Cancer Blog - Cancer Creatives Blog. Creative Ways People Fight Cancer Every Day.

State of Breast Cancer Town Hall Meeting

Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a local Philly area nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by
breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life. Check-out their upcoming event:

WHAT: The first-ever "State of Breast Cancer" Town Hall Meeting, free and open to the public, at the annual conference of Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

WHO: Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life.

WHEN: Saturday, November 17, 2007, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Lecture Hall Auditorium (Room 114), entrance on 12th & Arch Sts., Philadelphia, PA

WHY: At a 15-year milestone, LBBC releases a report that highlights how far breast cancer research, treatment and survivorship have come and how far there is to go for continued advancement.

PROGRAM: Experts in the breast cancer field will discuss 15 years of progress in breast cancer issues. Attendees will learn about advances in care and participate in a question-and-answer dialogue to discuss ways to move forward in the areas of research, care and survivorship. The Town Hall meeting will follow a full-day conference, Knowledge Is Power: Breast Cancer Updates for Today and Tomorrow, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

PANELISTS: Moderator: Gwen Darien, American Association for Cancer Research. Panelists: Debra S. Copit, MD, Albert Einstein Medical Center; Jane Reese Coulbourne, MS, ChE, MBA, Advocate Partners; Mary B. Daly, MD, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Beth E. Meyerowitz, PhD, University of Southern California; Edith P. Mitchell, MD, FACP, Thomas Jefferson University; Larry Norton, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Sherry Sterling, RN, CCRP, CCRC, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Division of Cancer Medicine Clinical Trials.

COST: Free and open to the public.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer, based outside Philadelphia, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life. For more information, visit www.lbbc.org .

Philadelphia Maven Magazine Shop for a Cause

On Sunday, October 21st Philadelphia Maven Magazine will host its first Shop for the Cause Charity Event. In conjunction with LympheDIVAS, this event will be an amazing afternoon of shopping, socializing and fundraising at scenic Appleford Estate in Villanova, PA. Proceeds from the event will go toward locally based and national revered, breastcancer.org .

Shop for the Cause has fabulous vendors set to sell their products and donate 10% of all sales transactions that day to the charity. They are: Craig Drake Manufacturing; Revelations Boutique; Smathers & Branson; CK Bradley; DermaMed; Hollis Eames Handbags; KEP Designs; Lisi Lerch, The Shops at Philadelphia Maven; LOPO Lines; Magpie Rings; Lilly Pulitzer; Robert Redd; Save 2nd Base; Shamar Custom Design, The Shops at Philadelphia Maven; Silpada Sterling Silver Jewelry; Southern Living Home; Van Aken Custom Shirts; Whitney Wildman Designs; and Wix Wax Candles.

Sign up now at: Philadelphia Maven

Fight Cancer Festival

FIGHT CANCER FESTIVAL - Belmar, NJ October 13, 2007

the Waiting Room Magazine supports the 2nd Annual Fight Cancer Festival benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation of New Jersey & Alex's Lemonade Stand .

Last year, July 29, 2006, Hillside Media Productions teamed up with the Make A Wish foundation of New Jersey and Alex's Lemonade Stand to have the 1st annual FIGHT CANCER FESTIVAL. This year Hillside Media Productions is doing it again and its going to be bigger than ever.

The venue is right on the beach with over 5 local bands playing all throughout the day.There will be over 15 non-profits and vendors with 3 local restaurants serving up great food ( more vendors are being confirmed). The idea behind the Festival is to "fight cancer together."

Hillside Media is offering FREE BOOTHS to anyone who would like to attend, we just ask if the day is good to them, maybe they would be good to us and make a donation.The idea is to build life long relationships and stop at nothing to create a united team to Fight Cancer together and at the same time allow its affiliates to gain exposure in the media and throughout the community.

The Fight Cancer Festival is a venue where everyone can benefit.

For more information please visit www.myspace.com/bincentandbalerie

Indie for Awareness supports Ovarian & Breast Cancer

Independent Designers Collaborate For Ovarian and Breast Cancer Awareness More than 20 of the hottest independent designers are launching their second annual campaign to raise funds and promote awareness on these two major diseases affecting women.

In recent years society has seen the benefit of joint efforts to educate our Nation about cancer. While the number of women afflicted with ovarian and breast cancer continues to increase, the number of
those working in support and awareness of these deadly diseases has also been on the rise.

Indie For Awareness ,a group of 21 talented, cutting-edge designers will impact the fight against cancer for the second consecutive year.
The Indie For Awareness campaign began in 2006 under the direction of campaign founders Jennifer Thompson of DivaTribe and Lilie Wells of A Planet 4 Creation. The 2006 campaign achieved its initial goals raising awareness within the indie circuit via press and making substantial contributions to various breast cancer awareness organizations via sales with each individual designer's product.
This year, indie designers in various industries are making a footprint in the fight against ovarian and breast cancer. Recognizing a rapid increase in the number of women affected by various forms of
gynecological cancers, the designers agreed to start the campaign in September to aid in the awareness of ovarian cancer.

