Experience Project is launching a new online cancer support network , The Cancer Support Project, on October 1st, 2007.

Experience Project is built around dynamic groups of users who come onto the platform, share narratives and personal stories about their life experiences, and then connect with others who are going through the same experiences. Experience Project will never ask for your name; you can keep your identity completely private while meeting new friends who can understand you.

The central goal of The Cancer Support Project is to provide a hub for emotional and psychological support for all experiences involving cancer, including experiences as a survivor or a caregiver, something that is not currently widely addressed as many sites focus on sharing information regarding therapies. The Experience Project will also be launching a Facebook application within The Cancer Support Project to enable people to show their support and raise cancer awareness via Facebook, MySpace, blogs and web pages.

The Cancer Support Project will be launching on October 1st, but you can check it out now. I know I will be checking it out for sure! The Cancer Support Project is located here.

When a woman receives a diagnosis of cancer, if she is married, her husband is thrust into the role of caregiver, a role that can be overwhelming. Our culture's expectations of men can complicate this new role even further.

Here is some advice for husbands whose wives have been diagnosed with cancer, from Rene Barrat-Gordon, LISW, a social worker at The Cleveland Clinic:

Never falsely reassure her there is nothing to worry about. Anyone with cancer worries.

Don't feel the need to fix everything.

Have at least one person you can talk with besides your partner. And consider the "safety" and friendliness of a support group.

It's OK to cry-even in front of your partner. It doesn't mean you're weak; it means you love her and you feel afraid, anxious or sad.

For more advice on this topic from Barrat-Gordon, please go here.

While reading the spring issue of Cure Magazine I came across an article on a book called Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know.

I have not read the book but I think it would be a great resource for those who have a family or friend with cancer. There is a need for a guide --I think this book can fill that gap.

Why would a guide be needed? I have found throughout my cancer journey that fellow survivors have many stories of unthoughtful, tasteless, ridiculous and sometimes funny comments from those around them. We can laugh at a lot of the comments because we know the person means well -- but sometimes it does go too far and can hurt.

What this book does is give the friend or family member some insight on what would be most helpful to the cancer patient. Based on the author's own experience with the disease and other survivors, each chapter tells intimate stories about one of the 20 most important messages people with cancer want to convey.

Help Me Live will help you find the word or gestures to show how much you care. There is never a 'right thing' to say or do but learning how to communicate effectively is very important.

This book can also be helpful to the cancer survivors themselves says Kathy Latour who wrote the article in Cure Magazine. She says "This book is not just for its intended audience of friends and caregivers, but for cancer patients too. In part, it affirms the cutting edge comments we made when Uncle Jack said something tasteless and painful. But in addition to reminding me of the many challenging people in my journey, the stories also revealed ways I could have handled them a little better"

Those of us diagnosed with cancer are not the only survivors of our diseases. Our families and friends and caregivers and even employers and co-workers survive right along with us. Sure, the facets of our survivorship vary tremendously -- but we all survive the wrath of cancer in our own unique ways.

My two little boys have spent the past two years surviving breast cancer -- my breast cancer. And while they still don't fully comprehend the magnitude of such a disease, they do understand cancer is a sickness. They understand it took my hair, made me feel sick, left me with scars, and they religiously comment on every pink ribbon they see. They call the ribbons cancer.

I am often asked how my children handled my diagnosis, my treatment, my emotions. They handled it all well, I think, and as time passes, they do better and better. In fact, cancer seems to have vanished into thin air for Joey, who will turn six on Wednesday, and Danny, who is three and a half years old. I know this because of their answers to a few questions I asked them last night, on the eve of 2007.

What was the best thing you did this year?

Joey: Swimming in the pool.
Danny: Being at school.

What was the worst thing that happened this year?

Joey: Getting that boo-boo on my foot, when it scraped on the driveway.
Danny: The cheetah that was chasing me.

What could you have done better this year?

Joey: Learning to ride my bike without training wheels.
Danny: Watching Ice Age.

What would you like to work on during this new year?

Joey: Building a better stick house.
Danny: Drinking milk.

What was the scariest thing that happened this year?

Joey: When I thought there were monsters in my room.
Danny: When there was a cheetah in my room.

What was the funniest thing that happened to you this year?

