CANCER ARTICLES FOR IMNY

Foreword: To fully grasp the sensible nature behind the science of Immunology is to understand the logic of how our overall physiology works in the most uncomplicated terms possible.  It is this logic that frames our very co-existence with disease (and cancer) and how our bodies are naturally designed to suppress them. Basic biology attributes any contracted sickness or disease to a WEAKENED and COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM.     Our body's  immune system  accounts for approximately 1% of the body's 100 trillion cells.  The different cell lineages that develop all share one common objective: to identify and destroy all substances ( living or inert ) which are recognized as not being part of what "should be in the body .” Whether it is an abnormal cell or what are perceived as dangerous or damaged cells, they are actively hunted down and destroyed by effector cells of the immune system. Cancer cell attacked by Lymphocytes CELLULAR WARFARE Imagine having you

THE TWO‐PART MISSION TO SAVE LIVES Fact: Cancer is a grim and dark topic that no one enjoys talking about. It’s not uncommon for many to BURY the idea that you could be NEXT-- preferring to believe cancer can happen to someone else. But history shows that CANCER WILL ALWAYS SURPRISE YOU! This is why creating a ground attack and a crusade needs to happen to "get the drop on cancer."  We can do this by staying smart with awareness, get vigilant with a healthy lifestyle and keeping our eyes open for this sneaky disease before it catches you! Any cancer survivor, cancer specialist or patient advocate will tell you that fighting cancer requires a ONE‐TWO PUNCH comprised of EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS to reinforce a proactive lifestyle and the right information of what’s truly available in the treatment world. The second half of the battle is taking on the regimen of Early Detection and Prevention through REGULAR CHECKUPS & SCREENING. That’s the smarts behind the ‘GET CHECKED NOW!’ m

My name is Vanessa Silva. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 after my father was first diagnosed with breast cancer where he was identified as BRCA2 positive.   I found out in a very roundabout way. I only went for a check-up because my doctor wanted to be proactive, and she just wanted to confirm that I was healthy.  More importantly, she wanted to check to see that I wasn't carrying the gene. But during the mammogram, they told me to go upstairs to see my doctor.  Right then and there I knew they were going to tell me I had cancer. I spoke to my doctor and she confirmed it. I can remember crying- then saying, "Okay, you need to get yourself together. There's options. They said it was at stage zero. It's not a death sentence. We're going to do what we have to do... but you're probably going to be BRCA2 positive, as well."  The battle for me started with chemotherapy- but not radiation. In a matter of weeks, they realized the cancer was more aggres