While each designer will determine the size and type of donation made on an individual basis, the group is dedicated to creating a unique campaign to raise funds and awareness for breast and ovarian
cancer research. With the assistance of the blogger Pam Swider, a listing of every designer participating in this collaboration will be listed on the blog, Women for Hope . Direct links to each designer's shop, which include handbags, greeting cards, bath and beauty products, and clothing, will provide consumers the opportunity to see signature products exclusively created for this campaign and give shoppers the opportunity to help each designer achieve her goal of
providing 10-20% of all sales to the designer's selected charitable organization.

During this, the second year for Indie For Awareness, designers have committed themselves to working in support of organizations provide hope for women afflicted by these deadly diseases. The efforts made by these designers show that collaboration and a passion to make a difference can change the world! For information visit Indie for Awareness site at - www.womenforhope.com/weblog

Media Contacts:
Maranda Miller - info@zevcards.com
Pam Swider - info@womenforhope.com

Andrea Shaw is a Jackass

What should the sentence be for lying about be diagnosed with cancer ? Six months of chemo perhaps? I think that is fair.

Crazy Sexy Cancer

It's been a long dry summer (year for that matter) and I've been in a bit of a blogging slump/holding pattern. The slump is due to a few other projects and things that have kept me less focussed on the cancer thing. The holding pattern is due to the anticipated launch of the Waiting Room Magazine's new website & blog. I do have a bunch of off-beat cancer projects to tell you about, I am just waiting to do it at the Waiting Room . Hiopefully we'll be ready to go in a couple weeks.

In the mean time... This was one of the projects I had on the list, but due to timing and the flood of commercials on TLC, I'll tell you about it now. Crazy Sexy Cancer is a new documentary that by all accounts will be one of the most moving and inspirational films about women & cancer.

From the About.com cancer page:

Crazy Sexy Cancer is a new documentary following the journey of a woman with cancer. Kris Carr, the subject of the film, was diagnosed with an incurable, rare type of cancer. The films follows her on her quest to find a cure when she is told her cancer has a one-hundred percent fatality rate.

This is not your ordinary run of the mill cancer documentary. After viewing the trailer, I am sold. Karr's expression of struggle, desperation, and personal growth speak the words that most patients simply cannot utter.

Crazy Sexy Cancer will be airing on TLC August 29th at 9:00 p.m. Kris Karr also pens an intriguing blog and is the author of Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips. Be sure to check it out!

The Parkway Run and Family Fun Walk for Children's Cancer Research.

A message from a college friend. Come join me, the legendary Todd Marrone and TEAM TREY on September 30, 2007.

On August 27th, 2006, Trey passed away after an 18 month battle with two rare pediatric cancers. On behalf of Trey we would like to continue to give back to the Oncology Division at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They have given us and many other families so much through their tireless dedication to the families affected by pediatric cancer. They gave us hope when things seemed at their worse, but most importantly, they gave us a chance to get to know our son. Without the ground breaking treatments and advanced medicine found at CHOP, we would not have been given the blessing of knowing the fun, little person Trey was to everyone .

On Sunday, September, 30th 2007, at 8:30 AM, Philadelphia and The Four Seasons Hotel will hold it's annual Parkway Run and Family Fun Walk on the scenic Benjamin Franklin Parkway and West River Drive.......complete with a buffet breakfast, Parkway Run AND Team Trey '07 t-shirts along with activities for the entire family. It truely is a terrific event geared towards everyone.......runners, walkers, spectators and kids. All money raised from the Parkway Run and any money you donate will go DIRECTLY to the Oncology Division at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for childhood cancer research and survivorship programs. With your support and donations, not only will Trey be represented on the Parkway, but perhaps one day other children will receive the miracle cure that was not available for Trey. We pull for the other families and other children dealing with this horrible disease as if they were our own. It is so important to us, in honor of Trey, for him not to be a statistic, but part of the cure.

Last year, the Parkway Run brought 4500 people together in support of cancer research and survivorship programs at Children's Hospital, raising $500,000. Team Trey stormed the Parkway, 326 members strong in 2006 and raising close to $11,500.00--placing us in first as the largest team and second in the on-line fundraising department. This year the Parkway Run hopes to have 5000 people out to support the cause. Team Trey would like to see our team grow to 350 members, raise at least $12,000.00 and finish 1st in both categories!! Thank you for your support. Hopefully, the money raised will help find a cure for cancer and give so many children what they all deserve.......a chance to be young.

The Anthony Project | Art Against Cancer

Tonight.

Concerts 4 Cancer @ Milkboy

Check it out - ONE STEP CLOSER w/FUSION AND VENEVA will be playing at the Milkboy Cafe August 11, 2007. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

Concerts 4 Cancer - mission is to raise money for cancer research, treatment, awareness, education, and patient and family care by presenting, producing, and hosting concerts or other events.

The Hardest Working Man in Cancer

This is way too hot the hot-tub! Can I get a witness please!?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tina Posterli
I'm Too Young For This!
516-526-9371
tposterli@imtooyoungforthis.org

YOUNG CANCER SURVIVOR MATTHEW ZACHARY APPOINTED TO GOOGLE HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL Zachary to Advocate on Behalf of 1 Million Young Adults Affected By Cancer

BROOKLYN, NY � July 5, 2007 � Matthew Zachary , Founder and Executive Director of The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation For Young Adults (i[2]y) has been appointed as a member of the newly formed Google Health Advisory Council. Zachary will share i[2]y's experience in engaging its youth culture and young adult constituents through the organization's advocacy innovations, social networks and comprehensive website portal, www.ImTooYoungForThis.org.

