's currently faced with should not be based on how much money a position will pay, what others are telling him to do, or the distorted picture that society paints of what success entails. Success isn't measured in dollar signs, but rather the happiness that you possess and in turn provide to others, and I should have communicated this notion to him a long, long time ago. The "him" I keep referring to in this blog is my fiancé. He's my best friend, and seeing him so unhappy is heartbreaking. I realize now that I never should have encouraged him to remain at the job in the city he doesn't like, assuring him that things would be better after the initial adjustment period ended. Big-city life has really made him miss the relaxed, peaceful lifestyle of the Ohio Valley that both of us grew up with, and who am I to tell him that he shouldn't come back here until he gets real experience somewhere else? It's time for him to start making decisions based on what will make him happy today, tomorrow, five and ten years down the road, rather than the amount of money he could make somewhere. I'm very grateful for my opportunity at Bordas & Bordas. I never dreamed I'd be so happy at my fresh-out-of-college position. I know my fiancé will find the same happiness very soon, and I'll be helping him look for it every step of the way. And so from here on out, this blog and all its readers as my witness, I'm not advising anyone to make, nor am I making personally, any life-decisions based on monetary value. Money comes and goes, but the happiness you acquire and give to others lasts a lifetime.

At Bordas & Bordas, we always strive to fervently give back to the community in any way possible. Below are some of the many philanthropic sponsorships in which we have recently partaken. The West Virginia Auxiliary of the Congregation of St. Joseph is located right here in Wheeling. The sisters are hosting their annual Gala/Reverse Raffle on October 10th at the Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and Racetrack. Money raised by the Gala will help the Auxiliary meet the needs of the women living at Mount St. Joseph. Eager to ensure that the sisters are well taken care of, Bordas & Bordas supports the Auxiliary's efforts and annual event. An organization that Bordas & Bordas is happily associated with is the Special Olympics of West Virginia. SOWV provides year-round sports training and competition for mentally challenged children and adults, enabling participants to learn about teamwork in a fun and relaxed environment. The Fall Games, with more than 500 registered participants to date, will run October from 11th through the 13th in Parkersburg and will include a slew of games and activities such as volleyball, bowling, and flag football. Monetary donations supply necessary equipment and transportation for SOWV's events, and Bordas & Bordas is happy to contribute. May 7, 2011 changed everything for all those who knew Eric Carder. While the car crash took the life of the 38-year-old father, husband, son, and friend, his loved ones refused to let his memory die with him in the accident. As Carder was an avid golfer, a group of his closest friends established the Eric M. Carder Memorial Golf Tournament in his honor. The event saw its third installment on August 16th at Oglebay Park's Crispin course. Bordas & Bordas is pleased to have sponsored the event again this year. Here at Bordas & Bordas, we are very supportive of any organization that strives to help those less fortunate than us. That being said, it should come as no surprise that we frequently contribute to the Wheeling Soup Kitchen. Since its establishment in 1982, the Soup Kitchen has been preparing warm lunches on-site and hot dinners to-go for the people of Wheeling and its surrounding areas. As Jim Bordas is an active member on the Board of Directors, the firm does everything it can to support the Soup Kitchen. Bordas & Bordas is honored to be involved with such outstanding organizations and events. We will continue to reach out to community partners who are passionate about making a difference. As always, we encourage everyone to support these very worthy causes in any way possible.

