When my husband told me today that Merv Griffin had died, I was running on my treadmill, doing my part to pound out any chance that cancer will pay me a return visit. On my MP3 player the song Bad Day by Daniel Powter was blaring. Sweating, halfway through my second mile and feeling quite strong, I heard the words -- "Did you hear Merv Griffin died?"

No, I had not yet heard. All I was hearing were these lyrics:

You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Merv Griffin, creator and producer of TV game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, announced in July that he'd been diagnosed once again with prostate cancer. Hospitalized after the cancer recurrence was detected during a routine examination, Griffin was reportedly doing fine. New reports indicate Griffin's prognosis is not so fine, although his reps won't confirm of deny this.

It is clear Griffin is still in the hospital. Sources close to him say he is putting all his strength into fighting this battle with cancer.

In lieu of sending him flowers, Griffin asks that well-wishers donate to the Young Musicians Foundation -- an organization he chairs. Also, messages can be sent here.

Merv Griffin, inventor and producer of TV game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, has been hospitalized for a recurrence of prostate cancer. The cancer was discovered during a routine examination several weeks ago.

Now in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the 82-year-old Griffin says, "I'd rather play Jeopardy! than live it. I was ready for a vacation; however, this wasn't the destination I had in mind."

Griffin's son, Tony, said his father is getting great care. His medical team wants to monitor his progress in a controlled setting, he said, and that's why he's in the hospital.

According to TV Squad, Griffin has another game show in the works. Let's Play Crosswords will premiere in syndication across the country this fall.

Just when cancer seems to squash all that is good in the world with its darkness and death, little rays of sunshine and little slices of hope somehow break through the devastation, leaving the world a little bit brighter.

Archive of a Breast Cancer Survivor -- a newly released book by breast cancer survivor Adriene Hughes -- is an account of one woman's triumph over a disease that changed her world. It is full of sunshine and hope, despite its emphasis on a disease that every year stops 200,000 women in their tracks, spiraling them in directions so foreign they are downright frightening.

Hughes uses journaling and photography to tell her story of diagnosis, surgery, reconstruction, chemotherapy, and survival. And while those affected by breast cancer will find this book truly empowering, anyone affected by any cancer will gain a healthy dose of inspiration from this poetic compilation of thoughts and images.

Hughes does not seek fame and fortune by publishing her work. All proceeds from the sale of her book will go to the American Cancer Society. She will receive no financial reward from her endeavor. What she will receive is the personal satisfaction that flows from helping others. For Hughes, this is all that really matters.

It's a question that could face any one of us at any time -- the question over whether to pay the high cost of cancer treatment, when it could send us into debt, or to discontinue treatment in order to save money for the family members who will survive us. Dying of lung cancer, Carolyn Hobbs was confronted with this exact question when considering a new biotechnology drug -- Erbitux -- that she learned cost $1,800. The drug may have extended her life but she determined it wasn't worth it -- and she refused the treatment.

During the last decade, expensive new treatments -- some upwards of $50,000 -- have given some patients their first real fighting chance against disease. The problem with these treatments, however, is that most patients will only survive an extra few months. A lucky few may survive for years. For some, maybe the small fortune these few months or years cost is worth it. For others, squandering their life savings on an extended death sentence is not worth it.

For me -- right now -- I believe I would do anything possible to ensure a longer life. And according to one poll, nearly one-third of Americans faced with death would also do anything possible to survive just a bit longer. This percentage is up from one-fifth in 1990. So I have some company in my corner. But I have not walked in the shoes that require this type of decision. I can only speculate about how I might approach this life-and-death decision. And hopefully, I will never have to make it.

In July, opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. Although reported to have come through the operation well, all 2006 concerts were cancelled. At the time, he remained positive that he would return to performing.

However, less than a month later, cancer seems to be taking a terrible toll on Pavarotti's spirit. Recently, in an interview with an Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he is quoted as saying he believes cancer was punishment for his good fortune. In the interview, he goes on to say he cannot stand to hear his own singing voice.

"I don't want to hear myself. If you invite me to dinner, and to please me, you put on one of my own recordings, I would walk out on you," Pavarotti said.

Who can pass judgment on another for what they believe or how they choose to handle the struggle with cancer? No one. Too, we cannot be certain these are actual statements he made without speaking to him directly -- the press has been known to exaggerate information.

Cancer is not a punishment. Throughout history, both saints and sinners have been victims of cancer. Although Pavarotti states he will remain optimistic until his death, it seems in direct conflict to the other statements he makes in the same interview, and I hope that those close to Pavarotti can intervene to bring more clarity to his thoughts about cancer and the fortunes of life.

Most of us know her as Elyse Keaton on the long-time ago sitcom Family Ties. Many also know her from the variety of characters she has portrayed on television specials and movies. And Meredith Baxter is also known for her support of breast cancer research -- something not so apparent or obvious but just as significant in the scope of her life in the spotlight. Like many issues she speaks out on -- women's rights, gun control, state legislative matters -- breast cancer is an issue about which she is passionate. She has appeared at Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks and presented gifts to the cause of breast cancer research and has starred in the 1994 television movie My Breast -- about a woman who successfully battles breast cancer. And she also has her own Meredith Baxter Foundation for Breast Cancer Research which began when she donated $10,000 to the University of Minnesota Cancer Center where her foundation was started. Much of the funding for this foundation comes from Baxter herself via the profits she makes from her own skin care products that are available in gift stores around the country. She says that life has been so kind to her that she was looking for a way to share her good fortune. So she took her concern about breast cancer prevention into the business arena. And just as she soared to success as one of the best-known TV moms, Meredith Baxter is soaring to new heights -- where she hopes to help prevent and one day cure breast cancer.