Suzanne Pleshette's agent reported on Friday that the actress is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer. The cancer was discovered during a routine X-ray and was no bigger than a grain of sand. Pleshette apparently feels very lucky and is in great spirits as she receives outpatient chemotherapy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- where the cancer was diagnosed.

Alyssa Bruno, who is five years old, has been diagnosed with diffuse pontine glioma, a brain stem cancer. With a birthday card and a penny for good luck, you can help little Alyssa of Henrietta celebrate her birthday. On August 2, when Alyssa turns six years old, the Federation of Social Workers will deliver all the birthday cards and lucky pennies to Alyssa.

The request began as an email send out by one of Alyssa's teachers. She sent out the email requesting birthday cards and lucky pennies for Alyssa, with an additional request that the person receiving the email forward it on to others. As of now, the federation has received 35 birthday cards for Alyssa. If you would like to brighten the day of a little girl who is facing cancer on her very special day, send her a birthday card to:

Alyssa Bruno Birthday Cards
Federation of Social Workers
167 Flanders Street (D-12)
Rochester, New York 14619

Don't forget the lucky penny!

I was present for death only one time in my 36 years of life. I consider this both a bad and a good thing. It's bad because I did not want my grandmother to die -- and watching it happen made it so real, so vivid, so painful. I don't think I would have ever chosen to watch my grandma die -- to watch her slip from consciousness to coma, to observe her altered body once death arrived, to witness the movement of her body on a stretcher as it was wheeled out of the house from the bedroom I still see every time I visit my mom's house. But I think I am lucky really -- and this is the good part -- because I got to be with her during her final moments. I got to watch her body as it lay still, peaceful and calm and still breathing. I got to talk to her and although she could not respond, I believe she could hear my words. And it makes me happy to know my grandma may have known I was with just prior to her flight to heaven. And after her flight, I got to touch her cool hands. I got to feel the power of the passing of one life -- a long life -- and I got to feel the comfort of a death that was not ugly or painful or difficult. It was sad -- it's still sad -- that my grandma died three years ago. But what a privilege it was to be part of the day she left this world.

Susan DeWilde left this world in much the same way -- with loved ones by her side. She was a fighter and had conquered several rounds of breast cancer, a tumor in her spinal cord, uterine cancer, lymphatic cancer, and then leukemia, which took her life at the age of 53. I don't know this from Susan herself but from her friend, Christy Mack -- who helped her accept her death and guided her into her own final moments so that she could escape her pain and die peacefully. Christy writes about her beautiful friend and her empowering death in an article that appears in the August 2006 Oprah Magazine. Titled Friends to the End, Christy's story details how she soothed her friend, cradled her hand, and talked her through her last breaths. She helped her on her way during a time her friend feared most. Christy writes, "What she and I shared the night she died was a precious gift of friendship, emotionally profound and sacred in its perfection. It broke my heart. It strengthened my soul."

This I understand.

If you are looking for an inspirational gift for a woman newly-diagnosed with breast cancer -- or for a breast cancer survivor -- Elisa Ilana Custom Designs sells exquisitely beautiful hand-crafted one-of-a-kind jewelry. As they advertise, nothing is mass produced as each piece is carefully made by hand, one at a time in their studio, and each piece is made with the finest metals, semi-precious stones, crystals, and handmade glass and lampwork beads available. The breast cancer bracelets are made from the highest quality Swarovski crystal, sterling silver and 14 karat filled gold balls.

The Spectacular Cancer Awareness Bracelet has been featured in Vogue, In Style, W, Bon Appetit, Vanity Fair, Lucky, and Architectural Digest. The company guarantees that the jewelry is made to be sturdy and long-lasting.

Being surrounded by beautiful things and having treasured reminders of love and joy lift the spirit. I know each gift I was given carried me through the grueling days when I was struggling through cancer treatments. It wasn't always jewelry, and it never has to be jewelry, but if you are considering jewelry, when I discovered the Elisa Ilana cancer awareness jewelry collection I thought the jewelry was delightful. And very pretty.

One lucky couple was chosen -- from a pool of more than 450 couples who competed in ESPN's Marriage Madness competition -- as winner of the ultimate ESPN sports wedding. With listeners of the Mike & Mike in the Morning national TV and radio show as voters, Catherine and Jason West, now husband and wife, were married May 26, 2006 on ESPN. Noteworthy is the fact that both Catherine and Jason are die-hard University of Florida Gator fans -- they met at a Gator tailgating party and were engaged at Lake Alice, a popular outdoor spot on campus. The bride wore crystal Gator beadwork on her gown and the groom's tuxedo jacket was lined in Gator orange. The maid of honor wore a Gator blue dress and carried an orange bouquet. The wedding vows included the traditional messages of love, honor, and respect -- but some sports twists were sprinkled in too. The Wests took away a check for $20,000, compliments of hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, and they will soon head off on an all-expense paid sports-inspired honeymoon.

This wedding is inspired not just by sports.  It is also inspired by cancer survival. Catherine -- who became engaged on the one-year anniversary of her first breast cancer surgery -- is now in full cancer remission. And a $2,500 donation was made in the couple's name to the V Foundation, a cancer fund in memory of Jim Valvano, a former North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster. This is surely an event to remember.