Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has been chosen as Avon's first-ever global ambassador. Serving as honorary chairman of the Avon Foundation, the 31-year-old will focus on issues of breast cancer, domestic violence, and emergency relief.

"I'm very excited about working with the Avon Foundation, with many different aspects of it," Witherspoon says. "First and foremost, breast cancer research and awareness, programs that they're working on. Someone very close to me is a breast-cancer survivor. It's a cause that's very close to my heart."

Witherspoon will also represent Avon Products Inc.'s beauty brands and sales representatives.

My friend and fellow young breast cancer survivor has received a great honor to serve as one of the 55 delegates representing breast cancer advocates worldwide at Ignite the Promise: Global Advocate Summit in Hungary.

I'm so proud of you Deb!

This press release says it all:

Deb Kirkland, of Baltimore, MD, has been selected to serve as one of 55 delegates representing breast cancer advocates worldwide at "Ignite the Promise: Global Advocate Summit" in Budapest, Hungary, Sept. 29-30, 2007.

Organized by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, the summit will pair the 25 U.S. breast cancer advocates with their counterparts from 30 countries. The overarching goals for holding this international summit are to elevate the dialogue on breast cancer's global impact and to share strategies used to combat breast cancer in the delegates' local communities

"Each year, more than 1 million women worldwide receive a breast cancer diagnosis," said Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "The need to provide these women-regardless of race, nationality, or socioeconomic status-an equal opportunity to beat a breast cancer diagnosis has never been greater. This summit will enable advocates to share outreach tactics that have been implemented in the U.S. and elsewhere to meet our collective goal of saving lives and ending breast cancer forever."

Here's an easy way to make a charitable difference -- send an instant message.

Students at 35 colleges and universities are doing it, and it's turned into a great way to create awareness and raise funds for nine nonprofit organizations.

The organizations -- American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, National AIDS Fund, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, ninemillion.org, Sierra Club, Stopglobalwarming.org, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and U.S. Fund for UNICEF -- receive a portion of advertising revenue every time a student has a conversation using instant messaging (or i'm).

It's all part of a Microsoft-sponsored campus program, and students get to choose their recipient organization each time they send an instant message.

There is no cap on the amount each group can receive, and Microsoft will make a guaranteed donation of at least $100,000 to each organization during the first year of the program.

Visit www.imforacause.com for more information.

As part of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, AOL editor Kelly D. Wilson is blogging Think Pink featuring her Global Survivor Story series. While attending the Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer luncheon and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York City, she had the opportunity to meet with and interview breast cancer survivors from around the world as they shared with her personal stories of hope and survivorship.

In Think Pink's Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer photo gallery, meet beautiful, strong and wise global breast cancer survivors Rebecca Musi from South Africa; Skaidra Deksne from Latvia; Dympna Watson from Ireland; Ranjit Kaur from Malaysia; Stephanie Elsen-Ensch from Germany; Keila Frauches de Souza Campos from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Yuthar Mohammed Al Rawahy from Oman; Judy Cherry from the US; Yoko Uchiyama from Japan; and Iva Raskova from the Czech Republic. The slide show photos are wonderful tributes to survivorship and the story each breast cancer survivor shares is inspiring.

World Cancer Research Fund is one of five charities involved in The One Million Masterpiece global art project that is attempting to reflect the true view of our global society by inviting one million people to work on one single piece of art. Each person will contribute one piece to the work of art. No one knows if it will end as a patchwork of a million small squares of artwork, or a larger picture will emerge that cannot be predicted ahead of time. One million images to make one global masterpiece.

Each person who signs up will create an image online. It can correspond to an adjacent piece of art or be singular and separate in creation. In of itself the project is intriguing but it has been launched to serve a greater purpose -- to benefit five charities. One of the charities is the World Cancer Research Fund's Global Network, a network of organizations funding research into dietary patterns of different cultures and how they relate to development of various cancers throughout the world.

You can view the pieces of art as they are coming together at The One Million Masterpiece -- and quite possibly become one of one million artists working on a serendipitous creation of global proportion.

