The Broken Chain

This is such a wonderful poem for those who have lost someone they cared for. I hope it touches yall the way that it has me

The Broken Chain.

We little knew that day,
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death, we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you.
You did not go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.

You left us beautiful memories,
Your love is still our guide.
And although we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.

Our friendship chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.

Why I Relay!

Despite my four years of participating in the Relay for Lfe there is always the question of why I partcipate in the Relay every year. Well over the next week or so (you know how it gets sometimes) I'm going to be posting pictures and the purpose as to why I relay every year. This is the first reason why I relay. One of the best friends I could have ever asked God to have brought into my life. Christopher Newsome was one of my best friends and I always looked up to him.

It didn't mater if the group was hanging out on Saturdays playing Dungeons & Dragons or if our strange group of friends were stuck on the side of the road on the night of Junior Prom waiting for a car that functions since the one they had tore up, Chris always made all his friends feel welcome in his home, and never made any of us feel as though we didn't belong.

Chris had bone cancer and was misdiagnosed I don't know how many times before the cancer broke through the bone in his arm. It was a shock to all of us who loved him and hard to understand. Chris was supposed to be the best man in my wedding but was unable to even attend the ceremony because of the cancer treatment. We lost a gret friend in April of 2005 andMay 2005 was my very first Relay for Life and I have had a team every year since. I guess it's my way of keeping the memories of those I love alive and a way of trying to help out.

‘Waiters’ dress up for cancer society

Dinner guests at the Golden Corral in Palatka, Florida were treated to quite the experience February 25, 2008 when local officials and business leaders put on costumes and became waiters for the night..all to benefit the American Cancer Society.

According to http://www.palatkadailynews.com/ "Event founder and organizer Mary Makie Conner said she was very happy with the turnout.“This is the 21st year we’ve held the event and it’s always a lot of fun,” Conner said. She added that the event started to honor her father who died from cancer. She later lost her husband to cancer and continues the annual event in their honor...Conner said the event had raised more than $6,000 and more money still was coming in."

Participants in the event included Mayor Karl Flagg and the School Superintendent, the Supervisor of elections,County commissioners and others. Along with the tips and money raised through the sale of Mardi Gras beads, Golden Corral donated a portion of each dinner price to the American Cancer Society.

For more on this fundraising success please go here: http://www.palatkadailynews.com

Happy New Year

Best wishes for a wonderful new year and best wishes for all the Relay for Life teams in their fundraising and efforts to bring about a cure for this disease. Best wishes to all the cancer survivors and those who are battling with this disease or those who have family memebers and loved ones battling it.

May this year bring about wonderful experiences and answered prayers for all of you.

Congressman Tim Holden presents check for $5.6 million to Cancer Institute

Congressman Tim Holden, presented a check for $5.6 million dollars to Hershey Medical Center's Penn State Cancer Institute. According to the story posted here http://www.ldnews.com/ci_7751485 the money is part of the U.S. Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2008 that was approved several weeks ago.

The medical center is the only academic health center located in central Pennsylvania, serving close to 4.5 million people. As stated in the article: "The facility will have more space for clinical trials in the study of cancer, Paz said. Bringing cancer research and treatment together under one roof, he said, is important in raising the profile of the institute. "

Dr. Tom Loughran, the director of the cancer institute, stated Hershey Medical Center sees about 8,000 new patients diagnosed with cancer each year.

For more on this story see the link above.

Green Tea May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk

In a recent Japanese study at the Japan National Cancer Center drinking green tea may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer. A scientist taking part in the research study stated the following in the artile found at http://www.news.yahoo.com/ :

"This does not mean that people who drink green tea are guaranteed to have reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer," said Norie Kurahashi, a scientist who took part in the study.
"We are just presenting our results. But the study does point to the hope that green tea reduces the risk of advanced prostate cancer."

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, compiled data from 50,000 men aged 40-69 over a period of up to 14 years from 1990.

http://www.news.yahoo.com/

Ozzy Osbourne's 'garage sale' raises $800,000 for Cancer Charity

Legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharron held a 'garage sale' of sorts to raise money for the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

Items such as Ozzy's favorite coffee mug sold for a reported $1,625, a cast bronze devil head that hung on a doorway of his family's Beverly Hills home sold for $8,750, Ozzy's batskin coat sold reportedly for $3,300, and Ozzy's custom billiards table sold for $11,250. These any many other items belonging to Ozzy and his family were sold over the two day event that ended on Saturday

The reported total money raised for the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program as a result of the garage sale was around $800,000.

For more on this story check out here: http://news.yahoo.com

Scholarships available for cancer survivors

According to http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071119/NEWS0103/711190388 Young cancer survivors preparing for higher education may be eligible for scholarships from the Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society.

$1,000 scholarships will be awarded to eligible students who are attending an acredited university, college or vocationa./technical school and have fought cancer. Awards will be announced in March of 2008 for the 2008-09 academic year.

In order for a young cancer survivor to be eligible, they must be under 25 years of age, have had a cancer diagnosis before age 21, be a U.S. citizen and live in one of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, or Floyd or Clark counties in Indiana. A grade point average of at least 2.5 must be held by the applicant in order to be considered for the scholarships.

More than 1,170 scholarships have been awarded since the year 2000, which include 225 that were awarded last year. Applications for the scholarships are due by February 1, 2008 and for an application, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org/mid southnews.

Cancer patients getting a lift

According to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, officials with the American Cancer Society announced today an expansion of its Road to Recovery program that provides cancer patients with rides to, and from, their treatments.

The officials announced three corporate sponsors -- United Health Services, New York State United Teachers and Lourdes Hospital -- have agreed to partner with the cancer society to have their employees and retired teachers provide rides for patients.

The society is looking for 12 corporate sponsors to become involved, said Towhee Shupka, senior director for patient and family services with the cancer society.

The society needs more volunteer drivers, officials said. Last year alone, the cancer society provided 400 rides. But the society received about 700 requests, Shupka said. More on this story and others can be found at the following link:

http://www.pressconnects.com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Around this time you will find plenty of pink ribbon hats, scarves, T-Shirts, socks and various other things at Wal-Mart, K-Mart and other stores in your area. I'm sure we have all seen the displays of pink ribbon pens and the such when going through Wal-Mart during the time of October and November. With most of their products the store will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these said items to either the American Cancer Society or a designated Breast Cancer treatment center.

According to the American Cancer Society's website at http://www.cancer.org/ :

"“If you a woman, you are at risk for breast cancer,” Stabilito added. “However, finding it at an early, treatable stage is vital. Unfortunately, some women ignore getting a mammogram. A late stage breast cancer diagnosis is much harder to treat than an early stage diagnosis. The key to treatment for breast cancer and all cancer in fact, is to detect it when it is still at a localized stage.”

"Although some of the risk factors linked to breast cancer are known, it’s not yet known what all of the causes are. It could be that a woman of average risk for breast cancer may lower her risk somewhat by changing some risk factors. These risk factors include giving birth to several children and breast-feeding them for several months, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, exercising regularly, eating nutritious foods and maintaining the proper body weight."

For more of this story please visit this link: http://www.cancer.org/ and search for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.