Saturday, May 28, 2011

Aqua Delight - Contest

While I'm waiting for my biopsy to be scheduled, I figure I'd tell you about a product I found.

Ever since I became a world-famous blogger, companies contact me to try to get me to promote their product on my blog.  Most of the time, I don't do it, but once in a while, I find the item worthwhile, as in the case of Sheryl Crow's cookbook. When they ask, it is important to me that the product add value to a cancer patient's life and not merely be something pink.

It's been a year since I finished chemo, and most of my  memories of it are - surprisingly - good ones.   Maybe that's a result of chemo brain combined with my natural optimism, I don't know.  I made unexpected friends, I had an experience many don't have, and most importantly, I had time to myself that few mothers get. When you are sitting in the chemo chair, nobody is asking you to make them a sandwich.

But, some parts were difficult. Hair loss: obvious.  Exhaustion at the end:  grueling.  Bad taste in my mouth?  The worst.

And, now I might have to do it again, so I'm happy I found this new product. It's kind of unfair that everything tastes like sewer when it's the one of most important times for you eat and drink healthfully. I have said numerous times on this blog and online, that the very best thing you can do for yourself when undergoing chemotherapy is drink a lot of water.  It flushes your kidneys, hydrates your system and keeps everything moving that should be moving.  Without a doubt, my large water intake contributed to the fact that I have fond memories of my chemo days.  And, if I end up doing it again, I will be sure to keep in place the things that worked before.

But, I know not everybody can do it.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard women say, "I know I should drink more water but it tastes like slime."  And, those same women are the ones suffering from constipation, nausea, bone aches and other typical chemo side effects that I believe are helped with super-hydration.  I was able to discipline myself to drink 64 ounces of water per day, despite it tasting like a goldfish fish tank that hadn't been cleaned in 8 years, but it wasn't easy.  Yet, because I did, I suffered few side effects .

I still drink water. In fact, I'm one of those women who never leaves their house without their cell phone and bottle of water. So, when I came across the product, Aqua Delight, during a search for chemical-free water bottles, I was intrigued.  Not only was the container BPA free, and the water pure, but it also claimed to help with metallic taste during chemotherapy.

A water made especially for chemo patients?   Isn't that kind of a dream come true?

I was so interested that I contacted the company to find out more.  They generously sent me a water sample so I could try for myself, which I did.  Of course,  I no longer have that metallic taste, so I can't personally attest if it really helps with that.

On their website, they do have video testimonials from cancer patients who say it works, including a video from a breast cancer survivor, so it does have some properties that will help. But, as a water addict, I can tell you that this water is special.  It tastes delicious - clean and airy. It's different than the every day water that I buy.

Because of that, I can imagine that it will help with metallic taste.  According to their website, it is goes through a long purification process using carbon filters, osmosis, steam distillation, UV exposure and ozone and other stuff you need a chemical engineering degree to understand, but which apparently gives it that fresh flavor.

I was impressed enough to contact the company again and asked them to run a contest on my blog, and they generously agreed to give away a case of water so one of you can try it.

For this particular contest,  I would encourage you to tell your friends, post it on the cancer blogs, and tweet this out.  I would love for somebody who is doing chemo to win this, because, I firmly believe that drinking lots of water is the key to having the easiest time possible during chemo, and second, I'm curious to know how much it helps.  If this product will enable one cancer patient to drink the water they need that they might otherwise have not, than I will know I have helped somebody.   And, maybe the winner can share some water with others doing chemo and get the word out about a product that has the potential to make a difficult time in our lives a bit easier.

Because it's pure water, in chemical-free bottles, it's good for post-cancer patients too.  We all need water for health.  Aqua Delight will ship out a case of this water to the winner of this contest.  All you have to do is "like"  their facebook page and then post a comment here on the blog.  If you are a chemo expert, please post a tip that helped you get through treatment and if you are new and just starting your regimen,  please post a question or fear you may have so that somebody can help you. If you have liver mets, that's a plus for me!

