Princess

USA. A long, long time ago in a fish far, far away, there one was a pretty little gene that liked to jump around.

That gene looked liked it was not working, like she wasn't  going to be able to offer anyone very much.

But then, in a far-away land (or, as I like to call it;  "Minnesota"),  a handsome prince ( I like to call him "a group of cancer researchers") decided to see if they could make the beautiful sleeping princess gene wake up.

They did, and she did. They ran to the castle (I call it "fish dissection part of the laboratories").  The beautiful jumping princess gene is actually called the "Sleeping Beauty" - and she might be the one to show us the fingerprint of every tumor's cancer gene. The handsome prince (s) were so happy, they immediately told the town crier to spread the news (I like to call that the "National Institute of Health and the Journal Nature"). 

This beautiful princess and her heros will work together to find and defeat the horrible villain (I call him "stupid cancer").

They will attack all the paths that the villain has owned until now; block it, squash it, gallantly end that evil.

The good news to all of this is that I am NOT telling you a fairy tale. The heros are real, the beautiful princess is real, and those of us ready to help get a sword and help are also real. (I like to call us "donors to cancer research"). The Sleeping Beauty Gene is back in the news with scientists making even more discoveries about what drives tumor growth - the more we know about what makes the evil villain tick, the greater the chances we'll be able to outsmart it. 

And we all lived happily ever after. The End. (Cue the sweeping dramatic music and sunset.)

Football

INDIANA — We look like we are ready to play football, don’t we? Just kidding. We are actually helping to load up the van for the most amazing initiative; I’m so excited to be a part of this in a small way.  My friend Connie (she’s the sassy one right in the middle of the photo) was the impetus behind an innovative new wave of cancer research at the Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center. That research, involving healthy women donating tissue samples, is now about to be celebrated, showcased and launched into the stratosphere by working with Super Bowl XLVI. Both are located in Indianapolis, so it’s just the perfect partnership. The women who donate tissue for this particular event might find a very special surprise as a thank you – in addition, of course, to the gift of hope!  Indy's Super Cure hopes to collect 700 tissue donations during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. The collection will take place January 28 & 29, 2011. To join the interested donor list, please visit komentissuebank.iu.edu.

Diet

WORLDWIDE - Once again, we are reminded by a new study how important diet can be to the cancer patient.  Well, to anyone, really! It’s such a tricky subject, I can’t think of one person I know who hasn’t had a weight issue. And who hasn’t heard about eating healthy? Come on!

I have an oncologist who is a genius. Best in the business, gem among men, etc. But he openly admits that while he does yoga, etc., he does have a few things that he eats and shouldn’t. He does, and he’s the smartest guy I know (which of course is somehow reassuring).

So it’s really just another tip about doing things in moderation to help you be healthier, should you choose to accept it. If not, then please share your most decadent recipes so we can at least enjoy along with you. :)