Advocacy runs far and wide. Thank goodness for that.

Think about this:

A new breast cancer non-profit organization has been launched especially for South Africans affected by the disease.

Founded by Samantha Galliet, the 31-year-old breast cancer survivor who made headlines with her "David and Goliath" battle to get life-saving Herceptin treatment, created PinkLink to give patients affected by breast cancer a voice.

PinkLink, focusing on the need for self-examination and awareness to encourage prevention and early detection of this silent epidemic, is intended to be a one-stop-shop with valuable South African based information on doctors, treatments, financial considerations, and health issues.

A little bit of education goes a long way, especially in the war against cancer. Armed with facts and figures and know-how, we can help advance prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.

So in the spirit of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, here are seven truths that serve to broaden your horizons about the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country.

As you read these truths, be aware that the death rate from colorectal cancer has been on a downward climb for the past 15 years due to better screening, fewer diagnosed cases, early detection, and more advanced treatment. Keep in mind that you can help keep this trend going by raising your own awareness and by taking action on behalf of yourself and your loved ones.

• Colorectal cancer refers to cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. These cancers begin in the digestive system where food is processed to create energy and rid the body of solid waste matter.

• Colorectal cancers develop slowly over a period of years and mostly begin in the form of polyps -- growths of tissue that start in the lining and grow into the center of the colon or rectum. Removing polyps early may prevent them from becoming cancerous. More than 95 percent of colon and rectal cancers are called adenocarcinomas.

• For people of average risk, screening is recommended beginning at age 50. Those whose risk is higher than average should talk with a physician about appropriate screening.

• Screening is used to detect disease in people who do not have any symptoms. In many cases, screening tests find colorectal cancers at an early stage and greatly improve the chances of successful treatment. Screening tests can prevent some cancers by allowing doctors to find and remove polyps that might become cancer. There are several tests used to look for colorectal cancer. Ask your doctor what test is best for you.

• Treatment for colorectal cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and newer targeted therapies.

• The American Cancer Society predicts there will be 112,340 new cases of colon cancer and 41,420 new cases of rectal cancer in 2007 in the United States. Combined, the diseases will cause about 52,180 deaths.

• The Colorectal Cancer Coalition -- or C3 -- is a national organization whose mission is to eliminate suffering and death due to colon and rectal cancer through advocacy. Visit here for more information.

The material shared in this post was gathered from the websites of the American Cancer Society and the Colorectal Cancer Coalition.

It's been one year since Dana Reeve, wife of the late Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer at the age of 44. And the grace of this woman, who came to represent the non-smoking population of lung cancer victims, is being honored by the Lung Cancer Alliance.

"Lung Cancer Alliance extends its most heartfelt thoughts to the family
and friends of Dana Reeve," says Laurie Fenton, president of the alliance.

"Dana's beauty, grace and valiant struggle against lung cancer will remain indelibly etched in our hearts and minds. In her memory -- and in the memory of loved ones lost to this disease, smoker or not -- let us come together to replace decades of stigma and neglect with hope, greater compassion and support for those living with or at risk for this disease. It is the right thing to do."

The Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to patient support and advocacy for those living with lung cancer, the number one cancer killer.

Lung cancer takes more lives -- about 160,000 Americans this year -- than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney cancers and melanoma combined.

If you have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, it is quite likely that one of the first books, if not the only book, recommended to you was Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book. The New York Times rightly refers to her book as "the bible for women with breast cancer." Her second book, Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book, was one of the first to question the widespread use of postmenopausal hormones. Dr. Love is a genuinely trusted presence and clear voice in the world of women's breast health.

An eminent pioneer in the field of breast cancer for 30 years, and considered one of the founding mothers of the breast cancer advocacy movement, her mission, and the mission of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, is to eradicate breast cancer within our lifetime and better the lives of women by generating resources and innovation for education, research, and advocacy on women's health issues.

Part of the recently redesigned Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation website is the addition of a blog. Dr. Love is blogging the San Antonio for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium where she joins more than 8000 physicians, scientists, and breast cancer advocates in what is considered one of the most important conferences held each year regarding cancer.

On the first day, Dr. Love blogs both clinical and big picture highlights, including her take on two newsworthy study findings we posted here earlier today. The first concerns the common house mouse virus link to breast cancer and the second one regarding the dramatic decrease in breast cancer cases and the corresponding decrease in women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Dr. Love posted, "There was a sudden dramatic (7 percent) decrease in breast cancer in 2003 corresponding with the equally dramatic decrease in women who stopped taking HRT after the WHI study found it appeared to do more harm than good. The study found 14,000 less breast cancers in one year! In my mind this is the final proof we need that taking hormonal therapy after menopause for the prevention of the diseases of aging makes no sense."

