September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

This time of the year is always a busy time for most people. September is the time of the year where most children in my area start the new school year. It is also the month that Autumn begins. But, September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness month. 

I have been running the Cards of Hope program for several years now, and every year I always hope that there is a cure found before the next year, but alas no cure has been found. My heart breaks as I read the statistics on how 46 children every day in the United States will be diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer. I don’t understand how the federal government- can call this rare and only give 4% funding to Childhood Cancer research. Don’t our children deserve a lot more than that? 

Over this month, I plan on blogging lots of Childhood Cancer awareness facts and symptoms of childhood cancer. Please share my site with your family, friends, co workers and etc. to help boost awareness for Childhood Cancer. With more awareness, maybe there is a possibility that we can get more funding than just 4%.

 

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Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family!

 

We hope that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving.

Get Involved and help us out

Here at Cards of Hope, we send out inspirational cards to over 500 people battling cancer weekly.  For children in our program, we mail out cards with stickers, tattoos, bookmarks and etc.  We run on purely donations.  We are in desperate need of stamps. We go through over 2,220 stamps a month.  Even one book of stamps, helps us send out 20 cards.  Please help us today by donating money to buy stamps at the following link:  https://www.paypal.me/cardsofhope or mail some to us.  Everything is truly appreciated.  We will even add your information to the sponsors page.

Another happy cancer warrior princess!

Look at how happy this cancer warrior is with getting cards and stickers from Cards of Hope.  Your donations is what makes these smiles happen.

It’s Cervical Cancer awareness month

Happy New Year everyone!  January marks a new year and cervical cancer awareness month.  I hope that by 2017, that will be a cure for all cancers.

When talking about cancer, there are always lots of questions about who is at risk for developing it, the treatments, the signs and etc.  I am going to try to cover some of that in today’s blog post.  Let’s first look at the risk factors of cervical cancer.

Risk factors for cervical cancer : ( via www.cancer.org)

• Having a family history of cervical cancer (a mother or sister) –chances are 2 to 3 times higher of developing cervical cancer
• Being younger than 17 at your first full term pregnancy
• Having had multiple full term births
• Infection of HPV (human papilloma virus)
• Having used an IUD (Intrauterine device)
• Long term use of oral contraceptives
• Being overweight
• A diet low in fruits and vegetables
• Those that have had a Chlamydia infection
• Those that are on  immunosuppression medications
• Those that have weakened immune systems
• Those that have been exposed to DES (diethylstilbestrol)
• Those that smoke

Just because you may have some or all of the risk factors above doesn’t mean that you will develop cervical cancer.  It just means that you have a higher chance of developing it.

Here are the warning signs of cervical cancer.  If you are having these signs, please contact our physician for a pap smear and check up.

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding (i.e. bleeding after sex, bleeding between menstrual cycles, bleeding after menopause and etc.)
• An unusual discharge from your vagina (often times between our periods)
• Painful intercourse

Typical ways for treating cervical cancer is surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  Depending on what stage the cancer is diagnosed at is exactly what treatment is used.

So if you haven’t had your pap smear somewhat recently, please schedule to have it done soon.

Check out this cancer warrior

This cancer warrior is showing off his card and stickers that he got from Cards of Hope.  Making cancer warriors smile and little happier is what the Cards of Hope program is all about.  Doesn’t he look happy?

 

Your donations of stamps, stickers, cards, tattoos and etc.  is what helps bring hope, happiness and smiles to those battling cancer.  Please consider donating today.  Even a small donation of a book of stamps, helps out a lot.

You can make a difference!

The holiday season is quickly approaching and you can make a difference in a cancer warrior’s life.  Believe it or not, it is really easy to do.  Cards of Hope could really use donations of postage stamps (1 book of stamps ($9.40) mails out 20 cards), holiday cards, stickers, winter crafts, gift cards, small toys and etc.  As you buy holiday cards, why not pick up an extra box of cards.  As you are purchasing stamps, buy an extra book or two for Cards of Hope.  Every bit helps, no matter how small you may think it is.  Also, please consider donating online to Cards of Hope.

A little video from one of our cancer warrior princesses.

Another happy cancer warrior.  Isn’t she such a beautiful little princess?  Keep on being brave.

With the holiday season closely approaching, Cards of Hope could use donations to help make our warriors’ Christmas season a little happier.  Please consider donating today.  Even a book of stamps helps us out a lot.

Let’s talk about Pancreatic cancer

November is Pancreatic cancer awareness month

November is Pancreatic cancer awareness month.  Did you know that Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer related death in the US?

Here are some more facts about Pancreatic cancer:

• 94% of people with pancreatic cancer will die within 5 years of being diagnosed.
• Only 7 % will survive more than five years.
• About 48,960 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year in the US.

Here are some risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer:

• being a tobacco smoker
• being overweight
• having a family history of pancreatic cancer
• having diabetes
• having chronic pancreatitis (chronic inflammation of the pancreas)
• having cirrhosis of the liver
• stomach problems
• being obese
• working in a workplace that causes exposure to dyes, chemicals or pesticides

*Please note that having one or more risk factors doesn’t mean that you will develop pancreatic cancer, it just means that you have a possible higher chance.  Some people have pancreatic cancer without any of the above mentioned factors.

Here are some signs of pancreatic cancer:

If you have any symptoms of pancreatic cancer, please consult your physician.

One of our cancer warriors showing off her card from us…

This cancer warrior has a big smile with getting a card from Cards of Hope and a little bracelet to make her day a little brighter.  This is what Cards of Hope is all about.. bringing hope, emotional support, smiles, love and happiness.