Lance Armstrong, champion of both cycling and cancer, wrote a commentary recently for CNN. His message was loud and clear -- he is losing patience with Washington politicians set on cutting funds for cancer research -- and while his words have not yet spurred positive change for cancer initiatives, they have inspired cancer survivors from all over the world who are responding with their own commentaries on sickness and survival.

The outpouring of sentiment inspired by Armstrong's commentary is overwhelming. Today, I offer just a glimpse into what survivors -- seven of them -- are expressing in the spirited e-mails they are sending to CNN.

Jerry Kelly of Birmingham, Alabama
My dad died of cancer 10 years ago, almost the same time Lance was diagnosed and subsequently founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation. My wife and I met Lance a few years later after I was diagnosed and we went to Austin for the LAF Ride for the Roses (fundraising bike ride). Lance's story had been very inspirational when I found it just minutes after my diagnosis with testicular cancer. What we didn't realize was how much inspiration we would get from other survivors and caregivers as we shared stories. Lance also spoke of something his doctor told him about, the Obligation of the Cured. The important thing to remember is that we can all make a difference if we are willing to give the effort. You don't have to win the Tour de France to join the LiveStrong Army!

Brian D. of Austin, Texas
The costs of this disease even for folks that have good insurance are well beyond reach. Depending on when you discover the cancer and what type of cancer you have, the out-of-pocket costs are far beyond the average person's ability to pay. This is of course assuming that you want to extend your quality of life and you want access to the latest advancements in cancer treatment. We are called society's "catastrophic cases." I am a 4½-year survivor of primary brain cancer. The technical name for my disease is anaplastic astrocytoma grade III. It is basically a slow-growing glioblastoma multiforme -- a death sentence. But I am young and up to the challenge. I am a card-carrying member of the LAF organization. I think what Lance is doing is great ... I think this article is great and I think our Congress should give more tax credits to those of us trying to live a normal life. Shame on them for not acting!

Anne Hawkins of Douglasville, Georgia
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36. I am now 42½ and I have been diagnosed with breast cancer again -- a different type than the first time. I caught it in time thanks to my diligence in screening. However I am going through chemo for a second time in my life since it was an aggressive cancer and I'm so young. I am appalled that none of our politicians consider this a running topic! And the funding has been cut? That's unbelievable.

Marianna Costa, Melbourne, Australia
While I am writing from Australia, unfortunately the experiences of others sound all too familiar in our world. My wonderful father died in 2005 from cancer. The devastation to lives infested by cancer could never be measured in dollars. My conclusion is that cancer treatment is a global business. While I have faith in people of science to rid us from this world catastrophe, there is a global lack of resolve in governments, the corporate sector and medical institutions.

Casey Cronin of Austin, Texas
I'm 19 years old and I was diagnosed with cancer on December 3. I had my first surgery on December 7 and the second surgery on December 22. The pain I experienced was beyond belief. I had to accept the fact that I had cancer, go through with these surgeries, and sit in a hospital on Christmas. The second surgery was to remove my lymph nodes on my back and the nodes came back negative. Without cancer research I might not have been so lucky. I'm outraged that Congress has cut funding towards cancer research but continue to spend an arm and a leg on defense spending. I have a friend with Hodgkins lymphoma and unfortunately he doesn't have insurance. He's 23 and scraping by trying to make sure he might live past his 30s. Cancer is real threat to our health.

Betty Hoffmeister of Taylorville, Illinois
A year ago, October 2005, my daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of colon and liver. Not given much hope, but she is a fighter and a real sweet person. She takes chemo every other week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then is so sick she has to stay in bed for a day or two. But then she gets up and does what ever her little body will let her do. They just say keep doing what you are doing, but we are really worried. I would like for her to hear some real encouraging news soon before she loses the will to keep fighting. God is very good. But we need help.

Scott Joy of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
I'm a 3½-year testicular cancer survivor, and an administrator for an Internet support forum for other survivors. As the Lance Armstrong Foundation sagely notes, "Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your life." Dealing with cancer is life-changing. I was blind to it before it hit me, but now I see cancer -- and its effect on individuals, families, and society -- every day. I am forever grateful for the LIVESTRONG movement, and the passion and power of the community of cancer survivors.

We have heard it all. Performance enhancing drugs. The cancer drug treatment effect. Now it's having only one testicle that separates the winners from the losers. All possible reasons why Lance Armstrong became the seven-time Tour de France champion he became, according to the skeptics who keep throwing spurious suggestions to the media that the wins could not have been legitimately won.

I say, give Armstrong his due, as he is quite simply, the seven-time Tour de France champion, for no other reason that he is a supreme athlete who single-mindedly focused on his sport and ultimately gave what it took to win.

In Lance Armstrong: can cancer be performance-enhancing?, Robin Parisotto cites a recently published article that suggests Armstrong's ability to accomplish what most mere mortals only dream of, is due to the fact the man raced with only one testicle -- that the surgical removal of a testicle is performance-enhancing enough to make you an athletic champion. Parisotto goes into the long version of why the authors believe one testicle could give an athlete an advantage -- red blood cells, hormone ratios, and testosterone levels.

Parisotto ends with, "You can just see it now; some sick-minded male athletes now thinking that with only one testicle they can up their performance. Sorry, but I believe that two balls are still better than one."

