Where do you go for your cancer-related info?

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | MARCH 11, 2010

Even though more people are heading to the Internet as their first source to get cancer-related information, a recent survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute shows that 60 to 64 percent of Americans trust their doctors more. In fact, the survey also shows that between 2002 and 2008, the trust in the Internet for information has declined.

Around 50 percent of the respondents said they preferred going to their doctor for specific health information. But when asked where they actually went first, approximately 50 percent said online, and only about 10 percent of patients went to their doctors first. The Internet, the survey writers note, has the advantage of being convenient as an initial source for disease information, but ultimately patients rely on their doctors to help interpret it.

This makes perfect sense to me. I mean, while you can find just about anything you need to know (and most likely more than you want to know) on the Internet, for me it often feels like information overload.

When I conduct cancer-related searches on the Internet, I instantly feel like I'm in one of those Bing commercials. I say (or type) the word "cancer," and suddenly I'm bombarded with a litany of related, and often unrelated, options. The Internet may be able to provide access to lots of information on cancer--but it doesn't always direct you to what you need.
(Learn how to find reliable websites by reading "Cancer Information Online.")

The NCI's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) is conducted about every two years, and surveys between 4,000 to 6,000 adults nationwide to study how people access and use cancer-related information.

The survey also showed that while the Internet may not be the most trusted source for cancer patients, it serves as a good communication portal between patients and doctors. Based on those surveyed, a growing number of patients use e-mail to discuss and share health information with their doctors.

In a letter, published in the March 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers wrote:

"These data on the changes that are being enabled by national investments in health-information technology indicate that accessing health information online does not appear to reduce trust in physicians, as some observers have feared. Trust may actually be increasing as consumers rely on their physicians to interpret the confusing nature of online information."

[Patterns in Respondents' Trust in and Use of Sources of Health Information, 2002–2008.
Source: The New England Journal of Medicine.]

Calling all students

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | MARCH 4, 2010

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, an organization that raises awareness and money for childhood cancer research, and MAGPI (the Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2) are asking schools around the world to be a part of the Virtual Lemonade Stand Project.

The project has two main requirements: During April 30 to May 13, the school must hold a lemonade stand fundraiser and it must participate in videoconferencing events. Each site can choose to have a stand every day during the two-week period, hold a one-day fundraiser, or develop their own schedule. After each day of sales, participants are then asked to complete an online record form.

Schools must have videoconferencing equipment to participate in the April 30 Kick-Off Virtual Pep Rally to get the Virtual Lemonade Stand Project officially started. There will also be a Wrap-Up Celebration videoconference on May 14, the day after the project ends.

While there is no cost to participate in the project, groups must register between now and April 15. While the main focus of the project is holding a lemonade stand fundraiser, kids in grades K-12, as well as college and university students, can also blog, create their own videos, and participate in a poster contest.

Optional projects include:
> Creating a 45-second video reflection on "How Can I Make a Difference?"

> Entering the Alex's Virtual Lemonade Stand poster contest

> Documenting their school's project experience with blog posts

> Playing Lemonade Bingo during the videoconferences; and

> Being a VJ for the videoconferences

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was founded by a childhood cancer patient named Alex Scott, who created her own lemonade stand to raise money for research. With that one lemonade stand as the inspiration, now many other kids create their own stands to help make a difference.

To learn more about the Virtual Lemonade Stand Project or to register, go to www.magpi.net/Community/Programs/Alexs-Virtual-Lemonade-Stand.

You can learn more about the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation by reading "Saving Children, One Cup at a Time," from the Fall 2007 issue of Heal.

Looking to win two Golds

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | FEBRUARY 23, 2010

Winning a gold medal is the dream of every Olympic athlete. And while the U.S. is currently dominating the total medal count in Vancouver--seven of which are gold and with a good chance of winning more--one U.S. athlete has her sights set on a different kind of an award.

