Stand Up To Cancer

Dax Locke

Dax, a two-year-old with acute myeloid leukemia, may not have much longer to live, according to his doctors. So his community of Washington, Illinois has come together to bring a little early holiday cheer to Dax and his family, putting up Christmas decorations before Halloween and keeping them up straight through the holiday itself. "This is a family who stayed united and formed a team to help Dax," one neighbor says. "They gave everything they had. We're trying to do the same thing."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/11/18/decorate.dax/index.html

DeAnn Chatlosh

Chatlosh, a breast cancer survivor in remission for about eight years, is so passionate about finding a cure that she's even decorated an entire room of her house in all pink. She participates in walks to raise money for research, and even organized a craft and vendor show to support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She and her daughters are halfway to their $5,400 goal for the walk in June. "We want to find a cure," she says. "I've created a history for my daughters."
http://www.southtownstar.com/neighborhoodstar/tinleypark/1895732,112209TPbeat.article

Kairol Rosenthal

In a moving piece for the NYT Well Blog, Rosenthal writes about the impact thyroid cancer has had on her memory. The 37-year-old's account of how cancer has "reconfigured my body and mind" is a moving and honest testament to the powerful side effects of both the disease and its treatment. "My big leap is not quite as glamorous as running a marathon or climbing a mountain after treatment," she writes. "But it is hard work just the same. Exposing my rickety mind is getting slightly easier with time. Hopefully I'll have decades to practice."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/when-cancer-muddles-the-mind/

Sophia Mohler

Sophia, a seven-year-old who just finished eight weeks of treatment for brain cancer, recently received a special gift courtesy of the Long Beach, CA Pink Hearts fund. The Pink Hearts were able to provide her with a new wig made from hair donated by Long Beach students. "We just want her to feel good about herself and be able to smile all the time," says Sophia's mother.
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=11555576

As always, we welcome you to share your stories with us in the comments below.