2/4/26

World Cancer Day '26

Image of hands of different colors with middle fingers raised with the text, “World Cancer Day, Today give the middle finger to the horrific disease and DEMAND better screening, care, and research funding! Then do it again tomorrow. And keep doing it all year long!”
Last week I lost another friend to cancer. EVERYBODY I know has been touch by cancer in one way or another, yet there are subhumans out there cutting access to care and research funding. Demand better screening, care, and research! Not just today, but every day!

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Open Letter to Politicians on World Cancer Day

Dear Politician, Please stop sending me messages requesting money for your campaign. I’m a retired illustrator turned hereditary cancer advocate because of a tragedy in my life. I donate my time, talent, and money to help prevent cancer and save lives. I cannot afford to fund your efforts to win what is basically a popularity contest so you can sit on your pompous ass and do nothing to help some of the most vulnerable among us. Thank you for your attention on this matter! Sincerely, Mark A. Hicks
 

And this🖕is for the small-minded politician that wouldn’t advance out of committee a hereditary cancer screening bill I fought to get passed for three years.

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1/19/26

The Skinny on Melanin

 The poster can be downloaded at
Illustration of skin cross section showing cells, including the location of melanocytes. Found in the thin basal layer of your epidermis, melanocytes are specific cells that produce melanin. Melanin is a dark pigment that helps protect your skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage from the Sun. Too much Sun exposure can damage the DNA in your skin cells. All human beings have about the same number of melanocytes in their skin. The only difference is the amount of melanin produced by the melanocytes. Besides the skin, melanin is also found in hair, eyes, brain, and other tissues. And there are more than 160 genes associated melanogenesis, which is the process that produces melanin. The poster of this image can be downloaded at www.MendelCat.com/melanin


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1/8/26

Do You Know Peas and Q's about Genes and Hereditary Cancer?

As a hereditary cancer widower, advocate, and parent of a previvor, I know genetic knowledge and genetic testing can save lives. Being a professional creative with decades of experience producing educational materials, I created this primer about genetics and hereditary cancer to help raise awareness. It’s my attempt to try and make an extremely complex subject a little easier to grasp for anyone interested.

A PDF version can be downloaded at www.genetionary.org. A professionally published edition is also available gratis on a limited basis.

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1/6/26

Screenshot of the hereditary cancer information and awareness website, Genetionary.org
When I was my late wife's hereditary cancer caregiver, I often found myself trying to explain to others about her diagnosis, how her cancer could have been prevented had her family shared info, and how our adult child ended up with the exact same BRCA2 mutation as her mother. But I quickly realized that many people lack a basic understanding of genetics, genetic inheritance, and cancer. So, being a professional illustrator with decades of experience creating educational materials, I started drawing pictures to help explain it.

I felt the hereditary cancer infographics I had created should to be openly shared. So I created Genetionary.org, an ad-free site with a simple genetic mutation glossary, my infographics, and materials for sharing family health/cancer history. My goal is to help raise more awareness about hereditary cancer and to help encourage families to communicate about health history. Especially if that history involves cancer.

For more detailed information about genetic mutations, or if you have questions about your own hereditary cancer risk, please talk to your doctor and/or a certified genetic counselor.

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1/1/26

Your DNA and the World

Image of kids of all colors holding up signs with a section of DNA on the signs. Text: Did you know that you share a lot of the same DNA with everybody else? Over 99% of the base pairs in your DNA are the same as every other human on this planet. Learn more with Mendel G. Cat’s book about DNA. Available at most online bookstores. See www.MendelCat.com for more info. For ages 6 and up. © copyright Mark A. Hicks. All rights reserved.

There’s a tiny thin thread that connects us all.

Mendel G. Cat’s DNA book has more info. For ages 6 and up. www.MendelCat.com



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12/25/25

Peas on Earth

Holiday greeting featuring an image of Mendel G. Cat in winter garb and with peas falling like snowflakes in the background. Peas on Earth Best Wishes to You and Yours for the Coming New Year! Mendel G. Cat’s book about DNA is available at most online bookstores. See www.MendelCat.com for more info.

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