Mr. Anton Balasingham, theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), a rare and aggressive malignancy of the biliary system.

Mr. Balasingham has had various medical investigations and is consulting oncologists about the possibility of treatment and the prognosis.

It is said in the reports that the cancer is in an advanced state and has spread to his liver, lungs, abdomen and bones.

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North Carolina State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler and Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow announced jointly that Yow will be taking a leave of absence from her coaching duties for an indefinite period of time.

Associate head coach Stephanie Glance will serve as interim coach, Yow and athletic director Lee Fowler said in a news release.

Yow is battling breast cancer and doctors recently found it was progressing. That means she’ll have to undergo chemotherapy and targeted biologic therapies.

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Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Cancer patient’s charity in Boston received its biggest donation ever from the annual fund-raising bicycle ride.

The Jimmy Fund, which supports Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received $26 million from the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge during a ceremony at Harvard Medical School. In August, 4,300 cyclists rode up to 192 miles across the state and raised what organizers contend is the largest sum by an athletic fund-raising event.

Nearly 43-hundred cyclists participated in the event in August and this year’s total is up by $3 million dollars from last year.

This year’s fund-raising pushes to $171 million the total brought in by the event.

“It really allows us to make a major investment in research,” said Edward J. Benz Jr., president of Dana-Farber.

“The PMC monies allow us to cover research expenses that are not well covered by federal grants,” Benz said, citing major pieces of equipment, start-up costs for recruiting scientists, and clinical and applied research, as examples.

“Without the PMC, we would really struggle to meet our mission,” Benz said. “It allows us to operate at a level of excellence and size that would be very difficult to achieve if it weren’t there.”

Dana-Farber relies heavily on unrestricted fund-raising. The Challenge’s contributions account for more than half of the unrestricted funds Dana-Farber has received from all sources, Benz said.

It hit like a ton of bricks and it wasn’t something that I was prepared for – maybe later in life but not at 32. In one week I went from a normal life to finding out I had testicular cancer and undergoing surgery to remove the infected testicle. There was no time wasted and little preparation for the blow to my psyche.

The week started like any other, I went to work on Monday and something just wasn’t right. As it turns out something was more than just wrong. An ultrasound on Tuesday would indicate cancer had invaded my right testicle and my fears were confirmed. Wednesday brought a meeting with the urologist that would remove the testicle and Thursday was surgery. In less than seven days, my life changed.

You also have to understand that my medical life was so very charmed before all this. I’d never broken a bone, had a cavity, I still have all my wisdom teeth, and I’d never had surgery before. To be honest my worst fear was that I’d wake up with a tube down my throat like on ER and have to deal with that. To my great comfort there was no tube, just a bandage virtually duct taped to my hip and a missing testicle upon my waking in the recovery room. As I walked out of the hospital that day I realized there was a long road ahead.

Before I could begin chemotherapy, I had to bank sperm (in case the drugs left me sterile), undergo breathing tests (since the Bleoymicin can scar your lungs) and have an additional consultation with a radiation oncologist should my condition require radiation as part of treatment. I was lucky since a pure seminoma responds well to chemotherapy and likely would not require radiation.

I had heard the horror stories of chemo, loosing weight, frequent bouts of vomiting, and a generally miserable time. I prepared for all that, but it never came. During the course of my treatment, I never got sick, actually gained weight, and the worst thing that happened was that I perpetually felt tired. It’s a difficult feeling to describe, what chemo feels like that is. I used to say, it feels like I’m hung over and walking through loose sand all the time. But as I read the description it doesn’t make a ton of sense to me either, but that’s the way it felt.

The bottom line is that I made it through and have been fine ever since. My chemo lasted from October to December and between each cycle I had a CAT and PET scan to judge the progress. All along the way we saw the infected lymph nodes get smaller and the disease gradually die.