Hoping to win the O.C. Tanner Inspiration Award, U.S. figure skater Mirai Nagasu, from Arcadia, California, wrote a touching tribute to her mother, Ikuko Nagasu on Facebook, along with other U.S. Olympic athletes. O.C. Tanner calls itself and its employees "specialists in appreciateology." The company helps other companies grow by focusing on appreciation and providing recognition solutions.

In honor of the Olympic Games, O.C. Tanner invited athletes to share their story about someone who inspired and encouraged their dream. Fans can vote for their favorite, and four of the nominees will receive a 14k gold commemorative ring. The idea is that while these inspirations will never win their own win Olympic medals, they can still receive a token of appreciation for making the dream possible for others.

Nagasu, 16, who will skate in her first Olympics (she'll skate to Hans Zimmer's "Pirates of the Caribbean" in the women's short program airing tonight), told USA Today that winning the O.C. Tanner award for her mom would be just a meaningful as winning a medal in Vancouver. Her mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past fall and has had two surgeries. She will be given radiation therapy following the family's return from Vancouver.

In her facebook tribute, the 2008 U.S. Champion and two-time World Junior Medalist wrote, "Watching her sacrifice for me inspires me to push forward. How could I see my mom wearing clothes with holes in them so I could afford lessons, and not be grateful?

"Her recent battle with cancer hasn't slowed her down. Through treatments and surgeries she insists on supporting me--even coming home one day after surgery to drive me to the rink. I would like to see my mom become a recipient of the Inspiration Award because she really deserves to be recognized for all of her hard work."

Olympic speedskaters Jilleanne Rookard and Jennifer Rodriguez are also honoring their mothers. Rookard's mother died of multiple myeloma in December, seven days after Rookard qualified for the games. While her mother wasn't there to witness it, Rookard was able to tell her mom that she was finally an Olympian before her mom's death.

Rodriguez's mother also passed away from cancer. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, but was still able to support Rodriguez through three Olympic Games ('98, 2002 and 2006) before her recent death. "In 2010 I will skate for the first time without my mother in the stands," Rodriguez wrote in her tribute. "I didn't think I would be able to do this without her. But I'm continuing on for her... I know she'll be with me at the Games and she'll have the best seat in the house."

To read the full tributes from these athletes, and to vote, visit the O.C. Tanner Facebook page.

Songs for a Cure

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | FEBRUARY 17, 2010

If you live in the Phoenix area--or in driving distance from it--you should definitely make some time to head out to Northern Arizona University next week for the Arizona premiere of "Sing for the Cure: A Proclamation of Hope."

"Sing for the Cure," is an original song cycle dedicated to breast cancer survivors, their families, and friends. This composition is the vision of Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, who commissioned the creation of the piece. The Komen organization, the Turtle Creek Chorale, The Women's Chorus of Dallas, and the Dallas Symphony first performed the work in 2000.

The music tells the stories of breast cancer, with 10 songs written from various perspectives–the patient, the partner, the sister, the daughter. Each song is accompanied by a narration to help guide the audience through the story. The Arizona narrations will be performed by breast cancer survivors from all over northern Arizona.

I remember performing "Sing for the Cure" while in high school choir. And while the melodies are now pretty dim in my memory, sometimes I find myself humming them as bits and pieces of the lyrics come to mind.

Songs like "Valse Caprice" (Doctors' exam rooms that feel like a freezer/Placing my breast in a large metal squeezer ... Telling myself being bald is exotic/Prices of good wigs are really obscene) and "Borrowed Time" (A thief called chance has taken control/Stolen a thread, unraveled my soul/The fabric of life begins to unwind/Is this borrowed time?).

I think my favorite songs were the two at the end, "Groundless Ground" and "One Voice." Both songs are about working together—never stopping, never looking back—until a cure is found.

Each song carried a different feeling and produces a different emotion. I felt like I was getting the chance to truly empathize with a mother wondering who will take care of her daughter if she died; a partner struggling to stay strong; a sister cherishing old memories, knowing new ones won't be made.

"Sing for the Cure" acts as a testimony for breast cancer survivors everywhere, conveying the hardships, the trials, and even a little humor, that's experienced. But mostly, I felt it conveyed the hope that everyone affected by the diseases carries in their hearts.

