Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
Posts with tag woman
Posted Aug 13th 2007 6:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Research, Thought for the Day
Until the 1990s, most medical studies used only men. Women are included now, but more research is needed on how diseases, like cancer, affect each sex. Women have unique needs, after all, and it's critical that all angles are represented in important research findings.
Think you might want to volunteer and help advance research on this female front? Just visit
womancando.org and find out how you can do your part.
"The power of one can make a difference," reads this website. "You can make a powerful contribution to improving women's health by participating in medical research and becoming part of the effort to understand health and treat disease. Today, it is easy to take health advances for granted. We know a lot about how to treat and prevent disease, but much remains to be learned."
Posted Aug 8th 2007 10:00AM by Kristina Collins
Filed under: All Cancers, Stress Reduction, Services, Cancer Survivors
Worklife doesn't stop once you've been diagnosed with cancer. Many women have to--and want to--work during and after treatment. Cancer and Careers offers information and tools to help working women manage their battle with cancer as effectively as they manage the rest of their lives.
One great tool on the website is the paperwork section where you can find many guides including help with insurance issues, disability, financial assistance, legal assistance, health insurance and your legal rights in the workplace.
Make sure you take advantage of the Charts/Checklists section. It is amazing that cancer can actually seem like another job. Keeping your life organized with appointment logs, treatment charts and drug logs can really make life easier.
There are also many other resources on this website including emotional support, inner strength and taking charge tips.
Posted Jul 29th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prevention, Sunday Seven
OK, women of the world. Grab some paper and a pen and jot down this list of seven check-ups every woman needs. Don't just write them down, though. Make sure you take action on each and every one. They might just save your life.
1. Start with your weight, height, and BMI (body mass index). The scores you get on these simple tests are important because many conditions and diseases are associated with being overweight or underweight.
2. Check your blood pressure, and find out where you stand because hypertension is a disease with no symptoms. High blood pressure puts you at risk for
cardiovascular disease -- but there are very effective treatments for this condition.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven check-ups every woman needs
Posted Jul 10th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Stomach Cancer, Celebrity in memoriam
Advertising executive and author Lois Wyse died Friday at her Manhattan home of stomach cancer. She was 80.
Perhaps best known for her famous slogan,
With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good, Wyse -- who founded Wyse Advertising with her first husband Marc and went on to win the J.M. Smucker Company account -- was also the brains behind this name:
Bed, Bath & Beyond. The small retail chain began as
Bed and Bath. Wyse thought it would fare better with a more complete name.
Wyse was a powerful woman in business. Her company was chosen to create the first television advertising campaign for New Woman magazine. She was was the first woman on the board of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company and the Higbee Company, and she was a founding member of both the Committee of 200, a group of women with executive jobs, and of Catalyst, a women's research organization.
Continue reading Ad writer and author Lois Wyse dies of cancer
Posted May 4th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Products, Cancer Survivors, Thought for the Day
Breast cancer survivor
Linda Griggs offers a wide variety of hands-on healing products for other survivors -- like an inner child notebook with markers for journaling and expressing emotions, a wooden box with instructions on how to create a healing shrine, a non-fiction account of her own cancer journey, and so much more. Griggs, who also teaches workshops and speaks out on cancer as a hero's quest, is now onto something new. She's stringing beads.
Think about this:
"After helping a young breast cancer survivor make a "power necklace" to help pump her up before chemo, I realized perhaps other survivors might benefit from having their own empowering necklaces," Griggs says.
Griggs has begun making necklaces from natural stones associated with chakras she believes are most relevant to survivors. The root chakra, for example is connected with survival, the sacral chakra with emotional balance, the solar plexus chakra with personal power, the heart chakra with giving and receiving love, and the throat chakra with free expression.
Each necklace -- there are earring sets too -- come with an explanation of the stones and chakras involved and each has its own unique name. There is the Amazon Warrior
, the Wild Woman
, and the Heart Light
.
Think about a visit to Griggs'
website when you have a moment. And bead all about the resources this one survivor has crafted for those wishing to transcend the depths of cancer.
Posted Mar 18th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Lung Cancer, Prevention, Research, Magazines, Thought for the Day
If you are trying to ward off cancer by making a change in your smoking habits, cutting back isn't enough. Cutting out cigarettes altogether is the only way to really protect your health.
Think about this tidbit I found in the March 2007 issue of
Woman's Day Magazine.