As a recent transplant to West Virginia, I have had little personal experience with the coal mining industry that is such an essential part of this state's economy. Of course, I had general ideas as to what coal mining involved; holes and tunnels dug deep into the ground, miners working to remove the coal from dark caves, and special machinery used to dig and transport the coal. I know that the process poses a variety of significant safety risks to miners, but I always assumed that for an industry that is both essential to the economy and potentially very dangerous, every possible precaution would be taken to help ensure miners' safety and reduce the risk of accidents. As I become more familiar with West Virginia, and the issues important to our state, I have come to learn that my assumption about mining safety is not entirely accurate, and that miners and their families are forced to work hard to try to prevent tragedies, especially where the legislature and regulatory boards refuse to do so. Recently, the West Virginia Gazette reported the story of a young woman named Caitlin O'Dell who appeared at a monthly meeting of the West Virginia Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety. Following a tragic accident where her husband was crushed to death by a scooping machine in an underground coal mine, Mrs. O'Dell was determined to convey a message that the board has heard time and again: that rules requiring "proximity detection" devices in mines are a necessity to protect miners. Despite the fact that this issue has been raised repeatedly over the past several years, and despite the fact that accidents similar to the one that killed Mrs. O'Dell's husband continue to claim the lives of miners, the board has chosen to sit on the proposed safety requirements. No rules or regulations have been passed that require proximity detection systems. This meeting was no different, and the proposal to require proximity detection devices failed, with a 3-3 vote. Government and regulatory inaction in regards to the health and safety of miners has been even more troubling in light of the recent government shut-down. In response to the shut-down, the Mining Safety and Health Administration has been conducting fewer inspections, and has focused inspection resources on those mines deemed to be "high hazard" locations. On each day of this past weekend, where inspections may be even less likely to occur due to lack of employees available to conduct them, a miner has lost his life in an on-the-job accident. One of these deaths occurred in Moundsville, West Virginia. Another involved an accident in which an underground cart rolled over a worker, presumably the type of accident the proximity detection devices are designed to help prevent. While these recent deaths cannot be conclusively attributed to the government furlough, the situation highlights the need for prevention, rather than relying solely on inspections and measures taken in response to accidents. Rules requiring mines to instill and operate safety measures at all times could help ensure that miners' safety is not compromised by a lack of government employees to conduct inspections and supervisory measures. To be sure, inspections are an essential part of maintaining safety in the mines, but the message that is becoming increasingly clear is that prevention must be the next step taken, and it must be taken at once. By appearing in person to urge the board to take action on these long-stagnant proposals, Mrs. O'Dell hoped to press the issue and effect change. She represented a man who may very well still be alive if proximity detection devices were required and used in every mine. As she herself asserted, her goal was to prevent another accident for another family, and she hoped this would be the goal of the board as well. While recognizing that the damage to her family had been done, Mrs. O'Dell sought to make the most out of her loss, and speak as an advocate for improvement in the future. While it is unfortunate that her words did not prompt the immediate response of the board at that particular meeting, her efforts certainly cannot be said to have been a waste. Mrs. O'Dell's story serves as a reminder that individuals will continue to hold responsible parties accountable, even in situations where, as here, elected and appointed officials have failed to adequately protect those they serve. Attending a meeting, writing letters or making telephone calls to elected officials or regulatory bodies, signing petitions, and sharing news stories are just some of the ways that people can voice their support for proposed regulations or demand a change. Another way to hold responsible parties accountable and voice the need for better precautionary methods is through litigation. Lawsuits serve to help the injured person and their family recover from a tragedy, but also serve the broader purpose of shining light upon the failure of current health or safety mechanisms, and demanding the enactment of new and improved precautionary measures. Law firms that are especially familiar with workplace injuries and the mining industry can be powerful advocates for those who have been injured or killed as the result of inadequate safety precautions. As a West Virginia firm with a long history of success in these types of cases, Bordas & Bordas is such an advocate for preventative health and safety measures in the workplace. It is unfortunate and wrong that the legislature and the West Virginia Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety have repeatedly declined to enact regulations that could likely save miners' lives, but people like Mrs. O'Dell will make sure that the issue is not forgotten. Until the appropriate changes have been made and the best available safety precautions have been enacted to protect those who work in West Virginia coal mines, the West Virginia legislature and the West Virginia Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety can expect to hear from citizens who demand that these governmental and regulatory bodies do what is right to prevent tragedies. Now that I am also a citizen of West Virginia, and an attorney at Bordas & Bordas, I am glad to have the opportunity to voice my support of mining safety and preventative measures that could help save lives. The results in a legal case depend on a variety of factors, many of which are unique to each case. Prior results by this firm or any other do not guarantee future results. Case results presented here are illustrations of the type of work done by Bordas & Bordas and not a guarantee that any prospective case will yield any particular amount.