For a trusted analysis of the conference, you can find Dr. Love blogging the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium here.

The Lung Cancer Alliance -- the only national non-profit organization dedicated entirely to lung cancer patient support and advocacy -- asked pulmonary clinical nurse specialist Donna Wilson to help educate the lung cancer community about healthy breathing. Wilson agreed and her breathing tips, available on podcast, are intended to relieve shortness of breath related to pain or activity. Her three breathing techniques -- detailed here -- are simple, easy-to-understand, and truly relaxing.

Before beginning this series of breathing exercises, stop whatever you are doing and sit down or lean against a wall.

• Place chin to your chest to relax your neck muscles. Breathe 10 short bursts of air in and out of your lips. As you expel air, neck and chest muscles should relax.
• Place chin to your chest. Breathe three times in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Place chin to your chest. Close your mouth, and breathe four times in and out only through your nose.
  

After completing these exercises, lift your head, breathe normally, and let your shoulders relax. In a few minutes, your entire body should start to relax -- and shortness of breath will resolve.

I don't have lung cancer -- but I do have moments of anxiety and panic. So I plan to save these tips. And I plan to use them. And I plan to share them. Because we all can benefit from a dose of relaxation.

Over three thousand cancer patients, survivors, friends and relatives went to Capital Hill to lobby Congress. The group want lawmakers to reauthorize a program that provides breast and cervical cancer screening for the uninsured. They lobbied for more money for cancer research and detection methods.

The National Cancer Institute's budget will be cut by forty million dollars by President Bush's proposed budget for 2007. This can really hurt research programs and early detection methods to help the uninsured. Treatment programs now only reach one in every five women that are eligible for it.

The two day event was sponsored by the American Cancer Society and its sister advocacy group, the Cancer Action Network. The event attracted over ten thousand people. They also had large exhibits available to visit that showed the work of state and local cancer activists.

The Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is dedicated to the concerns and issues that are unique to young women that are diagnosed with breast cancer. My involvement with the YSC came shortly after I was diagnosed in 2001. My best friend Rita found the website and I immediately went on and read post after post that was on the message board. I was so grateful to find a place where others understood. Not only were these breast cancer survivors but they were my age! Deb was the first girl I met online. We both were newly diagnosed and scared. She helped me so much because she had started her chemotherapy treatments a week before me. I got all the details and was much less scared when it was my turn.

The YSC was founded in 1998 by three young women under the age 35 that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. They realized that there was really no where for them to go for support and information. It was very disheartening to also realize that there were hardly any studies done on women 40 and under with breast cancer.

The YSC seeks to change all that through action, advocacy and awareness. Young women diagnosed with breast cancer face higher mortality rates, fertility issues and the possibility of early menopause.

The annual YSC conference is something that shouldn't be missed if you are a young survivor or a family member of a young survivor. To find out more information about the upcoming 2007 YSC conference go here. I have been to four conferences so far. It's a great feeling to know you're not alone.

Double the hormone, double the risk. Or so says one study of older women who take hormone pills. When estrogen and testosterone are combined, women face twice the chance of getting breast cancer, according to a study of more than 70,000 nurses. This type of combination therapy may help with mood, libido, and bone density -- but the possible risk of breast cancer may just outweigh these benefits. These findings, published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, add to the evidence that certain types of hormone supplements -- like estrogen-progestin pills -- increase risk of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks in women. Other research points to a link between breast cancer and high natural levels of testosterone.

Women's natural levels of estrogen and testosterone decrease with menopause. Use of supplements has climbed over the past 24 years, perhaps putting more women at more risk. Estrogen-testosterone pills are sold under the brand names Estratest and Estratest H.S. and appear on a Washington-based advocacy group's "Worst Pills" list because of breast cancer risk.

Listening and Learning Together: Building a Bridge of Trust, is the first-ever Summit to assemble cancer advocates with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other National Institutes of Health (NIH) leaders taking place in Bethesda, Maryland . NCI Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLGO) will host this event on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where representatives from all segments of the cancer community will convene to give their constituents a strong voice and to help shape future interaction and collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and the community. The event is June 19–20 and will offer a unique opportunity for interaction and candid conversation with each other and with NCI and NIH leaders.

Registration and check in is at 8:00am at the Natcher Building Foyer. A tour of the campus will take place from 8:30am to Noon and the official opening ceremony will begin at 1:00pm in the Main Auditorium on the lower level of the Natcher Conference Center. For more information on the summit contact Mr. James Hadley the Advocacy Program Manager at the National Cancer Institute Office of Liaison Activities.

