Rare Pediatric Cancer Support
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Cancer Basics

When I was first diagnosed with my cancer, I had no idea where to go, what to do, who to see, or how to deal with it.  I was very blessed to have a close friend who was enduring the presence of a different serious disease in her life.  Each time I would see her she would look at me and say "stay in the moment and just breathe".  I would let out a huge exhale with a sigh and I would be able to stay in the moment.  That alone, helped to give me the energy to keep fighting forward.  To this day, I hear her voice telling me that advice on a daily basis.

You have come to this page because you want to learn more about yours or a loved one's cancer.  That in itself is a very good sign.  It means that you are going to be an active member of your treatment team.  This can make a great deal of difference to your overall outcome.  It has been proven in research studies that people who are actively a part of their cancer treatment team, have a more positive impression of their cancer journey.

Keep in mind, with new treatments and research, a diagnosis of cancer is no long believed to be a death sentence.  Although millions of people world-wide are diagnosed with cancer each year, the greater portion of these people will survive their cancer.  New ways to treat and slow the growth of cancer are being discovered each day.  One thing I decided early in my treatment was that I would constantly look at all treatments based on the quality of my life, not necessarily the quantity of my days.  To this day, I am glad for that decision, but it is a very personal decision that can only be made by the cancer patient.  Your cancer journey will be like no one else's; statistics do not take into account your own individuality.

The pages in this section will give you a little basic cancer knowledge and hopefully answer some of your questions.  It may also help you to communicate with your health care professionals so that you can ask questions that will help you to make the decisions that will face you while taking your personal walk with cancer.  Always remember, you are in control of your cancer decisions.  A doctor, oncologist, specialist can recommend a particular treatment or path, but the final decision is always yours to make.  And lastly, don't ever be afraid to ask for a second opinion, change to a new doctor, or travel to a different location for further care.

This is your body, this is your life.......