Fred Thompson, actor and former United States Senator from Tennessee, made the announcement today that he was diagnosed with lymphoma a few years ago and now is in remission.

Thompson added to that announcement that he was considering running in the 2008 Presidential Election. He stated today on Fox News, "I have had no illness from it, or even any symptoms. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future -- and with no debilitating side effects".

You can find Thompson playing a district attorney Arthur Branch on the NBC drama Law and Order.

As Leroy Sievers says, "Most of you know me as someone with cancer. Google my name -- and yes, I confess, I've done that -- more often than not, it comes up linked to one other word: cancer. But what about all the other things I've been?"

Sievers has been a journalist for most of his adult life. He's also been a baker, a short-order cook, a teacher, and an aspiring author. Yet cancer is the word most often used to describe this man.

But maybe not for long.

Could it be that Sievers -- a man whose life has been derailed by a deadly cancer traveling throughout his body, a man who has been contemplating death with each passing day -- may soon be rid of cancer altogether?

Actually, Sievers already sees glimpses of cancer falling to the wayside.

Having undergone a new procedure called Radio Frequency Ablation -- where needles are stuck into tumors, burning them away from the inside out -- Sievers sees a brighter future. He's seen his latest scans. He's seen the black holes where tumors once lived. He's seen that no new tumors have appeared. He's seen that he may actually survive cancer.

Months ago, this man, who blogs his cancer journey for NPR, was told he would likely not survive the year. Now he realized he may outlive this prediction. And while this is great news, Sievers finds himself a bit unsure about a life without cancer.

"Will I be somebody who used to have cancer?" he says. "I think most cancer patients don't ever think it's really gone. It's just hiding, waiting to jump out and scare us when we least expect it. Will I be able to resume my old life? To rebuild my battered body into what it was before? I don't know. But I know this disease has changed me dramatically in so many ways. I am a different person. Hopefully a better person. You cannot go through an ordeal like this and not be profoundly affected."

Now that's what a call a fresh perspective.

To read previously-written posts about Leroy Sievers, click here.

Merck, maker of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil, is backing off its lobbying campaign following pressure from medical groups and parents who believe the vaccine should not be mandated as a school attendance requirement for adolescent girls.

The public outcry that caused Merck to announce its stop order on Tuesday stems from the fact that the vaccine protects against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer. School-mandated vaccines are typically for diseases spread through casual contact, such as measles and mumps.

Merck's medical director for vaccines, Dr. Richard M. Haupt says, "We're concerned that our role in supporting school requirements is a distraction from that goal, and as such have suspended our lobbying efforts," adding that the company will continue providing information about the vaccine upon request.

Gardasil, launched in June and the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, has inspired controversy since day one. There's the cost -- $360 for three required shots -- and all sorts of insurance concerns and conservative groups who worry the vaccine encourages premarital sex and interferes with parental rights. Even those in support of the vaccine -- like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practitioners -- question Merck's quick push to market this drug, especially in light of the company's withdrawn painkiller Vioxx.

"I believe that their timing was a little bit premature so soon after (Gardasil's) release, before we have a picture of whether there are going to be any untoward side effects," says Dr. Anne Francis, who chairs an American Academy of Pediatrics committee.

Legislatures in 20 states have taken steps to mandate the vaccine for young girls. And with the exception of Texas governor Rick Perry's February 2 executive order requiring Texas girls entering the sixth grade in 2008 get vaccinated, nothing has been made official so far.

On Monday, the sale of a Japanese brand of aloe juice was banned by the Department of Health after it was determined that it contains high levels of benzene -- seven times more than the World Health Organization recommends for maximum levels in water. Benzene is a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell and was once used as an additive in gasoline. It is carcinogenic -- and has been cause for concern worldwide. So samples of the drink, produced by the Japansese cosmetics brand DHC, will be sent to the Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis for further investigation due to such concerns. In the meantime, the sale of this aloe juice, sold in convenience stores and through mail-order, will be suspended.

At the end of May, we told you about Abraham Starchild Cherrix, a teenager diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, who went through three months of chemotherapy only to have the cancer return months later. When his doctors recommended more chemotherapy and radiation, Cherrix, with the support of his parents, refused. Cherrix was concerned about the toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation. He had chosen alternative therapies involving a bible-based diet and Hoxsey formula involving herbs and nutrition.

When Cherrix, who is now 16, said thanks but no thanks to the team of doctors recommending chemotherapy and radiation, a state social worker stepped in, filed with the court to gain joint custody of Cherrix and asked the court to require the teen to undergo standard cancer treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. Last Friday, the judge ruled in favor of the state and against the wishes of Cherrix. The court ordered Cherrix to report to the hospital for treatment.

To this Cherrix said he would defy the court order. He was not going to the hospital and he was not going to submit himself to conventional cancer treatments. Today, a second judge set aside the court order and returned legal custody of Cherrix to his parents. Cherrix is not, at this time, required to report the hospital. A trial date has been set for August 16 that seeks to require Cherrix to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.

Do you think the state has gone to far into the private life of a family, or do you think the parents are being negligent? Does a teenage boy of 16 have a right to decide his medical care?

Lori Fischer began making handmade dolls for her children. Soon her friends were asking for a one-of-a-kind doll of their own. Once, when a friend was suffering hair loss, she made a doll without hair -- and she included wigs and hats for the doll as accessories and gave it to her friend. She started holding doll making workshops. According to Fischer, women and their daughters, or groups of friends, have spent the day sewing, eating, and socializing in a way that has all but been forgotten.

In the fifteen years since she began making dolls, her dolls have evolved into works of art that are shown in local art galleries.

Last year, she was awarded a grant through the City of Oakland's Cultural Arts Funding Program to visit children in two hospitals for the purpose of teaching them to make hand-stitched, one-of-a-kind dolls.

The children that she works with are cancer patients at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center who are required to spend long periods of time in the hospital. Spending time making a doll takes the child's mind off the struggles and challenges they face. Each child is allowed to be expressive and create a doll that reflects individual creativity and personality.

Some of the dolls the children have made, and dolls that Fischer makes, can be seen at Dolls4ArtSake.