I love summer. Absolutely love it. I have always thought of myself as a summer kind of girl believing that the sunshine, the heat, the cookouts and the days lounging in a pool followed by evenings relaxing on a deck couldn't be beat. However, it dawned on me recently as I was driving back from Columbus where I had just attended a special little boy's first birthday party that fall has become my favorite time of the year. Now don't get me wrong, I don't care for the falling temperatures as my office mates can attest. Jay Stoneking and I tease each other mercilessly on a daily basis over temperature - he likes it frigid, I like it toasty warm. What makes fall so special are the simple things in life that mean oh-so-much. When most people I know think of fall, they think of football season. Football season has become a little more special to me because I now have the privilege of watching the son of one of my best friends play for my high school alma mater. His mom shared with me his excitement upon learning he would be starting on defense as a sophomore. I was there for his first interception (of what I am sure will be many over the next few years) in the first game of the season and shared in his mom's tears of joy. So if you see me wandering around a Wheeling Central game with a player's picture button on my shirt, he's not my kid; he's just a kid who I am very proud of and who has become a part of my extended family. He has also helped salvage football season for me this year as my Mountaineers and Steelers seem to have forgotten how to play football. Maybe a down year for the Mountaineers and Steelers is a good thing because there are so many other things to experience in the fall. Well, maybe a down year in Morgantown and Pittsburgh isn't a good thing but I'm trying to find some positive in such horrible starts to the football season. Fall brings beautiful colors wherever you look -from the leaves turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow to porches decorated with pumpkins and mums, beauty is everywhere. There are wonderful festivals and fairs to enjoy each weekend. If you have never experienced Oglebayfest you have missed out. Held in Wheeling's Oglebay Park the first weekend of October every year, Oglebayfest is a celebration of fall food, art, crafts and history. Experience it once and you will want to make it an annual event. Now back to that one-year-old's birthday party and the real reason fall has become my favorite time of the year: family. There is a saying that I have been seeing more and more often that cousins are your first best friends. Mine are more than that. To me (an only child), they are more like my sisters and brothers. Other than my furry baby girl whom I adopted at a shelter in November 2000 when she was six weeks old (another reason to celebrate fall!), I have not been fortunate enough to have children of my own. What I do have are cousins who allow me to be a part of their lives and their precious babies' lives. While my cousins and I have mainly spring birthdays, this next generation of our family is comprised of mainly fall babies. Since August 30, we have celebrated a 5 th birthday and a 1 st birthday. In a few weeks there will be a 2 nd birthday to celebrate followed by a 3 rd birthday in December. The opportunity to spend time with these little ones and celebrate their special days is the main reason fall has become my favorite time of the year. One of the reasons I moved back to Wheeling four years ago was to be able to see the now five-year-old more easily and more regularly. At the time, I only had that little red-haired princess to spoil (and to all those reading this who may know me and my family: yes - she really belongs to us even if she doesn't have the trademark dark hair and dark complexion). She has now been joined by her little sister and her two little boy cousins and I spend my fall enjoying time with them, thinking about what I'm going to get them for Christmas and being thankful that they are a part of my life. Seeing the smiles on those children's faces and being on the receiving end of their hugs makes everything seem so much better. I too often let work and other obligations get in the way of what really matters in life: family and friends. Family is not defined solely by blood or marriage. Family is defined by the people who are there for you unconditionally and for whom you would do anything, anytime, whether it is convenient for you or not. Family is defined by the people with whom you want to celebrate both the big and the small things in life. At Bordas & Bordas, the importance of family is celebrated and promoted on a daily basis. While the fall season may signal the impending end of the year for some, to me it is a time to celebrate family and the promise of future generations - whether it is in the smiling faces and squeals of young children at birthday parties or the first pick of what is sure to be a storied high school football career. Fall is a reminder that the simple things in life are the best things and has become my favorite time of the year.

