What a Great Boyfriend!

When Sheryl was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2007, her boyfriend Martin Laver was there to stand by her side. He cared for her into recovery, and a few months later she her cancer went into remission. Then they got married, but Martin didn't stop there.

He organized a 900-mile bicycle ride with three of his friends. The trip took ten days to complete and they covered the entire stretch of the British Isles. Cumulatively, they "helped raise £14,000 for Cancer Research and the Lymphoma Trust Fund at City Hospital," the hospital where Sheryl received care.

To find out more about the group Martin founded, or to donate to the cause, click here.

Stem Cells Help One Man Battle NHL

Paul Baits has been diagnosed with NHL not once, not twice, but three times. The 52-year-old engineering manager lives an otherwise healthy life, filling his free time with volleyball and hiking. During his first battle with NHL in 2003, Paul turned to chemo. When he relapsed in 2004, he tried radiation. When the third round of NHL set in, Paul decided to try something new.

Paul received a stem cell transplant. "Now, Baits’ own bone marrow produces blood cells to keep the disease in check." Stem cell treatments are still relatively new compared to the more traditional methods of chemotherapy and radiation, and Paul's success story is giving others hope for this new approach. To read the full story, click here.

Toxins Found in Umbilical Cords - Part 2

As promised, here's part two of this video series. Ken Cook discusses the risk of even low doses of chemicals, the rise of related medical conditions and some final thoughts on what can be done to reverse all of this. Enjoy:

Industrial Toxins Found in Umbilical Cord!

According to a recent article in Science in the Triangle, researchers have tested human umbilical cord blood and found a disturbing amount of industrial toxins! The chemicals included:

• 287 toxins and chemical pollutants, 200 on average per sample.


• 28 waste products, such as dioxins and furans, chemicals that come out of smoke stacks.


• 47 consumer product ingredients, such as flame retardants from furniture and clothing, teflon chemicals and pesticides.


• 212 industrial chemicals and breakdown products from pesticides that have been banned for 30 years or longer.

Source: click here

The identified contaminants included PCBs, DDT and Mercury! This means that "the placenta doesn’t filter out industrial toxins and environmental pollutants" and humans are being exposed to harmful chemicals during the most critical developmental stage. Watch this video below, where Ken Cook, co-founder and president of the Environmental Working Group, explains this study in greater detail:



Stay tuned for Part 2, which will post tomorrow...

Protect Yourself From PCBs

Here's a short video on PCBs:



I find it pretty crazy that PCBs have been found great distances from their original source. Although they haven't been manufactured for over 30 years, they've contaminated the entire globe. Some damage is impossible to reverse, which is all the more reason for strict safety regulation to prevent such destruction before it's too late.

Actor Diagnosed with NHL

Star of the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Andy Whitfield has just announced that he's been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to LA Late News. He will be leaving the show to attend to treatments. According to this article, Whitfield recently released a statement saying:

"It’s with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved. It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far."

Our hearts are with you Andy! You can do it!

Cancer Survival Rates are Improving!

A recent story from The Hamilton Spectator says cancer survival rates are going up. The explanation for this improvement, according to radiation oncologist Dr. Raimond Wong, is "an increase in early detection and improved treatments."

Below is a list of the five-year recovery rates for various cancers, from 1992-94 and then 2004-06. You can see the dramatic headway medicine is making in the battle against cancer

Cancer	1992-1994 Five-Year Recovery Rate	2004-2006 Five-Year Recovery Rate
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma	51%	63%
Leukemia	44%	54%
Liver cancer	9%	17%
Colorectal	56%	63%
Prostate cancer	86%	95%
Breast cancer	82%	88%

Exciting stuff! To read the rest of this article, click here.