The World Cup, called by some the mother of all international soccer competitions, is held every four years. Hosted this time in Germany, national teams representing 32 countries will compete for the world championship title. World Cup fever is rising, as the first day of the tournament approaches, but the heat is not all due to the frenzied excitement of the three million fans who will attend the games. Cancer advocacy groups and health organizations are none to happy about the fact that while the FIFA will ask fans to voluntarily refrain from smoking, they will not issue a straight-out ban on smoking. According to the low-down on the reasons for the strong objection on the polite request that smokers not smoke with no legal enforcement, it is noted that cigarette lighters and ashtrays will be sold at the games. So, are they asking smokers not to smoke, but just in case they forgot their lighter or need an ashtray, smokers will be able to purchase them at the games?

The World Health Organization, WHO, signed a deal with FIFA four years ago to make the 2002 World Cup games tobacco-free in a deal it hoped would set a precedent for future tournaments. But FIFA declined to renew the agreement for the 2006 event after discussions with the German government and the local organizing committee. According to WHO, billions of people are expected to watch the televised matches around the world and they are concerned, as are all the health organizations and health advocates, that this will send the wrong message about smoking. I know I am sort of confused.

GMC-Augusta Community College students adopt bladder cancer awareness and advocacy as their community service project. The student committee has fundraising goals of $5000 dollars by November and has put out over 2500 information brochures in their community since February. To reach their fundraising goals they are selling pins, books and other items and also are having bake sales and yard sales. They hope to participate in area health fairs and are organizing other events to add to the fundraising efforts. A joint effort between GMC-Augusta Student Advocates and Indie Music For Life non-profit is in its organizing stages to hold a benefit concert in late summer.

The Bladder Cancer Sisterhood founded by poet and bladder cancer survivor Sylvia Ramsey is selling their merchandise on the BC Sisterhood online store. Sylvia Ramsey was diagnosed with stage III invasive bladder cancer and had her bladder removed and also had a radical hysterectomy. She considers herself very lucky to be alive almost 10 years later.

I just purchased my very own End Breast Cancer license plate. For years, the back of my mini-van has displayed a University of Florida plate -- and while I am proud to be a Florida Gator, I am more proud to be a breast cancer survivor. I survived college -- seven whole years of college -- but I fought harder to survive breast cancer. I gave more and endured more and invested more with breast cancer. I feel accomplished and rewarded by this undertaking in a way that doesn't compare to college -- which is quite an undertaking in itself. So this new license plate reflects the me of today -- the me with lumpectomy scars and a port popping up from under my skin and my dark, curly post-chemo hair. Unlike the me of long ago -- with no scars and blond, straight hair bouncing in a ponytail or hanging out the back of a ball cap.  My University of Florida license plate suited me then.  My breast cancer plate suits me now.

The proceeds for my purchase -- just $25 more than a standard Florida plate -- go to the Florida Breast Cancer Coalition Research Foundation, a non-profit grass-roots organization dedicated to the eradication of breast cancer through advocacy, education, and research. Many states feature a breast cancer license plate. The appearance and message written on each plate are different but the purpose is the same -- to raise awareness and funding for the fight against breast cancer.

I still have a big Florida Gator sticker on the back of my van.  But it now shares space with my pink ribbon magnet and my new license plate too.  I am a traveling billboard.  And I'm proud of it.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation, LAF, is launching a campaign to raise awareness of cancer issues and advocate for supportive positive change in the lives of cancer survivors by making May 17 LIVESTRONG Day. Armstrong is asking everyone who is interested to take part in the day's events to bring a sharp focus and attention to cancer. According to the LIVESTRONG webpage regarding observance of the day, two participants from each state have been selected to go to Washington, D.C. where they will meet with their elected officials, participate in interactive advocacy presentations and listen to guest speakers discuss how to make an impact on Capitol Hill and in their own communities.

For local activities, LAF has published a list of event ideas, and welcomes you to submit an event idea of your own. "It's time for our nation to address our issues. Together, we can help change things for the better.  As a team, we can make a difference for survivors," states Lance Armstrong. Check it out.

A decade ago, cancer research funding was a priority in the United States. As a result, many new discoveries were made, new treatments initiated, and new drugs created. Today, more cancer patients are surviving because of that research. Each day, researchers continue to learn more about the causes and mechanisms of cancer. Cancer research is needed, now, more than ever, and the National Institutes of Health research funding may be cut back to levels that will slow any additional progress so essential to cancer cures and cancer survivorship. Drastic budget cuts to cancer research are happening, and will continue to happen, if no one speaks up. The priorities of our government do not seem to be with the people, in areas vital to health. If this is an important issue to you, please contact your congressional representative at the United States House of Representatives, and urge them to stop any additional budget cuts for cancer research. This year 1.3 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. Let your voice be heard.