Stand Up To Cancer

Amy Bucher

Bucher is one of 46 moms from across the country who will shave their heads this September to raise money for and awareness of pediatric cancer research. Bucher lost her daughter to neuroblastoma, with which she was diagnosed at the age of 2. "We're trying to raise one million dollars for the St. Baldricks's foundation," Bucher explains. The 46 moms - 46 because that's the number of children who are diagnosed every day with cancer - came together through People Against Childhood Cancer and call themselves the 46 Mommas; you can learn more about their efforts here.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/46_Mommas_Shave_for_the_Brave_Philadelphia.html

Dana Jennings

It's been a while since we checked in with Dana Jennings, who blogs periodically about his battle with prostate cancer at the NYT's Well Blog. In his most recent post, he discusses the discovery that "more than anything, cancer is about stories and friendships," recalling a weekend spent with an old friend now facing cancer as well. "In telling our cancer stories, by refusing to be silent, by declining to hide behind stoicism, we take ownership of them," he writes. "[We] maybe even have a chance to understand them. They're our stories, and we need to insist on that fact."
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/the-friendship-of-cancer/

Bill Cash

In 2008, Cash was diagnosed with stage IV brain cancer and given just 14 months to live after an operation to remove the tumor. Five days after surgery, he began working out again, and three months later, he had already participated in two 5K races; four days after finishing a year-long course of radiation and chemotherapy, he danced at his daughter's wedding. In September 2009, an MRI showed no traces of cancer. "You can't just rely on doctors or anyone else," he says. "You have to do some things for yourself."
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2010/05/viewpoints_this_story_of_survi.html

Melissa Schultz

In a moving piece for the Dallas Morning News, Schultz writes about her experience with breast cancer, beginning with the morning she discovered a lump in the shower. Wondering about the power of intuition - what exactly was it that led her to check her breast on that particular day? - Schultz talks with Harvard's Dr. Jerome Groopman and others about trusting in a patient's feelings about his or her own health. "Whatever guided me that day in the shower, I listened, and it saved my life," she says. "The bonus in the searching is the sense of peace I emerged with - of feeling the universe offers more than meets the eye."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-canceressay_05016gd.ART.State.Bulldog.2d7ffd0.html

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