Cancer Survivors Network

The CSN discussion boards and chatrooms are excellent ways to meet your CSN ”neighbors” and develop friendships, exchange practical information, and support one another. The CSN community is full of knowledgeable, kind, and caring people you will want to get to know. 

RelayForLife.Org

RelayForLife.org  is a social network where volunteers for Relay For Life  can share stories of inspiration and information with one another through blogs, forums, photos and more.  Take advantage of your friends around the Relay Nation.  You can learn new ways of doing things, get new ideas to refresh parts of the event, watch videos and communicate with one another in a variety of ways.

MoreBirthdays.com

We believe every birthday you celebrate is a victory. Another year that cancer has not prevailed. Your birthday means everything to us. That’s why we’re dedicated to creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays. With your help, we can create a world with even more celebrations, more laughter … and more birthdays for all.  You can dedicate a blog post to someone you love who has been affected by cancer and celebrate their lives. Check out the posts below for inspiration, but know that whatever you write, you’re raising awareness and inspiring others to join ACS in the fight against cancer.

Expert Voices

This resource from the American Cancer Society is  for anyone interested in cancer. On the Expert Voices  blog, you can regularly spend a few minutes with the experts who really know about staying well and getting well when it comes to cancer. Expert Voices will give you more than the statistics: it will give you insight. And because it’s from the American Cancer Society, it will all be scientifically-based, credible, and accurate.   We hope you will participate in the conversation and add a comment to our posts. 

Dr. Len’s Cancer Blog

Dr. Len’s  Lichtenfeld is Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society.  His blog provides the American Cancer Society perspective on topical issues of importance to anyone concerned about their health.

Choose You

This blog focuses on healthy choices that can help you stay well.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

For more information on technology and giving, read the related post at NPR’s All Tech Considered Blog.

The first two videos below were submitted by Jennifer Barnette, a parent volunteer at Morgen Academy in Austin Texas.  The girls, Casey and Maddie, are both 5th graders.

The third video was submitted by third grade teacher Janet Couvillion from Forest Trail Elementary, EanesISD, Texas.

Congratulations to our winners!  Each school will be awarded a Flip video camera so the kids can continue to help make the world a better place by spreading positive messages online. We hope to see more of them on SharingHope.tv!

Did you know that the branch of ACS responsible for launching SharingHope.tv is also located in Austin?  I feel blessed to live in a city with so many folks who share United Way’s spirit of bringing people together to advance the common good.

There's Hope.

Most of us are pretty sick of mudslinging by now, so I was grateful to find some political party warmth in the form of a post by conservative columnist and three-time cancer survivor Robert D. Novak about his current battle with brain cancer.  (read the full text of his column by clicking here.)

Novak wants people to know about “the reaction to my disease, mostly compassionate, that belies Washington’s reputation.”

Just a few months ago, doctors operated on senator Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor.  Through a series of connections, Novak ended up in contact with one of his political rivals and found that

“The Kennedys were not concerned by political and ideological differences when someone’s life was at stake, recalling at least the myth of milder days in Washington. My long conversation with Vicki Kennedy filled me with hope.”

Novak found equal compassion from President Bush, who had also been the subject of criticism in some of  Novak’s columns.  He writes.

“There are mad bloggers who profess to take delight in my distress, but there’s no need to pay them attention in the face of such an outpouring of good will for me.  I had thought 51 years of rough-and-tumble journalism in Washington made me more enemies than friends, but my recent experience suggests the opposite may be the case.”

I wish cancer didn’t have to be the catalyst, but it heartens me to know compassion crosses party lines.  I needed that.

Now, for the controversy.  An organization called Breast Cancer Action has a website called Think Before You Pink. It urges people to think critically about buying products just because they say they support breast cancer research. BCA has this definition on their site:

Pinkwasher: (pink’-wah-sher) noun. A company that purports to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon campaign, but manufactures products that are linked to the disease.

I don’t have the scientific background to support or reject the BCA claim that an ingredient in yogurt is linked with breast cancer, but whenever I see a product sporting a pink ribbon, I have wondered how much money actually goes directly to breast cancer research. Is it pennies on a dollar? How much good am I actually doing? Is this company using my heartstrings as a marketing strategy? Would having the answers to these questions make me pass on pink and donate directly to breast cancer research? Or, are pink ribbon promotions really effective ways to promote awareness and encourage corporate do-gooding?

Maybe I can do a little research on my blackberry while in the waiting room for my upcoming mammogram. 

And, since SharingHope.tv originated in Texas, we were excited to see a bejeweled (former?) Miss Texas sharing hope at a recent Fight Back Express stop.  Thanks to member Kym for posting the photo!

Miss Texas Shares Hope