Ok, this is going to be a serious post. Cancer is this huge growing monster that seems to want to do whatever it wants. You hope & pray & follow whatever you’re supposed to do, but in the end, it does whatever it wants. I know it’s affected each & everyone of us; unfortunately by attaching itself to someone we love.

So, w/ all that in mind, I’m offering up linkage to refer to if you need questions answered, or just various information.

First up, is the button I’ve attached to my sidebar. It will take you to a place on the website of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). The button takes you to info for donating cord blood if you’re pregnant. I thought this was important b/c I know so many pregnant women who say that they were never told of this as an option.

If someone is diagnosed w/ leukemia, then a bone marrow or cord blood transplant would be a likely option for treatment. It’s the NMDP registry that they check for a potential match to save that person’s life. If you’re not pregnant, you can still sign up to join the NMDP registry as a potential donor.

In the days that I joined, it was $25 (tax-deductible; waived for minorities) & you gave 8 mL of yo blood to tissue-type. (It’s not blood type, it’s tissue-typing to find a match). Now-a-days, there’s no blood involved; they give you a swab, & you swab the inside of your mouth, put the swabs in an envelope & give it back. You can also contact your local NMDP donor center for more info. Once you join, you’re in it for life; which I think is a super-cool thing. That means that I do this one lil thing once, & I can live the rest of my life knowing that if there is anyone out there that I can help, the NMDP will contact me to let me know. Of course, you can also update your current contact info w/ the NMDP online, once you’re in the registry. As far as I know this happens to just be a US thing.

The NMDP site has plenty of info for those diagnosed, those just supporting, and for physicians. It’s a great resource site, & I’ve learned so much from it.

The button on my sidebar (also above left) specifically takes you to the section on their site where they mention cord blood donation. If you know anyone who’s expecting a baby, please email them that link. PLEASE. Seriously, it could save a life if you do so.

Cord blood donation is:
-completely safe (umbilical cord & placenta is typically discarded after birth; cord blood is collected after the baby is born)
-free
-confidential
-painless (bone marrow donors go through local anesthesia)
-easier to match (cord blood from an unrelated donor doesn’t require the precise tissue-type matching of bone marrow transplants; & rejection of placental cells is less severe).

Of course, the button on the bottom of my sidebar (to the left of this paragraph) is for the American Cancer Society (ACS). There, you can find info on Relay for Life and guides to quit smoking. There’s a cancer survivors network, stories of hope, info on early detection, and statistics. It’s also got the most awesome site for the Great American Smokeout. You can be an advocate, donate your time, participate in events that they have. We all want change to happen, but it’s necessary for us to be active in making it occur. We all need to do something.

You may also want to check out this link to the National Cancer Institute. This is an informative US governmental site that has comprehensive information on cancer. You can get info on any cancer, A-Z, here. Seriously, any question about cancer the disease itself, you can prob find an answer to here. The site is very clinical, but thorough & informative.

For more information on Blood Cancers, you can go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The have a ton of info on treatments & clinical trials. They also have a live chat thingie, so you can chat online with someone about your questions or concerns. It seems to be a site that offers a lot of support. They have a question & answer section, discussion boards, & informational materials.

Lastly, here’s the link to the Pink for October ppl. As you may recall, I didn’t like any of the buttons they had, so I used their design elements & created one from what they had to offer. I guess over 1500 sites went pink last month; sites by men & women everywhere. I thought that was quite impressive & am linking it so that anyone who wants more info on them can go to the site. It really doesn’t have any real info on cancer itself; but I have read a couple of posts by survivors through the site.

One day, I hope to delete this post entirely, as there will come a day when there is no need for it.

If you actually read this far down, I know you’re deeply touched & you have known the sorrow & seen the bravery of someone of someone suffering from this horrible monster. I’ll take this moment to say that my cousin is running a half-marathon on December 3, 2006 for our nephew who’s amazing life was cut short at the age of 7. Next week, it will have been 1 year since he has passed. She is collecting donations (checks made out to: “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society”) to raise funds for the research & great things they do. If you’d like to contribute, please send me an email (yllwdaisies [at] gmail.com), & I will get the mailing info for the check & details to you.

If anyone has any other links you think I should add, please just leave it in the comments, & I’ll update the post w/ the new linkage. Also, all pics are hyperlinked to the corresponding site.