Who and what was the most googled in 2006? The Year-End Google Zeitgeist top ten lists for general and news searches on the Internet this year include Paris Hilton and Bebo -- and cancer.

Of the celebrities most searched for, Paris Hilton outranked Orlando Bloom and the social networking site Bebo outranked MySpace. In the news category, cancer ranked as the third most searched for topic, before podcasting, autism, Hurricane Katrina, and bankruptcy.

The top ten Google searches were, in this order: Bebo, MySpace, World Cup, Metacafe, Radioblog, Wikipedia, Video, Rebelde, Mininova and Wiki. The top ten Google news searches were, in this order: Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, cancer, podcasting, Hurricane Katrina, bankruptcy, Martina Hingis, autism, the 2006 NFL Draft and Celebrity Big Brother.

Surprised to see Paris Hilton topping the list of news searches? Sadly, me neither. Personally, I am not certain that she has ever done anything newsworthy, other than having proven a supreme talent for the uniquely cunning ability to stay in the headlines for no particularly meaningful reason.

It is substantially interesting that cancer was the third most searched for news topic this year. I know that those whose lives have been touched by cancer can feel very alone, and if this proves anything, we are certainly not alone in trying to sort through the many issues linked to cancer.

As Larry Stewart tells it, the story begins 26 years ago, when a week before Christmas he was fired from his job. It was the second year in a row he had been fired from a job the week before Christmas. As he sat in his car at a drive-in restaurant commiserating his untimely employment fate, he noticed the car hop was not wearing a warm coat as she worked in the elements of winter cold for nickels and dimes in tips. Although his recent unemployment status made his financial security uncertain, he decided to pay for his meal with a $20 dollar bill and told her to keep the change.

What happened next changed his life and the lives of countless others who would come to benefit from the generosity of a stranger. The car hop began to cry. She told Stewart he had no idea how much the extra money would help. Touched by her reaction, he went to the bank, withdrew $200 dollars, and then drove around looking for people who might need a few extra dollars.

Over the last 26 years, the cable television and long-distance telephone service businessman, who went on to earn millions after his rocky start in the working world, has given away over a million dollars. Anonymously. Stewart never wanted anyone to know his name or the name of his company. Until now.

Stewart has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus that has spread to his liver. He thinks it is time to reveal the mysterious identity of the Secret Santa many in Missouri and elsewhere have wondered about for the last 26 years. Why? By speaking publicly about giving, he is hoping to inspire others to give. According to Stewart, "that's what we are here for -- to help other people out."

I love the terminology used by those behind the scenes at Hurricane Voices. This is where I first read the words breast cancer dancer and where individuals have gathered to advance the rebellion against breast cancer. The content on this site is powerful, edgy, and truly inspiring -- it incites public action. And it makes me want to jump up and do something -- now. To break down the barriers to progress in pursuit of the causes and cures for breast cancer -- which is the whole purpose of Hurricane Voices.

Hurricane Voices began because of one woman -- Lois Egasti, a wife and mother living with metastatic breast cancer. Lois, who passed away on April 15, 2003, knew she was not alone and felt the need to take a stand against the disease. So she put her urge into action and formed this not-for-profit organization. And in just four years, a great community of voices emerged -- voices that have helped raise support and participation in far-reaching programs and events.

Hurricane Voices offers on its website a family reading list, a regular newsletter, an empowering overview of breast cancer and its statistics, and a sampling of various myths surrounding breast cancer. Hurricane Voices provides direction for involvement in unique conferences -- such as When a Parent Has Cancer: Strengthening the School's Response which helps school systems support families affected by parental cancer and Breast Cancer: Truth & Consequences, a conference that challenges the status quo concerning breast cancer. Hurricane Voices initiates thought-provoking public awareness campaigns and strives to inform the public that the disease we call breast cancer is a very serious illness.

Every day, more people are being diagnosed. Every day, more people are dying. Yet we are not beating this disease -- in fact in the time it takes to brush our teeth or drink a cup of coffee, another person has died of breast cancer. And this is what Hurricane Voices wants us to know. This and the fact that well-meaning, misconstrued survival rates in the 90 percentiles only extend for five years. And five years is just not enough.

Powerful -- that's what Hurricane Voices is -- powerful. And each of us can contribute our own power to this organization by becoming a Hurricane Voice. So speak up -- by simply clicking here.

I have heard the term chemobrain many times -- even here at The Cancer Blog when Dalene wrote about it. And I've started using the terminology myself -- to explain my new-found odd behavior. Like when I put a carton of ice cream in the refrigerator with no recollection of it. And when I took a cap off a pen, couldn't find it, and discovered it on top of an egg carton in the refrigerator. I don't think this is a refrigerator theme -- just a coincidence -- because I've also lost a clipboard at work, forgotten to hand a guest her glass of water immediately after I prepared it, lost library books and movies, and failed to remember responsibilities time and time again. This may seem like minor forgetfulness -- this is what my oncologist believes may be at work -- but for me, this is odd. I have always had a good memory, have always delivered on my promises, and have never felt as scattered as I do now. So I call it chemobrain -- a good excuse, I figure -- and am now trying to determine what exactly this word means.