The Google Health Advisory Council was created to help Google better understand the problems consumers and health providers face in the healthcare system today. Council members will offer Google feedback on ideas for new products and services to empower consumers with their health care decisions. Zachary joins other experts from provider organizations, consumer and disease-based groups, physician-based organizations, research institutions, and health care policy foundations.

"We are at a tipping point for social change in cancer advocacy and this is a profound opportunity to represent the voices of more than 1 million young adult survivors as Google defines its vision for a global consumer healthcare revolution," said Zachary.

i[2]y has earned accolades from the oncology community for establishing a global presence and filling gaps to rectify public health inequities faced by the young adult population, aged 15-39, now estimated at over 1 million survivors by the National Cancer Institute. The i[2]y initiative, launched in January 2007, has quickly developed an affiliate network of 200 cancer centers, mobilized thousands of survivors into an international social network, organized the first arts coalition of young musician/survivors and produced a pioneering live, weekly, interactive social radio broadcast�The Stupid Cancer Show. i[2]y is widely regarded as the next big thing in advocacy for a grossly underserved, but motivated, population.

"What Matthew and his foundation have achieved in such a short time, clearly indicates the demand to fill an expansive gap in our healthcare continuum," says Dr. Kevin Oeffinger, Director, Living Beyond Cancer: A Program for Adult Survivors of Pediatric Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "In concert with their relationship with Google, I am optimistic that the opportunity to fill those gaps is now more tangible than ever."

About i[2]y
The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation For Young Adults is a global support community for young adults affected by cancer. Our mission is to improve quality of life by providing 'one-stop' access to hard to find resources, peer support and social networks. We use music and the arts to make it hip to be a survivor and talk about stupid cancer by advocating on behalf of more than 200 young adult support resources and more than one million survivors aged 15-39 who are currently living with, through and beyond cancer worldwide. For additional information, please visit www.ImTooYoungForThis.org.

SpeedGoat Bicycles & the Breast Cancer Fund

Even though I am a road cycler at heart, this is a pretty juicy prize. Buy a lot of tickets to help supprt the Breast Cancer Fund so the SpeedGoat raffle-ticket-picker needs to use a REALY big hat.

What are the rules?
Simple. You purchase as many raffle tickets as you'd like, at $10 each. Speedgoat will conduct the drawing in July. We will put all of the tickets into a hat, and pick one. If you purchased multiple tickets, your number will be placed into the hat multiple times. The winner will be notified immediately, and we will begin the process of creating the bike in his or her size.

When is the drawing?
We are planning to hold the drawing in our shop on Thursday, July 10th, 2007. Feel free to stop by and watch, we hope to make a bit of a party out of the whole thing.

What if I live outside of the continental US?
Speedgoat will only pay for shipping within the lower 48 states, if you're in Alaska, Hawaii, or outside of the US, we will contribute $75 toward your shipping costs.

Who is The Breast Cancer Fund?
The Breast Cancer Fund has adopted the bold mission to eliminate the environmental causes of Breast Cancer. Did you know that the incidence of breast cancer in the United States has nearly tripled in the past 50 years? Find out more about how breast cancer can be prevented at www.breastcancerfund.org.

How much money is The Breast Cancer Fund getting?
ALL of the proceeds from this raffle are going to The Breast Cancer Fund. Speedgoat is not making any money on this auction. Our expenses (coordination, parts, labor, shipping, etc.) are our donation.

That bike doesn't look like my size!
The final bike will be built up in the winner's size. BMC has provided us with a Fourstroke02 in 19" size. If the winner requires a differenmt size, an identical bike will be built up and painted for the winner. The components shown on our photo bike are the actual components which will be installed on the winner's bicycle, but the frame will need to be built for you.

If it's not built, how can you have photos of it?
Okay, we cheated. BMC provided us with a bike, and had it custom painted already. We built that one up so that we could take photos. The one you win will be custom built in your size.

What if I have more questions?
Send your questions to raffle@speedgoat.com and we'll get right back to you. Also, keep checking this space, if we get some really good questions, we'll post the answers here.

Keep A Breast Foundation Returns to VANS Warped Tour 2007

Keep A Breast Foundation Returns to VANS Warped Tour 2007
Autographed breast casts and Vans shoes will be auctioned to benefit Keep A Breast Youth Awareness Program

San Diego, CA, June 18, 2007- Keep A Breast Foundation will be joining the Girlz Garage on VANS WARPED TOUR� 2007 for the sixth consecutive year in an effort to educate young fans nationwide about breast cancer. This music and extreme sport festival will feature a diverse line up of bands from around the world, along with a wide range of attractions for a variety of fans. This festival will kick off on June 29 in Pomona, CA and will wrap up on August 25 in Los Angeles, CA.

This year at Girlz Garage, Keep A Breast will be displaying signature plaster casts from women�s torsos, decorated by artists and autographed by Warped Tour bands including Gym Class Heroes and Joan Jett. Additionally, Keep A Breast will be returning with �This is My Story� campaign, allowing youth around the nation to share their various, unique experiences with breast cancer. Young music fans will also be able to participate in cool activities such as �The Chop Shop�, where they can customize a t-shirt with custom stencils and spray paint. With a small donation benefiting The Keep A Breast Youth Awareness Program, fans can take home signature �Boobies� tees and �Punker Packs� with a shower card, patches and pins. �We are so grateful for the support of the Warped Tour and The SIMA Humanitarian Fund, who have made it possible for us to expose young people to methods of breast cancer prevention,� said Keep A Breast founder Shaney Jo Darden.

