Last month, the house voted on the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). The Senate still needs to vote on the companion bill, so this is a great time to send a letter to your senator and make your thoughts known.
What is NBCCEDP? It provides uninsured women across the USA access to breast exams and mammograms that they would otherwise not be able to afford. The program has screened millions of woman and diagnosed thousands. We are looking to increase funding to $275 million per year to reach even more woman.
One of the hardest parts of cancer treatment can be losing your hair. I know of women who have shaved off their hair, before it started falling out, so that they wouldn’t be bothered by losing big clumps of hair slowly. A women’s hair has long been considered her “crowing glory”, so I can only imagine how hard it is to lose it. Having a hairpiece or wig made of human hair may help women who want to keep a natual look, and Remy hair wigs can be dyed to match your own natural hair color.
This is huge news for the fight against breast cancer - the FDA has just approved a new drug to fight advanced cases of breast cancer, cases that other drugs have failed to help. The new drug is called Tykerb and is being manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. It’s a one daily medication (pill) and can be used in conjunction with chemo. While it’s too early to know how this will affect the survival rate for those with aggressive forms of breast cancer, it’s an important step towards finding a cure.
Two of my three pregnancies were considered to be high risk. I developed gestational diabetes with my first child, and prior to that, was SO sick from morning (really, all DAY) sickness that I lost weight. With my third, I had preterm labor at 30 weeks and spent a long weekend at the hospital to stop it, and then went home to be on bedrest.
More and more pregnancies are considered high risk these days, as stated in this recent article in a San Diego paper. One reason? More cancer survivors. Women who had cancer are beating it AND are able to get pregnant and carry the baby to term. While considered “high risk”, most of having healthy normal babies.
Definitely good news 
I saw a news article on Yahoo this week that stated for the 2nd year in a row, cancer deaths have declined. The American Cancer Society determined that cancer deaths dropped after a review of death certificates. The difference was 3,014 - 553,888 in 2004, down from 556,902 in 2003.
Obviously, we’d all like to think this is a trend that will continue, but how do you differentiate between a trend, and a fluke? People are taking better care of themselves, and earlier detection, more women getting mammograms, and less people smoking all add up to more survivors of cancer.
Let’s hope this is something that will continue to drop.
Sheryl Crow says she is heading toward a full recovery from breast cancer surgery earlier this week.
News of Crow’s cancer battle was broken Friday on her Website and confirmed by her publicist, Dave Tomberlin, who announced the 44-year-old singer-songwriter underwent successful surgery on Wednesday.
“Her doctors think her prognosis is excellent,” Tomberlin said.
The nine-time Grammy winner, who described the procudure as “minimally evasive,” will now begin precautionary radiation treatment, according to a statement on sherylcrow.com.
“I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year,” Crow says on the site, adding the cancer was detected early.
“I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends.”
I think she’s one rockin’ chick.