Dance Moms is coming to Wheeling and Bordas & Bordas is giving you the opportunity to win tickets to see the Sheer Talent Dance Competition where an episode of the popular reality show will be taped. We are having a mother/daughter look alike contest and all you need to do to enter is tweet your entry to @bordaslaw with the hashtag #bordascontest or email your photo to communications@bordaslaw.com. Good Luck. Winners will be selected on Thursday, October 10.

I am a bit of a TV hound. If I am at home, it's on. Over the years I have enjoyed a few shows, but one show that my wife and I love just started its final season. How I Met Your Mother is on CBS on Monday nights and follows the lead character, Ted, as he tells his kids the story of how he met their mom. Call me sappy, but the beginning of the end of the show has me feeling a little nostalgic. I feel that way because my wife, Amanda, got me started watching the show not long after we met back in January of 2006. Since that time we have spent most Monday nights during TV season together watching the show. When we first met, the show was just in its first season and we enjoyed sitting down to watch it together as a break from our studies at WVU. I was in my last year of law school and she was finishing up her master's degree in reading education. As the show has progressed over the last 8 years a lot has changed in my life. It got me to thinking about someday telling the story of how I met Amanda to our kids. Our little girls, Allie and Lauren, are only four and 19 months respectively, so I thought the story could wait a few years, but seeing how Allie has already started playing and (GULP!) planning her wedding it might not be that far off. How is it even possible that a four-year-old would starting planning that young! The story of how Amanda and I met is simple enough, and to this day I am not  sure what Amanda saw in me. We had a mutual friend, Holly, whom I had gone to undergrad with at Concord College and who was at the time in the same master's program as Amanda. Holly had been plotting for some time to get Amanda and me to meet and we had struck up a few conversations on the popular social media of the time AOL Instant Messenger. Giggles3153 already had Romes452tke very  interested through those brief conversations. Unfortunately, our first meeting did  not proceed as I would have hoped. January 26, 2006 was a fairly typical Thursday night in Morgantown. I really didn't have much going on at school the next day so I had decided to go out to Crocket's Lodge Star City to have some fun. Holly was one of the friends that was planning to go out that night and was going to be my designated driver so I had taken the opportunity to get a head start on the on the evening festivities  with a few "beverages" at my apartment. (I need to find a way to edit that part of the story before I tell Allie and Lauren.) It wasn't until Holly came over to pick me up, and I was several drinks in, that I found out that Amanda was going to come out with us that night. Just my luck! Thursdays at Crockett's was typically karaoke night. Unfortunately, with a few drinks in me in those days I tended to become a performer. At the urging of some friends, performances far from worthy of American Idol or the Voice would come out. And so it was on January 26. 2006. So what was my future wife's first in person meeting of me? "Here I Go Again on My Own" by White Snake blared as I belted out the best off-key performance I could. When I was done I remember seeing Amanda for the first time and thinking, what the heck have I just done! Apparently not enough to scare her away! I was blown away by how beautiful she was. We talked throughout the night and she even stayed as I took the stage to belt out a little Neil Diamond. I don't know what she saw or heard in me, but I was  already hooked. I asked her out over the next weekend and we went out the next week. I showed up to her house, in what she calls to this day the absolute worst  sweater she has ever seen, to see that she had just broken a mirror five minutes before I arrived. For whatever reason, she didn't accept the broken glass signal and we started  spending a lot of time with one another. Only two weeks later we got tickets to see Brad Paisley, one of our local boys done good, who was performing at the WVU Coliseum. Amanda had been in Pittsburgh during that day with her family  and was returning back to Morgantown in a snow storm. I was already at the Coliseum and parked when I found out that Amanda was nearly there. As luck would have it, I shockingly noticed an open parking place fairly close to the doors. For the next 15 minutes I stood in the snow in an empty parking lot getting yelled at by several people because I would not move out of the way, but I did save the parking spot for Amanda. I was already hopelessly hooked on my future wife. We were engaged by June and married the next August. As we finished school, despite having several more lucrative teaching positions for her acceptance, Amanda decided to move with me back to my hometown as I had accepted a job as the law clerk for the Honorable Judge John Hrko in Wyoming County, WV. Amanda came along and experienced what it was like to live in the southern hollows and