Women’s Independent Press

By

Kathleen M. Rodgers

The moment my new husband leaves for the air base, I scurry into the kitchen, still in my nightshirt, and start shoving food into my mouth. Be it half a box of cereal, a dozen pieces of toast, corn chips and bean dip. Sometimes I pull on an old pair of sweats - regardless of the temperature outside - and drive to the convenience store for ice cream, cookies, packaged donuts, fried pies. Then I race home so I can tear into my food in private. I gorge until I can no longer breathe. Until my stomach feels like it will rupture. Until I can no longer stand myself.

Then the panic sets in. Hands trembling, I quickly clean up the kitchen and dump the empty food containers into the trash cans out back. The last thing I want my husband to discover tonight when he gets home after a busy day of flying, is evidence that I blew twenty bucks on junk food I barely tasted, instead of attending the squadron wives’ monthly coffee. What I do all morning, while he’s out risking his life for his country, is not sexy, productive, patriotic or normal. We’ve only been married a few months, and the last thing I want him to know, or anyone for that matter, is how ill I really am. It is 1980, I am 21-years-old, and we do not yet have a name for what is wrong with me. I do not have anorexia, where people starve themselves to death. I have something else, dark and ugly, and it’s been taking over my life since I turned 14. Try as I might, I cannot will it away.

With the scent of a candle filling the room, I cradle my aching, bloated belly (I look six months pregnant) and head down the hallway to the torture chamber. Ignoring the mirror over the sink, I turn on the faucet, flip on the exhaust fan, and bend over the toilet to heave. I’ll do whatever it takes to make myself gag, to get rid of the sickening amounts of food that I’ve consumed in less than an hour. I’ll stick my finger down my throat, a wooden spoon, or the looped end of an extension cord. And while I force myself to throw up, I dwell over dark thoughts I try not to think about the rest of the day: the loss of close relatives and friends over the years, the deaths of two pilots killed in a midair last week, the outrage I still feel over my parents’ divorce, family secrets never discussed, and my own sense of failure because I haven’t finished college yet or have a career.

With each violent heave, a frightening anger boils up out of me, and I shudder, repulsed by my own thoughts as much as by my actions. During these sessions, I hate my father for leaving my mother, I hate my mother for letting herself go after having six kids, and I hate myself because I am out of control. And in the deepest recesses of my mind, in those places where I am afraid to go, I worry that my husband – an Air Force Fighter Pilot – will die in a plane crash. At the same time, I also resent him, because he is afraid if I get help – psychological help - it will mean that I am weak and my weakness will reflect on his career. So I suffer in silence a little longer, seething within emotional wounds that I do not know how to heal.

When my stomach feels empty and all that comes up my gullet now is bile, when my throat is so raw it hurts to swallow, I wash my face and hands, brush my teeth, clean the toilet, then rip off my soiled clothes and stuff them in the washing machine. I spray air freshener to cover up the sour smell of puke. Pulling on running shorts and a sports bra, I glug a few glasses of water and head out the door to go run. Before I leave, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I see a young woman with an oval face, big blue eyes, and long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. I flash a dimpled grin, check my slim figure one last time, and out the door I go, projecting an air of confidence.

Adjusting my sweatband, I put one foot in front of the other and head down the streets of Tucson. It’s 105 in the shade, the heat is bouncing off the black asphalt, but I must do my time. Even now, I know I am running for my mind as much as my body. I’m running to stay alive. To try and gain some kind of inner strength that will keep me from killing myself with food. I do not want to die, alone in a bathroom, my esophagus ruptured, or having choked to death on a spoon. I am running to escape the past, the memories of growing up in a large family where I am the only teenager still clinging to baby fat, a middle child, who feels invisible until someone calls attention to my weight.

I run past houses with desert landscapes, in one yard a gigantic Saguaro cactus gives me the finger. Or maybe it is a salute, depending on the day. This morning’s episode is behind me, I remind myself, and I vow never to binge again. But a shadow tags along beside me, behind me, she is everywhere I go. She is 14 with bone-white-hair parted straight down the middle, hanging limp past her shoulders. Ruddy-cheeked and bashful, a scarlet rash between her thighs, her pudgy legs pump to keep up. I want to backhand her, trip her, tell her to go away.

