As women facing the challenges of a breast cancer diagnosis and the triumphs of living beyond breast cancer, we share our stories and ourselves in the hope that it will help other women facing the same challenges in the fight to survive breast cancer and the special issues of breast cancer survivorship.

Beginning today, and lasting through October, AOL People Connection's Think Pink! will be featuring breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship resources within a dynamic interactive online community for women to learn about breast cancer, share their breast cancer story and make connections with other breast cancer survivors.

When you visit Think Pink! you will discover a blog featuring personal stories of breast cancer survivors told in their own words; a gallery of inspirational photos submitted by women going through breast cancer treatment and women who are living beyond breast cancer; articles and educational information about breast cancer; special profiles of breast cancer survivors; shop for a cause pink products; how to join a letter writing campaign to increase federal funding for breast cancer research and enhance the involvement and influence of trained breast cancer consumer advocates in all aspects of breast cancer policy and research; sign up for a breast check monthly reminder; learn about ongoing breast cancer events; and more.

While there, you are invited to share your story, submit a photo, start your own blog or create an AIM page.

As part of Livestrong Day, Lance Armstrong and 100 cancer survivors and caregivers went to Washington, D.C. to lobby their congressional representatives for more cancer research funds. Armstrong criticized the Bush administration for cutting taxes while cutting the budget for the National Cancer Institute. "Taking from the poor and giving to the rich has never been a good policy," he told the audience at a Tuesday night reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. While visiting congressional representatives, Armstrong and cancer advocates were asking that Congress make cancer a national priority and to financially support the National Cancer Institute programs that result in early diagnosis and treatment and the Center for Disease Control programs that target cancer prevention, detection and treatment needs of each local community.

There are over 10 million cancer survivors alive today. Surviving cancer in such great numbers is a fairly recent phenomenon in the history of this country, as cancer was once considered a death sentence. The U.S. government, under President Bush's leadership has set back cancer research by cutting funding, and if more awareness is not raised about the budget for cancer research, further cuts will be made. Armstrong, and 10 million cancer survivors are becoming a visible and vocal force to be reckoned with, as these are serious issues. Cancer and cancer survivorship cannot be put on a financial back burner of lesser priority. One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. For more information, visit the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Livestrong.

Scientists attending a cancer research conference question the realism of the prediction of a cancer cure by 2015. Back in 2003, when Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach was director of the National Cancer Institute, he announced a goal for eliminating death and suffering from cancer by 2015. Dr. von Eschenbach, who is a cancer survivor and a personal friend of the Bush family, spent 25 years at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Prominent researchers say the goal is merely a gimmick that gives patients false hope and distorts scientific reality. Others say it is simply a publicity stunt aimed at manipulating the media and public as a means to raising funds for cancer research.

Matthew Chayes, the Chicago Tribune newspaper reporter who wrote the article Cancer cure goal praised, criticized, states that a dozen cancer researchers and physicians who were interviewed during the cancer research conference, laughed off the idea that cancer deaths and suffering could be eliminated by 2015. They were not willing to be quoted directly, or go on the record with any remarks because they feared reprisal from the head of a federal agency that controls the purse strings for cancer research. Common sense should rule when it comes to proclamations made by the government, especially when such lofty goals are announced, but still, it seems especially heartless to raise hopes for the motivating purpose of raising money.