coal fields of Southern West Virginia. It was certainly a learning experience for her, but she stuck through it with me. I was fortunate enough to be hired by Bordas & Bordas for the fall of 2007. Since that time we   have moved back to Moundsville and started our family. Starting work at Bordas & Bordas gave me the opportunity to raise a family and have the time I need to be with my young children as they grow. Allie was born in July of 2009 and Lauren followed in February of 2012. Lauren was actually born on Amanda's birthday, continuing the rather lengthy string of overlapping dates and anniversaries in our family. Lauren and Amanda's birthday is also my brother Brian and his wife Robin's anniversary. Robin and her son, Michael, share a birthday and I share a birthday with my mother in law. Finally, my wedding anniversary is also my father-in-law's birthday. I could not have imagined what my life was going to be like when I saw the beautiful brunette looking at me and laughing as I belted out that classic White Snake tune back in 2006. Today I have the best, most caring, beautiful and loving wife in the world, who is a tremendous mother to our children. My children are incredibly smart and fun and I cannot wait to get home to see them in the evenings. I like the story of how Amanda and I met a lot, but I must say I like the day to day of life with her even more. The best part of working at Bordas & Bordas is and has always been the firm's dedication to family. Through births and deaths the entire firm has stood behind me and given me the time to be the family man that I want to be and for that I am thankful.

It seems like Oglebay Park has always been a part of my life. I came to Wheeling for the first time in May of 1983. I was working as a summer clerk for Jim Bordas. Jim owned a trailer park near West Liberty and I lived in one of the trailers until I returned to the school in the fall. Every day I drove to work on Bethany Pike, passing through Oglebay Park. It was exhilarating! The park was always lush and green. Its grounds were always perfectly manicured and it seemed like you could see for miles over the gently rolling hills. I was especially impressed by the mansion, sitting above the roadway with its majestic portico and pillars. In March, 1991, I joined Bordas & Bordas and moved to Wheeling on a fulltime basis. Oglebay Park was back in my sights. Even as we were in the process of house hunting, everybody asked us the same question: "Have you gotten your zoo pass yet?" My wife began joking that a zoo pass must be mandatory. Well, okay, maybe not mandatory, but I've come to learn that it's a very good idea to have one--especially if you have children. Through the years, our girls have been to Oglebay's zoo countless times and have also enjoyed zoo camp in the summer. We've also been able to help out newcomers to the city by sharing guest passes to the zoo to make their visit a little more enjoyable. My girls also learned horseback riding at the park. Oglebay's stables offer public and private lessons, trail rides, and summer camps. I remember watching my girls, decked out in all of their gear, putting the horse they were riding ("Nibbles," I think) through its paces. I'll always treasure those memories. Even as my girls got older, the park provided great opportunities. In many ways it was our extended "back yard." The girls, along with their friends, would walk, run and play in the park. I've heard stories of some pretty exciting games of "capture the flag" played in the park, especially after dark. As they grew up and entered adulthood, the park served as a venue for some of their most significant rites of passage. Both girls had their high school graduation parties there. My older daughter, Jayme, got married five years ago and we chose Oglebay as the site for the wedding reception. Levenson Shelter was a perfect place to share a perfect day with family and friends! Through the years we've always taken advantage of the park's Christmas lights extravaganza, better known as the Festival of Lights. In fact, my wife worked at the park for a few years, including a stint as a guide for the tour buses. My wife can tell you anything you want to know about the park and any of the light  displays. Is this display new or old? Who made it? How many lights does it have? I don't have the slightest idea, but my wife--the seasoned tour guide--still knows all of the answers. Another favorite of ours at the park is Oglebayfest. I'm a Randolph County native, so I grew up attending the Forest Festival every year. It was nice having a festival close to home that we could enjoy as our girls were growing up. My wife likes to go through the booths, especially the woodcarvers, painters and other craftsman. I go for the food. Every year I make my pilgrimage so I can have a giant steak hoagie and a pile of home style grilled potatoes. That's worth the trip! The one thing my wife and I both enjoy during Oglebayfest is the opportunity to walk together through the park and to reconnect with many of our friends who are doing the same thing. Yes, I'm a big fan of Oglebay Park. I know that my girls are too. Now that I'm a grandfather, I guess it's my job to introduce the next generation to everything the park has to offer!

