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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in the news

Another set of ACC heros, Marnie and Jeff Kaufman of Massachusetts, were in the news yesterday:

Couple raises $3M to fight rare cancer: effort a "race against time"
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/asseenon5/24068743/detail.html

The Kaufmans set up the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation [ACCRF], after Marnie was diagnosed with ACC and went through treatment in 2004. Since that time, the effort to research this rare cancer has increased, offering hope to me and the rest of us wearing the disease.

So if you are sitting around, thinking that an individual can't make a difference in this ol' world, take a look at the Kaufmans and the Almanzas (from the June 25th post)- great things are accomplished through determined individuals pushing against great obstacles.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in the news

A great story about a great woman in Illinois who has lived with ACC for 19 years, Alicia Almanza:

Rare Cancer Spurs Mokena Family To Action
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/ct-x-balance-daughter-advocate-0625-20100625,0,7457999.story

Alicia, like anyone else that shares this cruddy cancer with me, is my hero. Her daughter, Courtney, is also my hero. They have created Attack ACC (http://www.attackacc.org/). In 42 days, they will have another fund raiser - if you are close to Mokena, IL, please head on over and take part.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dream Foundation - making dreams come true for adults with life-threatening illness

If you know someone that has a life-threatening illness, or you want to donate to a foundation that answers dreams for adults, check out the Dream Foundation: http://www.dreamfoundation.org/dream-request.html. I learned about it when I read a recent story of an Omaha man that had his dream answered to visit the oldest Marine unit in the US. I like their tagline: "...because adults have wishes too." They are aiming for 10,000 dreams granted in 2010 - here's to them running out of people with dreams before they run out of program monies.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Congratulations, Gabriele Anderson!

I know that none of us (that have received the awful news that we have adenoid cystic carcinoma) expect or strive to become poster children for life after cancer, but this photo of Gabriele Anderson should be on every cancer center treatment room wall to give hope to others that are facing the unknown after any cancer diagnosis: http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/96349099.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUncacyi8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU . Ms. Anderson, congratulations on your dedication. The quote from the Gophers coach says it all:
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"People have said to me, 'She's running so well. Why?''' said Gophers coach Gary Wilson, who has guided Anderson for six seasons on the track and cross-country teams. "If you have cancer, you know why. Everything has been put into perspective.

"She willed herself to do this. And the way she fought, and what she's done, that's going to be a story around here forever.''
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Congratulations on ending your academic career on such a high note, Ms. Anderson. And I personally thank you for giving me hope, that I can also achieve great things despite having the cancer diagnosis in my past. I have a feeling that we will be hearing about Ms. Anderson more in the years to come.
(Note to the ACCRF - here is a future speaker for you to consider!)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Wishing the best for the Golden Gophers at the NCAA championships

Gabriele Anderson, a senior at the University of Minnesota and a key member of their track and field team, will be competing in the 1500 meter run. Ms. Anderson has remained an excellent athlete after overcoming ACC - I have posted about her before. She recently broke the 26-year old school record for the 1500 meter run, posting a time of 4:15:43. Here's to all the Golden Gophers winning - even though I know of one that has already won a key race in her lifetime.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Omaha lost an ACC fighter on Wednesday

Leigh Hlavec passed away Wednesday after fighting ACC for 9 years. In the Omaha World Herald story here: http://www.omaha.com/article/20100604/NEWS01/706049913, it says that she will share her funeral with her father, who died from surgery complications.
My heart goes out to her family.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Cancer information in the news

Curious about the validity of information offered at Wikipedia? Here is a blog post about recent research on cancer information housed at Wikipedia:
Wikipedia Cancer Info Passes Muster http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2010/06/wikipedia_cancer_info_passes_m.html?wprss=checkup

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the United Nations, predicts that by 2030, 13.2 million people will die each year from cancer, and 21.4 new cases will be diagnosed annually. More information on their report can be read at this Reuters article: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6504H820100601?type=domesticNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews. Here is a link to the IARC report page: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/2010/globocan2008.php

Here is a link to the GLOBOCAN database that shows cancer incidence and mortality worldwide in 2008: http://globocan.iarc.fr/. GLOBOCAN is part of CANCERMondial, a site that provides access to various cancer databases: http://www-dep.iarc.fr/
 
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