I round a corner, gulping in breaths of air, certain I’ve ditched her. But there she is again, looming in front of me. All she wants is to be loved and beautiful, to shed fifteen pounds, to have a boyfriend. She’ll do whatever it takes to get there, even if it means declaring war on her body.

Nearby, a construction worker looks up and waves, his buddy next to him hoots and lets out a wolf whistle. Shyly, I look away as my long, tan legs pump faster and faster to cover ground, my ponytail swinging behind me. My running togs are soaked in sweat and the skin on my legs glistens under the glowing sun.

High overhead a fighter jet screeches past, then another, on their way back to base. Maybe my husband is in one of those jets. I run faster, pretending to race them, trying to catch up.
A sudden burst of adrenaline kicks in, and I feel like I can run forever.

But no matter how far I run, I can’t outrun the young girl who needs help…

To be continued…

Kathleen M. Rodgers is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in national and local publications. She is the author of the novel The Final Salute and has recently completed Johnnie Come Lately, a novel about a woman named Johnnie Kitchen, a recovered bulimic who’s still haunted by secrets from her past. To read more about Kathleen’s work, please visit her website: www.kathleenmrodgers.com

Joann Cusumano Sciulli, AAI
Cusumano Insurance Agency, Inc.
PHONE: 412-655-4432 Ext 16
FAX: 412-653-4430
jsciulli@cusumanoinsurance.com

The Insurance Information Institute released a free mobile
disaster preparedness app that provides safety tips, communication
tools and checklists for common disasters. This helps people prepare
for severe winter weather, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and
other types of disasters.

One of the best ways to make it through a catastrophe is to be prepared
beforehand. The Know Your Plan app has several checklists containing
preparedness steps and property protection steps. App users are also able
to build their own customized checklists from scratch. Every list allows
users to set completion dates, record progress and add personal notes to
various tasks.
There are also other options. App users are able to share their lists with friends and family members. In addition to this, there are resources available for planning evacuations. This also includes evacuation of pets. The helpful app also provides up-to-the-minute data about disaster details and local evacuation routes. Know Your Plan is available from iTunes, and it can be found by searching for the Insurance Information Institute on the iPhone App Store.
During the past 10 years, insurance companies spent almost $250 billion in settling the claims of disaster victims throughout the United States. The overall cost of catastrophes is rising continuously, so insurance companies are looking for every helpful tool they can find to help speed up the repair process and prevent unnecessary injuries to humans.
The I.I.I. partnered with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety to develop property mitigation information. The IBHS is a respected organization specializing in building science research and communications. This organization tries to reduce the negative effects of disasters through research, maintenance, improved construction and encouraging preparedness.
In 2011, many communities throughout the United States experienced record-breaking catastrophes. The IBHS and the I.I.I. want to lessen the amount of future damage from such strong catastrophic occurrences. With so many people using the iPhone, the two organizations knew it would be possible to reach out to millions of people to help them take control of risks through proper preparedness. Some of the new app’s features include the following editable checklists:
- Earthquake
- Flood
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Wildfire
- Severe Cold
- Emergency Kit
- Evacuation
- Blank Checklist
There are also note-taking features for individual tasks, and users have the option to select due dates for their checklists. A countdown feature is included for progress tracking. There is a Google Crisis Response feed allowing access to emergency information from local sources.
This app is the second in a series of apps created by the I.I.I. The first app is Know Your Stuff, and it includes home inventory information. Know Your Stuff is available for both Android and iPhone users. For more information about preparing for catastrophes, discuss concerns with an agent.

Business Exchange Networking Lunch

* Give a 1-2 minute commercial for your business.
* Bring business cards, brochures, and samples.
* Make new business contacts.

Dates and Locations:

Sept. 4- Wexford, Atria’s, 12980 Perry Highway, Wexford
RSVP: email Michelle Zmijanac at
Michellezmijanac@bestpracticesdelivered.com

Sept. 11- Mount Lebanon, Atria’s, 110 Beverly Rd, Mt. Lebanon
RSVP: email Tina Noblers at
TinaNobers@CMNNutritionGroup

Sept. 25- Fox Chapel, Comfort Inn (Old Holiday Inn) in RIDC
Park, Ohara Twp
RSVP: 412-781-8773 or PlanBConsultant@comcast.net

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $18 (Bring cash; No-shows will be billed for the lunch)
RSVP: By Monday prior to the event

For more info, go to: www.blxnetworking.com

The WSBA Network Lunch

A Networking Luncheon for Women Business Owners & Professionals

“Get Heard, Get Noticed, Get Leads”

A networking event open to any business woman who would like
to increase her business contacts/clientele. Our networking
format will be structured to provide participants with high
profile and networking. Bring 20-30 business cards/brochures,
cash for your lunch check, and be prepared to give a 60-second commercial about yourself.

