Be Bold, Be Bald!

By sarajean on 8/28/10 6:06pm
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Have you ever wanted to shave your head in solidarity with your loved ones who have suffered from cancer in their lives? I shaved my head at the end of my junior year—not completely bald, but I did have less than an inch all around which made it soft and fuzzy—and found it to be quite a liberating experience. Plus, when I rubbed my head up against the wall, it made a nice crunchy sound—like walking through snow. So if you’ve never done it and want to shave your head “all the way,” I say go for it. But if not, you can still express solidarity in other ways.

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Join the St. Louis CURED Walk-a-Thon

By sarajean on 8/15/10 3:04pm
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The odds are that you’ve never heard of Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I know I sure never heard of it until a close friend of mine had a beautiful baby boy born with the illness. The chronic condition, which has no cure, is a rare illness that causes kids to be unable to eat to all kinds of foods—not just a single nut or milk allergy, but one to all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

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Beyond Ana and Mia

By sarajean on 7/13/10 12:31am
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Anorexia and bulimia are very serious disorders—both mentally and physically. I’ve always felt such sorrow when I heard of girls who suffered from them—boys, too; males are increasingly becoming bulimic and anorexic in our society—and especially when I heard about the long-term complications and deaths that resulted from the illnesses.

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Support the ALERT Act for Cancer Patients

By sarajean on 6/29/10 9:55pm
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Cancer is an issue that remains prevalent on most of our minds these days. Whether it’s a friend, relative, or even more personal, most people have been affected by cancer. Many have lost loved ones to the dreadful illness, and statistics on the number of women who will be affected by breast cancer alone sometimes in their lives are monumental. 2,000 Americans die every single day from cancer, making it one of the deadliest things we face together as a nation.

Right now, Senate Bill 717, also known as the ALERT Act, is up for consideration. This act would help raise our current standards used to treat cancer patients, something desperately needed in these modern times. Technological advances, the latest science and innovation, and the most up-to-date medicines are crucial when it comes to saving lives.

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Don't Turn Away From Those Who Need Help the Most

By sarajean on 5/30/10 10:29am
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I am so sick of hearing all of these stories about teens who suffer from depression, suicide attempts, drug abuse, and all kinds of angst—but not for the same reason most people are. I'm sick of it because it's one of the most atrocious things our society faces, yet we seem to mock it with our media and movies, and to dismiss it when faced with it in reality. We have these parents who are coughed out of crappy schools, who can barely drive a car let alone raise a child, who have to work two jobs a piece on top of it all—and where does this leave our children?

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Martina Navratilova: Breast Cancer Awareness

By dfunzy on 4/7/10 8:33am
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Martina NavratilovaMartina NavratilovaMartina Navratilova, the former tennis star, is making the media rounds in the cause of breast cancer awareness. She announced that she was diagnosed with a non-invasive form of breast cancer. Her doctors caught the cancer early and she is expected to make a complete recovery, due to early detection.

In February, Martina Navratilova's doctors diagnosed that she had "an aggressive form of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), considered the earliest form of breast cancer."  She "had a lumpectomy in February, during which her doctors determined that the cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes. She says there is only a "very small chance of it coming back. It is just in that one breast," she said. "I'm okay and I'll make a full recovery."

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