Battling Cancer

“My name is Josh and I am 8 years old. My friend David has cancer but I can’t heal him.”

Josh Kelly wrote these words in a card he will give to the Hospital for Sick Children this Friday along with $1,000 in donated money and games.

[MORE: TorontoSun.com - Toronto And GTA - Josh, 8, works for the cure]

Great Advice!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ADDRESS ISSUE DIRECTLY, DOCTOR SAYS …

If someone close to you has cancer, it’s often hard to know what to say or do. Dr. Richard J. Shaw of Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford offers these tips to help make the situation more comfortable for everyone involved:

• Instead of simply telling someone who has cancer to “get well soon,” or “stay strong,” ask them how they feel, whether they want to talk about their experiences, and how you can help them.

• Don’t be afraid to talk about your own feelings, but try to do so calmly. You don’t want the patient to have to console you.

• The disease is not a forbidden discussion topic. Don’t be afraid to say the word “cancer” and directly address the issue when talking to someone who has it. To most patients, it’s a relief to talk to someone who is comfortable with the topic.

• There can be a lot of secrecy surrounding the disease, and that often affects families. Shaw suggests that families see therapists together and that parents should include all family members in discussions so other children do not feel left out or worried about their sibling.

• Both the cancer patient and his or her family should look into support groups. Shaw said that some patients (and their family members) don’t want to share all the details of their experience because they don’t want to burden the person with whom they are speaking. However, group sessions with people who have had similar experiences often help.

– Lena Wong,

Mountain View High School

[SOURCE: MercuryNews.com | 04/25/2006 | When someone you know has cancer

Curtis Salgado, the singer and bluesman who was the visual inspiration for John Belushi’s Blues Brothers act, has liver cancer and has suspended concerts.
Salgado, who grew up here and lives in Portland, was diagnosed with cancer three weeks ago. The 52-year-old performer expects to begin radiation treatment in May and eventually hopes to have a liver transplant, said longtime manager Shane Tappendorf.

“We’re just staying optimistic,” Tappendorf said. “As we take each treatment, we’ll know more.”

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Do You Know Someone With Cancer?
New Research Reveals Half Of All Cancer Preventable

Almost everyone recognizes that cigarettes and other known carcinogens cause cancer in many people. However, until recently, very little research has been done on the most “common sense” of common causes — nutrition and exercise.

This new study confirms a long-held belief of mine — that cancer and fat metabolism are directly related. We know antioxidants are crucial to preventing cancer, but what most people do not realize is that a disrupted fatty acid metabolism can increase free radical damage.

http://301url.com/FitOver40

The American Cancer Society Report: Half of Cancer Deaths Preventable

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