Sept. 4 - 1:00 p.m. - Butler
Sept. 5 - 11:30 a.m. - Allegheny Valley
Sept. 9 - 1:00 p.m. - Beaver County
Sept. 11 - 11:30 a.m. - Shaler/Gibsonia
Sept. 13 - 1:00 p.m. - Robinson/Airport
Sept. 17 - 1:00 p.m. - East End

Sept. 18 - 1:00 p.m. - South Hills
Sept. 19 - 1:00 p.m. - Washington
Sept. 20 - 1:00 p.m. - Monroeville
Sept. 24 - 1:00 p.m. - North Hills
Sept. 25 - 5:15 p.m. - After Work Network (5326 Butler St.)
Sept. 27 - 12:00 p.m. - Westmoreland

Host: Women’s Small Business Association
Fee: $2 meeting fee (plus the cost of lunch)
RSVP: Required (Note: Any “Yes” RSVPs who do not show
will be charged a $20 no-show fee.)

For more info and to register online,
go to:: www.wsba.ws
Contact Eileen Conniff Marzullo for more information:
412-429-9919 or marzullope@verizon.net

: September 9, 2013
The Affordable Care Act:
The Facts, the Effects, and the Bottom Line

Speaker: Jacqueline Garry Lampert, Founder, Lake Street Strategies and Consultant to UPMC Health Plan

This workshop will provide a comprehensive review of changes that have already been implemented and a preview of what to expect for you or your business, including the new Health Insurance Marketplaces opening this fall. Register today to move past the hype and get the facts on how these changes affect business decision-makers and employees alike.

Date: September 9, 2013
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Place: Chatham University, Shadyside
Host: The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University
Cost: Free (includes refreshments)
RSVP: Suggested by September 6

www.chatham.edu/cwe

September 11, 2012
Business for Breakfast Networking Event

Featured Presentation:
Implement Social Media in 20 Minutes a Day

Presented by Cindy Rack, Social Voice Marketing

Today’s business environment is busier than ever. Trying to find
time to fit social media in the mix is getting harder and harder
even with tools like Hootsuite to manage our social media. Having a strategy is important, however, many strategy plans that are available are complicated and even keeping track with social media calendars consumes more time than actually posting and engaging with your clients and prospects.

Cindy Rack, Social Media Strategist and Owner of Social Voice
Marketing, will share with you a few simple yet powerful strategies and tactics that you can implement immediately without consuming a lot of your time. Whether you blog or not, you will benefit from these time-saving, social media strategies.

Date: September 11, 2012
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Place: Southpointe Golf Club, 360 Southpointe Blvd
Canonsburg, PA 15317
Hosts: Pittsburgh Business Times
Cost: $25 (includes cont.breakfast)
RSVP: Suggested by September 6 (Seating is limited.)

Register online at:
Register online at:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=4gu7_&m=JhahEO4hzuZhGz&b=Ttf0ikJbenB9p.R6PSYwqQ

For more info, contact Kelli Komondor at 412-208-3845 or
komondor@bizjournals.com

Brown Bag Lunch
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
12:00 – 1:00pm
Speaker: Yolanda Frank, Optimal IQ Solutions

Topic: Everyday Cost Savings for Small Businesses

Learn how tracking your everyday business expenses can SAVE YOU MONEY. Discover opportunities to customize, collaborate, and work together to generate greater benefits and alternative purchasing options for real cost savings.

Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania
1650 Main Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15215
FREE
RSVP: 412.782.5344 x 209 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

BRENTWOOD BALDWIN WHITEHALL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
WOMEN’S NETWORKING LUNCHEON

September 13, 2013
Noon
South Hills Country Club

The monthly luncheon meeting of the Women’s Networking of the Brentwood Baldwin Whitehall Chamber of Commerce will meet on Friday, September 13, noon, at South Hills Country Club. Please plan on attending and bring a friend. We welcome members and non-members. Tables are available for ladies who would like to display products or merchandise. Everyone will pass out cards and brochures and present a one-minute “commercial.”

