In 2004, our 10-year old daughter Maddy was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer: Burkett’s Lymphoma. This aggressive form of Lymphoma required an even more aggressive treatment plan that opened the door to unforeseen complications and challenges in Maddy’s fight for life. Her treatment required her to spend more than 270 days as an in-patient at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital from July 2004 – July 2005.

Looking back, the thought of what she had to endure is unfathomable. Cancer is such an evil that it not only tries to claim life – it tries to take a person’s spirit and alter the core of their character in the process. This was happening to Maddy before our eyes. This strong willed, independent thinking little girl was suddenly afraid to leave our side. Her treatments were beating the disease but cancer was laying calm to much more in the process. When a Child Life Specialist suggested we look into a camp for children with cancer, we were nervous but knew we needed solution to help Maddy win back her confidence.

I can still remember the hot June Sunday when we took her to camp. She had lost more than 30 pounds during her battle and her slight frame was accentuated by her pale skin and bald head. She was frightened -putting all of her trust in the fact that her parents (and the Child Life Specialist) promised this would be an amazing experience.  And so, we left her to the care of a stranger and cried the full 3 hours back to our home.

The following Friday, we arrived at camp early to pick Maddy up to receive her scheduled platelets.  We were not expecting to see our ‘pre-cancer’ Maddy grinning from ear-to-ear but that is exactly who greeted us.  She began to tell us about the friends she had made, the high ropes course she tackled, the wall she climbed, the horse she rode and many other amazing things that happened that week. Camp Catch-A-Rainbow allowed Maddy to put cancer behind her for a week – and let her spirit shine again.

Maddy attended Camp Catch-A-Rainbow for five summers, until she reached the age limit of 15. I began volunteering at the camp and will celebrate my 5^th year as a councilor this coming June.  In celebration, I am running the River Bank Run 10K on the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Team. I am running in celebration of each camper’s childhood. I am running in thanks for the restored spirit camp brings to children. I am running for the sense of accomplishment that these children show me time and time again.  I am running because cancer can NOT win. It cannot take a child’s sense of self and Camp is one way to make sure of it!

Blessings –
Nancy B  (Maddy’s Mom)

This March, the American Cancer Society is launching a colon cancer awareness campaign called Tag2Nag. The campaign will utilize Facebook photos to spread the potentially lifesaving message that colon cancer screening should start by age 50 and that family history of colon cancer can play a critical role in your risk of developing this disease.

What does it mean to “Tag”?
Facebook’s “tag” feature allows users to label their own presence or a friend’s presence in an uploaded photo. Once a user is “tagged”, they receive an alert message and the photo is displayed on their Facebook wall.

I’m with you so far… but what’s the “Nag”?
The American Cancer Society will upload a series of images to our Facebook account during the month of March. The images contain clever but straightforward text reminding users that it may be time to get their colon cancer screening. Facebook users are invited to tag their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, coworkers and friends in the images. So when Mom receives an alert that her loving son or daughter has tagged her in a photo, she will then be directed to a photo, nagging her to get a critical cancer screening. Thus, the Tag2Nag is complete!

Got it. So how can I help?
Participate! If you haven’t already, “like” our Facebook page by visiting Facebook.com/ACSMichigan and tag your friends in Tag2Nag photos throughout the month of March! Or, choose the “share” option and share your favorite Tag2Nag photos on your own Facebook page.

Hello men!

I am a 63- year- old man who for my whole life was healthy – strong as a bull. I thought I had the medical gold card; never went to the doctor because I felt GOOD and didn’t think I needed to; until May 30 of last year – my birthday.

That’s when my world and my family’s world changed forever, as I spent 12 days in the hospital finding out this strong as a bull man had a PSA of 117 (it should be 0 to 2).  I didn’t even know what a PSA test was or that I should have been doing some checkups – or maybe I just ignored the advice even though my son is a doctor and my other son is a PA.  I should have known but I felt GOOD!

The reason I’m running in this race is to let ALL men know – it’s time – it’s YOUR time before it’s too late to have YOUR PSA checked.  GOD has laid this on my heart – to keep up the good fight and to make all things work out for GOOD – maybe that GOOD will be that YOU will find out your PSA before it’s too late.

I’m looking for other runners/walkers or even crawlers to join my team (I’m naming my team “Just a Bump in the Road”). I have been going through chemo treatments since early last June for stage 4 prostate cancer and would like to find others that are now going through treatment or have already been through treatment to help me spread the word – LET’S PREVENT CANCER WHILE WE CAN – its attitude, attitude, attitude – before and after we deal with this disease.

IT’S JUST A BUMP IN THE ROAD! PLEASE join my team and run/walk/crawl the Fifth-Third 5k race and help me inform men – ask men – what’s your PSA?

If you can’t join me, PLEASE DONATE to my team (Just a bump in the road) for the American Cancer Society a dollar or two, or just listen to your heart  – help save the males!

SEE YOU AT THE FINISH LINE!

Bruce Born
bborn73860@aol.com
www.acsdetermination.org

Ultraviolet (UV) rays don’t disappear when the temperatures drop, and they can be reflected off snow just like they can off sand. So a day of skiing, sledding, or going for a long run, can leave your nose and cheeks sunburned.

Avoid getting burned by following the same rules you do when you hit the beach. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or more to any exposed skin. Put it on before you go out, and reapply it every 2 hours. And don’t skip it just because it looks overcast outside; UV light still comes through on hazy days. Protect your lips by using a lip balm with SPF, and invest in wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99% UV absorption.

Remember, protecting yourself from UV rays is the most important way to reduce your risk of skin cancer. Find out everything you need to know about skin cancer on cancer.org.