Even though about eight years have passed from that moment, I can still vividly remember that performance, and count it as one of my favorites—and definitely my most meaningful.

You can hear a sampling of "Sing for the Cure" performed by the Turtle Creek Chorale in a 2002 performance, with narration by Maya Angelou at Amazon.com.

Too much soda = pancreatic cancer?

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | FEBRUARY 11, 2010

Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks, Fizzy Lifting Drink—whatever you might call it—apparently can be bad for you, and not because it could screw up your weight-loss goals, or rot all your teeth. A recent study attempted to link soda consumption to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

As a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and National University of Singapore, the study looked at about 60,000 middle-aged or older Singaporeans. Researchers calculated the average juice and soda intake of the participants, and followed them for 14 years to see how many developed pancreatic cancer.

Those who drank two or more sodas a week (the average number was 5) were 87 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than the participants who were non-soda drinkers. No link, however, was found between juice consumption and pancreatic cancer risk.

But some researchers say this study is nothing to be alarmed about.

"The study was well designed but smaller than some previous studies that did not find a link between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and pancreatic cancer," Eric Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society, said in BusinessWeek. "Direct evidence linking sugar-sweetened soft drinks to pancreatic cancer remains limited."

Of the over 60,000 participants examined in the study, only 140 developed pancreatic cancer, and of that group, only 30 drank soda, resulting in a small population to draw conclusions from. Also, while the study connects sugar and pancreatic cancer, it does not address other sources of sugar in the participants' diets—only soda.

The theory is that one's blood sugar levels are elevated from drinking soda, and the associated increase in insulin levels causes pancreatic cells to divide abnormally. Type 2 diabetes has also tentatively been linked to pancreatic cancer.

The full study will be published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 42,000 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009. That's a relatively small number in comparison to other cancer types, however approximately 66 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis. And the five-year survival rate is around five percent.

Even without a concrete link, Jacobs says there's still reason to be cautious: "The bottom line is that limiting consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks can help in maintaining a healthy weight, which in turn will reduce risk of many types of cancer and other serious diseases."

A movie ... and a mission

BY BUNMI ISHOLA | JANUARY 30, 2010

Ever since I graduated from college and had to start paying $10 for a movie ticket instead of $4.50, I've grown a bit picky about what I'm willing to see at the theater. But occasionally, I'll get really excited about a movie and can't wait to see it.

Right now, I'm actually really excited about a movie called "Letters to God." It's a faith-based movie, inspired by the real-life story of a childhood cancer patient. Based on the previews, it looks like it's going to be a total tear-jerker, but will also elicit lots of smiles and that happy fuzzy feeling.

In the movie, eight-year-old Tyler, who is dealing with cancer, writes daily letters to God--which he mails. When his letters fall into the hands of a struggling and careworn postman, a transformational journey takes place. It's a story about how the faith and hope of one child can change the lives of family, friends, and an entire community. And what's really cool is the producers are making this story much more than a movie, but into a mission.

There's a section on the website that invites individuals and communities to be a part of the "Letters to God" movement. The makers of the movie hope that through "Letters to God," people will "be inspired to reach out to God in their own way and find the strength to provide hope to those around them," the website states.

At www.LetterstoGodthemovie.com, you can find "on-set" devotions, interviews with different childhood cancer survivors, become a part of a "community of hope," RSVP for a screening, and so much more. In the same way Tyler's letters brought hope to those around him, the producers hope "Letters to God," can create a movement of hope that goes much further.

For the Spring issue of CURE, we're working on a story about spirituality and how faith plays a role in one's cancer journey. For many, faith in a higher power is what gives them the courage, strength, and hope they need to keep going. I think this movie could be a great example of the effect spirituality has for some patients and caregivers.

Cancer is a hard journey, and the disease can completely devastate the lives of not only those diagnosed with it, but also the lives of their family and friends. A little bit of hope can go a long way.

"Letters of God" will be in theaters April 9. And I definitely plan on seeing it. After all, hope is contagious.