My oncologist tells me he doesn't really like this term. He thinks it puts a negative spin on regular functioning. He believes those of us who have experienced chemotherapy look more closely at our post-chemo behavior and may interpret quirky stuff as more serious than it is. It probably existed before chemotherapy, he says. But now, we are more sensitive to it and find chemotherapy a good explanation. He may be right. But for me, something in my head has definitely been altered.

One patient advocate for Hurricane Voices: A Breast Cancer Foundation believes that something doesn't have to be scientifically proven to exist. And while chemobrain may not be completely proven, there are still studies that support its existence -- which manifests itself through aging-type memory problems, forgetfulness, distraction, and loss of the ability to calculate quickly. Some studies show that 20 to 30 percent of women who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer, and some who receive similar treatment for lymphoma, score lower than average on mental function tests for as long as 10 years after chemotherapy. ''There's enough data now to at least know it's a real effect,'' said Dr. Ian F. Tannock, a psychiatrist who has studied this issue at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Some suggest that typical aging may be at fault -- and for premenopausal women who may be rushed into menopause, this effect may be due to hormonal issues. Regardless, it seems to stem from chemotherapy -- somehow. And somehow, this topic needs more attention, more research, and maybe a more positive name.

The aftermath of devastation and unimaginable horror when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans is still making headline news. The images and reporting coming out of New Orleans in the first days after the hurricane disaster by mainstream and citizen media were disturbing. The government, state and local authorities failing to provide safety for the people of New Orleans are more than one. But the purpose of this post is not about political failings but medical ethics and the possibility that a doctor and two nurses committed the most unthinkable act of choosing to euthanize patients as they waited to be rescued from the flooding after the storm hit.

Memorial Medical Center had been cut off by flooding after the hurricane. Power was out in the 317-bed hospital and the temperatures inside rose over 100 degrees. As it is told, the medical staff did the best they could under extreme circumstances to care for patients as they waited day after day -- four days total -- to be evacuated from the flooded conditions. As they waited, patients died.

Stories started to surface that some of the deaths were decided on by a small group of medical staff. An investigation that followed as to whether there was any truth to the rumors that patients in pain had been euthanized. One doctor and two nurses have now been arrested on charges of second-degree murder. The arrest warrants state the three intentionally killed four patients at Memorial Medical Center.

"We're not calling this euthanasia. We're not calling this mercy killings. This is second-degree murder," said Kris Wartelle, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Charles C. Foti.

Arrests are not convictions, and it is my belief that we should hold judgment. I cannot help but be saddened that human beings were put into such dire straits as the people of New Orleans were during the flooding after the hurricane, or that stories like this could even be true. It appears the Attorney General's office feels they have enough evidence to prove the truth to what were once rumors -- and if proven true in a court of law -- there is no justifiable reason to do what these three are accused of doing. Doctors and nurses have to be trusted to do everything humanly possible to save lives. What are your thoughts about this story?

Husband and wife team -- Dr. Tyler Curiel and Dr. Ruth Berggren -- prepare to relocate to San Antonio, Texas and will leave behind the city torn apart by Hurricane Katrina -- the same city where they worked tirelessly in 100-plus degree heat to rescue frozen cells and tissue from destruction during a storm that destroyed nearly everything in its path. They worked for one week caring for trapped patients at the inner city Charity Hospital, using diminishing generator power and the very basic of supplies. And they worked by flashlight to preserve their temperature-sensitive cells -- the cells that made up most of their life's work. They were successful in their mission -- and happily saved the cells of one of Curiel's medical students who once worked in his lab but died in 2004 of a rare cancer.

In September, the duo will leave New Orleans and will begin work at a nationally recognized cancer center -- the San Antonio Cancer Institue. Curiel will share his expertise in gynecological cancers -- specifically ovarian cancer -- and Berggren will join the health science center as an infectious disease specialist.

USA Today features a story, Cancer makes life harder in the Big Easy, about the fact that life isn't getting any easier for cancer patients in the long-term aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of their soulful and spirited New Orleans. While some of the residents have returned to a place that is more than just a place, cancer patients still must leave the area to find cancer treatment. Before Hurricane Katrina, cancer treatment services were often a few miles away -- now the same treatment is sometimes hundreds of miles away. Charity Hospital, which treated many of the city's poor and uninsured, has been shut down since the storm. The same residents who could not leave right before the hurricane hit because they had no transportation, are now faced with the challenge of how to get to cancer treatment that can be miles away -- with no transportation.

Donna Williams, director of the Louisiana Cancer Control Program, and her staff, have been asking doctors for the names and addresses of cancer patients, then going to the last place they lived. If no one is there, they leave a sign tacked to the front letting the person with cancer know there are people out trying to find them -- to help them. "We put signs on whatever was left of their homes, on piles of rubble sometimes, hoping people would come back," Williams says. "If they didn't come back, hopefully a friend or neighbor would see it." Williams worries about the cancer patients she can't find. Williams, and the others like her, are the best of who we are as a people -- and sometimes better than some of us ever get a chance to be. They are the angels in our midst.