Guest Speaker
Pat Ulbrich, PhD, Project Director, In Sisterhood Project.

In Sisterhood: The Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh is an oral history project highlighting our region’s influential leaders in the women’s movement during the latter part of the 1900s. The project describes the strategies early feminists used and the organizations they created in pursuit of equal rights for women and girls in the region.

Plan to spend some time networking with other luncheon attendees.
Lunch for Chamber Members - $20 - Bring a friend!
Lunch for Non-Members - $25
Display Table $10

Please make a reservation by contacting
Mary Dilla at: 412-884-1233 /
secretary@bbwchamber.com

September 14th …A Second Saturday Divorce Workshop for Women is being held on Saturday, September 14th from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at 2605 Nicholson Road, Franklin Park, PA 15143.
“This workshop is for women who are contemplating or in the early to mid-stages of the divorce process. This 4-hour information packed workshop is being taught by Julie Colton, a family law attorney, Donna M. Cheswick, a certified divorce financial analyst, and Donna Korczyk, a licensed psychologist to address the legal, financial and emotional issues associated with divorce. The workshop is an excellent supplement to professional advice and will help women to achieve optimum results while saving time and money. Individuals will gain important knowledge and resources that will inform, prepare and protect them as they gain a greater understanding of the divorce process. Cost to attend is $35 per person and pre-registration is necessary to 724-493-9695.”

September 18, 2013
How to Land Publicity for Your Business

Traditional print media are facing stiff competition from social
media. But traditional media remain strong. So why not publicize
your business in them?

Join on us on the evening of September 18 to interact with an
expert panel including:

* Hank Walshak, President of Walshak Communications, Inc. and Communications Expert for Experts
* Joyce Gannon, Business Reporter,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
* Chris Posti, President, Posti & Associates and Careers Columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review

You’ll learn plenty about generating feature coverage for your
business, including:

* The best way to relate to reporters
* What reporters want the most.
* What to do before you pitch stories to them.
* The best way to pitch stories to them.
* What to do before you participate in an interview.
* What not to forget after you land a feature.

Date: September 18, 2013
Time: 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Place: Sigmas Conference and Event Center, 1717 Babcock Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15209
Host: Pittsburgh Consulting Community
Cost: $35 by Sept. 1; $40 after Sept. 1
RSVP: Suggested by September 13th

To register, contact Michael Couch at
michael@mcassociatesinc.com or 412-952-9036.
Or register online at:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=4gu7_&m=JhahEO4hzuZhGz&b=H26VpWMcCPBxs82bdPfWlQ

September 18, 2013
Military Connections Networking Event

Make great networking connections and experience an enjoyable
evening as you support our dedicated troops overseas. All proceeds
from this event go To Military Connections, a local non-profit that
sends care packages to our deployed service members. Learn more
about this organization at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=4gu7_&m=JhahEO4hzuZhGz&b=Z_ii1KRPCNmI0SmPJAvPZQ.

Date: September 18, 2013
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Place: The Comfort Inn RIDC Park
Host: BLX Networking Group
Price : $15.00 before September 15th; $20.00 at the door
(Includes: Food, A Door Prize Ticket, Exceptional Networking)

Register online at: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=4gu7_&m=JhahEO4hzuZhGz&b=K72TPpWCWOjk3UiSIVGdeA.
(Click on the green Networking for A Cause Link on the home page.)

September 19, 2013
Disability Resource Breakfast
Thursday, September 19, 2013
8:30 – 9:30 AM

Speaker: Suzanne Caplan, author, business consultant and the founder of the Community Center for Aging in Place.

Topic: Aging with a disability
Even when you are blessed with good health, age takes a toll. Learn successful processes to navigate the challenges of mobility, pain, low energy and sudden injury. Create your own ability to live in one’s home and community, safely, independently and comfortably regardless of age, income or ability. Know how support systems can be the difference between success and failure.

Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania
1650 Main Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15215
FREE
RSVP: 412.782.5344 x 209 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

September 20, 2013
Women’s Power Lunch

Come be a part of the longest running networking luncheon in the Pittsburgh area. Bring 50 business cards or brochures to hand out and be prepared to give a short presentation on your business to introduce yourself to other business women and professionals.

Date: September 20, 2013
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Place: (To be announced), Pittsburgh
Cost: $32.00 (Prepayment required)
RSVP: By September 18th

Questions: Contact Suzanne at Suzanne@womenspowerlunch.com
or 724-452-5152.