Click to share this tip on Facebook. Each time you “share” Choose You with your friends on Facebook, Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness – up to $450,000!

If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that cancer isn’t fair. It has no rhyme or reason. It doesn’t care if you are a mom, or a dad, or a brother or a sister. It doesn’t care if you are a dog, or a cat, or an adult, or a child. It doesn’t care if you were ready for it, or strong enough to fight it.

Cancer didn’t care that it came to us as an unwanted gift last Christmas. A diagnosis unfortunately not new to our extended family, but one that did not end with the promise of treatment or remission.

I am a fifth grade teacher in Charlotte, NC and came home to Michigan, like I always do, for the holidays last December 23, not knowing that on that day my life would change forever. Pancreatic cancer gave us only 19 days before it took my Dad from us.

Cancer didn’t care that my Dad was only 7 months away from walking me down the aisle.

Me and my Dad

It didn’t care that he never had a chance to meet any grandkids he might have had. It didn’t care that he never got to move to the beach, or open up a bookstore in small town, or just enjoy retirement with his wife. Cancer didn’t care that when it took my Dad from this Earth, it left a huge hole in the hearts and lives of all those who knew and loved him.

And this is just one story. Sadly, my family’s story is not unique, nor is it the only one we have to share about how cancer has touched our lives. Since losing my Dad last January, I have had the opportunity to learn about so many families that share the same imprint on their lives because someone they loved lost their battle to cancer.

So, cancer doesn’t care, but what about the rest of us??

My family

My family and I have had a year now to grieve; a year to be mad; a year to realize that the world around you doesn’t stop just because your whole world is shaken; and in the end, a year to make us ready to get out and do something.

Like I tell my students when they come to me empty-handed without their homework, or with a bad grade on a test- “What are you going to do now?” They can’t go back and change what they did, like we can’t go back and change my Dad’s cancer diagnosis. So, my next thought was, “what are we going to do now?”

That’s when my brother and I decided to do commit to something we never imagined doing, and in the process raise money to help fight this terrible disease called cancer.

My brother, Dad and me

Luckily, I stumbled upon the DetermiNation team through the American Cancer Society. What a perfect combination of running support and philanthropy! And when we found out that they have partnered with the River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, we were ready to lace up our shoes and start training!

The support from our friends and family has been amazing! This will be our first race, and, to be honest, the first time I have ever trained to run any further than 5 miles! We have two other members on our team; wonderful friends of mine that as soon as I mentioned we’d be running in honor of my dad, were in without another question asked. Thankfully, we will also have lots of cheerleaders, since the race is in Grand Rapids, where many of my in-laws live.

Though it can’t change the hole that cancer has left in our lives, running in this race with the DetermiNation team makes us feel like we can do something to try to change the course of cancer for other families. By pushing ourselves physically and sharing our story, we hope that we can raise lots of money for the American Cancer Society.

My Dad

Cancer may not be fair, but it is worth fighting. And that’s something else I know to be certain.

Katie Verlin

Happy New Year! Make 2012 your best year yet! Join the Choose You movement to set and help reach your health goals. Choose You is a movement created by the American Cancer Society that encourages women to put their own health first in the fight against cancer. The movement challenges women to make healthier choices, and supports them in their commitment to eat right, get active, quit smoking and get regular health checks.

The Choose You Movement shines a light on a hidden issue: that while one in three American women will get cancer in her lifetime, about 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented if more emphasis were placed on early detection and healthier lifestyles including maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise and avoiding tobacco.

In the constant struggle between family, work and self, we know how difficult it is to focus on oneself. To help change this, American Cancer Society has developed the Choose You Commitment. This online program provides tools and support to enable women to commit to and achieve their personal health and wellness goals.

Find out how you can make a Choose You Commitment today!  You will be making personal health a priority — and helping in the fight against cancer.

You can also find out more about the Choose You movement on Facebook. When you choose to “share” Choose You with your friends on Facebook, Sprite Zero donates $1 toward cancer prevention awareness – up to $450,000!

Coping with cancer is an immense and complicated burden for cancer patients and their loved ones. The avalanche of information, numbers, forms, procedures, and specialized knowledge can be overwhelming. The American Cancer Society provides a free Personal Health Manager kit to patients or caregivers, to help ease the burden.

The Personal Health Manager kit is a plastic tote box with labeled, divided tabs to help a patient and their caregivers organize their information. The American Cancer Society also sends each kit out with information specific to a patient’s diagnosis. This information gives the patient reliable, accurate and detailed information about his or her disease and treatment options. Each free kit is shipped directly to the patient’s home.

The Personal Health Manager kit helps patients stay organized as they go through their treatment. Often, a cancer patient is given many documents, from a wide variety of sources like insurance forms, educational materials, test results, prescriptions, care instructions, treatment schedules and appointments which can create an organizational nightmare if they don’t have a way to manage the information.

How does a patient or caregiver receive a Personal Health Manager kit?
Patients or caregivers can call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 and talk to a Cancer Information Specialist about the Personal Health Manager.

Watch this video to hear how the Personal Health Manager kit helped one patient make it through her cancer diagnosis.

We’re excited to be a part of the Fifth Third River Bank Run again this year, and can’t wait for May 12th to get here!

At the American Cancer Society, we’re working to create a world with more birthdays- where cancer never steals another year from anyone’s life. We combine our never-ending passion with the wisdom of nearly a century of experience to make this vision a reality, and we get results. Together, we save lives by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back. Thanks to this work, more than 11 million cancer survivors and countless others who have avoided the disease will celebrate a birthday this year.