iCarly's Jennette McCurdy Dealing With Death of Mom to Breast Cancer

zondag 22 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Michele Zipp 2 hours ago

The sweet and bubbly Sam from iCarly, Jennette McCurdy, is facing something no child wants to face -- the death of her mother. McCurdy is just 21-years-old, and her mother Debra had been battling breast cancer for 17 years. Though the cancer was in remission for 10 years, in 2010 it returned and spread throughout her body and to her brain.

McCurdy was very close with her mom and was often photographed with her at special events. She was set to appear at Nickelodean’s Worldwide Day of Play in New York City, but had to cancel due to the devastating news. Thankfully McCurdy's has a huge support system including her boyfriend who tweeted about his sadness.

NBA Detroit Pistons’ player Andre Drummond and Jennette's boyfriend wrote: "First time in my life, I don't have the answers for something." And "Rock the sky's. Your a angel!" (sic)

McCurdy wrote an emotional article for the Wall Street Journal two years ago when her mother's cancer returned.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for my mother to tolerate all she has gone through and continues to go through – the pain, the worry and the battle. She wakes up every day hurting and goes to sleep hurting even more. My mother, the constant optimist and effervescent, sprightly woman I know her to be, is caged along with this hideous beast they call cancer.

Many thoughts and prayers are going out to Jennette and her family.

What words would you share with McCurdy to help her get through this very difficult time?

Image via Splash

Click "Like" if you wear a pink ribbon. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michele Zipp

loves vintage and will defend skinny jeans to the death though she is highly superstitious and "death" is probably a bad word choice. She has a touch of the hoarding disease and enjoys sleuthing, the worst reality shows, and wearing high heels, even at the playground. She's an AP mom of twins, slightly crunchy but with a pedicure.

More
?

reacties | | Read More...

Mom Accused of Cancer Hoax Used 4-Year-Old to Get Cash Out of Strangers

vrijdag 13 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Another day. Another cancer hoax from an Ohio mom who allegedly claimed her 4-year-old was dying just to bilk people out of their hard-earned dollars. Wasn't it bad enough the first dozen times this happened in America? Do we really need yet another child being victimized by his mother, yet another mother being dragged into the courts to answer for a despicable lie?

Of course, Emily Creno King should answer for her alleged cancer scam. But what do these crimes do to society, to the people out there who are truly struggling?

Isn't it hard enough fundraising without scammers?

For years I shaved my head annually for St. Baldrick's, a legitimate charity that raises money for children with cancer. Year after year, I'd solicit donations, and year after year, it got harder to reach my goal. People just don't have extra money lying around, not in this economy.

And yet, when bad things happen to good people, they try. They open their wallets up and pull out a $20 for that little kid with cancer, for that father of four undergoing radiation. Despite the horror stories we read daily in the news, there are a lot of good people out there who would give you the shirts off their backs.

But then there are moms like this.

There are people who know that people are inherently good and who look for ways to work that to their advantage.

The result is a cancer scam that hurts a little boy -- 4-year-old JJ thought he was going to die because of the things his mother had allegedly done to him including forced medications, frequent visits to hospitals, and shaving his head -- and hurts a community as a whole.

There is a domino effect when people are burned by fundraising hoaxes like this. They stop donating out of fear that it will happen again.

Who can blame them? I don't want to give my hard earned cash to someone who is abusing my trust.

The trouble is, this leaves the people who truly need it with nowhere to turn. They are struggling in a bad economy with the typical health insurance issues, and they need help that won't come because someone else abused the system and used their innocent child to do it.

Emily Creno King is facing a third-degree felony charge for child endangerment, and cops are investigating claims that she took money and gifts from people across the country.

Could the punishment include some sort of community service to the very people screwed by scams like this?

Do you donate to private people in need? What stops you?

Image via Utica Police

reacties | | Read More...

Mammograms After Age 50 May Be Too Late According to New Breast Cancer Research

woensdag 11 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Emily Abbate 15 hours ago

Just because Breast Cancer Awareness month isn't until October doesn't mean you have to wait to get educated about when and how often you should go in for a mammogram. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women should start getting regular mammograms every two years once they reach 50; however, new research makes us wonder if 50 is too late for mammograms. A new study in the journal Cancer reveals that 50 percent of breast cancer deaths occur in women under 50, and get this: 71 percent of them are among women who haven't had regular mammograms. 

So what's this mean for the rest of us? Well, getting regular mammograms is more important than ever for sure. The big question, though, is WHEN is the right age to start?

Let's look at some facts:

Logically, it would make sense that if more than half of the women involved in the recent study died before the age of 50, then getting tested before then would be a good idea. The issue with that? Well, earlier testing has its risks since false positives are much more common in younger women.

