In 2004, Michael Friedman, 15, was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He underwent two surgeries, seven rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, and radiation therapy, which caused his liver to fail. Friedman spent weeks in the hospital due to surgeries, chemotherapy and liver failure. For a teen, it was boring. To take his mind off the treatments and dwelling on an uncertain future, he distracted himself from his circumstances by watching DVD's and playing handheld video games.

During his cancer remission, the Make-A-Wish Foundation offered Friedman the chance to have one wish come true. Any wish. He told the foundation his wish was to start his own foundation, The Mikey's Way Foundation, with the mission of providing, at no cost, high-tech, interactive electronic toys and games to hospitalized pediatric cancer patients and computers, printers and other electronic equipment to the hospitals that treat children with cancer.

"Anything to distract them from the fact that they're in the hospital, they're sick, they're not feeling well," Friedman said. "It really makes an impact on the lives of these kids."

The Mikey's Way Foundation was launched, and he distributed his first gifts in December 2005. Friedman has suffered a cancer relapse, but remains focused on helping others. Now during hospital stays and cancer treatments, as CEO of The Mikey's Way Foundation, he spends his time thinking of ways to make the foundation grow.

Susan Nessim survived cancer but had difficulties being a cancer survivor. After successfully completing treatments for soft tissue sarcoma, she looked forward to going back to her old life before the cancer diagnosis. Nessim returned to college to find her friends acting standoffish and distant. Her engagement to be married ended when her future mother-in-law insisted that a woman with cancer was not a good match for her son. When Nessim and a coworker were both being considered for the same work promotion, her coworker was offered the position, before Nessim got a chance to be interviewed. Nessim would find out later that the coworker, whom she had considered a friend, revealed Nessim's personal cancer history to their employer. The subtle suggestion was made that Nessim might not be up to the demands of the increased workload of the new position.

Back in the 1970's, there were few, if any, resources or support for cancer survivors. Nessim and Lisa, another cancer survivor, decided to start a support system for cancer survivors. Cancervive offers resources, books and award-winning documentaries for survivors who cope with depression, infertility, intimacy issues, job and insurance problems, and the side effects of cancer treatment; and addresses the concerns of siblings, parents, school classmates, health professionals, and the larger society affected by cancer.