And, I want to add a personal note - the man who runs this company has been extremely kind to me - I asked him for things and he showed a lot of caring, and has offered me water too because of my new diagnosis.  So, these are good people.

The winner will be announced one week from today, June 4th.

Good luck.

Me with my cell and Aqua Delight on a rainy day

27 comments:

  1. What a fantastic idea!!

    When I was on chemo, especially during the taxotere days, I could just barely tolerate the taste of water. How frustrating it was, knowing how important it was to stay hydrated!! I hope this product is as good as it sounds. What a gift it would be for any chemo patient!

    I hope you're having a good weekend, Ann, in spite of the current bump in the road. You're a real gem!

    (and p.s.? i LOVE the top you're wearing in the pic with your cell & aqua water)

    xoxo
    Gayle

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  2. Thank you Gayle. I got it at Forever 21, lol. :)

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  3. Chemo stinks, plain and simple and one of the most annoying side effects is the horrible taste that you get in your mouth. Water has, at times, tasted like melted butter mixed with cooking grease-yuk! I was first diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in May '08 and under went Adriamyacin and Cytoxan before my mastectomy and Taxol afterward. In July '10, I was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer-first to my bones and recently my liver. More chemo-Cytoxan and Taxotere and I'm about to start Ixempra and Xeloda. All of the side effects are for the birds, but when you know you need to eat and drink plenty of water but it all tastes bad, that is really hard to do. I was so happy to read about Aqua Delight on your blog. Being able to drink the water I need to and have it taste good, not like "slime" ,sounds great!

    Thanks for offering this contest and for all of your writings. I am keeping you in my prayers.

    Jorjanne

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  4. Oh wow.... I wish I knew about this water when I started chemo in Aug 09. I didn't drink or eat much at all for 3 months and it was brutal. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed food and water until I lost my taste. Water really did taste horrible!!
    I would like to enter this contest because a very good friend/co-worker that I've worked with for 25 years has stage 3 esophagus cancer. She is starting radiation on May 31st and chemotherapy on June 2nd. I would love to give her this water and help her thru this very difficult journey.
    Thank you so much for sharing this with us Ann!

    Laurie

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  5. Oh this does sound like something beneficial, she says with full metal taste in her mouth :) With this long road ahead of me something like this could make a difference on a daily basis! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  6. Your hair looks great, btw... :)

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  7. Well heeeellloooo magic water! I am in the middle of chemo now as you know, and the taste is one of the worst side effects, you're right.

    I am on my way to 'like' their page right now and hopefully, I can come back and tell you if this water really does work! It'd be swell if it did - one less yucky thing to endure.

    Thanks Ann,

    Michelle

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  8. You are welcome. I came across it entirely by accident. Tell your friends!

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  9. Water - truly does the body good!

    I clicked 'like' on their Facebook page. Have not been a 'bottled water' drinker. But if I win, I'll drink one everyday while doing my daily walk... Thanks for the fun!

    Jackie07

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  10. hi ann

    you are a leader.....keeping strong and helping others ! thanks for the link.... i have finished chemo (but not my herceptin). if i won, i would pass the water and link onto the nurses in the chemo ward to spread the news to other patients.

    great photo !

    keep strong

    nicola

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  11. I was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with breast cancer. After finally getting the last biopsy results back in I finally get to see an oncologist next week. The scary part about this is that I have found out I know more about my cancer than the doctors. I will be starting chemo to help with the tumor size, but am going to be trying to hunt down doctors who have treated this type of breast cancer before since ther are done in my area of Texas

    Susan

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  12. You look really good, keeping you in my heart and prayers....:-)Hugs

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  13. Keeping you in my prayers. Your blog will be a great source of inspiration as my Mom was just diagnosed with IDC and I with DCIS all within months. My Mom is likely starting Chemo this summer, so I would do ANYTHING to help ease her experience. It seems likes keeping ultra hydrated is key. Thank you.