�Though the primary focus of the VANS WARPED TOUR� is about having fun, the presence of organizations such as Keep A Breast gives our fans a chance to learn something that could eventually save their lives,� said festival founder Kevin Lyman.

To kick off Warped Tour, Keep A Breast is rolling out with a new self-exam video featuring Warped Tour musicians demonstrating how to check for signs of breast cancer. They will also be holding an eBay auction breast casts and Vans shoes signed by Warped Tour artists. The proceeds will benefit Keep A Breast Youth Awareness Programs.

For the complete lineup of bands and tour dates performing in each city during the VANS WARPED TOUR� 2007, please go to www.warpedtour.com .

Editor�s Note: Contact Connie Wong at (760) 943-2333 for the new Warped Tour band self-exam video, directed by Carol Martori and hosted by Erica Leite. The video features bands including Less Than Jake, The Casualties, Rise Against, Gym Class Heroes and many more. Photos and interviews are also available upon request.

About Keep A Breast
The Keep A Breast Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support. Through art events, educational programs and fundraising efforts we seek to increase breast cancer awareness among young people so they are better equipped to make choices and develop habits that will benefit their long-term health and well-being. For more information, please visit www.keep-a-breast.org.

Cancer & Online Marketing - Part 1

Tonight I had a conversation with a friend who is in the process of having a cancer-related website built which I have offered to help optimize for search and blog at on a regular basis (for a relatively small fee). This cancer project has been going on for a few months now and today we�ve come to a bit of a road block. Let�s back up for a minute�

As you may or may not know my day job away from the cancer blog is at a company called Commerce360 that specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Web Analytics and Conversion . I am on the SEM team where I primarily manage our client�s Pay-Per-Click (PPC) accounts.

So during the conversation with cancer-related website friend I was asked, �What exactly are we paying you for?� And then friend proceeded to say, �Everyone I have talked to does not understand what that stuff [Online Marketing] is and it is not necessary to make the site successful�. NOT NECESSARY!?!?!? What is the point of having a website if it�s not optimized so people have a better chance of finding it? Don�t be fooled, although it�s not as bad as actually having cancer, online advertising of cancer is pretty ugly and competitive. And this is really basic SEO 101 �stuff� which, since I am more of paid search guy at heart, is about all I am qualified to recommend anyway. Even a Google Adwords Qualified Individual knows how important SEO is to the success of an Online Marketing initiative.

The other part of the services I am offering is my �expertise� in SEM and specifically, PPC. Now anyone with an ounce of knowledge about Online Marketing should agree that in an ideal world the SEO of a website comes first supplemented by PPC advertising. This was my plan of attack with my friend�s site and tonight�s conversation got me thinking a little more in depth about the cancer communities approach to PPC advertising. Focusing on SEM & PPC advertising, for example, if you search on the term � cancer � on Google, you will find about 330,000,000 organic search results pages and 70-100 Sponsored Results. Sponsored Results is the subject of the rest of this Cancer & Online Marketing rant�

Briefly, Sponsored Results are those results that appear on the top and right-hand side of Google�s (or Yahoo�s, or MSN�s) organic search results where an advertiser is charged a fee every time someone clicks on their ad. Depending on the search term, that �fee� can range between a few cents to several dollars for one click. For example (a very rough example), the search term �cancer� is a term that will cost an advertiser an average Cost Per Click (CPC) of $0.61. SpyFu , whose data I don�t rely on 100%, also estimates that for the month of May an average of $2,110 per day was spent on the term �cancer� by the various advertisers like the American Cancer Society , Cancer Care and the Wellness Community . That translates into roughly $770,000 spent on the term �cancer� in one year! And that�s only on the term �cancer�! Image all the variations of the term that any good PPC marketer would plan to bid on like � �cancer awareness�, �breast cancer�, �cancer info�, �effects of cancer radiation� and so on. Bidding on several 100 of these cancer related terms can, in fact, cost millions of dollars among all the various cancer industry advertisers. Think about that the next time you fundraise and wonder where the money goes.

So I want to clarify that I am not bashing any one specific cancer organization or drug company for using PPC advertising to help get their message across or to help sell a product that may comfort a cancer patient. But it does raise a good question about how cancer organizations, or any non-profit organization for that matter, approach Online Marketing. Paid search is great for advertising a new product or service and can be temporarily helpful in driving qualified traffic to your website (but not necessarily conversions�). But long-term use of paid search can be costly and less cost effective over time. And a paid search marketing strategy as the main revenue driver of your website is okay (for a while) if you are a large, for profit retail company, but in my opinion this strategy fails when used by non-profit organizations. Non-profit dollars can be better spent focusing on the SEO of a website to help improve organic search engine results at a lower cost than PPC and, more importantly, the dollars not spent on PPC can go towards helping the people in need suffering from cancer.

In part 2 of this blog post I will take a closer look at The Ulman Cancer Fund who is using a PPC strategy to help support a website for a great cancer organization that is in need of an SEO overhaul.

