A Holiday Offering

Losing my wife to a hereditary cancer that was very preventable was unbearably heartbreaking. And the heartache is never more keenly felt by my daughter and me than during the holidays.

My wife is no longer alive to celebrate the holidays because life-saving genetic sequencing information was not shared with numerous at-risk family members. So, in memory of my wife, I have become a very determined hereditary cancer awareness and prevention advocate in the hope that I might save a life or two and prevent a hell of a lot of suffering and sorrow.

As part of my love and advocacy, I create content for Cure Today, a publisher of cancer care resources. For the holidays I wrote a story that I hope you will take a moment to read. 

And accompanying my story is a holiday art activity with a message about cancer that I hope you’ll share...

https://www.curetoday.com/view/a-holiday-offering-for-those-affected-by-cancer  

 

CURE's Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=593898379409225&set=a.404816141650784

 

Talking to your Family about Hereditary Cancer

Cancer Education & Kindness

It's so important to share information if there is a family history of cancer. With my late wife, I witnessed how not sharing cancer risk knowledge can lead to needless suffering and heartache. What should of been a simple act of love and kindness didn't happen and my wife died because of it.

Please read my article at Cure Today:

https://www.curetoday.com/view/cancer-education-and-kindness

This particular article was inspired by the late children's book author, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and this Thought Bubble video about kindness. Since it wasn't linked in the article, click on the image below to view it:

And thanks to the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, a great organization providing funding for ovarian cancer early detection research as well as child literacy, for giving my article a shout-out on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=517614293747786&set=a.343272274515323

 

A Monster and Cancer's Evil

I recently did another drawing activity for CureToday.com, this one on how to draw a fun little monster for Halloween. In the article accompanying it I tried to explain that I was just “trying to give those dealing with cancer a little creative break. I know all too well that there is nothing fun and lighthearted about cancer. It is truly evil you-know-what.”

For those outside the cancer community, let me share some of cancer's evilness. A study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that cancer has to deactivate immune cell attackers to survive. To do this, cancer cells send out microscopic tentacles that reach inside immune cells and rip out the immune cells' power source, the cells’ mitochondria.

Then there is the ability of cancer stem cells to escape programmed cell death.  And the sinister ability to get past the blood-brain barrier when a lot of other things can't, including many chemotherapy drugs. Pretty evil shit if you ask me.

To be very honest, I really wanted to draw something really evil looking then write something where I unloaded every expletive in the book on cancer and all the heartache and destruction it causes. The hell with my professional, mild-mannered children’s book illustrator reputation. But I knew the readers at Cure Today were already acutely aware of the awfulness of cancer and didn’t want to read another rant by me. (I’ve already have done that enough in my other articles there.)

Take a Break from the Darkness of Cancer and Draw a Halloween Monster 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Los Colores de Amor y Dolor -- The Spanish Version of "The Colors of Love and Loss" for Día de Los Muertos

Con el día de Los Muertos acercándose, pensé que era una buena oportunidad para compartir información sobre la versión en español de un libro para niños sobre el duelo en el que colaboré con la Dra. Joanne Cacciatore, titulado Los Colores de Amor y Dolor. Si bien no se trata de la tradición mexicana, habla de la pérdida, el amor y compartir el dolor.

Este es un recurso gratuito disponible para todas las familias en duelo. Para obtener más información sobre el libro, visite el sitio web de la Fundación Miss del Dr. Cacciatore: https://www.missfoundation.org/product/los-colores-de-amor-y-dolor/

 Translation:

With día de Los Muertos coming up I thought it was a good opportunity to share info about the Spanish version of a children's book about grief I collaborated with Dr. Joanne Cacciatore on, titled Los Colores de Amor y Dolor. While not about the Mexican tradition, it talks about loss, love and sharing grief. 

This is a free resource available to all grieving families. To learn more about the book go to Dr. Cacciatore’s Miss Foundation website: https://www.missfoundation.org/product/los-colores-de-amor-y-dolor/

El día de Los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd, in which the spirits of the dead are believed to return home and spend time with their relatives on these two days."

You can learn more about día de Los Muertos at MexicanMuseum.org

Some Thoughts on "PINKtober"

Are you aware October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Probably. It's hard to miss all the "pinkness." Well, here's a link to my brutely honest rant blog post and cartoon about one aspect of it at CURE Today from a cancer-caregiver-now-cancer-widower's point of view

Thoughts on Breast Cancer Awareness Month: the Disease Is No ‘Stroll Through the Park’

#breastcancerawrenessmonth#breastcancer#pinktober

A Question that Should be Asked of Every Politician

I actually created this several years back but never posted it because other priorities in my life pushed it to the bottom of my art pile. I recently came across it while looking for another art file and thought it was a good time to share it since there’s an election coming up.

 

Sharing My Time and Talent to Help the Cancer Community

This is the first in an ongoing series on drawing lesson videos at CUREToday.com.

As I have often pointed out here on this blog and other places, I hate cancer. With all my heart. I wish I could find a cure, but I’m just an artist. Instead, I’m trying to use my time and talent to hopefully give anyone dealing with the awfulness of cancer a little creative reprieve. Be that the cancer patient, caregiver or worried family members.

How to Use Drawing as a ‘Creative Break’ From Cancer.

#curetoday
#cancer
#drawinglesson
#caregiver

Hereditary Cancer Demands a New Medical Discipline

In October 2017, I suddenly found myself in the role of cancer caregiver and “BRCA2 mutation-adjacent” advocate in the hereditary cancer community after my late wife was diagnosed with cancer. During the course of my wife’s battle against hereditary cancer I learned many things about genetics and how some cancers can be prevented.

We desperately need a new medical discipline and I have coined a word for this discipline -- I call it “previvology.” Read my story about it here at CURE Today: Hereditary Cancer Demands a New Medical Discipline

#hereditarycancer#BRCA#cancer#previvor 

For National Hereditary Cancer Week and National Previvor Day

Get the latest Hereditary Cancer Week Poster Here.

National Hereditary Cancer Week 2022

More about hereditary cancer here...

#previvorday,#hereditarycancer#breastcancerawarenes