A 20-year-study of more than 50,000 people in Norway recently revealed that patients who smoked fewer cigarettes -- even those who cut back by half -- were just as likely as heavy smokers to suffer from early death due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other tobacco-related problems.Posted Mar 10th 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Cancer Survivors
A friend of a friend was diagnosed this week with a cancerous brain tumor -- a
glioma to be exact -- and the surgery to remove the mass is scheduled for Monday.
I don't know much about this woman or her cancer, but I do know doctors told her yesterday she will likely survive for only a few years. I can't help but think that if doctors had given me this same prediction at the time of my cancer diagnosis, my time would just about be up.
I can't fully grasp the magnitude of this sad and sobering news. But I can comprehend that any one of us could be on the receiving end of such an announcement at any given moment. We are all vulnerable. And so I am confronted once again with the powerful and painful reminder that each day really could be my last.
Posted Feb 21st 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Drug, Daily news, Cancer Survivors
Wyeth officials say their hormone replacement therapy Prempro is not the cause of one Ohio woman's breast cancer. But two jury decisions prove otherwise.
The first jury, in October, awarded Jennie Nelson and her husband $1.5 million in compensatory damages, validating Nelson's claim that her breast cancer -- resulting in a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation -- was caused by the Prempro she took for six years. When this verdict was thrown out due to a mistrial, a retrial began.
The retrial concluded yesterday -- with a Philadelphia jury awarding the Nelsons this time with $3 million.
"Both times this case has been heard on terms established by Wyeth and still the juries have clearly found that Prempro causes breast cancer," says Nelson's attorney Tobias Millrood, adding that Wyeth puts sales ahead of patient safety.
Wyeth respectfully disagrees and argues that it acted responsibly in the promotion of its hormone replacement products and in disclosing with doctors and patients all therapy-associated health risks.
Millions of women have used Wyeth's hormone replacement therapies to control the effects of menopause, and the company, sanctioned in
January to pay $1 million to an Arkansas breast cancer survivor, now faces more than 5,000 lawsuits of this same nature.
Despite a large-scale study revealing drugs like Prempro increase the risk of breast cancer if used for five years or more, the drug still remains on the market. And Wyeth is so sure their drug is not at fault for causing Nelson's breast cancer that they plan to appeal yesterday's verdict.
Posted Feb 7th 2007 12:30PM by Kristina Collins
Filed under: Throat Cancer, Celebrity in memoriam
Barbara McNair, 72, started out as a nightclub singer and moved into film and TV as more opportunities for black women opened up in the 1960's. She eventually hosted her own show in 1969 called The Barbara McNair Show.
Her best known film role came as Sidney Poitier's wife in the classic crime drama They Call Me Mister Tibbs. She played on Broadway, posed in Playboy and was cast along Elvis Presley in his last film, Change of Habit. She also accompanied Bob Hope on a tour of Vietnam.
Barbara died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer, her husband said.
Posted Jan 31st 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Drug, Daily news, Cancer Survivors
An Arkansas woman claiming the hormone replacement drug Prempro caused her breast cancer just won her legal battle against Wyeth, the maker of the drug.
Mary Daniel was awarded $1 million in compensatory damages thanks to a Philadelphia jury decision stating Wyeth acted with malice or reckless disregard for selling Prempro -- the drug Daniels took for 16 months to relieve hot flashes. The next step for Daniels, whose husband will receive $500,000, is a hearing to consider punitive damages.
Wyeth's lawyer argues that Prempro -- a combination of estrogen and progestin -- is still prescribed to women and suggests Daniel's breast cancer was caused by other risk factors, such as family history of the disease.
Posted Dec 29th 2006 1:22PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Books
Two-time breast cancer survivor Tania Katan was first diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 21, and then again ten years later. With gutsy humor in an outlandishly candid expose, she faced cancer twice, dealt with a "supportive but neurotic family," swore off toxic girlfriends, wrote about her experiences in a book and performed a one-woman play, both called
My One-Night Stand With Cancer.
Katan, who underwent a mastectomy each time she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and who appears naked above the waist in her back-of-the-book photo, ran a race to raise breast cancer awareness in the best form she thought possible -- topless. "People were racing for something very specific, to cure breast cancer, but they didn't want to see what breast cancer looks like."
On the Amazon webpage for her book, the description of My One-Night Stand With Cancer
reads, "A Jewish lesbian's memoir loaded with humor. She survived to prove, perhaps, that laughter is in fact the best medicine. With lymph nodes negative and outlook positive despite lightning striking twice, this 10K runner shows great spirit and strength."