You might be asking, so how did he get through? What allowed him to cope? I’ll be honest – I gave in to the simple fact that I didn’t cause this. I had no hand in causing my disease; it’s not like lung cancer from smoking of ruining your liver from drinking. Once I came to this realization, my focus shifted to killing the disease and getting it out of my body. While I can’t say that I enjoyed the weekly IV sticks and the daily trips to the cancer treatment center, I didn’t mind them as much. Beyond the mental shift, my family played a tremendous role in my recovery. For the surgery and the chemo my family was by my side and kept me going. While I could have done virtually all of it on my own, it was very helpful to have someone at the house since I really wasn’t working at this time and too much time alone would not have been good.

While this story seems very positive, there are a few aspects of my cancer diagnosis that require some attention. First, I have this feeling that I’m not out of the woods yet. I have kept up with all my follow-up visits and have regular CAT and PET scans, blood work, and physical exams. However, there’s a voice in the back of my head that every now and again whispers to me – beware…And finally, while my surgical scar has healed and I’ve lost the weight I gained during chemo, there are emotional issues that I’ve yet to deal with fully. I think some upfront counseling would have helped, but that didn’t happen and now I’m dealing with it.

Bottom line – testicular cancer is beatable with modern medicine. The thing is if you think there’s a problem, get it checked out. Find a doctor you trust and tell them the facts, while we all hope for the best case, you need to be more prepared for the truth than I was. Should the diagnosis be cancer, understand that it’s not the end of the world and there are places to turn like the American Cancer Society for advice and a friendly person to talk to who has been where you are now.

About Author

I live in South Florida and run two websites, www.swisswatchdeal.com and www.govjobswap.com

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The award-winning newsman died Tuesday of liver cancer in Norwalk Hospital less than three weeks before his induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Glenn retired in February after 35 years with CBS.It was Glenn who anchored the January 28th, 1986, launch of the doomed shuttle Challenger and delivered an anguished commentary as the spacecraft exploded shortly after lift off. “This flight, which was to have been such a bright chapter in the history of the manned space flight program, turned in the flash of an instant into a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

There are some things that happen in life where we can recall exactly where we were when it happened and heard of the tragedy. On the day the shuttle Challenger exploded I was in my tenth grade class watching it on television. The twentieth anniversary of the shuttle explosion brought back this memory and so did today when reading of Christopher Glenn’s death.

Christopher Glenn also was the distinctive voice to those who remember the Emmy-award winning “In the News.” The two and a half minute feature on one topic was broadcast every half hour during Saturday children’s programming on CBS. It debuted in September 1971 and ran for 5,000 episodes over thirteen seasons. He also was the anchor for CBS “World News Roundup” in 1999 after spending eleven years in a similar capacity for “The World Tonight.”

Glenn explained why he loved radio. “You don’t just sit there and stare at the pictures. You have to tell them the story and make them understand, and I think that that’s much more of a challenge for a journalist and makes it much more interesting in the long run.”

Christopher is survived by his wife, Dianne, two daughters and a sister.

Actor Edward Laurence Albert, Godson of Sir Laurence Olivier died on Friday of lung cancer, he was 55. Edward appeared in 126 films and also had TV roles to his credit.

Edward’s movie debut was in 1965’s The Fool Killer. Once he seriously decided to pursue acting he starred in a film called Butterflies are Free in 1972 with Goldie Hawn.

Edward’s wife actress Kate Woodville said that “His true passion lay with his family first. He devoted the last ten years of his life to caring for his ailing father, Eddie Albert. His neighbors, friends and family knew him as a fierce and dedicated environmentalist. He touched many lives, even saved a few. He will be remembered as a magnificent man, loving father and husband”.

Ann Richards, who was the Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995, succumbed to esophageal cancer. She passed away at the age of 73. Earlier this year in March, she revealed that she was being treated for esophageal cancer. She was the second woman in history of Texas, to hold that position.

Ann Richards seemed to be a spunky lady. When Ann was nearing sixty she rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle because she said “I thought I needed to do something kind of jazzy.” Ann didn’t start her political career until she was in her 40’s. She won a seat on the Travis County commission in Austin in 1976. The 1988 Democratic National Convention is when Ann burst onto the scene. At the keynote address she famously described the syntax-challenged Republican presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, this way: “Poor George. He can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.” She eventually was defeated for the re-election of Governor by Bush’s son, and future president, George W. Bush. That was the last time she ran for office. She then worked as consultant and commentator and she served on corporate boards.

