Although there are more cancer survivors alive today than ever before, being told you have cancer can still leave you standing in the darkest place of your life, as you face the challenge of fighting a disease that threatens to take your life sooner than you expected your life might end. Finding the thinnest sliver of light lingering at the outer edge of your new reality, and then pulling that light towards you so that it fills and replaces the darkness is an act of optimism creating hope in its purest form.

When 26-year-old graphic designer Chad McComsey was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, he decided to start a t-shirt design business as a way to stay focused on something positive and as a way to help with the financial costs of cancer treatment.

Starting a t-shirt business had been a dream of McComsey's for some time, and now it seemed the perfect time to make his dream a reality. As the practicality of his dream took form, he was reading Ernest Hemingway's biography. Hemingway's mantra was "Above all, endure." This became the slogans for McComsey's t-shirts.

You can find McComsey's t-shirts at MySpace and on the website Endure.

Now that Farrah Fawcett has successfully completed treatment for cancer, she is turning her attention to raising money for cancer research and cure.

Only available through her website is the Farrah Fawcett's Fight the Fight T-shirt and Hoodie clothing line. The apparel, which she designed, reflects her personal motto, Fight the Fight, as she underwent treatment for cancer.

A portion of the profits from the Farrah Fawcett's Fight the Fight T-shirts and Hoodies will be donated to the American Cancer Society. During an Entertainment Tonight interview, Fawcett said she is looking forward to getting back to work in the near future. Visit the official Farrah Fawcett website for more information about the Fight the Fight clothing line to benefit cancer research.

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• Charlie's Angel Farrah Fawcett diagnosis of cancer

Survivor Crop, hosted by Ever After Scrapbooks, is an annual 24 hour scrapbooking marathon to raise money for breast cancer.

Now in its fifth year, participants come together to scrapbook, attend classes, play games, hold a raffle, enjoy catered breakfast and dinner, receive a Survivor T-shirt and scrapbooking freebies.

Breast cancer survivors attending will be telling their stories and the organizers promise a few scrapbooking surprises during the event.

In the last four years this event has raised over $116,000 dollars for the San Diego Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National MS Foundation, and each year the event gets bigger. The first one was held in a tent in the parking lot of the Ever After Scrapbooks store. This year's event will be held indoors in a much larger area on October 21st and 22nd. Each year, an Ultimate Survivor is chosen. For more information, visit the Ever After Scrapbooks website and the Survivor Crop blog.

Julia Fikse, founder of Ta-tas trademark brand clothing, who wants to do some good in the world, has built a company based on the philosophy that laughter heals. As Fikse states on the Ta-tas company website, "Our mission is to celebrate the varied beauty of women through playful expressive clothing and accessories. We believe all people are uniquely designed by God and should feel comfortable, valuable and beautiful as they are."

Some of the slogans screen printed on tees include: caught you looking at my ta-tas; ta-tas unite; and save the ta-tas. Fikse is living her goal of doing some good in the world as she donates five percent of every sale to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in hopes of finding a breast cancer cure in our lifetime.

She is fun and funny, as you will learn as you browse through the Ta-tas website or read the Save the ta-tas thoughts on breast cancer blog. There are more than a few celebrities who think her line of clothing is fun and help promote the cause. A quick read-through finds Fran Drescher wearing caught you looking at my ta-tas tee to an Emmy SWAG party and making the front page of the LA Times Calendar because of the tee. Kate Beckinsale, Abigail Spencer, Haylie Duff, Daisy Fuentes and Jessica Alba have answered "where do you take your ta-tas" in photos published by Fikse.

Fikse asks for photo submissions of people wearing a ta-tas tee and is also open to design suggestions for future tees. Like I said, she is fun. Visit the website, read the blog, save the ta-tas.

To honor and support former 1995 Hooters Calendar Cover Girl, Kelly Jo Dowd, who is battling a recurrence of breast cancer that has spread to her organs and bones -- during the 10th Annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant in Las Vegas, Hooters gave her a check for $135,000 and announced a $1 million dollar breast cancer research grant in her name through the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Dowd, who is 40, successfully went into remission the first time she was diagnosed with breast cancer, only to have the cancer return, is the only woman to climb Hooters restaurant chain's corporate ladder from waitress, to manager, and to general manager. She is also the proud mother of golfing teen phenom Dakoda Dowd.

