Filed under: Breast Cancer , Politics , Television , Celebrity news Despite her recent breast cancer diagnosis, Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is already speaking out about the cancer cause. In fact, she just recently spoke to a group of cancer survivors and activists at a fundraiser in Biloxi, Mississippi. Roberts is also speaking about the relief she feels now that her diagnosis has been made public -- "It was like the weight of the world was lifted," she said. Talking about cancer invites support. Roberts, 46, got some comforting words of support from Elizabeth Edwards just after her announcement. Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, is also fighting breast cancer. "That conversation was so enlightening, so comforting, her words, her experiences, the fact that she took the time," Roberts said. "She knew how difficult it was to make it public." Roberts, who revealed her diagnosis on Good Morning America on July 31, has had surgery and is now determining with doctors what further treatment she will receive. She expects her treatment to begin in mid-September.

Filed under: Fundraisers , Young Adult Cancers , Services Rise Above It (RAI) is a non-profit organization that helps young adults battling cancer. The strength in spirit of its founder, Colin O'Donoghue , guides RAI in its efforts. As a friend, teacher and coach, Colin deeply enriched the lives of others.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Events , Non-toxic alternatives , Services This networking event called Let's Talk About Sex: Reclaiming Intimacy After Breast Cancer will focus on sexuality and intimacy after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Chemotherapy , Products , Cancer Survivors Kim Goebel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, at the age of 43. Her sister Kris noticed a lot of moms saying "How am I going to tell my kids?"

Filed under: All Cancers , Books , Cancer Caregivers While reading the spring issue of Cure Magazine I came across an article on a book called Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Pink products , Fundraisers Tom Keilty of San Dimas, California lost his wife Ruth to breast cancer in 2005, 12 years after she was first diagnosed with the disease. From the very first day cancer entered their lives until the very last day of Ruth's life, the Keilty family received hundreds of hand-written notes for Ruth, filled with encouragement and support. The notes are still arriving, this time for Keilty and his three children. The notes help strengthen this family's faith and help them grieve. The Keiltys are grateful for the trail of mail that has come their way -- and they ask others to consider writing their own their own notes of hope. It's simple. Just drop by a local retailer and pick up a special edition PaperMate Pink Ribbon Pen and Pink Pearl City of Hope Eraser. For each item sold through December 31, 2008, PaperMate will make a donation -- up to $200,000 -- to City of Hope for breast cancer research, education, and treatment. Then sit down and Write for Hope in honor of someone battling breast cancer. Not only will you warm someone's heart, you will also earn the chance to win a $500 donation made in your honor to City of Hope Cancer Center. Click here to enter. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Cancer Survivors This comment just arrived in response to yesterday's post Headed for melanoma , and it's just too raw and powerful to leave buried in the comment section of the site. So here it is, word for word -- a chilling and empowering message from a 37-year-old mom of two living with a disease that is downright deadly. I have melanoma. I was diagnosed last August and have had 6 surgeries in 6 months. I have lost 4 members in my melanoma support group. I go to Jaime's funeral tomorrow afternoon. She was 29 years old. Heather was 37 when she died on March 2, 2007. The midwife noticed a suspicious mole on her leg during the birth of her 4th child. She died 23 months later. Jan was a mother of 5 ages 9 to 19, she passed away on February 8, 2007. Ceri was only 20 years old when melanoma claimed her life on January 14, 2007. I always thought skin cancer had to be HUGE, ugly, and hard to ignore. I didn't know it could be small, have no symptoms, and KILL you. Melanoma incidence is increasing faster than any other cancer. According to statistics found on the American Cancer Society's website ( www.cancer.org ), the prognosis for someone diagnosed with melanoma is worse, stage for stage, than someone with breast cancer. Getting more than 3 blistering sunburns during childhood doubles your risk. Sunbed use increases ones risk. Having fair skin and light eyes also puts you at a higher than average risk, but having dark skin does not make you immune. Bob Marley died from Melanoma in 1981. Everyone at higher risk should get screened by a dermatologist every year. And all of us should be checking our own skin each month. Melanoma is a virulent and aggressive cancer. It begins in the melanocytes, or the pigment in the skin. It presents itself as a change in an existing mole or skin pigment, or in the formation of a new one. It is easily treated in its most early stages. Once it spreads, though, it is often fatal. Unfortunately, there is no cure for melanoma. Melanoma is one of the cancers that won't respond to conventional chemotherapy. There have been no significant advances in the medical treatment or survival rate in the last 30 years. More awareness is needed. Most think "it's only skin cancer" and consider it nothing serious. But I can tell you with absolute certainty, they are DEAD wrong. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Services Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) -- a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life -- recently began offering a new resource for breast cancer survivors, for both the newly diagnosed and those with metastatic disease. "The first few weeks after diagnosis can be extremely difficult emotionally, and women with advanced disease often do not get the support and resources they need," said Jean Sachs, LBBC executive director. "We want to give them an understanding of their choices to help them make informed decisions regarding their physical and emotional health." This understanding comes in the form of a 28-page brochure -- What to expect . . . today, tomorrow and beyond: Steps for coping with the medical, emotional and practical concerns of breast cancer -- available free on the Internet or by request. This guide, a road map, addresses topics such as coping with the news of a new diagnosis, telling family and friends, understanding pathology reports, choosing a medical team, asking for help, and finding support. LBBC offers multiple addidtional resources -- including specialized navigation tools on its website that lead to a wealth of information. Visitors can Learn More about LBBC. They can Stay Informed through news, message boards, and other resources. They can Participate in events and programs. And they can Support LBBC through volunteer efforts and financial donations. LBBC was founded in 1991 by a radiation oncologist who focused exclusively on meeting the needs of women post-treatment. She ran the organization out of the third floor of her home using volunteers. Few resources existed for women affected by breast cancer at the time, and so she tried to fill the void. In 1986, an executive director came on board, increased the LBBC budget from $100,000 to $1.8 million per year, expanded all programs and services, and worked to secure LBBC as a solid, dependable resource for all women, of all stages of breast cancer and in all phases of treatment and recovery. And now, in 2006, that is exactly what it is. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Services , Cancer Survivors My father taught me that when you have a problem, find someone else who has the same problem and talk to them about it. Real life experiences trump almost every other kind of information. Although women are 100 times more likely than men to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and less than one percent of breast cancer patients are men, men do get breast cancer. Some of the signs of breast cancer include:

• Lump or thickening in the breast.
• Skin dimpling or puckering.
• Development of a new retraction or indentation of the nipple.
• Redness of scaling of the nipple or breast skin.
• A spontaneous clear or bloody discharge from the nipple.

Some of the known risk factors include: age, family history, genetic predisposition, radiation exposure, Klinefelter syndrome (a congenital abnormality of the sex chromosomes X and Y), exposure to estrogen, liver disease, excess weight and excess alcohol consumption. Breast cancer resources for men are few and far between, but to follow my father's advice about finding someone to talk to and learn from that has faced the same real life experience, I tracked down several resources men diagnosed with breast cancer might find of interest. Newsday is featuring the personal story of breast cancer survivor Cameron Alden . Alden tells his breast cancer story as part of a personal cause to raise awareness that men can be diagnosed with breast cancer. USA Today's Richard Roundtree 'Knows the Score' on cancer features breast cancer survivor Roundtree's personal story and his work with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise men's awareness about the disease. The John W. Nick Foundation was created in memory of John W. Nick, who died from breast cancer at the age of 58. Male breast cancer survivors John W. Nick, Captain Edward J. Wilson, Bob Stafford, Walter Creekmore, David Eisenberg, Mark Eldridge, Dave Lyons, and Ken Graham by Sue Graham share their personal stories of breast cancer on the foundation website. MALEBC is a discussion mailing list for men with breast cancer. Currently it has 27 members. Because men often face shock, embarrassment and isolation when diagnosed with breast cancer, the National Breast Cancer Centre has launched Breast Cancer in Men , Australia's first website launched for men with breast cancer offering information and resources from diagnosis to living beyond breast cancer written specifically for men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,720 men will receive a breast cancer diagnosis this year, and 460 men will die from the disease. For men, breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 60 and 70. If any of our readers are aware of other internet resources specifically written for men facing breast cancer, please leave the resource and a link in the comments area following this post. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Alternative Therapies , Non-toxic alternatives , Cancer Survivors Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is hosting part two of their annual October telephone conference series called Advanced Breast Cancer: Understanding Treatments and Enhancing Quality of Life. Virginia F. Borges, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Science Center, headlines the teleconference. She will be discussing Managing Symptoms and Side Effects: A Holistic Approach to Advanced Breast Cancer. Dr. Borges will provide creative approaches for managing discomfort, discuss medication for side effects like hot flashes, nausea, fever and chemo brain. She will also explore complementary treatments to supplement conventional treatments.