Joey: When Jack (uncle) and Bud (grandpa) tickled me.
Danny: When the cheetah was chasing me.

When I say the word Daddy, what do you think about?

Joey: Someone who makes me laugh.
Danny: no reply -- he was distracted by the movie Ice Age.

When I say the word Mommy, what do you think about?

Joey: I don't know.
Danny: no reply -- still distracted by the movie Ice Age.

What do you wish for 2007?

Joey: I wish I could fly.
Danny: I wish I could slide on a sleigh.

And that's a wrap. Not one mention of cancer. Not one response concerning endless medical appointments, my drastically different hair, or the port -- they called it a stone -- that was removed from my body in September.

There truly are more important things in life than cancer for two little boys whose memories of a horrible disease will hopefully fade with each passing year -- until not even a pink ribbon catches their attention.

Happy 2007, Joey and Danny. May all your wishes come true!

It is the truest spirit of giving in a story told the day after the most celebrated day of giving in a season of giving, where lives intersect in unexpected ways that remind us of the best in who we are as human beings.

A brother and sister, 15-year-old Stephanie and 18-year-old Kevin Hudon, are both facing cancer. Stephanie's bone cancer has spread to her lungs and her brother is currently undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A teacher at the high school both Stephanie and Kevin attend, Christine Monahan, had been spearheading a fundraiser to financially help the family through this overwhelming time. Last month, Nathan Burditt, a student who attends the same high school, spent 34 hours in line to buy the coveted and hard-to-come-by PlayStation 3. Monahan said she was kidding when she suggested to Burditt that he donate the newly-acquired gaming system to a raffle to help the Hudon family.

But Burditt took her seriously and donated the popular PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 3, one of the it gaming systems this year, attracted $21,000 dollars in raffle ticket sales. Before the PlayStation 3, Monahan had expected to raise $500 dollars during the raffle. Ticket buyers to the raffle, knowing of Burditt's unselfish act of compassionate charity, wrote his name, not their own, on the raffle tickets they bought. Because of this, Burditt won back the PlayStation 3 he had donated.

The simple acts of kindness for a brother and sister struggling to survive cancer made national news. Enter comedic actor Adam Sandler. Upon hearing about Stephanie and Kevin, Sandler sent a PlayStation 3 loaded with games, signed DVDs, jerseys and an autographed Longest Yard poster to them to help make their Christmas a little more joyful.

Meanwhile, Burditt, who has won the PlayStation 3 in the raffle he donated it to, wanted to turn around and sell it to make even more money for the Hudon family. Everyone is telling the young man he has done so much more than anyone ever expected from any one person that he should keep it now. The raffle ticket buyers wanted him to own it after he so willingly gave it up to help someone he did not even know. It is reported that Monahan is keeping the gaming system boxed at her house until Burditt makes a decision on whether he will accept it for himself, or to what purpose he intends on using it to help again.

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, I believe each of us holds the secret wish that we could make the cancer go away. But we know we cannot, and yet we want to do everything we can do for them. Easing the journey, with a donation of time or money is one way, as is filling the life of a cancer patient with as much joy and laughter as possible, and if it distracts them from the current reality, all the better. Burditt, Monahan and Sandler did just that for Stephanie and Kevin Hudon of Manchester.

In Letting it all out might increase chances of cancer survivorship, we shared that finding techniques to minimize stress is an effective way to better health. Our focus in that post was journaling and talk therapy as a means to expressing thoughts and feelings, rather than stuffing your emotions and keeping it all inside. According to the experts featured in that post, "It's about the link between the mind and the body and how your mind state can affect the disease state in the body."

In addition to journaling and talk therapy, cancer centers are offering cancer patients and caregivers self hypnosis techniques to help reduce stress as a part of an overall cancer treatment program. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's social work supervisor Aida Molano, who has taught hypnosis and self-hypnosis classes at the center for the last 16 years, is offering a 30-minute self-hypnosis CD online as a free download.

According to Molano, hypnosis can help patients and caregivers offset sleeping difficulties, fear of medical procedures, problems concentrating, pain and fatigue using hypnosis techniques. If interested, by clicking on this link, you can download the free 30-minute self-hypnosis CD.

