Cancer - Join the Fight

Found this apt caption on the web

You may have heard the slogan - "Early Detection Saves Lives", or the one that says "Awareness is Power", or "Feel For Lumps, Save Your Bumps"; these are some of the popular slogans out there.  Recently I embarked on my chosen path - to further my education in health, specifically, Oncology, to join the brave and relentless fight against cancer worldwide. As I like to half jest when asked, I want to be on the team that finds a cure for cancer.  I want to kick that sucker in the rear!  As American Cancer Society, Cancer Health, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and numerous Cancer Centers around the world advocate, it is a comprehensive and integrated approach to health.  What does that mean?  It means it starts with making healthy life choices, how to stay healthy - (prevention), what screenings to do and what to look for (awareness and early detection).  And if the disease comes knocking, then beyond the treatment is the person, the whole person, and the quality of life that person ends up with.  To me, having been the mom of a 6yr old who was diagnosed and lived the next 3 years of his life feeling very differently from many kids his age, it was important not to focus so much on the treatment that we lost sight of the person, the whole person, and the emotional and psychological impact.

I am looking forward to getting quality education in cancer research, treatment and delivery of care, but equally importantly, to be involved in community education and awareness of life style choices as relates to cancer, education on different types of cancer and what to look for, screenings, and during and beyond treatment, support structures and programs available.  American Cancer Society has a wealth of information on the topic, including a tab called "Cancer A-Z" that gives you concise information about various types of cancer.

Every one of us has a personal experience or knows of someone dear who has been affected.  This is a fight that needs all hands on deck, starting with simple things like what we feed our children every day.  Whether we let ourselves or our family members get exposure to cigarettes or second-hand smoking, whether we are reminding our spouses, siblings, or parents to go schedule their screenings or take their annual physicals seriously.  There are a good number of things within our control.

Check out this information on the American Cancer Society website.