Sunday, September 28, 2008

In memory of Paul Newman

I've always been a fan of Paul Newman ... the ultimate masculine man in the late 1950s. Plus you have to love those blue eyes. No matter what, thanks to DVD, we will always have those blue eyes. He was a good man and will be sorely missed. Included is a clip from one of my favorite movies of all time.



Paul Newman, Hollywood's anti-hero, dies at 83

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer 21 minutes ago

WESTPORT, Conn. - Paul Newman never much cared for what he once called the "rubbish" of Hollywood, choosing to live in a quiet community on the opposite corner of the U.S. map, staying with his wife of many years and — long after he became bored with acting — pursuing his dual passions of philanthropy and race cars.
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And yet despite enormous success in both endeavors and a vile distaste for celebrity, the Oscar-winning actor never lost the aura of a towering Hollywood movie star, turning in roles later in life that carried all the blue-eyed, heartthrob cool of his anti-hero performances in "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

The 10-time Academy Award nominee died Friday at age 83, surrounded by family and close friends at his Westport farmhouse following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said Saturday.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Just an update

I know I've posted a lot of national stories lately and haven't really put the focus on me. So since I have a little bit of free time, here we go.

Last week was not a good week. I received chemotherapy again and complained to my oncologist about a pain in my stomach. High on my stomach (near my diaphram) was a hard section of muscle or tissue. If I coughed, I doubled over in pain.
My doctor gave me Perkoset, which is a younger cousin of Vicatin (which makes me throw up). After one day, I was feeling no pain, but I was feeling major nausea. So I requested to go back to Tylenol with Codeine. The Tylenol mixed with a little Icy-Hot and I'm good.
But I did have a CT scan on Friday, so we'll see sometime this week of what's going on in my tummy.
But last week really affected my work. On Wednesday, I only worked one hour and I couldn't make it to work on Friday at all.
But today, I'm doing all right. There's a little pain in my back, but I'm doing good.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Baker Curb Racing joins cancer awareness fight

By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, September 18, 2008

Jason Keller's No. 27 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry will carry a special paint scheme this weekend as part of a project to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Keller's car will carry the slogan, “Driven to End Prostate Cancer,” during the Camping World RV Sales 200 at Dover International Speedway. That is part of an ongoing project between Kimberly-Clark, through its Depend brand, Rite Aid Pharmacy and ZERO - the project to end prostate cancer - to encourage NASCAR fans to pay attention to prostate health.

Under the program titled, “Do it for those who count on you,” the Depend brand will promote health awareness among male fans and their families.

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Colon X-ray seen as effective at spotting cancer

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer 22 minutes ago

ATLANTA - A long-awaited federal study of an X-ray alternative to the dreaded colonoscopy confirms its effectiveness at spotting most cancers, although it was far from perfect.


Medicare is already considering paying for this cheaper, less intrusive option that could persuade more people to get screened for colon cancer. And some experts believe the new method may boost the 50 percent screening rate for a cancer that is the country's second biggest killer.

"We're talking about for the first time really screening the population," said Dr. Carl Jaffe, an imaging expert at the National Cancer Institute who was not involved in the research.

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Pink Floyd mourns Richard Wright




Pink Floyd mourn keyboardist Wright

3 hours ago

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour paid tribute to his "musical partner and friend" Richard Wright.

Gilmour said the band's keyboardist, who died of cancer at 65, was "gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound.

"Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him," he said.

Wright played the keyboard with the guitar group and wrote music for classic albums The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

Click the title link to read the entire article.

Monday, September 15, 2008

New drug approved to help with nausea

Chemo Nausea Patch Approved

5-Day Sancuso Patch Fights Nausea From Cancer Chemotherapy
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 15, 2008 -- The FDA has approved Sancuso, a five-day patch that fights nausea from cancer chemotherapy.

Sancuso continuously delivers a steady dose of a drug called granisetron, which blocks serotonin receptors and helps prevent nausea.

Nausea is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Not all chemotherapy patients experience this side effect, but it can be life- threatening. Some patients have to prematurely stop their cancer treatment because of severe nausea and vomiting.

Granisetron, delivered by injection or orally via tablets or solution, is sold under the brand name Kytril by Roche Pharmaceuticals. The Sancuso patch is from Scotland-based ProStrakan International.

Click the title link to read the entire article.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Few hospitals meet colon cancer standards

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Tue Sep 9, 5:32 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Nearly two-thirds of hospitals fail to check colon cancer patients well enough for signs that their tumor is spreading, says a study that advises patients to ask about this mark of quality care before surgery.

National guidelines say when colon cancer is removed, doctors should check at least 12 lymph nodes for signs of spread. Checking fewer than 12 isn't considered enough to be sure the cancer is contained.