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  14. Hi Ann

    Is that biopsy scheduled? Hope so.. Thinking of you while I lazily sip coffee after having slept in. ahhhhhhh.........

    I am trying something now - let's see if it works!

    xo
    Gayle

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  15. What a great idea. I hope I'm done with chemo, but if I win I'll share it with my oncologist and her patients. Glad the company appears to really want to help. Website looked good. Think I'll order some. Keeping you in my prayers. Stay strong......

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  16. I'm not personally going through chemo, but my father is. He has stage IV pancreatic cancer and is currently on GTX (drug cocktail #3 in 5 months). He is having some difficulty staying hydrated.

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  17. Oh Ann, I hate thinking you may have to do chemo again. At least you had a positive experience the first time, as weird as that sounds. I am a person who had a lot of taste trouble during chemo and had difficulty with drinking enough water. I still do. This sounds like a great product and I would love to win a case of the stuff. Thank you for sharing about it and more importantly for sharing bits and pieces of yourself with the rest of us. Thinking of you and all my best.

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  18. You look really good, keeping you in my heart and prayers

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  19. Boy, I wish I had known about this when I was doing chemo. The metallic taste, plus every kind of food and water tasting like poison, deterred me from drinking enough water.

    Keep up your courage! You rock!

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  20. I really hope the biopsy results come back as you want them to - keeping my fingers crossed!

    I am a teacher, mother of two, writer, and athlete diagnosed with stage 1 type 3 IDC; apparently they think they may have found something in the other breast also (I'm thinking not, since only the MRI found anything and I had two rounds of U/S, two rounds of mammos, a CAT and a Bone scan that allshowed nada.) At any rate, after an MR biopsy in a week and a half, I'm starting chemo - and anything I can do to alleviate the ick taste and get the water in would be awesome, since I do want to keep running as much as I can (I was almost to marathon readiness prior to my diagnosis, but haven't been able to do much since then because of appointments and two lumpectomies on top of work & etc.)So - throwing my hat in the ring!

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  21. I start chemo next Tuesday. I am definately not looking forward to the bad taste.
    I would love to try the Aqua Delight.
    I love your blog Ann....I will keep you in my prayers!
    Mary Vaughn

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  22. Good going Ann! I don't remember the metallic taste in my mouth. Maybe it is because I did drink so much tea and water? In fact, I rarely ever drink coffe any more, and I'm sure I woul do the jitterbug if I drank 2 cups, then I'd go crawl in a corner until the caffeine wore off. True story! Chemical free platics, the more I read... the more I am convinced.
    I too am a wateraholic!

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  23. I'm going to sign up for the contest, because one of my best friends, and neighbor, is being treated for breast cancer at this time, and I'd love to be able to give her some delicious water.

    Even after witnessing my daddy suffer with brain cancer and pass away when I was 15, I still never really knew how all-encompassing and life-changing being treated for cancer really is. It's only as an adult I can appreciate the strength and courage it takes to go through this process. My neighbor is the sweetest, most reliable friend I've got. She's such a great "aunt" to my baby boy. I pray that she and you both live to be over-ripe old-age ladies, and that my son has this precious person in his life for a very long time to come.

    ::hugs:: - Andrea

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  24. Hello,

    I recently followed you on twitter because I follow chemobabe and I think she #ff you. I am done with treatment but still have no ability to eat anything, I am on a clear liquid diet and I have a problem of consuming too much water because it is washing out all of my electrolytes and still leaves me with a metallic taste in my mouth. I would love to try this product, regardless of whether or not I win and I have liked this company on facebook!

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  25. The contest is now closed. I am going to put all the contestants into randomizer.com and let it choose the winner. I'll announce it Sunday morning!

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  26. Does anyone know where I would be able to purchase Aqua Delight water? I searched on Google and Amazon but wasn't able to find anything and would love to try it out for my mom. Thanks in advance!

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