Bordas & Bordas, along with WTRF7 News, is offering one lucky person a chance to win (2) tickets to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the St. Louis Cardinals in playoff action on Sunday, October 6. To enter, simply "like" the Bordas & Bordas Facebook page AND the WTRF 7 Facebook page. Then share the contest with your friends. Finally, text the keyword WINTIX to 22828 on your cellular phone. (Normal text messaging rates apply. Those without texting abilities can email the keyword to communications@bordaslaw.com). You can also follow @bordaslaw and @WTRF7News on Twitter for an additional chance to win. Terms and Conditions for the contest can be found here. Good luck and Let's Go Bucs!

As I was sitting at PNC Park on Tuesday night waiting for the first pitch of the National League Wild Card Game, a strange thing happened. All of the Pirates got younger. Not really younger, but younger than me. I was looking at the program and not a single player was older than me. The last time that I had taken my seat for a Pirates playoff game was in 1992 as a 17-year-old senior in high school and EVERY player on the team was older than me. I paused for a moment and looked over at my dad and smiled. Although I am a football guy at heart, it hit me for the first time why baseball is  considered to be America's pastime. I realized that I was right back to my childhood again,  sitting next to my dad, rooting for our team, eating a hot dog,  and talking about the lineups. Pretty soon we found ourselves cheering home runs, rattling Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto with the rest of the crowd, and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. You see, even if every player on the team is now younger than you, baseball makes you feel like a kid again. So, as I looked over at my dad, I was thankful that the Bucs gave us that moment to share one more time. I reminisced a little about my childhood. I thought of the  wonderful wife and children who I now have and who I didn't have the last time I saw a playoff game. And, I hoped that one day I would get to do the same with my kids. That is what truly makes baseball great --- father and son can sit down for an evening, enjoy a hot dog together and be reminded of younger days. So even though I am 38 years old and my dad isn't the youngster he may have been the last time we saw a playoff game together, it didn't matter. Baseball serves as a bridge from one generation to the next. And, for one night, I got to be a kid again. Thanks, Buccos, for giving me that experience for one great Buctober night. Bring on the Cardinals!

All of us are survivors in some way, but we think of surviving cancer as being more difficult. Experts tell you that if you go ten years without a reoccurrence of cancer then you are really a true survivor. Well, I went ten years and then the rascal showed up again. What I have gained from this experience is that every day without treatment should be added to your tally of survivor days, something like accumulating points in life. These points should make you so grateful that you can quit worrying about reaching some special milestone like six months, or ten years. That doesn't really mean anything. What's important is that you live each day. You will hear people say, "He lost his life to cancer," and this is true of someone who focused so much on their illness that they quit living the days that they have left in this world. None of us know when our time will be up in this world. Do something good, be someone special, help others, and love. I saw this little message on the Internet and thought it was a wonderful way to live. Aspire to inspire, before you expire. I remember when I was first diagnosed. I thought the doctor must be wrong. How could this be? I was only 45 years old, not a smoker, no alcohol use, and I had a daughter. They say that childbirth reduces your risk of breast cancer. My first visit to the surgeon was horrible. I decided to get another opinion and went to Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Trusting in my doctor and the care I received in Pittsburgh made a big difference in my own mental prognosis. I was starting to believe that I would be all right. I can remember that my first prayer was please let me see my daughter graduate from West Virginia Wesleyan. The time passed quickly, and then I sent another  prayer request. God, I'd love to see my daughter married. In 2001, my breast cancer reoccurred. I thought at first that I was really in big trouble now. Why would it have come back? I soon felt that if I beat it once, I could surely do it again. I now had two granddaughters, and it started all over again. God, I'm not ready to leave, I want to see the girls, graduate from college, and I want to share in their adult lives. In 2007, we were blessed with a grandson, and I want to be here when he is a husband and father. The cancer experience makes you realize what is important in life. It makes you a much stronger person.

