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Site last updated
10/13/06 |
Cancer Resources
10th Annual Komen Sacramento Race for the Cure
 Wow!
What a great year once again! Todd and I joined 25,000 other people in
Sacramento on
May 13, 2006 in the 10th annual Komen Race for the Cure. Once
again, we walked the race with Leslie and Ted Bennett - Leslie is a breast
cancer survivor, a great all-around lady, and a true inspiration! It's
so awesome to see all the attendees, who are either survivors (sporting pink
t-shirts!) or supporters (wearing white). Everyone at the race seems
to have a story of how their lives have been touched by cancer, and this
year was no different. Supporters often wear pink signs on the backs
of their t-shirts that give tribute to loved ones who have fought this
insidious disease, or are still fighting...I wanted to extend a huge THANK
YOU for all of you who provided your support. With your help, I was
able to raise $550 towards finding a cure! Here are some pictures from
race day:
Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in men and
has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
In the United States in 2004, 160,440 people were projected to die from lung
cancer compared with a projected 127,210 deaths from colorectal, breast, and
prostate cancer combined. Only about 14% of all people who develop lung cancer
survive for 5 years. [emedicinehealth.com]
Throughout Thac's illness, we picked up a number
of tips and useful information to help us support Thac's fight. Below is a
compilation of what we found. If you have any useful tips/links that you
would like us to share, please email them
to us for consideration.
Basic Information About Lung Cancer
There are several different types of lung
cancer. An important distinction must be made between cancer that has
originated in the lungs (primary lung cancer) and cancer that has spread to the
lungs. In the case of primary lung cancer, the two types are small cell
and non-small cell. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can further be
broken down into three types - squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and
large cell carcinoma.
Thac had Stage IV non-small cell adenocarcinoma
that had spread (metastasized) to his bones, lymph nodes, and brain. He
did not have any symptoms until the cancer had spread to his brain - hence the
severe headaches. According to LungCancerInfo.net, "Adenocarcinoma is the
most common subtype [of non-small cell lung cancer] and accounts for 30%-35% of
all NSCLC cases. These tumors usually develop at the edges of the lungs, but
they can sometimes occur toward the center of the chest. They are often slow
growing and don’t typically cause symptoms in their early stages. As a result,
adenocarcinomas are often found and diagnosed at more advanced stages. Cases of
adenocarcinoma have increased over the past few decades. It is the most common
subtype of lung cancer in women and in nonsmokers." Thac was a non-smoker,
but had been exposed to asbestos on the job. According to his doctors, he
did not have mesothelioma, the cancer caused by asbestos exposure. We will
never know what caused his lung cancer.
FACT:
Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for about 80% of all lung cancer cases
[LungCancerInfo.net]
Web links
Explore the following links for further information. Although many of
these sites provide information on similar topics, I have endeavored to provide
links to common questions from different sites to provide a breadth of exposure
and information. Different sites present information in different ways,
and while one site may be very comforting to one person, a more technical site
may prove more helpful to scientifically-minded individuals.
What is Lung Cancer
and What Causes It? - LungCancerInfo.net
Types of Lung Cancer - Cancer Research UK
Facts About
Lung Cancer - American Lung Association
How
Lung Cancer is Staged - About.com
Lung Cancer
Symptoms - OncologyChannel.com
What Causes Lung Cancer - American Cancer Society
Mesothelioma Information
- Mesothelioma Web
How is Lung Cancer Treated? - American Cancer Society
Questions
to Ask Your Doctor about Cancer Treatment - CancerConsultants
Introduction to Clinical
Trials - National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Demographics &
Statistics - Who Gets Lung Cancer? - LungCancerOnline
The Biology of Cancer -
CancerQuest
Support Resources
- LungCancer.org
Hospice Foundation of America -
HFA
A Practical
Guide To Understanding Death And The Process Of Dying - Crossing
the Creek. An extremely useful reference that complemented our experience
with Hospice care and enabled us to assist and understand Thac in his final
days. Thank you, Michael.
www.maacenter.org - I was contacted by
these folks to include a link on this page. I have not used their
services, nor am I receiving any monetary compensation for including them here.
But a quick blurb about them: They have been providing users with asbestos and
mesothelioma-related information since 1995, and currently have several pages of
information for mesothelioma patients.
Cancer Foundations
The following are links to foundations dedicated in the fight against cancer.
If you would like to help beat this disease, join a fundraising effort, donate
money, and spread the word!
LUNGevity Foundation
- The only organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to funding
lung cancer research.
Gail P. Ramos Lung Cancer
Foundation - Raises funds for research, develops educational programs, and
provides assistance to those affected by lung cancer.
The Jeni
Fund - To fund research to cure, treat and prevent women's lung cancer.
Lots of eye-opening facts about women and lung cancer.
American Lung
Association - Sign up for the American Lung Association Action Network and
find out how to influence government to prevent lung disease and promote lung
health.
Lance Armstrong Foundation - Buy one of those famous yellow LIVESTRONG
bracelets, educate yourself, and find out how you can help.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - Sign up for a Komen Race For
the Cure event, learn about their Co-Survivor program, and more. |
