Cancer is a word that represents fear, suffering and sometimes loss. Almost all of us have been touched by cancer in some way. It might have been a relative, a friend or an acquaintance, but most of us know someone who has suffered from this terrible disease.
Cancer always has been a part of life for many of us. It seems like every year someone we know deals with the disease.
Thanks to the progress of modern science and the strength of the human spirit, many of them become survivors. Most of us deal with an intense feeling of helplessness during these situations, as we possess neither the medical training necessary to treat our loved ones nor the financial resources to fund cancer research.
For almost two years, Carolina Cancer Focus has helped college students find ways to help win the fight against cancer. When several friends and I founded CCF during our freshman year, we did so because we wanted to make a difference in this fight and because we wanted to empower other students to do likewise.
We make that difference through education - distributing self-exam shower cards, working with area middle school students on anti-tobacco education and holding Cancer Awareness Week. We do it through fund raising - from doughnut sales to our 3-on-3 tournament, raising money for research at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. We do it through service - visiting patients at the hospital, volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and producing an inspirational literary journal for cancer patients across North Carolina.
Today begins our second annual Cancer Awareness Week, co-sponsored with Alpha Kappa Delta Phi. Our main goal for the week is to promote awareness of the many ways in which we as students can contribute to the fight.
While CCF offers many options, there are several other great efforts present in the area:
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