A survey sponsored by CancerCare, a national non-profit cancer support organization, stated that a majority of women surveyed said they know a fair amount about breast cancer however, many remain unaware of the recent progresses made in treatment. Fewer than one in four women in the survey have heard of new therapies available for breast cancer, revealing a gap between awareness and information that women can use toward getting a better treatment plan for themselves.

Diane Blum, executive director for CancerCare, says "While great progress has been made in breast cancer awareness through public education and increased media coverage, women with breast cancer would benefit from more information about advances in treatments after surgery".

Key questions to ask your physicians when diagnosed with breast cancer:

• What kind of breast cancer do I have?
• Which treatments are available to me?
• What are the risks and benefits of those treatments?
• What is the risk my breast cancer will come back or spread to another part of my body?
• Where do I go for support when I need it?

For the full survey results visit CancerCare.

I just took the Great American Health Challenge -- an on-line quiz offered by the American Cancer Society -- and after just a few minutes of answering a few questions about my age; weight; height; family history; and eating drinking, smoking, and exercise habits, up popped my very own Health Action Plan.

My plan was quite revealing and listed both the good and not-so-good facts about my lifestyle.

I learned that my weight is normal -- whew! -- and that I seem to have an active enough fitness routine. More is always better, though, I was informed. I digested the fact that I don't eat enough whole grains and probably need more low-fat dairy in my diet. I was commended for not smoking and not drinking. And I was encouraged to limit sugars because they are high in calories and low in nutritional content.

My plan came to me ready to print so I can take it to my next medical appointment where my physician can help guide me toward healthier living.

American Cancer Society experts say the Great American Health Challenge can help those who take it to lower their risk of cancer. Get checked, get moving, nourish your body, and quit smoking, they say.

It only takes five minutes to get started. So click here and start now.

Nearly half of all cancer patients and others in their households have trouble coordinating cancer care, according to a recent public health poll.

Many who participated in a recent telephone poll revealed they were confused about prescriptions, were sent for duplicate tests, and received conflicting information about their treatment plans.

Experts say choreographing care is one of the most important challenges in the world of cancer. Navigating the maze of medical madness can be emotionally draining and can even hurt a patient's chance of recovery.

Now is the time to become advocates for our own health -- before we are left behind. So get ready to take charge -- and consider these seven thoughts on actively coordinating your own cancer care.

• Today, cancer patients spend more time at home and not in hospitals like they did generations ago. This leaves them to manage much of their care on their own -- often a monumental and overwhelming task. Patients, or a designated friend of family member, should document every tidbit of medical information, including names, phone numbers, medical records, instructions, medications, dosages, appointments, questions, responses, and more. Jot down symptoms and worries and concerns. File away pamphlets and handouts and bills and receipts. Don't count on memory alone to provide all the details. Allow for back-ups. They will serve you well.
  

• Most cancer patients need a whole team of doctors -- radiologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons -- but each doctor may handle only one aspect of care while no one runs the show. It's the perfect scenario for disrupted and piecemeal care, says one doctor. Consider searching for comprehensive cancer centers where a variety of professionals are housed under one roof and patients can often meet with all their doctors at one time. Currently, only about 10 percent of cancer patients are seen at this type of large center.

• Many doctors are stuck in electronic gridlock because doctors in one building may be unable to access the records of doctors in other locations due to incompatible computer systems or paper charts. Patient advocates say all patients should have easily accessible electronic medical records. One cancer center hopes to start a program that would allow for storage of patient records on small, portable USB flash drives. Patients would keep the drives and could plug them in at home or at their doctor's office.

• Cancer patients often suffer from lack of information. Long-term survivors, for example, often have trouble recalling exactly what was done to them. And over time, doctors may relocate or pass away, leaving survivors with little to reconstruct their journeys.
  

• Shortly after diagnosis, patients should request from their doctors a care plan -- an outline of how doctors plan to treat their cancers.

• Patients should also receive a treatment summary at the end of therapy. This should outline all surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, medications, and dosages.