New research suggests that it is not uncommon for cancer caregivers to suffer emotional or psychological problems as a result of caring for a loved one battling cancer, and they often suffer in silence. According to study results, the anxiety and stress of caring for someone with cancer is comparable to caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. This news will come as little surprise to caregivers but it might be a blindspot of need traditionally overlooked by others in the community and medical fields. In USA Today Cancer hurts caregivers, several caregivers stories are featured highlighting the challenges faced as family members struggle to take care of a loved one in cancer treatment.

Aside from the emotional trauma of learning a loved one has been diagnosed with a disease that may cut life short and the psychological effects that can manifest in feelings of hopelessness and unrelenting fear, New York's Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center psychiatrist Jimmie Holland points out that hospitals are currently discharging cancer patients sicker and quicker when they are still in great pain before their wounds have healed. As a result, family members, who are not trained medical professionals, are left to provide the level of medical care of experienced nurses.

In reaching out to cancer caregivers, the answer might start with something as simple as providing a talk therapy environment where caregivers have a safe place to open up and share their thoughts and feelings. A resource of trained counselors and nurses who can offer reassurance and practical help in navigating the inner terror, and at times, the physical exhaustion of cancer care. For additional information and support resources for caregivers, visit the Cancer Caregivers category of this blog.

Every cancer patient should receive state-of-the-art medical care, says Dr. Jeremy Geffen in his book The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person. This medical care -- the foundation of every cancer treatment program -- should be administered by highly trained and qualified caregivers, under the meticulous supervision of an experienced oncologist.

Some don't believe this is the necessary foundation and consider the triad of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation both poisonous and barbaric. There is no doubt that people encounter pain, frustration, and toxicity with these therapies, according to Dr. Geffen. But he believes it's almost always a serious mistake to forgo these remedies in exchange for unproven alternative therapies.

There are demonstrated benefits of conventional medicine. And it is clear that with each day, treatments become safer, less toxic, and more effective than ever before. Some cancers -- like Hodgkin's disease, testicular cancer, and childhood leukemia -- were once considered deadly. Now, they can be cured. The anatomy and function of the eye, breast, larynx, esophagus, anus, rectum, and prostate can now be preserved, despite surgery and treatment. Advances in pain control have delivered considerable relief to patients experiencing discomfort with treatment. And there is reason to believe future progress against cancer will be even more dramatic -- with the advent of molecular and genetic technology, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, better diagnostic technologies, and more effective control of side effects.

Dr. Geffen stresses this -- conventional medicine is a must in the fight against cancer. But alternative and complementary therapies also have a place. And throughout his book, he details the Seven Levels of Healing that encompass both approaches.

He begins with Level One -- Education and Information. The starting place. The place common to all of us who receive diagnoses that are troubling and confusing and require a little investigation, a little research, a little explanation. The place I will describe in my next Journey Through Cancer post.

To read previous posts on the same topic, visit:
The Journey Through Cancer: Beverly Is Every One of Us
The Journey Through Cancer: What Is The Purpose Of Medicine
The Journey Through Cancer: Introduction
Sunday Seven: Seven Levels of Healing on Cancer Journey

Stay tuned for:
The Journey Through Cancer: Level One -- Education and Information

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center teaches the art of aromatherapy to soothe and heal. Cherie Perez, a supervising research nurse, teaches a monthly aromatherapy class to answer questions about aromatherapy treatments to cancer survivors and cancer caregivers undergoing treatment.

Perez first became involved with aromatherapy to help those diagnosed with fibromyalgia deal with the physical pain and discomfort caused by the disease. She now shares her professional knowledge of the basics of aromatherapy in each hour long class. Her classes are offered free of charge at the wellness center at M.D. Anderson. The wellness center focuses on helping patients and caregivers deal with the non-medical issues of living with cancer. This is the first complementary facility to be built on the campus of a comprehensive cancer center.

In the future Perez looks to designing research strategies to examine how aromatherapy can be used to treat or heal burns from radiation treatments. She would also like to explore aromatherapy in the use of pre-treatment anxiety and also manage loss of memory issues in cancer survivors.

Why do some researchers believe that aromatherapy is beneficial?

