I am still a woman - Confessions of a twice cancer survivor - my journey by Nina Ann McCurley

The 6-year-old girl, who  Justin Bieber  and his fans referred to as “Mrs. Bieber,” died Wednesday morning. just got the worst news ever,”  Justin tweeted after learning the news.  “one of the greatest spirits i have ever known is gone. please pray for her family and for her. …  RIP Avalanna. i love you” Avalanna Routh, aka  “Mrs. Bieber,”  was adored nationwide for her brave struggle with a rare and incurable cancer called AT/RT and of course her unending love for the teen pop star. “Our darling Avalanna went to Heaven this morning,”  her family wrote on Twitter.  “Oh Avalanna, the brightest star — you took our hearts with you, our greatest love.” Avalanna hit headlines in February when she got the gift of a lifetime, a date with her beloved idol. Bieber learned about the young girl after her family started a “Get Avalanna to Meet Justin Bieber” campaign on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag, #MrsBieber. Avalanna was so infatuated with the singer her nurses once

Researchers in the United States have discovered that one of the deadliest types of breast cancer has genetic similarities to ovarian cancer. The latest findings, to be published in the journal Nature, come from an international study which mapped the DNA of cancer tumours. The basal-like breast cancer tumour is aggressive and accounts for one in 10 women who get the disease. Cancer Australia chief executive Professor Helen Zorbas says 14,000 women in Australia are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. "Of these, about 10 per cent will have the characteristics of basal-like tumours and they disproportionately affect younger women. "Therefore understanding the genetic profiles of these tumours is very significant in terms of understanding how we can treat them." The research which uncovered the link is part of the Cancer Genome Atlas Project. There is another similar project called the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Australia contributes r

The symptoms of  sternum   cancer  are varied since it may involve different areas of the body, but fatigue, pain around the chest region, bruising, and a general feeling of malaise are common. Sternum  cancer  can include malignancies found in the bones of the sternum itself, the breasts, or the lungs. In some cases  cancer  will begin in one area and then spread to another within the same region. The  lymph  nodes closet to the breast or lungs, as well as the liver, may also be affected. Sternum  cancer  includes one of several cancers affecting an organ or tissue in the same general region of the body. The sternum generally includes the chest area and the  breast bone  underneath. Several vital organ systems are found there, including the lungs and liver. Since so many varied diseases can affect the area, sternum  cancer  may not have any specific symptoms in and of itself. Most women notice a lump in the breast or armpit as a first sign of breast  cancer , while  lung cance

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx (voice box), bladder, kidney, and several other organs. But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Some men with one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while most men with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors. Even when someone has a risk factor, there is no way to prove that it actually caused the cancer. We don't yet completely understand the causes of breast cancer in men, but researchers have found several factors that may increase the risk of getting it. As with female breast cancer, many of these factors are related to sex hormone levels in the body. Aging Aging is

Klinefelter syndrome is a congenital condition (present at birth) that affects about 1 in 1,000 men. Normally the cells in men's bodies have a single X chromosome along with a Y chromosome, while women's cells have 2 X chromosomes. Men with this condition have cells with a Y chromosome plus at least 2 X chromosomes (sometimes as many as 4). Men with Klinefelter syndrome also have small testicles (smaller than usual). Often, they are unable to produce functioning sperm cells, making them infertile. Compared with other men, they have lower levels of androgens (male hormones) and more estrogens (female hormones). For this reason, they often develop gynecomastia (benign male breast growth). Some studies have found that men with Klinefelter syndrome are more likely to get breast cancer than other men. One study of men with this syndrome found that the risk of getting breast cancer was about 1%. But this is a hard area to study because these are both uncommon problems, a

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) In DCIS (also known as  intraductal carcinoma ), cancer cells form in the breast ducts but do not grow through the walls of the ducts into the fatty tissue of the breast or spread outside the breast. DCIS accounts for about 1 in 10 cases of breast cancer in men. It is almost always curable with surgery. Infiltrating (or invasive) ductal carcinoma (IDC) This type of breast cancer breaks through the wall of the duct and grows through the fatty tissue of the breast. At this point, it can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. At least 8 out of 10 male breast cancers are IDCs (alone or mixed with other types of invasive or in situ breast cancer). Because the male breast is much smaller than the female breast, all male breast cancers start relatively close to the nipple, so they are more likely to spread to the nipple. This is different from Paget disease as described below. Infiltrating (or invasive) lobular carcinoma (ILC) This ty