• A plan for ongoing care should be offered to all cancer patients so they know how to monitor their health. This plan should include guidance on screening tests, follow-up visits, and potential long-term side effects.

"A lot of anxiety results from not knowing what comes next", says one patient advocate. "People armed with good information tend to make better decisions."

I started my breast cancer treatment under the care of one oncologist. And then in a search for more warmth and compassion, I landed in a new relationship with a new oncologist. He offered me just what I was seeking. Plus something I didn't expect.

My new oncologist offered me a new treatment plan -- a new course of action that better suited my specific disease.

U.S. researchers reported yesterday that breast cancer patients were urged to change their treatment plan more than half the time when they received a second opinion from a multidisciplinary panel of surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center believe second-opinion changes are a result of different interpretations of breast imaging and pathology results, consideration of new techniques and treatments, discovery of undiagnosed second cancers, and emerging medical research.

It wasn't a formal multidisciplinary team that delivered me a new, better opinion for my own cancer care. It was one man, who merged instinct and science and then consulted a well-know oncologist friend who agreed with the approach I ended up following.

I am thankful for everything I gained from my second opinion -- the warmth, the compassion, the treatment plan that has served me well for two years.

Despite tensions between the United States and the Middle East, Laura Bush announced Monday a plan to raise breast cancer awareness in the Middle East -- first with partnerships with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and later with Morocco and Jordan. Joining forces also with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Johns Hopkins Medical Center, the First Lady outlined a plan that will allow governments, hospitals, researchers, and survivors to work globally to defeat breast cancer. Campaigns specific to each country will target research, training, and community-outreach programs. The reason for this partnership -- to raise awareness in countries where women are too embarrassed or too uninformed to seek treatment -- stems from compassion and human decency and a desire to form diplomatic friendships too. Laura Bush, whose own mother is a breast cancer survivor, shared that the tragedy of losing a loved one to breast cancer -- and the joy of watching a loved one survive this same disease -- is felt universally. Breast cancer affects all women in all countries. Borders make no difference in this matter. And helping save lives is the right thing to do.

I am not a huge sports fan. But just about everyone in my family is. So I have absorbed quite a bit of knowledge about sports -- and primarily college basketball -- because all sorts of facts and stats and stories float around at family gatherings. I don't pay much attention but I guess it soaks in anyway -- because there have been times when I have rattled off information that shocks even the most fanatical of family members.

But something about basketball has actually peaked my interest and has caused me to look and listen a bit more closely. It's called Coaches vs. Cancer®. Coaches vs. Cancer teams up the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches in the fight against cancer. Basketball coaches from all over participate in a variety of events and activities and fundraisers -- and they hope to emerge victorious over a disease that is claiming too many lives. Many hours and much effort go into the game plan for beating cancer.  There is the Basket Ball -- a black tie affair that features a night of dancing, dinner, celebrity appearances and an auction -- and golf tournaments and tip-off breakfasts and even regular season games where funds are raised to benefit the cause. The program has raised more than $25 million since it first started in 1993 and the match-up is still going strong. Now this is something I can cheer about.

For a gardener, this is an exciting time of year. There is planning and planting and anticipation of the continuous summertime harvest bounty of fresh organic vegetables straight from the good earth of a home garden. If you have children, or grandchildren, it is an excellent opportunity in education and the lessons of tending and growing and benefiting from homegrown food. The wisdom of the garden and the gardener is the knowledge of life and living.

The Edible Schoolyard has brought all of this and more into the schoolyard at Martin Luther King Junior Middle School, where public school students are provided with a one-acre organic garden and a kitchen classroom. An explanation of the program is posted on The Edible Schoolyard website, where students learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious seasonal produce. Experiences in the kitchen and garden foster a better understanding of how the natural world sustains, and promotes the environmental and social well being of the school community.

As far as I can tell, much of the program is published online as a resource for parents and teachers interested in launching a similar program in community-area schools. I think, while reviewing the  extensive resources, that a parent could take advantage of the information and create an individualized homeschool-based program for their child, or children, if the local school does not provide this, or a similar program -- and include cancer prevention nutrition information about the organic produce grown -- for a lifetime of good health.