Our sense of smell is 10,000 times stronger than any of our other senses. The receptors in your nose communicate with two structures that are imbedded deep in your brain and serve as the storehouses for emotions and memories. It is believed that the stimulation of these structures influences our physical, emotional and mental health.

To read more about the uses of aromatherapy click here.

Although these are important issues year-round, November is the month dedicated to raising awareness about lung cancer, family caregivers, hospice care and the very important marrow donor program.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is a national campaign to raise awareness about lung cancer. In addition to facts and resources, the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), a patient support and advocacy organization, hosts the Faces of Lung Cancer Campaign on their website featuring photos of those lives that have been touched by lung cancer.

According to facts presented by LCA, lung cancer will kill more people this year than breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer and melanoma combined. Lung cancer will kill three times as many men as prostate cancer this year. Lung cancer will kill nearly twice as many women as breast cancer this year. Although smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer, not all lung cancer patients smoked before being diagnosed. Visit LCA for ways to get involved in the month-long campaign to bring attention to lung cancer.

To read our posts about lung cancer, visit Lung Cancer.

National Family Caregivers Month is a way to say thank you, show our personal support and create community support, and help educate the public about the issues and realities caregivers face each day they lovingly care for a family member or friend in need of care.

To caregivers, Suzanne Mintz says, "If we believe in ourselves, protect our health, reach out for help, and speak up for our rights we can each improve our day-to-day lives, but also together we can change our healthcare system and our society to make it more responsive to the needs of families dealing with chronic illnesses and disabilities." The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) is an organization that supports, empowers, educates, and speaks up for the more than 50 million Americans who are caregivers.

To read our posts about caregivers, visit Cancer Caregivers.

National Hospice Month is a campaign to raise awareness of hospice care in honoring the terminally ill and their family members during a difficult time and creating the most comfortable home or home-like environment possible. The first hospice began in 1974 with the Connecticut Hospice providing palliative care using the combined knowledge and skill of a team of physicians, nurses, medical social workers, therapists, counselors, home care aides and volunteers. To learn more about hospice care, visit the National Association for Home Care and Hospice.

National Marrow Awareness Month brings public attention for the more than 50,000 Americans each year who are diagnosed with leukemia and other blood diseases and are in need of a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant in order to survive. To learn more about this program, and how you might be able to help, visit the National Marrow Donor Program.

According to the results of a survey, cancer patients and caregivers turn to the internet primarily to research treatment options and information about cancer drugs. Of all cancers, breast cancer is the most frequently researched cancer. Of those researching cancer, 33 percent researched breast cancer, 20 percent researched skin cancer, and 18 percent researched colorectal cancer. By percentage of cancers researched, the exact breakdown is:

Breast cancer 34 percent; skin cancer 19 percent; colon/rectal cancer 18 percent; prostate cancer 17 percent; lung cancer 17 percent; ovarian cancer 14 percent; non-Hodgkins Lymphoma 11 percent; pancreatic cancer 6 percent; bladder cancer 6 percent and kidney/renal and pelvis cancers 4 percent.

By percentage, the types of information cancer patients and caregivers searched for were:

Treatment options 70 percent; diagnosis/symptoms of cancer 70 percent; causes of cancer 52 percent; cancer drug-related information 40 percent; information on coping with cancer 38 percent; experiences of people with cancer 33 percent; information on accompanying disorders 31 percent; guidelines for prevention 29 percent; information on support organizations 26 percent and clinical trial information 22 percent.

To learn more, read the Cancer Sufferers and Caregivers Take Their Fight Against Cancer Online survey as provided by comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions, who conducted the survey.

As a cancer patient or caregiver, do you feel the results of this survey accurately reflect your activities online?

The Men Against Breast Cancer organization wants to help men get involved in helping the women they love battle breast cancer. Their symbol, a pink and blue ribbon signifies the war against breast cancer is one that men and women must face together.

Marc Heyison and Steve Peck are the founders of Men Against Breast Cancer (MABC). Marc's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. He understands how a breast cancer diagnoses impacts not only the patient but the entire family.

The website states that this is the first non-profit organization to provide targeted support services to educate and empower men to be effective caregivers when breast cancer strikes a female loved one; as well as, target and mobilize men to be active participants in the fight against breast cancer.