So what should you do? Well, it depends on your family history. If you have a first-degree relative with breast cancer, then the American College of Radiology suggests you begin getting mammograms 10 years before the age of that relative's diagnosis, or between the ages of 25 and 30. Otherwise, the American Cancer Society recommends women start getting annual screenings at 40. 

The choice is up to you. However, at the very least get educated on ways to prevent breast cancer and ways to make mammograms more bearable.

When did you get your first mammogram? Do you have any advice for other women?

Image via themozhi's pixel displays/Flickr

Click "Like" if you wear a pink ribbon.
?

reacties | | Read More...

A Drink a Day Before First Pregnancy Strongly Linked to Breast Cancer in Major New Study

dinsdag 3 september 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 2 hours ago

I wish that all of these studies linking cancer and alcohol consumption had come out when I was in college. Not that I necessarily would have put down my wine cooler and read them. But, one can always imagine, right? Still, it seems like every time you turn around now, someone is telling you how bad drinking is for you. Can't we go back to that time when wine was supposed to make you live forever? What happened to that? That was fun, right? But anyway, we're in the downer years for booze -- when pretty much any drop of the stuff is going to send you into a premature grave. A new major study links alcohol consumption to breast cancer.

According to the study, drinking just one alcoholic drink a day -- one glass of wine after work; one beer with dinner; one shot of tequila before you get into bed (we all do that, right?) -- can increase your chances of getting breast cancer. Delayed childbearing can also increase your breast cancer risk. So you ladies who opted out of childrearing to party -- here's your comeuppance! I kid, I kid, but these studies are like after us, eh?!

Anyhoo, this research is the first study to concentrate on those drinking years between first menstruation and first pregnancy -- probably the time when most women drank the most. Except for those moms who began drinking like fish to ease the stress of motherhood. But don't worry, your bummer study will come at some later date.

These years are, of course, the drinking years for a lot of us -- high school and college. Your risk increased 11 percent for every six drinks per week. Which seems like a lot of breast cancer!

Researchers seem to think that breast tissue is more susceptible to environmental risk factors like alcohol before pregnancy -- because pregnancy causes cellular changes that make breast tissue less susceptible to cancer.

Scarily, a woman's lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is one in eight. That's a pretty big chance! Which apparently increases if you were a big drinker in your non-pregnancy years. Or even a moderate drinker. I mean, most women I knew in my teens and 20s didn't drink one drink a day -- but they certainly made up for it on the weekends!

The study concludes that women who haven't yet had their first pregnancy should limit their alcohol consumption to less than one drink a day.

Could the "healthy" beer a day habit my grandmother had for decades have contributed to her breast cancer? Hmmm. Hey, let's go back to that time when one drink a day was just fiiiiiine. 'Memba that?

Are you feeling as doomed as I am?

Image via Steampunk Family the von Hedwigs/Flickr

Click "Like" if you wear a pink ribbon.
?

reacties | | Read More...

Valerie Harper May Join 'DWTS' After Beating Brain Cancer in Great Act of Bravery

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 13 hours ago

It was only in March that Valerie Harper was tragically diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given only three months to live. OMG! How terrible. What would you do if given only three months to live? Well, if you're Valerie, who starred in the Mary Tyler Moore Show, you not only live for longer than anticipated, but you live out loud! You live like crazy. You live like everyone should live. You go on Dancing with the Stars! For it's rumored that Valerie will be in the new DWTS lineup this fall!

The official cast won't be announced for another couple of weeks, but TMZ reports that Valerie will be one of the cast, along with Leah Remini, Snooki, Amber Riley from Glee, Elizabeth Berkley, and Christina Milian. Hey, I love Valerie and will be rooting for her, but my money is on Elizabeth. Let's not forget how she shimmied down a stripper pole in Showgirls.

If Valerie does join the cast, that's gobsmackingly inspiring. The amount of work the cast members do is legendary. They really get ripped and whipped into shape. The rehearsals alone are grueling. Can a woman who has brain cancer find the energy to compete on this level? Not to mention that she's 74?

Well, might as well try, right? If she's got only a certain amount of time to live, she should go for all of her dreams. If this was one of them, then that's awesome she is trying it. TMZ says she's partnered up with Tristan McManus and has already been practicing.

And who knows, maybe the physical demands of the show will help her health. As it is, she's reportedly "almost in remission," and her doctor says she has "defied the odds." In an interview with Meredith Vieira that will air in September, Valerie says, "I just want to live every moment to the fullest."

And if that means competing on Dancing With the Stars, I'm sure she'll have millions cheering her on. So much of your health can depend on your mental attitude. Valerie has a miraculous one.

Will you watch DWTS this season? What do you think about Valerie possibly competing?

Image via Getty/Charlie Gallay

Click "Like" if you wear a pink ribbon.
?

reacties | | Read More...