On Friday, Walgreen Co. was ordered by a jury to pay $25.8 million to the family of a cancer patient given a medication that caused a stroke and then several years later, death.

Beth Hippely was prescribed Warfarin, a blood thinner, in 2002 while being treated for breast cancer. According to court documents, the prescription she received at a Walgreen's pharmacy was 10 times what it should have been. The overdose caused a cerebral hemorrhage which led to permanent bodily injury, disability, pain, and then death. Hippely, a mother of three, died at the age of 46. Apparently, the error occurred when a 19-year-old pharmacy technician misfiled the prescription.

Hippely's family has been seeking justice for five years.

Catherine Jones has breast cancer. And she needs Herceptin in order to fight for her life. But Herceptin, a targeted drug used to treat HER2 positive breast cancer, is very expensive -- and for some time, Jones was not sure how she could possibly pay for this potentially life-saving therapy.

Jones, 49 and a resident of New Plymouth, New Zealand, decided to ask for help. So she set up the Herceptin for Catherine Trust to raise the $80,000 needed for the treatment. In less than four weeks, she received $64,600 in donations.

Jones is overwhelmed by the support and says she will continue to use the trust to raise funds -- not just for herself, but for other women in need.

The New Zealand government and its drug-buying agency Pharmac does not fund Herceptin. So most breast cancer patients who medically qualify for the treatment have no means of receiving it.

Jones, who is about to receive her third of 17 Herceptin doses, thinks she can help. She is surely off to a great start.

The kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital keep busy getting better. They keep busy making holiday gifts too -- like ornaments and ceramic plates and holiday cards and gift wrap. All of their hand-crafted creations fill the 2006 St. Jude Holiday Hope Gift Book, available now and jam-packed with powerful gifts of hope.

Proceeds from gift purchases -- 84 percent of each sale -- benefit sick children in every community in every country who come to St. Jude for life-saving treatment. Like Caleb, a seven-year-old boy diagnosed in 2004 with leukemia.

Caleb was referred to St. Jude -- where no family is ever turned away because of an inability to pay -- and received treatment for three years. Caleb is now in remission and expresses his feelings through his artwork.

Anna Grace, a five-year-old who was abandoned on a roadside in China when she was one day old, was adopted by an American couple and soon after was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her brain stem. After surgery to remove the tumor, Anna Grace was referred to St. Jude for chemotherapy and radiation. Today, Anna Grace is healthy and only returns for check-ups every six months.

St. Jude stories of hope are plentiful. And so are the kid-created holiday gifts offered this season.

I read something yesterday written by a reporter who is fed up with the treatment of celebrities in the media. She is tired of the spectacular headlines about babies born to celebrities and adoptions by celebrities and every-day struggles of celebrities that blur the fact that these same things happen to real people -- non-celebrities -- and are rarely covered in the news. Sure, some of the celebrity coverage may lead to awareness. The fact that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are talking of adopting another child may encourage others in the world to reach out to homeless children. But where is the news about hoards of women who gather and walk in search of a cure for breast cancer? And why was the coming-out announcement by former In Sync band member Lance Bass the top news story on CNN the other day? Because people pay attention to announcements like these -- and however disturbing it may be -- is causes a stir. And perhaps, like this reporter says, others will gain some strength from Bass and will tackle their own sexual orientation more openly.

A news story caught my attention the other night. Not because of the news -- initially -- but because of the names that were thrown around. Names like Kelly Ripa and Lindsey Lohan and Molly Shannon -- names that were not all that important in the scheme of the story I would eventually hear. But they hooked me. And then I learned about a great event that took place last Saturday in an effort to raise funds for ovarian cancer.

Super Saturday is a day-long summer fundraising event for the entire family -- created by Donna Karan and sponsored by In Style magazine. The day features a designer garage sale with more than 200 designers, a raffle, a carnival for kids, food and refreshments, and goodie bags. All proceeds -- from ticket sales and the garage sale and raffles -- go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Last year's event raised $2 million. And this year, the tally for the ninth annual event that took place in the Hamptons, is yet to be reported. What was reported is that the event was a success -- and celebrities were in attendance. And that made me pay attention.

If I could go back in time, I would not repeat my journey with breast cancer. I would choose a different path -- one free of disease and treatment and the fear that comes with it all. I would choose the route where my children would never hear me say, "mommy has cancer." The route where there would be less worry about dying, less worry about how my kids would do without me, less worry about how all my loose ends would be tied up without me here to tie them. I would choose another direction in a heartbeat. But there are some things I do treasure about my trip down breast cancer lane -- some things I do not wish to give back, even if given the chance to choose a different path. They are the hidden treasures I discovered along the way, in the midst of a harrowing, sometimes horrendous battle. There are many treasures that have come my way -- and I'm sure there are more to come. Here are seven of my valuable finds.

I just received in the mail my Certificate of Completion for St. Jude's  Campaign for a Cure. I have never really known much about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- except that I can be brought to tears by the television specials that showcase sick children whose lives depend on the research and treatment that this hospital offers. But I came to know more about St. Jude this year after a friend asked me to make a donation for the Up 'til Dawn program he sponsors on the college campus where he works -- a program that involves more than 150 college campuses nationwide and partners faculty, staff, students, and communities in an extravaganza of activity, education, and fundraising to benefit the children at St. Jude. So I made a donation and then was contacted by St. Jude with an invitation to help them further -- and I did. I sent out 10 pre-written letters to friends and family asking for their support. I was given an attainable fundraising goal. And I met it. So this is why I received my certificate -- and some cheery address labels too.