Armstrong will be the first to tell you that cancer changed his life, by making him stronger in attitude and mental focus. This might be what those who are not familiar with the inner landscape of cancer are missing. It is a huge point to make, as surviving cancer often strengthens the resolve, focus and determination of many cancer patients in priorities of life important to them. It becomes you against cancer, a formidable obstacle to overcome, and it is all about winning. If anything enhanced an already outstanding natural talent, perhaps this is what gave Armstrong the added advantage that earns him the place of elite champion in his sport.

That cancer did change him by making him stronger in mind and spirit, and that he has gone on to create the LiveStrong Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer survivors on the same extraordinary level of success as winning the Tour de France might be compared to, seems far more likely the logical explanation for why he has been able to accomplish both athletic and altruistic feats of excellence.

Stapling the stomach of an obese child is a last resort, but the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a stamp of approval for bariatric surgery as part of a national guideline aimed at reducing obesity in children and minimizing the long-term adverse health effects that being overweight has on health.

This is the NICE organization's effort to find solutions to England's rising obesity epidemic where the number of overweight and obese people in the last quarter century has tripled.

Stomach stapling is not the only solution, but it is now an approved option. Other recommendations include the following: local authorities working with local partners, such as industry and voluntary organizations, to create safe spaces for physical activity; providing cycling and walking routes, cycle parking, area maps and safe play areas; creating pedestrian-friendly streets; designing building and spaces to encourage more physical activity; requiring schools to provide an environment that promotes healthy eating and physical exercise; healthcare professionals taking the time to educate and give advice on how to maintain a healthy weight; raising public awareness and encouraging daily physical activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics or gardening.

Obesity cannot go unchecked and it is a threat to the health and welfare of children and adults alike, as obesity is linked to greater increased risks for a number of life-threatening diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But, it is uncomfortable to think that one of the solutions to childhood obesity is a scalpel. The NICE press release New NICE guideline calls for urgent action to stem the rising tide of obesity in England and Wales is available as a pdf document here.

In celebration of his 50th birthday, fitness enthusiast Patrick Thompson and his over-sized inflatable penguin Percy start the epic journey to cycle across Australia to raise funds for child cancer research today.

His fundraiser was inspired by the loss of three friends to cancer. Thompson estimates it will take 80 days to finish the journey from Margaret River in WA to the Manning River at Taree in NSW. He hopes to raise more than $50,000 for the Children's Leukemia and Cancer Research Foundation.

According to if it's bloody easy, everybody would be doing it Thompson, he has been training most of his life for this unusual and challenging event. The Pedalling Penguin Appeal website has been launched where you can learn more about Thompson, Percy the Penguin, check his progress at Where is Patrick? and donate a few dollars to a worthy cause.

When last we posted about Jane Tomlinson's Ride Across America to raise breast cancer awareness and money for cancer research, she was having a difficult time.

In hip and back pain from recently finishing chemotherapy just two weeks before she left San Francisco -- final destination New York -- she began suffering dehydration and extreme fatigue near Cedar City. The diary entry for that day of the ride read, "All we need now is your good thoughts and a massive change of luck."

Tomlinson rallied with renewed energy, continued on, and yesterday she made it to the halfway point of her coast-to-coast ride.

I am following her journey with great enthusiasm because of her courage and strength. Six years ago, when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, she was told she had six months to live. Not only has she outlived all predictions, she is also known as the only cancer patient to complete a full Ironman triathlon and the first person to run a marathon while on chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, I had trouble walking across the room or keeping jello down. Jane is incredible.

Why don't more people stick with an exercise routine? Perhaps in part because it gets repetitious and boring. Exercise can be a lonely activity and it is more difficult to keep yourself motivated. Personal trainers have always been a remedy for both of the aforementioned problems, but realistically, how many of us can afford a personal trainer?

According to iTrain, with an MP3 player you can now download customized workouts with a personal trainer. The downloads are set to music and combines modern technology, entertainment, and health in a portable format. It doesn't matter what kind of workout you enjoy, iTrain seems to offer a program. There is iTread, iCycle, iClimb, iStrength, iSculpt Traditional and iSculpt Ballet, iStretch, iTeenTrain Hip Hop, iTeenTrain Kick Boxing.

Grace Lazenby, a fitness expert with 15 years in the Hollywood training industry, realized that MP3 players might be an excellent means of offering her fitness and training to the masses.

In addition to Lazenby, other fitness experts who keep you going through your workout include yoga instructor Heath House, boxing expert and member of the US Air Force boxing team Nick Narvaez, boxing expert and Group Exercise Instructor of the Year Keith Irace, and member of the Brazilian National Team of Gymnastics.

Anything that adds to the enjoyment of a workout is a bonus, and I can see the benefits of iTrain for all ages, but one of my first thoughts when I read about iTrain is that it makes an excellent gift for a teen or young adult.

via Adam at Netscape

Cancer ... it's kind of a big deal. That is the tagline for the Cross Country for Cancer blog. In a benefit to raise awareness and funds for cancer research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center of Johns Hopkins University and for the American Cancer Society, six international college students are spending 45 days of summer cycling across America. The Cross Country for Cancer cycling team, who began their 4,000 mile journey in San Francisco, California, 13 days ago, plan to finish in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cross Country for Cancer is blogging the daily challenges and adventures of the cycling journey across America where this group of college students -- John Lian of Amherst; Ezra Pierce of Oxford; Jacob Pierce of UC Santa Barbara; Patrick Garfjeld Roberts of Oxford; Max Capener of Oxford; and David Lauterbach of Wheaton -- basically came up with a big idea and without any self-admittedly realistic sense of what is possible, simply agreed to go for it.