You can find many resources on the website such as the Partners in Survival workshop that brings practical advice and tips to help the whole family. Special emphasis is placed on men understanding the physical and emotional needs of their female partners.

The website will also have available in January of 2007 a book called For the Women We Love: A Breast Cancer Battle Plan and Caregivers Action Guide for Men.

Breast cancer is personal for Nicole Kidman. At 17, her mother Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a celebrity spokesperson for Cancer Research UK Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kidman helped launched this October's All Join Together campaign by unveiling a giant pink ribbon on the Stardome at Madame Tussauds.

Kidman shares, "As someone whose family has personally been affected by the disease, I can't stress enough how important it is that women get to know and understand what is normal for their body. I hope that this Cancer Research UK campaign will raise awareness of breast cancer amongst women of all ages and encourage them to report any unusual changes and go for screening if they're over 50. Together we will beat cancer."

On October 5th, A Touch of Pink party will be held in the Blush room of Madame Tussauds. Madame Tussauds is famous for its wax figures of celebrities, notable persons and world figures. Many celebrities are expected to attend the A Touch of Pink party. For more information on purchasing tickets to the event, email tickets@atouchofpink.org.

To learn more about Cancer Research UK's mission in cancer prevention and research; and in improving the lives of cancer patients, visit Cancer Research UK.

In 1998, Maggie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Five years later, she suffered a recurrence and told she only had a few months to live. With involvement in a clinical trial, she lived on 18 more months. During those months, she thought about what a cancer patient needs to survive. Maggie's vision of a haven for cancer patients and their families was realized when the first Maggie's Centre in Edinburgh opened.

Located in Scotland, Maggie's Centres welcomes people with cancer, and families, friends and caregivers, to visit as long as they feel they need support . Designed in a home-like setting, an appointment is not required and there are no charges.

Simply walk in when you feel you need to talk or would like to take part in the services they have to offer. Maggie's Centre's philosophy is that each person's need is different, and cancer support specialists -- professionals with oncology and psychology training -- are there to listen and help each person develop a personalized strategy for coping with their individual situation.

Caregivers are quiet heroes, helping and caring without asking for anything in return. Caregivers step in when there is a need and they bring with them a sense of hope and comfort during the challenges facing a loved one diagnosed with cancer. In the selflessness of love, they sometimes forget to take time to care for themselves. To avoid caregiver depression, frustration, resentment, illness and burnout, here are six ways a cancer caregiver can care for themselves while caring for someone else:

Take a daily walk. Exercise is a great stress reducer. Taking the time to stroll through the neighborhood or local park is like a deep calming breath for the body and emotions. If you are a jogger, go jogging. The point is to get away for a moment, get the body moving, and enjoy a change of scenery as you go.

Keep a journal. Daily journaling is a way to outwardly express your thoughts and emotions and can act as a relief value for emotions that are building up inside. It can also give you a better perspective. Sometimes we need to see what we are thinking and feeling to sort it all out.

Pursue personal interests. If you have a hobby or activity -- like writing poetry, photography, crafts, painting, knitting, reading, gardening, or listening to music, that has always been fun and brought you a sense of joy and contentment -- make time each day for your personal pleasurable pursuits.

Maintain friendships. We need our connection to others for the enjoyment of company and for comfort and support. Make regular weekly dates with friends and meet for coffee. Join a book club or start a book club. If there is a caregiver support group in your area, or a support group for families affected by cancer, consider joining.

Learn ways to relax. Try breathing exercises and muscle relaxation exercises. Schedule a massage. Take a weekly yoga or tai chi class. Cannot get away? Pop in a yoga or tai chi video and follow along.

Make your health a priority. Eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids. Find inspirational quotes that lift your spirits and display them where you can read them each day. Remember to laugh each day. Hug and be hugged.

To offer the very best care for your loved one, you must take care of yourself too. It's not selfish, it's wise.

If you are a caregiver that has found unique fun ways to take a moment to take care of yourself while taking care of someone you love, please share your ideas with other caregivers in the comment area following this post. If you are a reader with fun tips or ideas on ways a caregiver can take care of themselves while caring for someone else, please share in the comment area. We are all in this together, and we will get through the challenges and struggles of cancer much better with each other's support and encouragement.