Movember Raises Cancer Awareness

Have you heard of Movember?

If you have not, it is simply a movement where men do not shave their mustache during the month of November in order to raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and other types of cancers.

The movement initiated in Australia in 2004, but I became aware of it last month. I think that growing a mustache to raise funds and to promote cancer awareness is a great idea. I am sure that many men supported the movement this past November and that they will do the same next year.

Perhaps, there should be another movement where both males and females can participate in order to support cancer in general. In other words, we have breast cancer awareness in October, and now we have male cancer awareness in November. Since there are so many more types of cancers that affect both men and women, there should be a month dedicated to cancer in general aimed at both males and females. I think that would make many people happy, especially cancer patients and cancer survivors.

If you want to know more about Movember read 'Movember' Gets Hairy for a Cause by CNN or watch the video below.

"Fighting Cancer, One Mustache at a Time"

Coping With Cancer Remission

Entering the remission state after extensive treatments and surgeries is the best news that a cancer patient could receive. However, the cancer patient might worry about any recurrence that may or may not occur. No matter what his/her thoughts are about remission, it's important that the cancer patient remains positive even after treatment because fearing that the cancer might return will just stress him/her.

I know it's difficult not asking yourself, "What if the cancer comes back?" Sometimes, I would ask myself that question too, but then I realized that I did not want to live the rest of my life wondering or being afraid that the cancer might return. I told myself that the cancer was gone and that it would never come back; I told myself that I had won the battle. I wanted to move on with my life, and leave behind the past...and I did.

After six months of being in remission, my oncologist told me that all of my blood counts were finally back to normal, and he suggested that I find something to do instead of staying at home all day. He said that I should find a job, something that it's not too stressful. He was right. I could not stay at home watching television all day.

Soon after, I found a job at a bakery near my house. It was not stressful at all; I worked a couple of hours per day (not every day), taking care of the customers and keeping the counters clean. It was an easy job for me and it slowly helped me to gain "most" of my strength back. The reason I said "most" is because after treatments, a cancer patient is not the same. He/she will eventually get his/her strength back, but not all of it. To this day, I am not as strong as I used to be before I was diagnosed with cancer. Also, I get tired easily, but that does not stop me from pursuing my goals.

Two months after I started working, I applied to a community college and I became a part-time student. I was not ready to start school full-time yet. There were still a couple of surgeries that my oncologist wanted me to get and I felt that being a full-time student would interfere with the upcoming procedures. By the end of that year, however, I was taking 12 credits. 

Although it took me a while to get back on track, I was able to succeed. I took each day step by step, and now I am exactly where I want to be...still cancer free. If I were able to do it, anybody else can do it too. All a cancer patient or cancer survivor needs is determination, positive thoughts, and belief.

For more tips read How to Cope During Cancer Remission by eHow.

Looking Pretty During Cancer Treatment

During chemotherapy and radiation treatments, a person's physical appearance may change. Depending on the type of treatment, he/she might experience hair loss, weight loss, discolored skin, sensitive skin, and/or dry skin.

Female cancer patients, compared to male cancer patients, might feel more self-conscious regarding their "new" but temporary appearance. They may be upset, angry, or simply emotional due to the sudden changes. It's perfectly normal.

One day you are healthy; the next day you are told you have cancer, and the following couple of weeks you are a hairless, walking stick whose facial skin peels like the skin of a snake (I may be exaggerating, but that's exactly how I looked). Why wouldn't you be upset?

The important thing is that you should not be ashamed of your new appearance. You may be different on the outside, but in the inside, you are still the same beautiful person. What you are going through is temporary; once your treatments are over, your hair will grow back (it will be soft like baby hair), you will gain most of your weight back, and your skin won't be dry or sensitive any longer.

Something that you can do to feel a little bit better about yourself during treatments—and this applies to females—is to improve your appearance by looking pretty. If you experienced hair loss, wear a wig. Try to mix it up with different styles and colors; for example, long or short hair, and black, blond, brown, or red hair. If you feel creative, why not wear pink, green, or blue hair?

Also, if your skin becomes pale, wear make-up. Perhaps a little bit of blush, mascara, eye shadow, or lipstick could bring some color to your face. Have some fun with your new appearance while you can! Just remember to always ask your oncologist about the products that you will use before applying them on your body. Some of them might irritate your skin.

For more tips read How to Look Pretty During Cancer Treatment by eHow.