Register online at: www.womenspowerlunch.com

September 26, 2013
Smart Leadership Conference

Smart Companies know that leadership includes teamwork, mentoring, motivation, inspiration and shared vision. Attend the Smart Leadership Conference to network with other leaders while you meet and learn the strategies and insights of these local leaders:

Keynote Speaker:
Travis Sheetz, Executive VP of Operations, Sheetz, Inc.

Smart Leadership Panel of Professional Women:

* Cherie River, Director, River Pediatric Therapies
* Kim McClure, National Sales Director Mary Kay Cosmetics
* Amelia Roncone Founder, Young Professional Women in Energy
* Jeanine Fallon, Senior Vice President, First Commonwealth Bank

Date: September 26, 2013
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: The Sheraton Station Square
Host: Pittsburgh Professional Women
Cost: By Aug. 30- $55; after Aug. 30- $65
(Table of 10 - $500)
RSVP: Suggested by September 16

Register online at: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=4gu7_&m=JhahEO4hzuZhGz&b=y1IOGGNPKafTeDPA0gUw4w

September 26, 2013
Keynote Speaker:
Laurel Delaney
GlobeTrade, Chicago, Illinois

September 26, 2013
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cecilian Hall, Seton Hill University
Greensburg, PA

What you’ll learn:
•Global small business trends, common myths about taking a business global, number of online users worldwide and information about the latest National Export Initiative.
•What it takes to capture the attention and business from people worldwide, including online users – movers, shakers, travelers and key influencers in our world (emphasizing the importance of using social media – with specific best practice examples).

•Where to look for help online in taking a business global and how to structure getting paid.
•The 10 disciplines to thriving in a wired inter-connected world.

Special Guests:
•Natalia Olson-Urtecho, Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
•Lyn Doverspike, Director, U.S. Commercial Service, Pittsburgh Office

Don’t miss this chance to learn from these experts about reaching an international market! Join us on Thursday, September 26, 2013. Register today for just $25. (Registration includes luncheon and program.)

Smart Leadership Conference

Thursday, September 26th from 9am to 1pm at the Sheraton Station Square
Guest Speaker Travis Sheetz, VP of Operations from Sheetz Convenience Stores
and a panel of local women leaders.

Learn more and register online at www.PittsburghProfessionalWomen.org

SAVE THE DATE

October 16, 2013
Let’s Celebrate
Save the Date
Valet Parking
Seating Will Be Limited
Three Extraordinary Women
Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Time: 5:30 pm Cash Bar
6:30 pm Dinner
8:00 pm Celebration
Place: Nevillewood Country Club

Anna Marie Petrarca Gire, Beth Caldwell, Debra Dion-Krischke
These three women have made an incredible difference in so many lives and in so many ways. Their dedication to this region is extraordinary and I invite you to join me in celebrating their countless gifts. Mark your calendars now and look for instructions on how to register in early September. If you have any questions, please contact me, Julie Ann Sullivan, at 724.942.0486 or julieann@julieannsullivan.com

A CAPPELLA YOUTH HARMONY FESTIVAL
The Harmony Line Chorus of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and the Greater Harmony Chorus of Sweet Adelines International will sponsor a FREE a cappella singing festival on Saturday, October 5, 2013. The Festival will be held at Glade Run Presbyterian Church, 1091 Pittsburgh Rd. (Rt. Valencia, PA 16059. The hours will be from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The choruses are excited to sponsor this free, first ever in the area, barbershop singing workshop for all music educators, and young men and women ages 13 and older.
We will also provide vocal Instruction from professional, certified, qualified barbershop clinicians, music, learning tracks, lunch and a Festival T-Shirt! This workshop is not a recruitment tool for the sponsoring choruses. Our purpose is to share an a cappella experience with these young students and show them that singing and harmony are lifetime pleasures.
Please contact Donna Knapp, Festival Coordinator: email is dgknapp@comcast.net; home phone 412-828-3822, or cell phone 412-303-2741. Registration forms can be found at www.harmonyfestival.wordpress.com.

Greater Harmony Chorus presents “Broadway Remembered” October 26 at 4pm.
Ingomar Middle School
1521 Ingomar Heights Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
tickets are $15 at the door and $12 in advance. Student/children $5.
www.greaterharmony.org or 412-613-9800