It is estimated that 1.25 billion men and women currently smoke cigarettes. And if this trend holds steady, tobacco will kill 1 billion people by the end of the century -- 10 times the amount of people who died from tobacco in the 20th century. Every one in five cancer deaths results from tobacco use -- worldwide, that's 1.4 million tobacco-related deaths every year. And lung cancer remains the major cancer among the 10.9 million new cases that are diagnosed annually. All this comes from the Cancer Atlas -- updated and released today along with the Tobacco Atlas and published by the American Cancer Society with assistance from the International Union Against Cancer, World Health Organization, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While improving nutrition and reducing infection can dramatically reduce cancer rates, reducing tobacco use would have the greatest global affect the number of cancer deaths. And if action is taken now, 2 million lives could be saved each year by 2020 and 6.5 million lives by 2040.

From July 8th to 12th, more than 5,000 international cancer and tobacco control leaders representing more than 130 countries are coming together for the International Union Against Cancer World Cancer Congress 2006 conferences in Washington DC to address the global cancer and tobacco burden in the worldwide epidemic of cancer. Today, cancer is responsible for an estimated seven million deaths each year worldwide. Experts predict in another 15 years, the number of deaths annually could reach 10 million, with 65 percent of deaths occurring in emerging nations.

Cancer scientists and researchers, governmental agencies, the medical community, public health practitioners and public health organizations will examine and discuss groundbreaking research into health care practices that work to fight cancer in diverse communities worldwide. The UICC World Cancer Congress Daily News Official newspaper highlighting key issues and events of the conference is available as a PDF document here.

The costs of medical care are skyrocketing. Governments are grappling with the rising costs in how to provide healthcare and cancer patients are struggling to get the care they need. Where is the unfolding national and global healthcare crisis headed and what will our healthcare look like in the future?

According to the World Bank, the healthcare gap between rich and poor countries remains steady and warns the trend is likely to continue without some type of fundamental change in how we care for people in less-prosperous countries. Jean-Louis Sarbib, vice president for the World Bank's division that produced the new report, is quoted as saying, "This inequity has tremendous consequences for the health of the world's poor." It is predicted that the world's population is expected to grow from 6 billion today to a projected 7.5 billion by 2020, with most of the growth expected to be in developing countries.

When I went through chemotherapy there were days when I did not have the strength to walk across the room. If you haven't been through chemotherapy you might think this is an exaggeration. If you have been through the grueling mean rigors of chemotherapy you know exactly what I am talking about. On some days, during the worst of it, I would have to stop half-way across the room to rest before continuing to the other side of the room -- I am not joking.

Chemotherapy brings a human body as close to the edge of death as is possible without actually dying. Because I know what chemotherapy can do to a person, when I found the Bouncing for Boobs blog, my heart was captivated by the efforts of Priscilla to help her sister Kathleen for the time when she would be going through chemotherapy. Kathleen is a single mom with children to provide for and bills to pay. There is no way she will be able to work full-time to keep the lights on and food in the pantry.

Priscilla came up with a fundraising plan to help by bouncing on a trampoline and asking for donations to match the number of times she bounced her boobs. Its tongue and cheek and it's very serious at the same time. The Bouncing for Boobs campaign officially ends June 3rd, and to date Priscilla has been able to raise $7,000 dollars. She has bounced her boobs over 900,000 times in six countries -- England, India, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland -- at famous landmarks that include the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, London Eye, Dom Cathedral, Leaning Tower of Pisa. Her bouncing boobs are gaining worldwide attention. From this single effort of one sister helping another sister, an organization has been created that will go on to help other single mothers going through chemotherapy keep the lights on and food in the pantry. Priscilla is an every day heroine, an example of what each of us has the capacity to do if we set our minds and hearts to it. If you can, get over to Bouncing for Boobs and help her reach her 10,000 boobs bouncing goal of raising $10,000 dollars before June 3rd.

For a health-informed public that is beginning to demand more nutrition and less fat in the food they are served -- fast food is falling out of its once favored position of popularity as a quick meal for kids. Who doesn't think that McDonald's and the golden arches are the unofficial defining symbol for fast food?