But a study of nearly 1,300 hospitals found that overall, just 38 percent fully comply with the guideline, Northwestern University researchers report Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

To accept charity or not

Last week I received a call from a woman who read one of my columns and asked “What do you need?”
At first I was thrown off-course. I did not know what to say because I never had a complete stranger come up to me to ask me that question.
Growing up with my grandmother, a lot of the Great Depression morals and mindsets were instilled in me. Do not waste food, unless it makes you want to throw up. Do not lend out money. And if you must borrow money or an object, pay it back as soon as possible.
After 25 years of living with this mindset, it is kind of hard to just say, “Sure, I’ll take your charity. Thanks a bunch.”
But I guess I have to remember a couple of things. First of all, we are no longer in the Great Depression. The mindsets of the 1920s and 1930s have been replaced with several wars and a stabilized economy.
The stubborn pride of hardworking men and women in that era has been replaced as well with the charitable and sometimes selfish mood of the modern era.
Also there are more charities today then there were in the Depression era, where usually only the well-off could afford to donate money.
Every day in this modern era, millions of dollars are donated to all sorts of charities, ranging from the huge organizations, like the American Red Cross, to bank accounts opened for people involved in an accident or who have a disease.
Also in this high-tech world, people feel like they know one another from MySpace profiles and Internet blogs. A person’s entire life can be found with just a couple clicks on the keyboard.
My editor told me right after I stopped working in March after I was diagnosed, lots of people asked if there was a bank account set up for me to help with the medical expenses. He said no and he felt it was not the right time to call and ask me if I wanted to set something up.
As my editor was telling me about this, another reporter asked a very poignant question: If an account is set up for you, will Medi-Cal drop you?
This question has been running in my mind ever since.
Medi-Cal already has certain rules: You must be younger than 21 years old or more than 65 years old to qualify. Though if you do have dependants, you can be between 21 and 65 years of age.
Because I did not qualify under any of these circumstances, Medi-Cal had to use my cancer as a disability. The only consequence is the process would take four to six months.
I have been told by one social worker that I can only have $3,000 total in my bank account, whereas another social worker said as long as the money is going toward living and medical expenses, I can have more than $3,000.
Talking this over with my fiancĂ©, we agreed it would be best not to set up an account for people to donate. Because what if only $20,000 was raised and Medi-Cal said, “Oh, you have money. So we’re going to drop your file in the trash?” I would still need about $60,000 to pay the medical bills.
So I appreciate everyone who has offered to donate money to help me with my medical expenses and to even those who have offered to go shopping for me or who have asked if I need anything for my new house.
But I hope this article gives you a little insight into my dilemma and why I politely refuse any monetary or food gifts and only ask for your good wishes and prayers.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Colon cancer patients not getting follow-up care

By STEPHANIE NANO, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 8, 7:31 AM ET

NEW YORK - Many colon cancer patients aren't getting the screenings recommended after surgery to make sure the disease hasn't returned, new research shows.

Only about 40 percent of the 4,426 older patients in the study got all the doctor visits, blood tests and the colonoscopy advised in the three years after cancer surgery, according to the results released Monday by the journal Cancer.

While nearly all made the doctor visits and almost three-quarters got a colonoscopy, many didn't get the blood tests that can signal a return of colon cancer, according to the researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

Cancer Telethon Donations Top $100M

By Associated PressSeptember 7, 2008, 12:07 pm PDT

NEW YORK - Spurred by an historic telethon Friday night, viewers stood up to cancer and pushed total donations for research to battle the disease past the $100 million mark.

That dollar figure reflects contributions from viewers of the telethon, "Stand Up to Cancer," as well as money raised since late May, when the Stand Up to Cancer initiative was launched, according to Lisa Paulsen, head of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the charitable organization behind Stand Up to Cancer.

"One hundred percent of the more than $100 million raised will go directly to funding the research programs necessary to battle this insidious disease," said Paulsen in a statement Sunday that accompanied the announcement.

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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Genetic Mutations Linked to Deadly Cancers

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
10 minutes ago

THURSDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Potentially groundbreaking discoveries involving genetic mutations of two deadly cancers -- the brain cancer glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer -- may lead to new treatments and even cures, researchers say.

"These studies represent the most complete genetic analysis to date of any tumor type and provide a detailed genetic map of these deadly cancers," Kenneth Kinzler, a professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University, and co-author of the study on pancreatic cancer, said during a teleconference Wednesday.

Click on the title link to read this entire story.

Study: New way to spot brest cancer

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer Wed Sep 3, 11:51 PM ET

A radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms, revealing more tumors and giving fewer false alarms, doctors reported Wednesday.

The experimental method — molecular breast imaging, or MBI — would not replace mammograms for women at average risk of the disease.

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