Stand Up To Cancer

Peter Criss

Criss, the original drummer in KISS, is celebrating a year since completing treatment for breast cancer. The disease is almost always seen in women; male cases represent less than one percent a year. That's why Criss is helping to raise awareness of the disease in men, who he says can feel embarrassed about the possibility of having the disease. To men who notice lumps in their breasts, Criss says: "Don't sit around playing Mr. Tough Guy. Don't say 'It's going to go away.' It might not and you might not see life anymore and how beautiful that is."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/15/male.breast.cancer/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Stefanie Spielman

This touching article out of Ohio looks at Stefanie Spielman and her husband Chris, a former linebacker for Ohio State. In 1998 Stefanie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the disease has recurred multiple times since then. In the piece, Chris celebrates his wife's courage in facing what he calls "her biggest challenge" yet again. Since 1999, the Spielmans have helped raise over $6.5 million for cancer research. "They're strong," says Spielman's former coach. "It's easy for us to say, 'That's how you should be.' It's a heck of a lot harder to be that way -- and they are. They're amazing."
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/10/20/1A_SPIELMANS.ART_ART_10-20-09_D1_UOFDQTF.html?sid=101

Alan Margolies

At the age of 56, Margolies was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine physical for a life insurance policy. Now, three years later, he appears to be cancer-free, and is leading a prostate cancer support group in his town of Jacksonville, Florida. Thirty-five men came out for the group's first meeting, which connected newly diagnosed men with men who have been through prostate cancer treatment. "To be with other men who have dealt with prostate cancer is an opportunity and a privilege," he says. "In battling cancer your mental attitude is crucial. It's important to feel positive."
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-10-20/story/prostate_cancer_survivor_leads_new_support_group

Marianne Godfrey
This article out of Atlanta remembers Godfrey, who faced down breast cancer twice in her life - once in the sixties, when she was 32, and again 12 years ago when she was 68. Godfrey devoted her life to educating the public and raising money for the American Red Cross, and was a familiar face at American Cancer Society fundraising events; she passed away last week from congestive heart failure. "She was an unbelievable fighter," her son says. "If anybody ever had room to complain, moan or grown about her circumstances, it was her. But she never did."
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/marianne-godfrey-80-offered-166389.html

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