My nose was buried in books just after my breast cancer diagnosis. I craved information and thought the pursuit and acquisition of it would somehow help me gain control over a seemingly uncontrollable disease.

For the most part, reading helps me. But sometimes, I read too much -- "Stop reading", my oncologist instructed me one day after I rambled off a bunch of worries I'd gathered from research -- and I've been known to get overwhelmed by statistics and numbers and theories and clinical jargon. When this happens, I usually find refuge in the personal stories of women living with breast cancer. Those who have weathered the cancer storm are often the real experts on cancer and know how to sift through the details, offering just what's important to all who follow.

For more than a decade, two-time breast cancer survivor Pat McRee searched for the perfect guide she could recommend for women she saw at the Flying Colors cancer resource and support center she directs.

"Too long," "Too detailed," "Overwhelming," "Just plain scary," were the responses she heard about the books she had found.

So she decided to think outside the book, to create her own support guide. An unbook is what she calls it. And it's not too long, too detailed, too overwhelming, or too scary.

Support to Go, The Unbook for the Journey through Breast Cancer is instead a compilation of survivor secrets, affirmations, inspiring quotations, poetry, song lyrics, attitude buttons, funny anecdotes, and referrals to expert resources in oncology, radiology, surgery, psychology, and complementary therapies.

McRee considers her book a support group of sorts, a place where survivors can turn their wild rides into unforgettable journeys.

Steps For Living just released an inspirational CD fittingly called Both Sides of the Coin by friend and concert pianist Mathew Zachery and Dr. Adam Dachman, an osteopathic surgical oncologist and composer. Zachery a cancer survivor and Dachman a cancer surgeon have produced an 18 song collection of songs that are both relaxing and uplifting. The CD sales for $15 and the total net proceeds of this CD will go to the Steps For Living non profit. What does Steps For Living do?

What does it mean to be a cancer survivor? Steps for Living reaches inside this question and gives answers from a survivor's eyes. Steps For Living non profit and their Art of Survivorship program is working hard to reach the fall 2007 deadline they have chosen to release their Toolkit For Living that includes a comprehensive survivorship 'yellow pages', along with the 22 track Sounds Of Hope compilation audio CD featuring music by cancer survivors and for cancer survivors. There is a lot of information out there on the Internet to sift through when you're trying to find survivorship resources. Steps For Living is taking some of the work out of that for you by compiling a directory to assist you in your survivor resource needs. Their Art of Survivorship program is an educational cancer advocacy project that harnesses the power of music and the arts to foster health literacy and raise awareness for the cause of cancer survivorship.

I have to proudly and selflessly give shouts to the artists on the Sounds of Hope compilation CD that will be included in the Toolkit For Living directory, since I am one of the 22 and also know some of the artists participating in this program. I have enjoyed listening to a preproduction advance copy of the compilation CD of these artists on a daily basis to keep me inspired. So forgive me but kudos to the following in order of appearance on the compilation CD; David M. Bailey, Christine Baze, Vicki Blankenship, Cindy Bullens, Kevin Carlberg, Suzanne Ciani, Adam Dachman, Kyler England, Kevin Hearn, Laura Higgins, Clint Holmes, Eliot Popkin, Mara, The Readings, Denise Rich, Teri Scheinzeit, John Schrader, Michael Tiernan, Michael Troy, and Mathew Zachery who just happens to be the Founder of Steps For Living.

Indie Music For Life, a non-profit organization working to raise money for cancer research and music therapy programs, released its 2006 compilation CD that includes 18 artists that sells for $10 dollars. Indie Music For Life has the slogan Fighting Cancer One Song At A Time and they reach their goals by producing compilation CDs working with independent singer songwriters that donate songs for the cause. They also organize benefit concerts with the help of Indie artists from around the US.  Some of the artists also sell the compilations at their own personal shows to increase visibility of the organization and the work it is trying to do.

Indie Music For Life is organizing a new project for children cancer patients in the hopes of getting many CDs in the hands of children going through cancer for free in an effort to add music as part of their therapy. Submissions for children's songs are being taken and reviewed and informational packets on music as therapy are being put together. Indie Music For Life is taking tax deductible donations for this project as well as others on their website.

You can purchase compilation CDs from 2004, 2005, and 2006 as well as other items to help raise money for cancer research by visiting their website at http://www.indiemusicforlife.org.  "What better way to do your part in fighting this disease is there, than to listen to music and help raise money for cancer research and other programs like the children's music therapy program" said Cori Lynn, Vice President of Indie Music For Life,  who is organizing and setting up volunteers for the children's music therapy program.