Unique Issues of Lesbian and Bisexual Cancer Survivors is a panel discussion hosted by the Young Survival Coalition and The Mautner Project. It is a free national teleconference to discuss the unique and various ways a cancer diagnosis affects young lesbian and bisexual women.

Feel free to join health care professionals and survivor advocates as they address various issues faced by young lesbian and bisexual women throughout their cancer experience.

Topics will include:

• Finding the support and resources you need
• Coming out to health care providers
• Tips on finding a culturally competent provider
• How chemotherapy may affect fertility
• Understanding fertility options for cancer survivors
• Coping with physical changes after cancer treatment

Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Time: 8:00 pm - 9:30pm ET

RSVP: diversity@youngsurvival.org or 649-257-3006

Upon registration you will receive a teleconference call-in number.

Tomato and broccoli are known for their cancer fighting qualities. In a study published in the January 15th issue of Cancer Research, it showed that the tomato/broccoli combination outperformed all other diets in shrinking prostate tumors in animals.

The research suggested that older men with slow-growing prostate cancer who have chosen the watchful waiting over chemotherapy and radiation should seriously consider altering their diets to include more tomatoes and broccoli.

To get the desired effects a 55 year old man concerned about prostate health should consume daily:

• 1.4 cups of raw broccoli and 2.5 cups of fresh tomato
• or 1 cup of tomato sauce
• or 1/2 cup of tomato paste

The researchers also said that eating the whole tomatoes is always better than taking a lycopene supplement and cooked tomatoes may be better than raw tomatoes.

I don't think any of us can go wrong by adding more tomatoes and broccoli to our diets!

It's amazing how modern medicine can repair the damage done by breast cancer, how it can reconstruct breasts removed in an attempt to ward off future cancer attacks, how it can inspire one woman to shed light on this major life transformation.

Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2004. She had a double mastectomy and then treatment -- and then reconstruction. At the time, no pictures existed depicting the process, no images to prepare Debbie for the path she would travel.

Debbie traveled her path, survived it all, and now shares her journey -- through both words and images -- through a project she calls Myself: Together Again. Her project, intended to empower other women through the breast reconstruction process, is available online where booklets can also be ordered. A slideshow featuring images and audio of Debbie's journey is currently available on the MSNBC website.

While Debbie's story plots the landmark steps in reconstruction, each woman is unique -- and her medical team knows her situation best. Reconstruction options and results will vary for each person. This is just one woman's story.

My friend called me last night as she was having a miscarriage. She had been to the doctor, heard no heartbeat, and learned via ultrasound that her baby had stopped thriving weeks ago. Her doctors told her what to expect -- bleeding and cramping and contractions and possibly a D & C -- and she was experiencing some of these inevitable symptoms as we spoke on the phone. My friend called me because the same thing happened to me six years ago -- and when she remembered this, she dialed the phone from a state thousands of miles away. And despite our distance, our connection was close enough for comfort.