The Power of Peas and Five Finger Shoes

There's not much that's comfortable about the whole cancer ordeal but when I saw another blogger talking about these shoes last night on twitter immediately the thought hit me that if a patient wore those shoes at least one part of them would be comfortable. If it were me, I might have a hard time taking them off.

Here's what occurs to me.  Does wearing fun comfortable clothing and footwear make a difference to cancer patients?

As a founding Board member of a cancer charity called the Frozen Pea Fund I see our mission going far beyond the initial large amount of money we raised that went directly to the American Cancer Society. I see us asking questions like this and helping to get answers about patients' comfort and outlook.

After all: Frozen Peas Relieve Pain

Since we have incorporated and become a non-profit we have made it our mission to help cancer patients in NEW ways using creative thinking, new technology, new media, and we hope for inspiring new results. So this "comfort" thing seems right up our alley.

Oh I know we can't prove that five finger shoes or other fun, comfortable wearables cure cancer but it has been shown that mental outlook is responsible for more than 50% of a patient's chances of survival!

BUT - I personally can't imagine looking down at my feet wearing these shoes and not feeling a GOOD emotion - thus releasing endorphins and all kinds of other good stuff that would help the busy T-cells get together and do the nom nom nom on the pesky cancer cells.

So to me that's now part of my mission in life. I want to try what I can, and share as I learn.

Frozen Peas are More than a Fund Raising "Gimmick"

Frozen Peas relieve pain. They can be applied to any spot that hurts. Though giving to the Frozen Pea Fund can help us do good in many ways large and small, helping cancer patients in personal and global ways the concept is a simple but far reaching one and involves much more than clicking an icon to donate.

It's a bigger concept than that - and involves your actions

• It happens when you know information that could help cancer patients, and you share it because of the Frozen Pea Fund.

• It happens when you have a contact you share because the Frozen Pea Fund brought a need to your attention.

• It happens when you send a gift certificate for meals to a cancer patient because you are reminded that was even an option that someone across the country could do.

• It happens when you look up a resource for massages in another area of the country & gift a patient you know, just because the FPF made you aware that might help

• It happens when you set out a fishbowl at your next tweetup, talk about the concept of frozen peas reaching out to the community, and asked for folks to throw in a few dollars to help someone in your area or the FPF in our mission.

• It happens when you drop off treats at your local cancer center to thank staff for the work they do.

Frozen Peas Ease Pain. Think of the good that you could do multiplied by a hundred of us, or a thousand of us.

So this article isn't as much about shoes as it is about sharing?

BINGO!

Although I'd like to try the shoes, wear them at the hospital, talk about them to staff, discuss with my contacts at other medical centers, and help other patients try five finger or other shoes to see if they could provide some comfort  . . beyond that, I'd like to see Vibram participate with the Frozen Pea Fund in experimenting to see how this small bit of fun might energize a cancer patient in a small way.

But this goes far beyond that little brainstorm

Like pesky little frozen peas rolling out of a bag and scattering to all corners of your kitchen, the Frozen Pea Fund provides an unlimited number of tiny sparks of ideas, one of which might land in your lap.

Please be open to those sparks. Tell us about them. Talk to others about them.

Consider the potential energizing and feel-good benefit of thinking outside the box - or bag - of frozen peas.

Frozen peas ease pain. Let's make that happen in little ways and big ways.

Comments

[Tracy Lee]

Great post...and lovely shoes! I can't imagine wearing them and not smiling. Sometimes it is the little things that mean the most. I can't believe Vibram is just not getting it. It could be big! Look at crocs.