One quote she liked that she said summed up the aspiration of women in politics: “Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”

Under a new proposed law, sixth grade girls of Michigan State are required to be vaccinated against cervical cancer. The proposed law would require girls headed for sixth grade next year to be immunized against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers and can also cause genital warts.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 9,700 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year, and that more than a third of those cases will be fatal. Cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer in the number of diagnoses made every year. The vaccine, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June, was shown to be 100 percent effective against HPV.

Doctors say it works best if administered before girls are sexually active.

Stacey Stephenson, a 19 year old teenager died of stomach cancer after being repeatedly told by doctors that she only had indigestion.

Stacey’s cancer was finally diagnosed correctly by a Greek doctor while she was holidaying at Crete. Stacey immediately returned to England for her treatment but she succumbed to stomach cancer, earlier this month.

Earlier this June, Miss Stephenson, who was a loan adviser, usually complained about feeling sick and failed to keep her food down. Wasting no time she went to her doctor, who prescribed her some medicines for the indigestion. But the problems continued to grow. So she again went to her doctor after two weeks. But again the doctor told her that it was a problem of indigestion and prescribed her the same course. Soon, her stomach started to swell. Her worried mother immediately called NHS Direct. They advised her to take Stacey to a hospital. But that didn’t end the pain. After another week, the pain was so strong that she again went to her doctor who then advised her to go for a blood test. But Stacey has to leave for Crete the next day with four of her friends.

It was the second week during her stay at Crete, when the pain worsened. She was immediately admitted to the Greek hospital.

Stacey’s mother said: “We were called by a Greek doctor who said we had to fly over there straight away. I couldn’t quite understand what was happening but Malcolm and I caught a flight and got there quick. We were called on the same day as Stacey’s sister, Lindsey, told us she was pregnant. My emotions went from one extreme to another in one day.” Mr Lowther, 43, said: “An X-ray showed a tumor in her stomach and that was why she was feeling sick and couldn’t hold her food down. A doctor from Athens escorted us home on the flight and an ambulance was waiting at Newcastle Airport to take us to the Freeman Hospital.”

Soon after a week Miss Stephenson was moved to Royal Victoria Infirmary teenage cancer unit, as she showed no signs of any improvement. Stacey’s stepfather said ‘Stacey started chemotherapy but her body was so weak that she was rushed into the intensive care unit where she was put on a ventilator. Eventually her kidneys failed.’

Soon Stacey died, surrounded by family members and friends.

Her mother said “It happened so quickly. She can’t believe that Stacey is gone.” She also added: “She was a beautiful person – in looks and her manner.”

No doctors from Newcastle General Hospital or the health trust was available for comment yesterday.

Miss Stacey Stephenson will be buried alongside her father, Brian, who died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 33 in 1993.

New fundraising records have been set this year for “Weekend to End Breast Cancer Walk”, raising $17.2 million funds for the Princess Margaret Hospital. This 60 kilometers walk and a two day event, is the largest, single fundraiser event in Canadian history.

With over 5000 people walking on the streets in rain, on this weekend to help battle the breast cancer, Organizers were shocked and thrilled not only with the record breaking funds raised, but with large turnout and community awareness. Paul Alofs, President and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation stated in a press release, “We’re so grateful to the 5,382 courageous women and men walking this weekend, and to all the volunteers, Donors, and truly the entire community for their amazing support”.

After the opening ceremony, all the participants wearing pink caps left the Exhibition Palace at 7:15 a.m. They will be setting up a camp for the night at Downsview Park, after walking for 30 kilometers on Saturday. On Sunday, the participants will walk their way back to Exhibition Grounds for a closing ceremony that is to be held at Direct Energy Centre. Along the route, friends and family members are encouraged to cheer up the participants at the particular cheering stations.

Such an event has been held for the fourth year. All the raised fund will go towards Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment, research and education of breast cancer.