Concerts for Cancer - June 16, 2007

Growing up, to me, Upper Darby was the home of my rival high school, Johnny's Hot Dogs and the Balcony on 69th street where I used to by my parachute pants and NY laces. I have since learned that it is also recognized as the home town of former Philadelphia 76ers coach Dr. Jack Ramsey, rock 'n roll star Todd Rungran & Saterday night live alum, Tina Fey and now this:

Concerts 4 Cancer , a new benefit concert organization that raises funds for cancer research and treatment will be holding its second concert for its annual summer season on June 16, 2007 at the 20th Century Club in Lansdowne PA, located on Lansdowne Ave. just blocks away from the Baltimore Pike/Lansdowne Ave. intersection in Delaware County.

The concert will be headlined by both 2006 Zippo Hot Tour Winner, Stealing December and soon to be record released rockers, Blue Sun. The organization which raised and donated $1,500 last summer for cancer research and treatment is focused on Lung Cancer this year and will be donating funds to the University of Pennsylvania's medical dept. and other cancer fighting organizations at the conclusion of this year's summer season which is entitled "Cure Tour 2007: Breathing Hope". Tickets for the event are a low $6.00 and at the concert, Concerts 4 Cancer merchandise and refreshments will be available for purchase.

Concerts 4 Cancer is calling for all locals to come out and help them fight cancer in a family friendly environment that will help to eventually "Push Cancer Over The Edge!"

Livestrong Day

Today is Livestrong Day in Washington D.C. and all across the globe. Get up, Get into it, and Get Involved!

Learn more about Livestrong Day.

Paolo Bettini Auctions for Cancer Research

With all the doping scandals in professional cycling happening domestically & abroad, it's nice to here stories like this one.

Paolo Bettini will be playing the main part in a fund raising event at the Giro d�Italia. During the 3 weeks of the race the World Champion will be auctioning on ebay ( www.ebay.it ) three rainbow jerseys and three pairs of glasses that have been specially made for �la corsa rosa�.

Monies raised from the auction will be going to the European Oncological Institute of Milan that is directed by Professor Veronesi. The three rainbow jerseys made by Vermarc are part of a limited series of just 10 and will have a picture of Italy and Paolo Bettini�s autograph on the front of them. Paolo chose the picture of Italy as a thank you to all of his Italian fans that have supported him both during the Giro and other races. The glasses, produced by QUICK STEP � Innergetic Team�s official supplier BBB are also a limited, numbered edition of just 5 pairs. The frames of the glasses will be all of the colours of the rainbow and the arms will be gold colour to represent his Olympic victory of 2004.

The fund raising auction will take place three times during the Giro d�Italia. Each week from 12.00 on Monday until 12.00 on Sunday people will have the chance to adjudicate the jersey worn by the World Champion during that weeks race along with a limited edition and numbered pair of glasses.

�I�d like to thank everyone that has helped make this event possible � Bettini said � first of all the UCI who immediately allowed me to make a slight change to my jersey in light of the extremely good cause. I have already collaborated with the Oncological Institute a few times - back in 2004 and again in 2005 at the Giro d�Italia thanks to the help of Manager Flavio Nasc�. I�d also like to show my appreciation to BBB and Vermarc who are official suppliers to the QUICK STEP � Innergetic Team and to the Gazzetta dello Sport that is also supporting the event. Thanks to everyone involved and in particular those fans that take part in the auction, we�ll be able to do our little bit towards cancer research�.

The first auction will start at 12.00 o�clock on Monday, 14th May with a starting price of just 1 Euro. You can take part in the auction by visiting: www.ebay.it or via the following websites: www.ieo.it , www.qsi-cycling.com , www.paolobettini.it

Philly Roller Girls & Philadelphia's Race for the Cure

Philly Roller Girls are at it again... Who says bad-ass women on skates can't cure cancer. Probably knock the tumor right outta your body if you got hit by one...

Philly Rollergirls are participating in the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure on Mothers' Day, Sunday May 13th with the hopes of raising as much money as possible for breast cancer research. Make a donation on our team page or join our team and walk with us and our families! We will be meeting at 8:15 a.m on the Philadelphia Art Museum steps facing the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Fight Cancer & win a pair of IndyFab Mountain Bike forks!!

First a roller derby fundraiser for HERA and now a mountain bike race fundraiser. What's next freestyle motocross? Let's hope!

About the race:

The "Escape from Granogue in Honor of Andrew Mein" mountain bike race, to be held in Montchanin, Delaware on May 20, 2007 , will raise money for the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation through Team Bury the Dragon . Specifically, fund raised will be directed to the gynecological cancer research.

Held on a private estate, the race will feature a course with many technical sections. A marathon race option will be available for those who want to go the extra miles. For more information, visit http://www.racegranogue.com.

About the raffle from Team Bury the Dragon's Samantha Lockwood:
And you must must must get yourself some raffle tickets for these prizes!! You do not need to be present to win!

Independent Fabrication
*custom 26" MTB Fork*
*T-Shirts*

Stoopid 50
*race entry fee*

Maxxis
*Igniter 29"* (donated by elk)

Hoss Technical Gear
*Cycling Jersey*
*Shorts*

Ride Your Bicycle
*Clothing*

Solo 24
*DVD*

Spot
*special surprise item* (donated by elk)

And much much more!!