The V Foundation was launched during the last year of NC State basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster Jim Valvano's life, when he was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma, and told he had a year to live. He spent the last year as an advocate in raising cancer awareness by sharing his personal experience as someone facing life and death with cancer. Valvano's message in the fight against cancer was "Don't Give Up ... Don't Ever Give Up!"

Dowd is fighting for her life, and Hooters has stepped in to help her, and other women facing breast cancer and fighting for their lives, in never giving up in the battle.

Preggers n' Proud, a hip sexy fashion company started by a mommy-to-be who wanted to celebrate her pregnant belly with trendy maternity slogan tees, has designed the Loving My Buddha Belly pink tank top to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Part of the profits from the sale of each tee will go to the foundation.

According to the company, the Loving My Buddha Belly soft pink tank top reminds pregnant women to embrace their blossoming belly, and will stand as a reminder going forward to empower each other to have regular mammograms, as well as perform self exams.

A socially conscious company, Preggers n' Proud takes advantage of the celebrity gift giving of merchandise to garner a type of advertising most companies could not afford to pay in dollars -- but for every celebrity that receives one of their tees, they donate five to a pregnancy care facility located in Santa Barbara, California area called Life Network. Very cool.

I look at it this way. You are going to spend your money somewhere, why not do it with a company that gives back. Preggers n' Proud tees have appeared on VH1's Hot Mama show, The Today Show and TLC's Baby Story. Check them out, it's for a good cause.

Out of Las Vegas, urban fashion designer and Cock Blocker Clothing founder Mark James has started a company with major attitude. As the company states on its website, it offers an artistic sense of humor to an otherwise vicious and often times malicious environment of everyday life issues of politics, art, sex, relationships, love, race, religion, business, and war.

Cock Blocker Clothing is popular with celebrities, who have autographed many Cock Blocker Clothing apparel items for an auction to benefit the 3-Day walk for breast cancer charity.

Supporting breast cancer research is personal for James, whose mother is currently battling her own diagnosis of breast cancer. He wants to help other women who are going through the same struggles as his mother in contributing to something that can make a positive difference.

Cock Blocker Clothing might not be for everyone. If you enjoy a wicked sense of humor and off-the-grid attitude, then you might appreciate the business passion of a man who once worked -- or as he says slaved -- for seven years in the corporate world of entertainment in Los Angeles for Warner Bros. & Fox Studios and then escaped.

If you would like to be a sponsor, make donations or take part in auction bidding, check in at the Cock Blocker Clothing website where auction, fundraiser time, date, and venue information will be posted June 25. You can view photos of the autographed-by-celebrities Cock Blocker Clothing items at that time.

This summer, Dorothy Perkins is introducing a limited edition and exclusive line of fashion tees artistically designed by celebrities Nicole Kidman, Sharon Osbourne, Sienna Miller, Charlotte Church and Denise Van Outen to benefit Breast Cancer Care. The specialty tees, retailing at £15, go on sale Monday July 10th at the Dorothy Perkins website and in their 600 UK stores. £5 of each tee sale will go to Breast Cancer Care. Last year, Dorothy Perkins raised  over £1.3 million, through the pink wristband campaign in support of the breast cancer charity.

Nicole Kidman was only a girl when her mother battled breast cancer. Kidman chose her design because it represents the power and importance of support, comfort and care. Both family members and friends of Sharon Osborne have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she chose her design using the symbol of a cross and heart to represent Hope, Peace and Love. Sienna Miller chose a quote that inspires. Denise Van Outen lost her grandmother to breast cancer last year and chose the rollerskate as her design because it reminds her of her childhood visits with her grandmother.

There are 50,000 tees for sale. I doubt they will last long. If you are interested, visit Breast Cancer Care Dorothy Perkins Little Tees for more information.