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Laura

Breast Cancer Awareness Month | When it’s OK to say bOObies in public

by Laura on October 15, 2009

As most of us already know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Pink Ribbons are everywhere! So…we decided to try and provide a little context to what this whole breast cancer hullabaloo is about. (’cause its not just an excuse to say “boobies” and “tatas” !!)

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) Organization

The NBCAM was founded in 1985 by AstraZeneca with the purpose of promoting breast cancer awareness, sharing information on the disease, and providing better access to screening services (mammograms). They also placed an emphasis on encouraging mammograms as the most valuable tool in the fight against breast cancer. Reason being….early detection is crucial! Their website (www.nbcam.org) has some great resources, including how to find a Mammography Center in your area.

The Pink Ribbon

The most common symbol we see for breast cancer awareness is the Pink Ribbon. They are widely used to demonstrate our support for women (and men) who have Breast Cancer, and were first handed out by the Susan G. Komen Foundation in 1991 at the Race for the Cure in New York City. The ribbon started to become well known a few years later when editor-in-chief of Self magazine, Alexandra Penney placed the pink ribbon on her NBCAM issue of Self Magazine & enlisted Evelyn Lauder of Estee Lauder to distribute them at Estee Lauder Counters. Over the years, we have seen this pink ribbon displayed in all shapes and styles:

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The IsoFlow Catheter: Giving Tumors a Taste of Their Own Medicine

Alternative Therapies

I came across an article the other day regarding a new medical device that just obtained marketing clearance from the FDA. It’s called the IsoFlow Infusion Catheter and is designed by Vascular Designs, a company founded by Robert Goldman. Mr. Goldman had no prior experience inventing medical equipment and had already made his money selling intellectual property in the late 1990’s. It was his sister’s cancer diagnosis that inspired him to start researching various cancer treatments, which spawned the idea of the IsoFlow Catheter. This device allows direct delivery of drugs to a targeted area such as delivering chemotherapy straight to a tumor, rather than through the entire body. It also has a distinctive design which allows medication to be pushed sideways reaching areas that physicians were unable to directly treat before. Unfortunately, Robert’s sister lost her battle with cancer before she could benefit from this device, but will be the reason that many others will win it!

Check out this cool video animation to learn how the IsoFlow Catheter System works. I have to say, this device has me excited and I hope that it can provide people with an alternative treatment when all others have failed.

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Ted Kennedy Remembered: Liberal Lion of the Senate

Celebrities

Sen. Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore Kennedy, better known as Teddy Kennedy was born on February 22, 1932, the youngest of Joseph and Rose Kennedy’s nine children. Teddy was first diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2008 after having a seizure and battled it for a year before it claimed his life at age 77. Teddy was no stranger to cancer as his son was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 12, and his sister-in-law Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lost her life to cancer in 1994.

Ted Kennedy w/ Ronald Reagan

It’s not a secret that he endured a great deal of family tragedy over the years; however Teddy had a memorable career as a Senator . He wrote more than 300 bills that were enacted into law and supported important initiatives including equal rights, health care reform and working wages. Also, the name “liberal lion of the Senate” was earned from his long history of public service. In August 2009, Teddy’s daughter Kara Kennedy accepted President Obama’s “Presidential Medal of Freedom” award for her father. At the time of his death, Teddy was the second most senior member of the Senate and was serving his eighth full term.

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Know Cancer Bracelet Giveaway – The Results are in!

Know Cancer Community

A couple of weeks ago we decided to run a little contest and give away some Know Cancer Bracelets. The deal was…you had to provide us with feedback on how we can improve the site.

Needless to say, the Know Cancer Bracelet Giveaway was a huge success! First, we would like to extend thanks to all that participated. We received some great feedback…..so great that we had to select TWO winners!

And the winner’s are….drum roll please……HeatherIrvin & Jody19!!!

Heather Irvin

Jody19

These two lovely community members offered us the following feedback:

• Provide a list of organizations/programs available to help uninsured Cancer Patients pay for treatment as well as insured/underinsured Cancer Patients that have high co-pays and/or deductibles.
• List some resources to help friends of Cancer Patients provide the best support.

Again, we appreciate all your feedback and take all of your suggestions into close consideration. If you have anymore suggestions on how we can improve, drop us a line in the forum!

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The Marrow Miner, Making Donating Bone Marrow an Easier Process

Cancer Treatment

I think that anyone who has donated Bone Marrow knows what a painful and insidious procedure it is. However, because this procedure can save a life… it’s endured. Daniel Kraft, a pediatric oncologist and stem-cell researcher at Stanford University, has a great deal of experience harvesting bone marrow. Through his experience and research, Dr. Kraft developed a device called the Marrow Miner. This device quickly harvests bone marrow with minimal pain to the donor and may actually enable you to bank your own marrow stem cells when you’re young, in the unfortunate case you would need them later. I don’t know about you, but anything that might encourage more bone marrow donors is a good thing. This ultimately could result in an increased survival rate for those with diseases such as Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Check out Daniel Kraft’s Ted Talk, where he explains his new invention and the difference it can make in collecting bone marrow.