Purchasing through BikeReg is easier and faster than amazon or ebay. Just follow this link.

You can also get stickers and tickets from Sam directly. Sam will be fully armed at all times! The raffle takes place on May 20 at the Escape from Granogue MTB race. You do NOT need to be present to win.

The Stupid Cancer Show with Matthew Zachary

If our World Leaders (pretend) had the drive, commitment and passion that Matthew Zachary has we would be rid of poverty, racism, the war in Iraq, the genocide in Darfur, global warming and...

The latest ground breaking news from Mr. Zachary's Cancer Talk Radio Show:

Here's the deal � In partnership with Now Live , Matthew Zachary has been tapped to host a hip, new interactive talk radio broadcast and provide a national platform for the voices of more than 600,000 young adults living with, through and beyond cancer. And don't just listen, interact! Audience members can actively participate with Matthew, his guests and other listeners via an integrated text chat board, live phone calls, and picture and video sharing. Oh, and it's all completely FREE.

Premiere Broadcast
Monday May 28th @ 9pm/6pm (PT)
Register/Log On Now

Log on now and check it out. (It's actually pretty frieken cool). Got cancer? Under 40? Sucks, huh? This broadcast is the place to be on Monday night. (East coasters - it's a toss up between TiVo'ing Heroes and 24 or listening to the podcast the next day.) Special weekly guests will include adolescent and young adult (AYA) advocates, survivors, musicians, oncology gurus and organizational leaders with special promotional contests, celebrity guest appearances and more!

(Note: If your group is interested in making a guest appearance and discussing your contributions to this community. please contact Matthew Zachary at stupidcancershow@imtooyoungforthis.org to schedule your slot.)

Revolution Health

This post is not really about a creative cancer project specifically, but it is about a new Web 2.0 of sorts type of medical resource website and does tie in nicely with my day job .

Revolution Health is a new "consumer-centric health company founded to transform how people improve their health by putting consumers at the center of the health system, with better choices, more convenience and more control" founded by former AOL co-founder Steve Case. A little over a week ago I had the chance to participate on a conference call hosted by Cynthia Samuels to help promote their cancer related section of the Revolution Health website . The conference call itself was a more of a very detailed overview of some extraordinary Colon Cancer research lead by Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz. Also participating on the call was Hannah Vogler from the Colon Club. I am not going to get into specifics about the call since I am far from qualified to dissect it in any way, but if you are interested in listening to the call in its entirety you can do so at Twango .

The Revolution Health website itself is already a on-stop-shop for all of your healthcare needs, be it cancer of otherwise. You can search for doctors & hospitals, create your own medical user page to store historical medical records, and shop for the latest in healthcare products. This is only a snippet of the resources available at Revolution Health and the best part about the main website is that most of the services offered by Revolution Health are free. But don�t take my word for it, take some time to visit their website and take a look for yourself.

Obsessed with Coffee & Cancer

Another great day weather-wise here in Philly and this morning I decided to take a walk. Near the end of my 'hike', I stopped at the local Wawa, a sort of Mecca here in Havertown, and got myself an 'extremely hot' cup of Wawa Kenya AA coffee. Normally I try to be conscious of waste and I usually do not slide a coffee cup sleeve around my 20 ounce�er, but since I was walking and the coffee was hot I grabbed a sleeve. To my surprise, the new Wawa coffee cup sleeves are marketing the Komen Race for the Cure here in Philly on Mothers Day. This is a pretty big even here in Philly and for Komen for which Wawa is one of the local sponsors (obviously...).

Over the years, from a grassroots perspective, I have heard a lot of mumblings about the 'big business' cancer orgs like Komen & the American Cancer Society and the way they operate. I have my own opinions about this, but as a side note to this rambling, if anyone has heard of similar criticism about these or any large non-profit cancer organizations I'd like to hear about them.

In regards to the Wawa/Komen coffee cup sleeve, from a marketing perspective it's pretty crafty. There is certainly a case to be made about Komen and their ability to get the word out about breast cancer awareness on just about any product you can imagine. My concern is that I hope manufactures of Komen sponsored goods are not just making something pink in order to fulfill their charitable giving obligations. According to their website, Wawa sells 165 Million cups of coffee a year so I don't think they are sponsoring the Philly Race for the Cure just to sell more cups of coffee. I am curious to know how many people actually get the message or even take notice of the Komen coffee cup sleeve.

The point of all this is that businesses that sponsor events like the Race for the Cure must go beyond the financial aspect of giving. Locally, Wawa isn't in this for the marketing exposure so I would imagine their role in sponsorship and the coffee cup sleeve goes beyond the financial and deeper into the cancer awareness message.

This message was not brought to you by Wawa or Komen Philly Race for the Cure, but if you'd like additional information on either here's their website addresses:

www.wawa.com
www.komenphiladelphia.org

Cancer Tattoos

If you are curious about getting a cancer survivor tattoo, I am here to ask you "What are you waiting for?!". In my book, you don't have to be a hipster or ride a Harley or play in the NBA or be a circus side-show act to get inked. (Although wouldn't it be fun to be in the circus??) I have been tattooed four times over and three of the tattoos are health/cancer related. It's therapeudic, slightly addictive, good for the soul and a healthy reminder of where I have been and where I am going.

