Meg Wolff survived cancer -- twice. First she had bone cancer and lost her leg to the disease. Then she had breast cancer and was given little hope from doctors who thought traditional treatment could not save her. Maybe it couldn't. But Wolff found something that did save her -- a macrobiotic diet.

Life is all about balance, says Wolff who authors a website rich in content about the connection between diet and a healthy lifestyle. She offers up-to-date information on her blog, links to recipes and resources, a calendar of events, and a look at her very own book, titled, Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery from Breast Cancer.

Wolff says that by changing her diet, she has changed her destiny. She is alive and well and thriving. Give her a visit and see for yourself.

There is nothing unusual about a non-profit organization publishing a calendar. There is something very unique about this one. Life is a Carnival is a bold approach to mastectomy and reconstruction education.

This 2008 calendar features photos from FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered members who have undergone bilateral mastectomy -- with or without reconstruction. To retain the anonymity of the models, they are wearing mardi gras masks.

This project is meant to celebrate life after mastectomy, to showcase many types of reconstruction and non reconstruction options in a nonthreatening and positive light. The calendar contains information about the models surgery with references included to the chapters in the Breast Reconstruction Guidebook which explains each procedure. A secondary goal of this calendar is to raise needed funds for FORCE programs.

Jill Sklar was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a debilitating gastrointestinal condition, when she was twenty. Jill set out to investigate how others who have survived the diagnosis and treatment of a chronic life altering illness perceived themselves -- and the effect of that illness on their life.

The Five Gifts of Illness: A Reconsideration is the result of Jill's investigation. She interviewed over one hundred individuals who had suffered a wide variety of illnesses. Sklar discovered that five gifts emerged as common denominators among the survivors. Those five gifts form the heart of this book.

You can purchase the book on amazon.com.

Art for Cure, a non-profit organization, was founded by Jennifer Carr Patrizio, Jennifer Tisch, and Bob Stockfield. The two Jennifer's are my friends and fellow young breast cancer survivors. I was contacted by Jen and Jen to participate in the calendar by having a photo of me appear in it! How exciting!

Jennifer Carr Patrizio is a five year breast cancer survivor and a two year leukemia survivor. Jennifer Tisch is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Together, with freelance photographer Bob Stockfield, they have created a beautiful calendar called Life Blooms Desk Calendar.

The Life Blooms Desk Calendar is a month-at-a-glance format, features breathtaking photography of pink flora and motivational prose on one side, and candid photography of breast cancer survivors on the back. You can purchase the calendar for $20.

"Blessings arrive in unexpected packages -- in my case, cancer," writes White House Press Secretary Tony Snow in the July issue of Christianity Today.

Snow, who discovered in March that his colon cancer had recurred and spread to his liver, said his life-threatening setback is also life-affirming. It has strengthened his faith and brought clarity to his life.

"We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator," says the 51-year-old.

"Our life is a series of images," writes Biko Mabilog on her blog canvas and manuscript. "They pass us by like towns on the highway. Sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. And we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment will live on forever."

Biko's stunning moment came when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This moment may live on forever, but this courageous woman is handling it with such grace as she documents her journey for all to read. Plentiful with poignant words and powerful pictures, Biko's blog makes it clear she cherishes her life, her family, her every experience.

Finished with chemotherapy and in the throes of radiation, Biko writes, "I am enjoying the mundane things in life and savoring the moments I have with family and friends. Being able to choose my priorities, my commitments, my concerns makes me feel happier, healthier, more in charge of my life. It's good for my health, it is good for my soul."

I like to find meaning in ordinary life events. Like my dreams, for example. The other day, I had a dream about a friend from high school. In my dream, this friend was a doctor at my local hospital, where all my cancer poking and prodding takes place. It makes sense this guy was a doctor -- last I heard from him, he was in medical school. Where he practices medicine, I had no idea. But maybe my dream was a clue. Maybe it was sign this old pal is right here in Gainesville, Florida.

Nope. I did a Google search and he's in Ohio -- right where we graduated from high school and he attended medical school. Not so much meaning in that dream. That's OK. I'm on to my next life interpretation now.

Ever since I was diagnosed with breast cancer my brother-in-law has been wearing a pink bracelet -- the one that says: Share Beauty. Spread Hope. For almost three whole years, the same rubbery band has been hanging from his wrist. Everyone in my family started out with one of these trinkets of support. And every one of us has since abandoned our pink fashion statement -- everyone except for Jack. He has stood firm in his support. I'm not sure he ever took that thing off. What a guy.

Here's an opportunity for you to share your personal breast cancer experiences, and help further research too.