Gynecomastia is the most common male breast disorder. It is not a tumor but rather an increase in the amount of a man's breast tissue. Usually, men have too little breast tissue to be felt or noticed. A man with gynecomastia has a button-like or disk-like growth under his nipple and areola, which can be felt and sometimes seen. Although gynecomastia is much more common than breast cancer in men, both can be felt as a growth under the nipple, which is why it's important to have any such lumps checked by your doctor. Gynecomastia is common among teenage boys because the balance of hormones in the body changes during adolescence. It is also common in older men due to changes in their hormone balance. In rare cases, gynecomastia occurs because tumors or diseases of certain endocrine (hormone-producing) glands cause a man's body to make more estrogen (the main female hormone). Men's glands normally make some estrogen, but it is not enough to cause breast growth. Di

A breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts from cells of the breast. A  malignant tumor  is a group of cancer cells that may grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. Breast cancer occurs mainly in women, but men can get it, too. Many people do not realize that men have breast tissue and that they can develop breast cancer. Normal breast structure To understand breast cancer, it helps to have some basic knowledge about the normal structure of the breasts. The breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands in women), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels). Until puberty (usually around 13 or 14), young boys and girls have a small amount of breast tissue consisting of a few ducts located under the nipple and areola   (area around the nipple). At puberty, a

MARK DOEL, an IT manager from Morden, Surrey, was fit and sporty when he was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, aged 37. “The first thing I noticed was tiny blood spots on my sheets and shirts on the odd occasion – which went on for about a year. I wasn’t in pain but to put my mind at ease I went to see my GP who sent me home with plasters. He said it was likely to be rubbing from my shirt when I played badminton. A few months later, in June 2007, I was at a waterpark when a friend noticed I was bleeding quite a bit from my right nipple. I knew I needed to get a specialist opinion. He told me he didn’t think it could be cancer and was much more likely to be a condition like eczema, but they did an ultrasound scan which didn’t show anything sinister. I also had a tissue biopsy taken, but went home thinking it couldn’t be too worrying. When I returned for the biopsy results I saw my surgeon’s face and knew something was wrong. I was in shock, which is understandab

UNEMPLOYED printer Doug, from Plumstead, south-east London, is halfway through his chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in January. With a 21-month-old son and four daughters from a previous relationship, Doug says he wouldn’t wish the disease on his worst enemy. “Towards the end of last year I noticed a little lump in my left nipple. I assumed it was some kind of benign cyst which would work its way out of my system. It was only when my nipple inverted that my partner Sarah told me I had to get it checked out by my GP. I was referred to the breast care centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich where I had a mammogram . Trying to squeeze my breast into a machine designed for decidedly larger women’s breasts was certainly an effort! I genuinely thought men couldn’t get breast cancer so I managed to put the thought of the Big C to the back of my mind. My dad had died of cancer in his late 80s but there was no history of breast cancer in my family

I thought I would share something to make you laugh today. After surgery you should rest and relax, get those drugs out of your system and sleep.(also drink champagne) Well, this is easy as really that's how you feel, but saying that after 3 days in bed it is time to get up and get your priorites happening. First sponge bath, as you must not get those bandages wet. then clean jama's then we must do the hair and make up. What I have decided for me is every morning, I need hair done, mascara and lipstick even if I am ill. Funny, I can't dump this habit, but when you look good you feel so much better. That's what I have in my head anyway. It works for me. Now for the funny part, as my routine is probably the same for some woman. Sometimes I wish I was not a hair and makeup, dress up girl...lol No undies on as need to rest those arms and not have the pressure of pulling them up. For 1 week I walked everyday in my jama's. As I am at Pott's Point and the fashion c

Exciting update: KERRI-ANNE Kennerley has celebrated the end of her radiation treatment for breast cancer in classic KAK-style, singing her lungs out at the album launch of friends Prinnie Stevens and Mahalia Barnes. KERRI-ANNE KENNERLEY IS LOOKING FITTER THAN EVER. PICTURE: ADAM WARD  THE DAILY TELEGRAPH Looking fit and fabulous in skin-tight jeans and sexy silver top with a plunging back on Wednesday night, Kennerley said she was relieved the six-week course of radiation was over.Inspired by the performance of  The Voice contestants Stevens and Barnes - who were joined by Jimmy Barnes, Diesel and Darren Percival on stage throughout the night - Kennerley also said she would love to return to live singing. ''I'm feeling great and so happy to be finishing the radiation. It is my last treatment,'' she said. Kennerley gave some credit for her svelte shape to the diet devised by her  Dancing With The Stars partner Carmelo Pizzoni. While you coul