Being involved in the cancer community now for almost nine years, I can't say I have seen a lot of cancer survivor/memorial tats, but then again I don't get around as much as I should. There is plenty of internet chatter about cancer tattoos and the Cancer Creatives get's its fair share of visits on the search term 'cancer tattoos'. I wrote in an earlier blog post about Mario Barth's Tattoos for Kids and I've been on (in) the Planet Cancers Fish Tank Forum reading about different ideas for cancer tats, but I have yet to uncover a website dedicated to cancer tattoos in general. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.

I do know, however, of another tattoo shop out in Bakersfield California - The TatDude - who runs the Healing Art Foundation and the Save the Boobies campaign. The Healing Art Foundation is putting together Tats for a Cure Sketch Book , so if you are a talented tattoo artist with a heart & want to be apart of our Tats for a Cure Sketch Book contact France at savethboobies@yahoo.com

Oh, and if you are in the Boston/Cambridge are and cannot wait another minute to get a cancer tat, go see Mike Shea at Redemption Tattoo . Buy him a Cuban sandwich from Chez Henri and he might go easy with the needle...

Bzzzzzz

Save the Ta-Tas! Fun Fashion for a Cause.

If you Google "Breast Cancer Awareness Shirt" your search will return roughly 1,300,000 results. Now if someone is truly looking to buy a breast cancer awareness shirt in honor of a patient or survivor or as a gift, how the hell can one person sift through a million plus search results and find what they are looking for? I've decided that in order to keep people on the right path and in the 'know' about breast cancer awareness shirts, I am starting a regular review of creative breast cancer awareness shirts here on the blog. Gotta shirt? Drop me a line.

First up on a short list of really crafty breast cancer shirts comes from Julia Fikse at SaveTheTaTas.com. Save the Ta-tas has been around since about 2005 with a full line of hers, his and fun stuff to buy from their online catalog with 5% of every sale donated towards the fight against breast cancer. Aside from supporting an important cause, the mission of Save the Ta-Tas is simply - women of all shapes and sizes are beautiful and should be celebrated as so. I feel this message is equally, if not more, important than the cause in an age of airbrushed wafer-thin models we are subjected to on t.v. magazines, billboards, cereal boxes and... well, you get the idea.

Here is the mission in more detail:

�Our mission is to celebrate the varied beauty of women through playful expressive clothing and accessories. We believe all people are uniquely designed by God and should feel comfortable, valuable and beautiful as they are.

Because ta-tas� Brand Clothing is committed to helping women we give 5% of every sale to breast cancer research and desire that as we grow, so will the avenues through which we can help and enrich as many lives as possible.

It is our hope that through ta-tas� you will laugh, find joy in who you are and know by supporting ta-tas� you are contributing to human needs in this country and around the world.�

Remember, when you buy a Save the Ta-tas shirt, you are not only supporting the fight against breast cancer by wearing a shirt that will certainly spark conversation, but you will also be celebrating women as a whole (and in my opinion, the better half).

Cancer & the Big Screen

Sometimes I am surprised by the amount of cancer references there are on national news websites like MSNBC. One would think that if cancer is so mainstream there should be more 'entertainment' based on this relentless disease. I am not suggesting that we celebrate cancer as a good thing or hand cancer a life-time achievement award, but some how I think we as a society riddled with cancer are missing an opportunity to turn cancer into a block-buster TV show or movie in order to make cancer a more comfortable topic of conversation. The more we know as about this, or any disease, as a culture and society, the better aware we can be of specific symptoms and take preventative measures.

The idea of making movies about cancer is not new - A Lion in the House is a tremendous documentary about cancer that was released in 2005- but it is now becoming more of a reality that we will see a true feature film about breast cancer - Face the Sun - as well as another dramatic documentary - Just One Year - about Joy Clausen, a young adult Lymphoma survivor and aspiring filmmaker.

I will not go into a lot of detail about the movies, click on the links above to learn more. What I will tell you is that both of these projects are in various stages of pre/post production and could use your help morally, financially or otherwise to see their way to the big screen.

As a cancer survivor and someone who enjoys others who creatively fight the disease, I am excited about the impact these two projects will have on society.

Not Cancer, but Creativity

This post has absolutely nothing to do with cancer, but everything to do with creativity. And since there is life beyond cancer I am allowing myself a little flexibility with the Cancer Creatives Blog content to something to your attention that I really dig.

With that said, I bring you the Art-O-Mat . Here's the part where Clark Whittington fills us in:

Founded in 1997, Artists in Cellophane is an arts group that converts banned/retired cigarette machines into fine art vending machines. Over 400 artists from 11 countries are presently involved in this project. Some machines donate a percentage of profit to arts-related charities. Our mission is to encourage art consumption by expanding access to artists' work. Art*o*mat� has created an opportunity to purchase original artwork while providing exposure and promotional support for artists. Our machines combine the worlds of art and commerce in an innovative form. We believe that art should be progressive, yet personal and approachable. What better way to do this, than with a heavy cold steel machine?

