People sometimes ask me why I decided to become a dietitian, and my answer is always, “Family history of cancer.” Unfortunately, I was one of those kids who grew up around medical jargon. Starting from the time I was 8 or 9, one or more of my grandparents on both sides of the family were in treatment for one form of health ailment or another. 3 out of 4 have battled cancer, with both grandmother’s eventually succumbing to the illness. They were both extraordinary women—in such different ways—and sometimes I wonder what life would be like if they were still around. I wonder what I would be like! Long story short: from an early age, I was very well aware of the fact that some f***ed up sh!t happens in the human body, and I was curious to know how it all works. As a practitioner, my main goal is to help improve people’s quality of life, and though in my current job I work mainly with people who are already battling an illness, I hope to eventually work more on the preventive side.

I’ve wanted to participate in one of the American Cancer Society‘s events for a long time, so this year, I emailed my family and asked who wanted to get involved with me. So, yesterday, my mom, sister, aunt, cousin, and I all walked in this year’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Central Park in memory of my grandmother, Jeanne. Because we are all freakish early-to-rise peeps, we were all bright-eyed and ready to get going on those 5 miles at 8 a.m. 

(Yes, I know one of my eyes is bigger than the other and I always squint the left one in photos—thanks, genetics!). The walk itself was gorgeous! Even though it was a tiny bit chilly, the sun was shining, and we got to enjoy the beauty of the park amidst a sea of good vibes and silly pink wigs and outfits. Since I don’t own a single pink item of clothing, I painted my nails fuchsia. My sister was rocking some pretty sweet pink sneaks! With such lovely ladies to talk to in such gorgeous scenery, the miles flew by!

After some tourist shots in Strawberry Fields…

we headed to a local cafe for brunch. It was lovely.

My mom, sis, and I headed to a wine tasting in the afternoon which was on roses. It was part of New York City Food & Wine Festival, which benefitted the Food Bank for New York City.  We had a great time! As usual, we may have had a bit too much fun describing the wines to each other. Here are a few examples of what happens when you take me to a wine-tasting:

All in all, it was a great day!

Have you ever participated in an event like a charity walk or festival? Do you like rose wine? What was the best part of your weekend?