I’ve not thought of her name for a long time, but as soon as I read it, I remembered who she was and what she’d done. She was an Olympic gold medalist in 1968, in Grenoble, France. She’s now 60 years old and a grandmother of 3. Imagine that. We know that we’re getting older, but somehow it always seems a bit of a surprise when a public figure or sports celebrity gets older too.
Peggy is not only a winner in sports, she’s a winner in breast cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and is a cancer …read more

John Updike, novelist and prolific author of essays, poems, and more, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, died yesterday morning after a battle with lung cancer.
He was writing right up to a couple of years ago, as his latest book, the Widows of Eastwick was just published in 2008.
You can read more about John Updike and his work over the past decades in these articles:
Award-winning author John Updike dies at 76
‘No writer was more important to the soul of The New Yorker’
John Updike celebrated the ordinary American
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Tags: cancer blog, john updike, author john updike, author john updike lung cancer, john …read more

Tired of cancer-specific fundraising? You may be interested in this fundraiser. It’s for cancer research in general.
Here is the press release:

On February 14th, Swim Across America is hosting a national fundraising event to raise money for cancer research. This event is a tribute to the legendary Olympic coach, Richard Quick, who was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Swimmers of all ages and ability will swim in Richard’s honor to join him in raising money for cancer research.
Richard Quick is renowned in the swimming world for his unparalleled coaching achievements. He has “done it all” – coached six …read more

Senator Edward Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer since May of last year, suffered a seizure not long after he was able to congratulate President Barack Obama at the start of the inaugural luncheon.
It’s no surprise that this may have happened and it may not be entirely related to the brain cancer itself. The day is a long and grueling day, with a lot of hurry up and wait. Not to mention, all the stuff that leads up to a day like today.
The reports do say that tests didn’t show any worsening of the cancer and that …read more

Former Republican congressman is now battling cancer – although doctors don’t yet know what type it is.
He had been complaining of hip pain, but the athletic Kemp hsa had aches and pains before, through his career as a Buffalo Bills quarterback and in his sports activities, like tennis.
We”ll try to keep up-to-date with the story. A friend of mine  had her cancer diagnosed when she went in with hip pain, so it’s not uncommon.
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Ok, pop quiz: What do these men have in common?

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
Singer Harry Belafonte
Golfer Arnold Palmer
Former South African President Nelson Mandela
Musician Frank Zappa

Answer…
They all had prostate cancer.
Breast cancer is talked about all the time among the rich and famous, so it seems, but prostate cancer – not so much. Luckily, there are famous men who are speaking out about their diagnosis and battles with the disease. The more who talk, hopefully the more men will get the message about prostate cancer screening.
Colin Powell had localized prostate cancer for which he had surgery in 2003. He was 66 …read more

Cycling champion and testicular cancer survivor Lance Armstrong is going to be a dad again, and this time without any outside help.
In 1996, Lance was diagnosed with an advanced stage of testicular cancer. It had spread throughout his body and was given a grim prognosis. However, the grim ending wasn’t meant to be and Lance lived to become a 7-time Tour de France cycling champion as well as head of his organization, Livestrong.org.
Lance was married when he was sick and after recovery. He and his then-wife Kristin Richards had three children using in vitro fertilization (IVF) because Lance had stored …read more

As if fighting a battle with cancer isn’t enough, Patrick Swayze, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, has to contend with what he calls shoddy and reckless reporting from certain tabloids.
The 56-year-old actor has provided inspiration to many who are fighting cancer and he is showing that some people can live with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, often considered to be one of the most fatal of cancers.
You can read more about Patrick’s battle with the tabloids in this People.com article: Patrick Swayze Responds to ‘Lies’ About His Condition.
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Tags: cancer blog, patrick swayze, patrick swayze pancreatic …read more

Cancer isn’t supposed to happen. And it’s really not supposed to happen to young people. And even more, it’s not supposed to happen to athletic, fit young people. But it does. Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone at any me and 28-year-old Robert Muller, father of two and an elite hockey goaltender for Germany. Robert played in the world championship earlier this year.

His brain tumor was first found in 2006 and he underwent surgery and had both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But, the type of cancer Robert has, glioblastoma multiforme – the same type that Senator Edward …read more

Michael Crichton, orginally a medical doctor who used to write under pen names, like Jeffrey Hudson, he died yesterday, at the age of 66, of an undisclosed type of cancer.
His first novel and best seller, The Adromeda Strain, was published under his real name. He went on to write such Rising Sun, Jurassic Park, The Great Train Robbery, Twister, and Timeline. He also created the TV hit medical drama, ER.
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Tags: michael crichton, jeffrey hudson, cancer blog, cancer, author michael crichton, adromeda strain, great train robbery, rising sun, jurassic park, tv show ER