This October, I would like to remind every woman to please schedule yourself a mammogram. If you're over the age of forty it may be time to get a baseline done or earlier if you have any family history of breast cancer. Consult with your family doctor about when he/she feels you should start getting your mammograms. Men, you are not excluded from this cancer either. This year I lost my sister-in-law Liz to breast cancer. Liz had been a breast cancer survivor for about fifteen years. Here is a little of her story. In 2012, the doctors told her the cancer was back for a third time and it had moved into her liver, bones and brain. Once again she stepped up to the plate ready to fight, but this time it was way too much for her, so she went with quality of life as she didn't want to be out of it or sick from all the chemo treatments. She wanted to spend as much time with her family and friends as she could and be as pain free as she could. I was so very blessed to be able to help take care of her until she finally had to go into a hospice facility in Pittsburgh PA. My ability to help Liz was only made possible because I work for a family-first law firm. Understanding and support are not strong enough words for what Bordas & Bordas did for me and my family during our difficult time taking care of Liz. Liz passed away this May of 2013. We also lost her husband (my best buddy) Augie to bladder cancer in February of 2013. Two loved ones in three months is just very hard for one family to handle. But we did it and we are closer and stronger than ever. One thing Liz never wanted to die from was breast cancer. She asked me if she did pass away from breast cancer to please tell everyone how important getting a mammogram each and every year is. Liz fought back again against breast cancer about five years after she was diagnosed the first time and I remember getting the call from her telling me she wasn't sure if she was going to do radiation or chemo. She was really feeling sad, alone and sorry for herself, (which she had  every right to be feeling) but me being me, I told her to stop it, that she needed to stand up and fight, cancer was not going to win this round, and if she wanted to feel sorry for herself I would throw her a big pity party after she had gone through treatment and she was strong enough to tell her story of how I told her to stand up and fight like a girl, and how I wouldn't let her sit down and feel sorry for  herself. Liz told me I was the only one in the world she  knew who would tell her to stop it and to do something about it and that I was one of the reasons she took treatment that time. Liz also told me that she felt I was the strong one in this battle and I had faith in God, something that she was so desperately trying to hang on to but was slowly losing, and that I made her understand that God has a plan for everyone.  Liz told me I helped pull her back from a very dark time in her life. Trust me, she was never alone or lost her faith in God, she only thought she was. God was her light in that dark place, she just didn't know it at the time. Liz took every precaution to keep herself checked and cancer free, used preventative medications and took exercise classes for breast cancer saviors. You name it, Liz did, took it, or Liz researched it. Liz always said you have to be your  own best advocate to fight any and every type of cancer. But sometimes the cancer will take you no matter what you do to stop it. No truer words had been spoken. It's still hard for me to think she's not there when I have something I need to have more than two opinions on, now it's just down to myself and my oldest sister Diane, as our third opinion is gone. Liz and I were very close for being sister-in-laws, she and I would never say that  we were in-laws, only sisters. It was funny to see people's faces when she would tell them that I married her brother. You could see them thinking, "What?" We both would laugh and walk away. That's what kind of relationship I had with her. I was so blessed to have a friend and a sister in Liz. Liz made me a better person and she helped me understand things that I never knew in my lifetime would need to know or understand. God only takes the best ones back first and I truly believe that she was taken away from us way too early, but what she left behind for all of us was the meaning of what true love is: God and family. Please show your support this month for Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink. It's the best tribute you can show someone who is a survivor or for those who lost the battle with breast cancer. Please also consider supporting the 8 th Annual Driving Fore A Cure Golf Classic. This year's event will be held at Oglebay Park on Friday, October 11, 2013. Liz, I'm writing a very small part of your story for others to read and understand that they are not alone when it comes to breast cancer. You are and will always be my Hero! You gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give to another person: unconditional friendship, love, support and you never asked for anything in return. You and my beautiful sister, Diane, are the two that made me who I am to this day. Thank you. I love you and miss you, Liz!