Art-O-Mat's are peppered all of the world and need feeding. If you are interested in becoming an Art-O-Mat artist, host or just looking for a healthy way to get rid of some spare change, please visit the Art-O-Mat website

Cancer Uncensored: Help Fund the Waiting Room Magazine Website

Guys & Gals

Guys & Gals,

A little while back I posted a blog about the revolutionary new youth cancer culture magazine, the Waiting Room, which is due to launch later this year. Elizabeth Daniels, the Waiting Room founder, and I have been trading emails and phone calls over the past few weeks and as a result of our conversations, I am proud to announce that Elizabeth has asked me to become the WaitingRoomMagazine.com's webmaster. WaitingRoomMagazine.com will exist as a separate entity in support of the magazine and my job will be to maintain the website and blog about youth cancer culture issues and creative cancer projects as I do here.

With that said, I am excited to join Elizabeth and her team and get this project moving, but we need your help. We are looking for donations large and small in order to pay for the development & design of the new WaitingRoomMagazine.com website & blog. Please keep in mind that donations are not tax deductible, but anybody making a donation will be honored on the website 'Contribution Hall' page with a link back to your website where applicable.

If you'd like to make a donation through PayPal please use the PayPal button below. If you'd like to send a check or contact Elizabeth directly please contact her at elizabeth@waitingroommagazine.com .

Thank you for your generous support.

Matt LeVeque

Bob Roll (Bobke) at NJ Cancer Benefit

I know, another cycling post... Well you know this is high season for the one day classics and apparently cancer benefits. WAIT cancer benefits happen all year round.

Anyway, there were two posts on Cyclingnews.com this week about legendary Team 7-11 cyclist Mr. (Bobke) Bob Roll making an appearance at an upcoming benefit for the Wellness Community and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I am qualifying this post for the Cancer Creatives Blog because, a) I call the shots and already mentioned I'll post cancer cycling benefits when I want to b) it benefits the LAF and c) Bob Roll is a whacky cat who does some of the most creative gestures with his hands during the Tour 'day' France broadcast on VS.

Here are the benefit details:

Cycling personality Bob Roll will be appearing June 9 in Long Branch, New Jersey, to benefit The Wellness Community and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Hosted by the Peddler Bike Shop, the first 50 people to raise $500 will be invited to have dinner, drinks and share stories with Bob Roll at Tavolo Pronto in Fair Haven on Friday evening, June 8. Roll will also attend the Bike ride.

Riders will have a choice of three scenic rides including a �, � and full metric century. All rides start and end on the oceanfront in Pier Village, Long Branch, NJ. There will be food provided before and after rides, fully supported and stocked rest stops, prizes for the largest fundraisers in each category and goodie bags for all riders. For more information and registration information, e-mail info@twcjerseyshore.org or visit the promoter's Web site at www.thewellnesscommunity.org/jerseyshore.

Baseball & the Art of a Cancer Project

Spring training 2007 is complete and tomorrow the Phillies (my home town team) play the BoSox (my adopted home team) in an exhibition game at Citizens Bank Park. This is really a great time of year and the start of baseball season is a reminder of warm weather, wearing flip-flops to work and that Eagles training camp is only a couple of months away�

Fortunately, and in some cases unfortunately, it is also a reminder of some great baseball players who have both survived and lost their battle with cancer. There are far too many baseball players affected by cancer and baseball related creative cancer projects to mention and to keep your attention long enough for you to appreciate them so I will, as briefly as possible, tell you about three of my favorites. One for my home-town hero, one by my adopted home�s favorite baseball journalist and one for a project you probably never heard of and wish you had.

I was probably about eight years old when watching Tug McGraw on the mound during the sixth game of the 1980 World Series striking out K.C Royals Willie Wilson for the series win. To this day Tug�s leap off the mound is still fresh in my mind like it happened yesterday. I did not know the man personally, but from what I have read he was an all around good guy and regular �screwball� on and off the field. When he died recently after a brave battle against brain cancer, I was truly heart-broken.

Today, the Tug McGraw Foundation lives on in his memory and is making waves in the fight against brain cancer. On May 8th 2007 the Tug McGraw Foundation in partnership with Schweiger Vineyards, Trifecta Wine will unveil their 45YGB Wine, a tribute to southpaw, Tug McGraw. The Winemaker's dinner is a benefit for both the TMF and Champion Charities. For more details on the 45 YGB Wine Release & Dinner party click visit TMF.

Unless you are from Boston you might not have ever heard of this obscure cancer project. Hot Stove, Cool Music is the brain child of Casey Riddles and Jeff Horrigan who happened to personally know legendary Boston Globe & ESPN Journalist and musician Peter Gammons. With the help of Peter, Casey & Jeff assembled an all-star Boston music scene cast including Bill Janovitz, Kay Hanley and even BoSox General manager Theo Epstein�s band to perform at the Paradise Rock Club during the accompanying silent auction. Long story short, Hot Stove Cool music has turned into a handful of concerts/silent auctions benefiting the Jimmy Fund which is also the official charity of the Boston Red Sox. CD�s of the concert can be found here.

In 2002, multi-media-talented San Francisco based artist, Lee Walton painted 30 chairs pink to raise money for breast cancer. The project was called �PAINT THE Corner- Strike out Breast Cancer� . Fundraised by the auctioning of the chairs went to support SELF Magazine's THINK PINK! Project, the Big Bam! Foundation and Major League Baseball. At the time, Self Magazine was also celebrating the 10th anniversary SELF's 2002 Pink Ribbon Initiative. SELF Magazine created the Pink Ribbon in 1992 which is internationally recognized as the symbol for breast cancer awareness.