The article addresses:

• Legal protections that prevent discrimination in the workplace
• Emotional concerns about returning to work
• Ways that a workplace can accommodate people coping with cancer
• Young adults’ unique concerns

Read the article.

CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers recently answered your questions about workplace issues through the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website.

You can also listen to podcasts of our Connect Education Workshops on Cancer and the Workplace and Survivorship and Workplace Transitions.

Learn more about CancerCare’s free resources on coping with cancer in the workplace.

While many young adults are focused on things like education, careers, or dating and starting a family, young adults with cancer may find themselves confronting different concerns, such as where to get the best medical care or how to pay for expensive treatments.

Miller’s article provides tips on how health care professionals can help young adults cope with a cancer diagnosis, and offers valuable resources young adults can turn to for support.

Read the article.

CancerCare provides free, specialized services for young adults affected by cancer, including counseling, support groups, and educational workshops.

Recipients are awarded an average of $2,000 in grants and scholarships that help cover costs such as medical and living expenses, certain types of tuition, and family-building expenses.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 17-35 years old, and have completed active treatment. The application deadline is Monday, July 12.

To apply for a 2010 SAMFund grant, visit www.thesamfund.org. 

CancerCare offers specialized, free services for young adult patients, caregivers, loved ones, and survivors including counseling, financial assistance, support groups, and publications.

Week-long programs are offered in Utah, Colorado, Montana and Washington, free of charge to all participants. It is not required of participants to have any previous rafting or climbing experience, and all equipment is provided by First Descents. Medical providers are always available on-site at each program to ensure a safe experience for each individual.

First Descents Participants Kayaking in Idaho

Those accepted to the program must cover the cost of travel, although limited scholarships covering transportation are available. First Descents is still accepting applications for climbing programs in September; click here to apply.  All that is required to apply is a general application form, and a physical exam form filed out by you physician.

“Young adults who have cancer are often underserved by support offerings that address concerns specific to their age,” notes CancerCare Men’s Cancer Project Coordinator Wade Iwata, LMSW.  “First Descents is really a unique and worthwhile experience that keeps young adults coming back to the program year after year.”

For more information about First Descents, and to learn how you can become a volunteer or host a fundraiser, please visit the organization’s website. 

Learn more about CancerCare’s free, professional support services for young adults affected by cancer.

Today’s issue of The Wall Street Journal explores the risks and benefits of both sun-lovers and shade-seekers.  On the plus side, the sun’s UV rays stimulate endorphins that can boost your mood and reduce pain.  Unfortunately, exposure to UV rays also causes up to 95% of melanoma diagnoses.

With summer approaching, it’s important to know how to prevent and detect melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers.  Risk factors include:

• A history of blistering sunburns
• Light hair and eyes
• A large number of freckles and/or moles
• Family history of melanoma

 You can decrease your risk by:

•  Avoiding tanning beds
• Wearing sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher
• Seeking shade during the sun’s peak hours of 10am-4pm
• Covering your body when exposed to the sun’s rays

You can still enjoy outdoor activities in the sunshine, just remember to take precautions and enjoy the sun in moderation.

Two new CancerCare fact sheets about melanoma, made possible through an educational grant from Teb’s Troops, will be available soon.  Find Teb’s Troops on Facebook to learn more about its Fourth Annual March on Melanoma 5K race, to be held July 25  in Chicago. 

CancerCare’s melanoma resources include The Melanoma Helpline. Launched in partnership with The Melanoma Research Foundation, the helpline is staffed by professional oncology social workers who provide free telephone counseling and information about coping with melanoma. Call 877-MRF-6460 (877-673-6460).

Read The Wall Street Journal article here.

CancerCare offers counseling, support groups, community programs, publications and financial assistance all free of charge to anyone affected by melanoma.

The article, written by CancerCare Director of Corporate Relations Christina Wyman, details the event’s history, which began in New York City in 2004.  What was initially just 12 local bakeries donating the proceeds from selling cupcakes adorned with the CancerCare logo has now evolved into a national campaign, with over 365 bakeries participating in 2009.

CancerCare for Kids was created to address the special needs and concerns of children and adolescents who are coping with cancer. CancerCare‘s professional oncology social workers help families navigate the often complex issues they face when coping with a cancer diagnosis though age-appropriate counseling, therapeutic recreational activities, educational materials, and financial assistance.

Here are just a few ways that you can help support Cupcakes for a Cause:

• Download a bake sale kit and host your own bake sale, and donate the proceeds to CancerCare for Kids
• Create virtual e-Cupcakes and sending them to friends and family. Last year, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM® donated $1 per e-Cupcake for the first 5,000 sent.
• Purchase Cupcakes in Bloom, non-edible cupcakes provided by 1-800-FLOWERS. Last September, 10% of net proceeds from the sales of these cupcake-shaped floral arrangements went to support our CancerCare for Kids program.

The Huff Post‘s Tammy Tibbetts also writes about the cupcakes for charity trend and mentions CancerCare‘s campaign. Read Tammy’s article.

The 2010 Cupcakes for a Cause Week will take place September 20-26, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Please visit our Cupcakes for a Cause website for more information. To learn more about our specialized services for children and families facing cancer, visit CancerCare for Kids or call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673).

The stories she shares reveal, in her words, “how difficult it can be to lose your hair as a by-product of saving your own life.” Of course, each patient reacts to treatment-related hair loss in their own personal way, as reader’s comments on the blog illustrate:

“I had chemo last year and loved being bald. My son and I went together to have our heads shaved and our local paper made a video of it,” says one woman. Another writes, “I lost my hair twice due to different treatment regimens and each time there were emotions associated that I did not expect.”

CancerCare social workers offer the following tips to individuals coping with hair loss:

• Buy a wig before all of your hair falls out. This way, you will have a good match to your own hair color.
• Get a professional fitting. There are full-service wig salons that fit and style wigs.
• Find out if your health insurance company covers the cost of wigs. If so, remember to save your receipt.

For additional tips, read CancerCare‘s fact sheet, “Tips for Managing Hair Loss.”

One commentator to the “Well” blog offers the following helpful advice to parents with cancer who are contemplating going bald:

“Parents with school aged children should talk to their kids and set expectations with them. Our kids were fine with their Mom being bald AT HOME, but when she was at school they requested that she wear a wig so she would look normal.”

Do you have some tips of your own? We invite you to share them with our readers by leaving a comment on this page.