Stand Up To Cancer

Elijah Alexander

Alexander, a 10-year veteran of the NFL, passed away last week at the age of 39. In October 2005, Alexander, who played for the Raiders, Colts, Broncos and Buccaneers, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma; after treatment, he resumed coaching youth football and took up the fight against cancer through his Tackle Cancer Foundation. "Life is going to knock you down," he said then. "Who is going to get up and who is going to stay down? It's like me being ill. I don't have time for pity. I have to do what I need to do to get better to take care of my family."
http://www.indenvertimes.com/?he0r25b0

Jan Fergerson

After watching both her grandmothers face breast cancer and her mother face uterine cancer, Fergerson herself was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. This article describes how she faced the disease herself while trying to keep life as normal as possible for her family and friends. "The person going through it can find the peace. I think it's harder for the people who love them," she said. "But keeping everything as normal as possible made me happy. I didn't want to let cancer take away anything it didn't have to take."
http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/6872068/article-Survivor-tapped-serenity-to-beat-cancer?instance=home_news

Johnny Maestro

Maestro, perhaps most famous for performing the 1958 hit "16 Candles" with The Crests, passed away from cancer last week at the age of 70. Most recently performing all over the country with The Brooklyn Bridge, Maestro had a long and prolific musical career, with hits like "The Worst That Could Happen" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." His last performance was during a concert on January 17. "I told him afterward it was the most courageous performance I'd ever seen," said the concert's host. "As frail as he looked, that's how strong he sounded. It was a privilege to have known him, and it was thrilling to have listened to him."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvSekUDkfh_cgRnHulOWS-dREUqAD9ELVKV00

Amanda Hettinger

Hettinger, at 27, is a six-year survivor of colon cancer facing a second bout with the disease, this time with osteosarcoma in her jaw. Diagnosed for the first time during her senior year of college and now a physical therapy technician, she says she lives her life by one word: hope. "I beat cancer before when I shouldn't have, and I believe I am going to beat it again," she said. "If I ever lose hope, I lose everything. I will stay positive. I am not going to let cancer live my life. I am going to keep coming back."
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=209130

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