In response to the perception that fast food is not linked to good health, along with the negative image resulting from the book and movie Fast Food Nation -- and now the publication of a children's book Chew On This, which is co-written by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser -- McDonald's has announced the creation of a Global Moms Panel. Nine women from six countries will advise the company on balanced and active lifestyle initiatives, restaurant communications and children's well-being.

Translation? McDonald's wants to find out how to market to moms who are interested in their children living long healthy lives free from obesity and the nutrition-deficient food that can increase the risks for major disease later in life, like cancer. Which has the potential for being a good thing if McDonalds does offer healthier food as a result of the recommendations from moms. If it's just a public relations campaign to improve a business image then I believe the public will see through it and the effort will backfire. According to Mary Dillon, McDonald's global chief marketing officer, "We want to become the best ally we can for moms and a true partner in the well-being of families everywhere." Time will tell.

Florida is a sunshine state and dermatologists are concerned about the misconceptions people have about sun safety that are putting them at greater risk for skin cancer. For sun worshippers everywhere, here is the truth about some of the myths:

• Skin cancer is not serious. Skin cancer is very serious and skin cancer diagnosis is reaching epidemic levels in this country. More than one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year.
• A base tan shields you from sun damage during the summer. Any darkening of skin from the sun is due to sun damage to the skin. Dermatologists state there is no such thing as a safe tan.
• Sunscreen is all the protection needed. According to dermatologists, while sunscreen does offer some protection from the sun, UV rays can defeat the strongest lotion and damage skin.
• Dark-skinned people are safe from sun damage and skin cancer risks. Brown skin with lots of melanin protects better against UV rays, but at the same time, dark-skinned people are more prone than others to have moles, and moles that become abnormal are a major risk factor for melanoma.
• Skin cancer is an age-related disease of the middle-aged and elderly. Yes, the chances of being diagnosed with cancer does increase as we age. But dermatologists say the number of young adults and even children with skin cancer appear to be rising faster than it is for adults now. The depletion of ozone in the atmosphere is letting in more UV rays.
• Tanning salons are safer than the sun. Tanning booths can be more damaging to the skin because they use pure ultraviolet light.
  

For information on how to practice sun safety, read skin cancer prevention kits for kids, shading kids from the sun, global warming skin cancer warning, and pediatricians need to educate parents about sun exposure risks.

Environment Canada meteorologists are warning people who enjoy spending time in the sun to do less so this year. As the ozone layer continues to thin, the danger for sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer continues to increase. The ozone layer is not protecting us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation as much as it once did.

According to Environment Canada, the ozone layer across Canada has decreased by four to eight per cent over winter and spring, and the more sunny days there during the summer season, the more skin cancer risk to those who spend time outdoors.

Counting on sunscreen lotion to protect from the damaging rays of the bright day sun is no longer sufficient. Skin cancer experts insist, to be safe, stay out of the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- if you must be outside -- stay in the shade. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and quality sunglasses that offer protection from UVA and UVB radiation, and a long-sleeved shirt. Gone are the care-free days of walking out the door in shorts and a summer top, to spend the day enjoying the warmth and brightness of a summer day. Or, for sun worshippers, a day basking in the sun to achieve the golden tan.

What is hanging so toxic in the air? According to the latest data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, benzene from cars and trucks that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Other toxins causing higher risks for cancer where air pollution is the worst are naphthalene and acetaldehyde -- also from vehicles.

Autoblog, one of our sister blogs, has launched AutoblogGreen, which will feature posts on living an eco-friendly lifestyle in all things auto-related in green car culture. They will be keeping a close ear to the ground and fingers to the keyboard to give readers an up-to-the-minute accounting on the auto industry's efforts to create transportation that is fuel-efficient and cleaner for the environment.

From our perspective here at The Cancer Blog, transportation going green means a giant step towards a cancer prevention environment. From air pollution to alternative fuels, check AutoblogGreen out! It's a very cool, forward-thinking blog.