Yesterday seemed to be an easy day. Dad had a procedure booked in and all we had to do was turn up, the admission seemed fine. His test the CT scan was booked for 11am. It was on time, I arrived with dad at 10am so I thought he was good to go, from there they would take him to his room. At 2.30 I text my 71 year old father to say how is your room. It seems he was still in the foyer, upset and stressed as his procedure was due at 4pm. After one hour and 4 calls being transferred as no one would take it one board we got dad into his room at 3.45pm. Goodness, its pressure! be in a health fund as there will be no waiting. Yes, this seemed to me a waste of time. Anyway, thank you to Robyn who left the office at 3.30pm to promise me she would attend to my father for me. She actually, called me from the room and assured me my father was safe and getting prepared for surgery. Poor Dad got to his room and there was a shortage of beds, so he had no bed for another hour. The point to my

Over the next week or so I will launch my book cover, the book is not far off now. I would like to thank Richard Weinstein for doing the photo shoot. The cover looks great, I will be sure to keep you in the loop for all that is happening, you will see it very soon.  To find Richard  http://www.richardweinstein.com.au

Story from March this year: A nine-month old baby girl is struggling to survive after being diagnosed with cancer, which US doctors say she inherited from her mother in the womb. Addison Cox’s mother, Briana, was first diagnosed and treated for melanoma six years ago, but thought she was cancer-free when she became pregnant with Addison, America’s ABC News reports. But when Addison was a few weeks old doctors at a local hospital in Pheonix discovered the disease had returned and was now a stage four metastatic malignant melanoma which had been spreading through her body during her pregnancy. Briana ultimately died of the cancer on February 12. Doctors had initially been certain that Briana’s cancer would not have been passed on to Addison because there have been fewer than a dozen cases in the last decade where cancer was transmitted from mother to child. But Briana insisted her daughter be tested and doctors discovered she also had stage four melanoma which had bee

Thought this was interesting to share:  I have had lots of cysts and lumps from the age of 13. Breast pain (mastalgia) can occur in anyone with breast tissue -- including men ! Women may start experiencing breast pain at puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and even during menopause. Whether you have pain in both breasts or in one breast, there's no need to panic -- breast cancer seldom causes breast pain . Hormonal changes, weight gain, or benign anatomical changes within the breast may cause pain. Learn what type of pain you have and then use the right treatment to get relief. Focus on the Details of Your Breast Pain Art © Sebastian Kaulitzki, Fotolia Before you can get relief for your breast pain, take some time to figure out what may be causing it -- then match the treatment to the cause. Breast pain can be sorted into two major types: cyclical and non-cyclical . Cyclical breast pain fluctuates with your hormones, and is the most common type of breas

Well 6 surgeries in and it appears my body always has a side that takes a lot longer to repair than the other. After the double mastectomy my right side had a rather large hole. It took ages to repair and I had to buy a silver tape that was very expensive to assist in my healing. It actually ended up being weeks of bleeding, that was the cancer side. This time my left side is still bleeding and quiet a bit really considering it is day 23 after the operation. I am healing really well though. I feel quiet well and I am back doing most things. Sailing is still not going to be for another 3 weeks I would say as I want to heel and not pull anything apart. Today I have an appointment at Bondi about the nipple tattooing. How long to wait etc etc. So I feel like soon I will be able to be in a great place of no surgeries. The medical debt is still high and I really wonder how people cope in everyday life with all the tests and the expense of getting here. My expenses now close to $60,000.

By Alex Tresniowski With Her Family by Her Side, Linda McCartney's Long and Winding Journey as Mother, Wife, Artist and Crusader Comes to An All-Too-Untimely End      There were 36 phone messages waiting for freelance music writer Danny Fields when he returned to his Manhattan apartment April 19 after a weekend trip. Reporters were calling about the death of his close friend Linda McCartney, who had died two days earlier at age 56 from breast cancer that had spread to her liver. Devastated by what he heard, Fields reached for the phone. "I called Paul right away," says Fields. "I said, 'Oh, Paul,' and his voice cracked for 10 seconds. We both started to cry. But then I couldn't stop, and he was consoling me. He said, 'Wasn't she great? Wasn't she beautiful? Wasn't she smart and together and wonderful and loving?' " Praising his wife was an occupational as well as an emotional habit for McCartney, 55, who wrote doze