Faced with a cancer diagnosis, or any challenging life event, you want to talk to someone who has already experienced what you are about to experience. You want to find stories about other people who have overcome adversity, preferably told by the people who went through it first-hand. You want to know what to expect.

Last year, when Katherine Brown's mother-in-law Ruth was diagnosed with Lymphoma, she went on an internet search to find people Ruth could talk to, who knew what it was like to be diagnosed with cancer, be inspired by the personal stories of triumph over the trials and tribulations of a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment and cancer survivorship.

After an extensive internet search for the kind of community Ruth could connect with, Brown came up empty-handed. As need is the mother of all invention, Brown decided to create what she was looking for and could not find.

The Cancer Buddy Network is a result of Brown's vision. At the Cancer Buddy Network, you create an account; tell your story; be a buddy. Newly-diagnosed cancer patients, family members and friends, and cancer survivors are welcome. It is the blend of cancer patients, cancer survivors and the loved ones touched by cancer that brings real life hope and inspiration in cancer community support. The Cancer Buddy Network is a recent web destination and it looks very well done. Stop by and give it a look, add your voice to hope.

When children diagnosed with cancer undergo radiation treatments at the Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Hospital it can be scary -- the unknown is scary at any age. Traditionally, to help make a child more comfortable, they are given a plush animal as a radiation buddy.

Now Toronto hospitals have something more to help in the way of an animated interactive CD-ROM that shows what will be happening during radiation treatment.

Called Radiation for Kids, it is also written to ease concerns of parents about what their child will be facing in treatment by providing a glossary of medical terms and tips on how to talk to their child about cancer.

In Radiation for Kids, a child creates an animated character and follows it on a virtual tour into treatment. The program is written with different levels of age-related information, puzzles and games so that young children and teens can both benefit from Radiation for Kids.

According to the children and parents who have viewed Radiation for Kids, the information provided does lift fear and gives everyone a sense of confidence in what lies ahead. For information about obtaining a copy of the CD, visit the CBC News feature on Radiation for Kids.

A friend of mine told me last year about her friend who was featured in a newspaper article about a program called Buddy Check 12. I read the article online and cataloged the gist of the story in my head. But I didn't do much with the information as I was in the midst of treatment for breast cancer and thought perhaps at a later date, I could better sort through the abundance of resources that were sent my way.

Admittedly, for years I was a sun worshipper in quest of the perfect golden tan. But I noticed as the years went by the sun was changing, the effects were different, it did not feel as good to be out in the sun for long periods of time. I burned too quickly, tanned far less. I thought it was my imagination, or my age, but I have since learned that the ozone is thinning and the result is an altering in the intensity of the sun's rays. I practice sun safety these days.

When I was telling you about Olay's Bring a Buddy free skin cancer screening campaign, I read a heartbreaking personal story about Dr. Maribeth Bambino Chitkara losing Melissa, her sister, to melanoma at an early age. Who worries about the sun when they are young? I didn't, and most young adults don't. A mole on Melissa's right shoulder had become cancerous, and the cancer had spread to many of the lymph nodes under her arm. Despite treatment, between the two years of skin cancer diagnosis and death, the cancer continued to spread throughout Melissa's body, including her brain. The story, although a very sad one in the loss of a cherished and beloved sister and best friend, I recommend it for reading. The full story can be found here.

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Become aware and educated about the risks of skin cancer and sun safety. The sun is changing -- the damaging rays increasing in intensity. Even the very young need to be protected, and no one today can afford the risks from a golden tan.

In recognition of Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Olay and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, ASDS, is hosting the Bring a Buddy free skin cancer screening campaign. When you go in for your appointment to get checked for skin cancer, bring a friend with you, in a two-for-one special. In May and June, more than 150 dermatology surgeons nationwide will participate in providing free skin cancer screenings for women during the Bring a Buddy program.

Olay would like to remind women that with early detection skin cancer is almost always curable. To find a dermatologist offering free screenings in your area, visit grab a friend and save the skin you're in! at Olay or the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.