Cancer Basics
What is cancer? How does one get cancer? Is this a modern disease? Are certain people more pre-disposed to cancer than others? What does a tumor have to do with cancer? Benign and malignant are words I have always heard associated with cancer, what do they really mean?
The web abounds with material and information on cancer from a variety of reputable sources. We do not intend to replicate the information but rather point you to these sources such that you can better equip yourself with the knowledge and understanding. So consider this a one stop shop for directions to cancer information resources.

Cancer Primer
This is a primer on cancer courtesy of BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/tech/cancer/newsid_2913000/2913831.stm

Cancer Cell Basics
This is another site recommended for providing a basic overview of cancer as it relates to cancer cells.
Basics about cancer cell


The American Cancer Society is a national repository for cancer information, so here is a quick link to their offerings on basic information on cancer. Please vistit. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=72


Advances in Cancer Care:Knowledge is Power when used.
The American Cancer Society has reported that deaths resulting from cancer is decreasing in the United States. Get more on this and the leading causes of cancer in our population. Can cancer be contracted from others? http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00003


The National Cancer Institute provides an easy to read presentation of the facts surrounding cancer. I strongly recommend this site to those who really want to get a layman's view of the disease. http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/cancer


Prevention and Early Detection.
You have always heard the phrase "prevention is better than cure" or "an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure". There is no place this is more applicable than when it comes to your health, especially your health as it relates to preventing the onslaught of cancer. As we all know cancer, is an "equal-opportunity" disease and is not discriminatory. Each of us personally knows someone close to us who have been diagnosed with cancer in one form or another. Tragically, it seems to be attacking the younger age groups as well. Is there no form of defense against this monstrosity. Well, one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal to ward off the attack of cancer is prevention and adopting life style practices and behavior that minimize the occurrence of cancer. The next best defense is early detection.
So if you want to raise your defenses, then check this out. Prevenition and Early Detection

Self-empowerment to prevent cancer.
The number one cure for cancer is prevention. The trick is to know how to prevent the onslaught of the disease. Cancer is not a new phenomenon, but with increased reduction in the immunity effectiveness of our body due to "bad" food and destructive lifestyle choices we promote the growth and proliferation of cancer cells within the body. Do not wait for the disease to manifest itself, rather take a proactive approach to healthy living. The following link provides a listing of 15 things you can do to prevent the onslaught of cancer. Courtesy of the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute, Center for Environmental Oncology.
http://www.environmentaloncology.org/publications/prevention.htm




Journaling

My mom survived cancer spring 2007. When I first heard of her health troubles, I got out a journal and began to write. Writing has always been important to me, I’ve kept diaries since early elementary school and have been a freelance writer for ten years. Journaling helps clear my head and sort things out, it is like praying on paper, like thinking out loud – on paper.

Although my journal is fancy with colored lines and a pretty bow, the type of book does not matter. Taking the time to write when you are under stress is what matters. You can take your journal with you and write throughout the day, or at home at night as I did. You can use a computer, tape recorder or artists sketch pad; anything that suits your lifestyle.

I wrote about:
¨ mom’s appointments and test results
¨ my fears of her death
¨ worked through when I could go to see her
¨ expressed my concern about my aunt, her primary caretaker
¨ research I had done about her condition
¨ what I was going to ask next time I talked to her

I wrote several pages a day in the beginning and it naturally tapered off when she recovered from surgery and resumed her normal activities. It is sitting on my nightstand near my other journals, and I don’t write often now but I know the book is there if anything else comes up. I may post some of my journal entries at a later time.

We appreciate your visiting this page and your interest in Grace and cancer care. Please add a comment and tell us how you got through/are getting through the stress of your/loved one’s cancer.

Anita, Lawrenceville
Grace Fellowship Church