Today is National Cancer Survivors Day

If you have been on Facebook I know you have seen dozens of those posts talking about   “Stupid cancer” and how someone with cancer just wants to win the battle.  I think everyone with cancer wants more than to just win the battle, they want to win the war once and for all.  I think they want Cancer to disappear forever.

Even the fear of having cancer can make people a little crazy.  Other than some nasty recurring skin cancers, I am happy to say that so far I have been lucky enough to be cancer free, despite a few close calls.  That does not mean cancer has not been part of my life.  My mom and sister both were survivors of breast cancer, my dad also had to deal with prostate cancer.  It is something I have to be aware of every single day.  I do all of my preventative checkups and I am vigilant about getting my breasts scanned each year because I have a much higher risk of breast cancer with my family history.   

My fiancé lost both of his parents to cancer.  His mom died of breast cancer when he was a young man and his father died of a brain tumor.  He also lost both of his grandparents to cancer.  He has a unique attitude about cancer, he is not afraid of it, he pokes fun at cancer.  He explained that just like saying Voldemort’s name, he isn’t going to give cancer any more power over his life than it deserves. 

Peter is unique in his outlook, most people are very afraid of cancer.  For many of us, cancer is an extremely threatening and frightening word.  We see cancer as a death sentence, but the statistics show that many people do not die from a battle with cancer.  According to the American Cancer Society, “In 2014, there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed and 585,720 cancer deaths in the US.”  Those numbers sound really scary, but look closer, 1079820 people will NOT die from cancer - Early detection and treatment most often means survival.  In Arizona, the 1 -5 year survival rates from cancer range from 77-57%, depending on the type and location of the cancer.  Again, more people are surviving cancer!  We need to stop living in fear of cancer and work toward efforts at prevention and finding a cure. 

 If you have ever been to San Diego, they have a beautiful park right near the airport – Cancer Survivors Park.  It is lovely, right on the water.  According to their website “Cancer Survivors Park was conceived by Richard and Annette Bloch as a way to disassociate cancer from death and was inspired by Richard's successful treatment and recovery from what was thought to be terminal cancer. The park not only encourages current patients to have the will to fight but subconsciously gives healthy people the will to fight should they ever subsequently be diagnosed with the disease. A tribute for the living, the park is a daily reminder that cancer doesn't mean death.”  I love the idea of this park & I complete agree with the Bloch’s. 

I am happy to celebrate National Cancer Survivors day today, and I hope that we continue to fight against cancer aggressively – so in the future we have many more survivors, until the day when cancer no longer takes a life. 

In honor of Cancer Survivors Day, for today only, I am offering a free copy of my book “The Misadventures of Me and MyUterus” to all cancer survivors & their family and friends (and since we all know someone who has courageously battled cancer – that pretty much means free to everyone)

Visit Amazon today for your free book http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J6TLXRU