Molly, a college student at BYU, has launched a national research project aimed at examining the relationship between couple leisure satisfaction and marital satisfaction of couples in which one spouse has breast cancer. Molly and her study partner Dr. Ramon Zabriskie hope to identify new avenues for cost effective intervention targeted at improving the quality of life for adult cancer patients and their spouses.

Both the cancer patient and spouse/partner will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire. No identifying information is required, and all responses will be kept confidential.

I've been thinking a lot about this quote, offered by Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D and author of Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier:

"individuals who approach life with an attitude that all of life is a gift will be more likely to find the good in bad life circumstances. They are more likely to move forward following a catastrophe. In fact, they may be more likely to label such an event a gift."

Ever since I read these words in the August 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine, I've been contemplating the value of finding something good in every bad life scenario. It's what I've done with cancer. I've convinced myself my disease was merely a bump in the road. Only a bump, though. I choose to focus on the joy, not the despair, that came with my cancer encounter.

This is exactly what I tried to convey in this post. And this one too.

More than 90 Penn State football players will compete on July 13 in an event where they plan to tackle kidney cancer. Well, maybe they won't literally tackle kidney cancer -- wouldn't that be nice -- but by raising awareness and funding, they'll surely make a difference.

The strength and conditioning event, called Lift For Life, will benefit the Kidney Cancer Association for the fifth year in a row. In past years, it's generated more than $148,000. In the 2005-06 year alone, $60,000 was raised for this rare disease.

Lift For Life challenges the mental and physical endurance of student-athletes and consists of 11 exercises. Think traditional bench and leg presses and the less conventional giant tire flip and iron cross and you've got an idea of what will take place in just one week.

Not too many years ago, I got breast cancer. I call it chance, coincidence, fate and on some days, even luck. For today's purposes, I'll call it foreshadowing.

I didn't know it then -- way back in 1993 when I did a genogram project in grad school for a counseling class -- but it seems cancer was in my cards. I hinted at the possibility in my research paper and commented on how my family history might put me in the direct line of fire. But my suspicions in no way caused me any worry for the 10 plus years that followed. And still, even after my breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, I didn't remember I'd predicted this might happen to me. Not until I pulled my yellowed, faded assignment from an old box in the garage a few days ago did I realize it's not all that odd that cancer headed right for me.

A genogram is a graphic representation of a family tree that displays detailed data on relationships among individuals. It contains names, genders, birth dates, death dates, levels of education, occupations, major life events, and chronic illness. It's not uncommon to find on a genogram patterns of alcoholism, depression, divorce, remarriage, and yes, cancer.

Discussions about cancer often include mention of age. We talk about how old someone is at diagnosis, how old a person is at each year of survival, the age of an individual at the time cancer claims his or her life. Age reveals a lot. It dumps us into statistical categories. Most patients diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, for example, are older than 65. Age sometimes predicts prognosis. Young women diagnosed with breast cancer tend to have more aggressive forms of the disease. This can compromise chances for survival. Age also solicits judgments. "You are too young," some people told me after learning I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.

I think about my age all the time. I think about how I was 34 when I found my lump, how I happily arrived at age 35, how I made it to 36, and how today, I am 37. Come November, I will have survived my disease for three years. Three years will remain before I make it out of my 30s and land on 40 -- the age when women should begin receiving regular annual mammograms.

I didn't ask for much this year for my birthday. A candle, a bathing suit, dinner out with my husband, and time with family are all I really want -- because the best gift has already arrived. I turned 37.

Why are many early-stage pancreatic cancers not treated with life-extending surgery? It seems that one of the reasons might be that physicians in general have pessimistic views toward all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and are subsequently not being offered surgery.

There are instances where surgery is not an option but it seems that many cases, more often patients over the age of 65, African Americans, patients with lower incomes or those who are on Medicare or Medicade are passed over and not given this life-extending surgery and a chance for cure.

A study published this week by the Annals of Surgery said there is an under-use of curative resection for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatectomy is the primary treatment for early-stage disease. Over the years the survival results from this surgery have improved, giving at this time 19 percent of patients a five-year survival rate.

Sarah has been blogging about her battle with melanoma since May 2006. She begins with a post titled Something About Sarah where she chronicles the series of events leading up to her diagnosis.

July 2004

Have a bit of pain in right arm. Feels like "10 bees stinging me at once" deep inside my arm. Thought I pulled something at gym.

August 2004

Still have same occasional pain but not worried in the least. I'm enjoying my summer and playing soccer. Have tons of energy, working full time and going to school. Moving at end of August.