Posted Dec 27th 2006 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers, Cancer Survivors
I went out to lunch with my husband and kids yesterday. Sitting right behind us in the restaurant was a woman wearing a white hat, worn to mask an obvious bald head. My two little boys kept watching this woman, my littlest turning in his seat to get the best possible view. These boys, ages five and three, were not looking at this woman because a bald head is an odd sight in a public venue. They were looking because, to them, a bald head is familiar. And I think they were sizing up this woman, recalling what I once cleverly hid -- my own bald head.
We all noticed the woman in her white hat. But we handled our observations differently. My husband chose to focus on the task at hand -- eating. My boys chose to stare. I chose to contemplate.
I contemplated talking to this woman. I always have this urge -- to talk with others I suspect are fighting cancer -- and I always wonder if it's appropriate to approach strangers to discuss such a personal topic. Do I have a free pass to enter another's cancer world because I myself have membership in the same world? Perhaps. Perhaps not. So when faced with a possible cancer survivor -- marked mostly by a bald head -- I usually hesitate, contemplate, and then do nothing other than quietly consider what life might be like for the person who faces me.
Maybe I lack courage and should find a way to connect with these strangers. It may do us all a bit of good. Maybe courage has nothing to do with it. Maybe I refrain from conversation out of respect for each person's privacy. I am not convinced either way.
For now, I think I'll stick with what works, what feels safe -- observation and contemplation. And maybe next time I'm in a restaurant and notice someone strikingly familiar, I'll take a stab at my husband's approach -- just simply eating.
Posted Oct 21st 2006 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Chemotherapy, Television, Cancer Survivors
I've written twice before about a young woman named Diem Brown. I
first wrote in August about her appearance as a contestant on MTV's
Real World/Road Rules Challenge reality show. I wrote about how despite a recent diagnosis of ovarian cancer, she took herself to Australia to compete in physical and mental challenges with other spunky 20-something competitors. Brown, 25, fought for a cash prize of $250,000 -- while fighting cancer at the same time.
Brown did not win the grand prize, but she did win the admiration and respect of her castmates who on an MTV reunion show applauded her tireless and heroic efforts. In my
second post, in September, I wrote about Brown's presence on the reunion show, about her strength, about the great mindset she acquired prior to returning home from Australia for treatment. I wrote about her foundation --
Live for the Challenge -- a wedding-type registry that allows patients to register for prescriptions, wigs, anything that helps them manage their illnesses. I did not write about the wig Brown wore on the show -- but it was apparent she had lost her long, blond hair and was masking the most visible side effect of chemotherapy.
Brown reluctantly yet powerfully unveiled her head on national television just a few nights ago during the beginning of another MTV
Real World/Road Rules Challenge. During this installment --
The Duel -- Brown competes again, this time with the shortest of brown hair covering her scalp and with a fierceness that rivals anything she's offered on past shows.
Brown is back. She's in Brazil. And she is beating cancer.
Posted Oct 19th 2006 12:18PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Daily news, Radiation
In January of this year, 15 year-old Lisa Norris, from Girvan in Ayrshire, received massive overdoses of radiation while being treated for a brain tumor at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow. Determined to be caused by human error, the 17 overdoses caused severe pain with burns and blisters on the back of her head, neck and ears.
Lisa was initially diagnosed with a brain tumor in October last year. At the same time the staff told her of the overdosing error, they also told her that her tumor was gone. Extensive oxygen treatment was given to attempt to offset the damage done by the overdosing of radiation.
According to the BBC News report,
Lisa has died. At this time, the cause is not known.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Harris family for their loss and for the terrible experiences Lisa suffered during treatment for cancer. Her parents are quoted as saying, ""She was determined not to give up her fight and she stayed fighting until the end. She was our inspiration. She kept us going in many ways. Lisa will remain in our family's hearts forever, she was a very special girl."
In a
video interview recorded in February, Lisa spoke about her ordeal and her fears.
Posted Oct 9th 2006 10:33AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Breast Cancer
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, television journalist and young mother Ann Murray Paige set up a video camera in her bedroom to chronicle her struggle to fight and survive breast cancer.
With filmmaker Linda Pattillo, Paige, who was 38 at the time of her breast cancer diagnosis, documents her thoughts and feelings and the experiences of her family as they go with her through cancer treatment and recovery.
"Ann's journey reveals her previously untapped power as she fights not only for her own survival, but to be there for her children. The Breast Cancer Diaries unflinchingly documents one woman's battle against a disease that every woman fears. It does so with wit, compassion, insight and best of all--an unvarnished commitment to the embrace of life!" You can watch Uncut Video excerpt interviews with Paige
here.
You can learn more about the documentary
here. You can read Paige's blog
here.
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