About 820 cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed annually in Canada and it is the number one killer for men between the ages of 20 and 30. This past weekend a fundraiser was held called Nuts4ribs in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

The fundraiser featured cook offs, music and a nationally acclaimed one-man play by Daniel Schneiderman, titled Left Nut, a humorous look at a man with testicular cancer.

Michael Kydd, diagnosed with testicular cancer three years ago, is the man behind the event. Kydd said "What I'm trying to do is make sure men understand that by ignoring the warning signs, you're not doing yourself any good".

Micheal Kydd also added "Although we're not going to cure the disease, what we are going to do is help men understand the disease and make sure they know and communicate that with their family, and then live happily ever after".

Health Canada has approved a medicated spray made from the ingredients of the cannabis plant. The medication, called Sativex, provides patients with advanced cancer a new option for pain management.

Sativex was approved in 2005 for use by patients with multiple sclerosis and has not caused any adverse side effects. Most pain-killing drugs, like Opioids, can't make this claim. They are still very good at what they do, though so for cancer pain, it's likely they will be used in conjunction with Sativex but at lower doses.

For those who may view drugs like Sativex as illicit substances -- because they are derived from cannabis -- one palliative medicine physician says the original substance has been modified and in its medicinal form is an appropriate and legitimate treatment.

June passed away in April, she was 82. She was one of Canada's most celebrated authors and social advocates. She helped the homeless, dealt with issues of racism and injustice. She did much volunteer work.

In 2004, June was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and refused to undergo treatments.

I came across a last interview with her that I thought was very moving. She talks about her life, her marriage, and the fact that her cancer is terminal.

What an amazing woman.

It happened Saturday -- the third annual Yard Sale for the Cure. It took place in thousands of lawns all over Canada, and profits donated from the respective sales will benefit breast cancer charities. And it all started because of one breast cancer survivor's cluttered basement.

Rachael Smith, diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2004 and in treatment for the nine months that followed, noticed before cancer that piles of stuff were gathering in the basement of the house she shared with her husband and two young daughters. A sale was in order, she realized, but then cancer arrived and a yard sale fell off her radar. And then she emerged from surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and realized she had reason to give back to the community that helped her survive.

And so Yard Sale for the Cure was born.

We all know from the bestselling book that French women don't get fat. Now it's appearing as if they, along with the rest of the general population in France, don't get cancer either, or at least are better at diagnosing and treating the disease, according to this article from the BBC. Compared to England, France doesn't have as many prominent cancer researchers on its side and yet more people are surviving? Why? It's all down to the fact that the French government spends more money on healthcare and treatment of the disease is quicker than in England. They've invested in more radiation equipment and have more doctors available, which goes to show that the key to cancer survival is treating it now, not trying to prevent it later.

When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, he was scheduled to start treatment in a month's time because the healthcare system in my area just didn't have the resources to get him treatment immediately. He never made it. I've never been the type of person who gets involved in politics but experiencing firsthand the failure of the healthcare system where I live has changed all that. Nothing is more important than our health and government should realize that, just as they have in France. What do you think?

I guess I've just assumed that breast cancer organizations happily accept every donation they receive and joyfully funnel all charitable gifts into their noble endeavors. I mean, without money and research and programs and services and education, where would we be? We'd be uninformed and lagging behind the force of this disease instead of gaining momentum on its trail. That's where we'd be.

Now, I've never assumed these organizations accept money obtained through illegal measures. But I've also never assumed they'd turn away money just because it came from a group of women whose profession and means of fundraising might be considered unacceptable. I suppose I shouldn't make assumptions. Because I seem to be wrong on all accounts.

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has officially rejected a donation from a group of Vancouver strippers because of the controversial nature of their fundraisers. Exotic Dancers For Cancer these women call themselves, and for four years they have been raising money in honor of another dancer who lost her battle with terminal cancer.

Trina Ricketts, founder of the exotic dancer website nakedtruth.ca and recipient of the letter rejecting the donation, is shocked that people consider this contribution dirty money. And she is so bothered by this unfair judgment that she has been contacting the media and outting the Breast Cancer Society of Canada's discrimination practices. Her protests are working.

In a supportive turn of events, Ricketts has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response -- and she now has several organizations willing to accept all donations she wishes to offer.

This story is not nearly as simple as presented here. It's so much more detailed and touching and moving when told by Ricketts herself -- who happens to share her inspiring journey right here.

CORRECTION: Trina Ricketts reports that she did not seek out the media to out the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.

"The decision to go public was not in the interests of outing the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, but rather to seek out charities that would be willing to accept our donations," she said.

Yesterday afternoon, a Canadian hockey team with a roster of seven and eight-year-old boys sported pink socks, pink jerseys, and pink hockey sticks in an effort to raise money for Breast Cancer Action of Ottawa -- a group dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for those affected by breast cancer.

The color pink was a non-issue for the little boys asked to do their best to help others.

"I'm excited about playing in pink," said one eight-year-old decked out in the breast cancer color to support his aunt, who is currently battling the disease.

One hockey mom says it was surprisingly easy to convince the boys to wear pink uniforms.

"They told me that real men wear pink," she said.

And so pink is what they wore on this special day -- it was Hockey Day in Canada, when Canada's national game is celebrated throughout the country -- and raise funds is what they did. In fact, the team was overwhelmed by the amount of donations received and the special items given for use in a silent auction. A jersey signed by Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators, a jersey signed by Wayne Gretzky, and two tickets to a Senators hockey game top the list of generous offerings.

These little boys reached their goal -- they raised awareness, and they raised money. Yes, indeed, real men do wear pink.

In a discovery that opens up the possibility of stopping the spread of cancer before it has a chance to take hold elsewhere in the body, researchers have developed a means of tracking cancer cells as they spread past the original tumor.

Robarts Research Centre in London, Ontario researchers have announced a new technology that allowed them, for the first time, to follow single breast cancer cells as they migrated from the body to the brain. According to statistics, 22 to 30 per cent of women with breast cancer will suffer from cancer that spreads to the brain.

Interestingly, the new technology also allows them to watch which cancer cells that have spread into the brain develop into a tumor, and which ones remain dormant, or die off. Not all cancer cells become a cancerous tumor.

Of the new technology, Dr. Paula Foster says, "It will give us the ability to test what genes are important, what drugs actually work, how the drugs work. Then you can take that information to patients and hopefully treat this disease a little better."

This is the biggest fear of cancer survivors -- that the cancer will come back, that it will have spread.

When World Tag Team Champion Rowdy Roddy Piper underwent back surgery for an injury he sustained during the World Wrestling Entertainment tour in Europe last month, the surgeons discovered two small marble-sized areas behind his stomach that gave cause for concern that he might have cancer. After biopsy, a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was made. Because the cancer was found early, Piper is optimistic that he will be able to wrestle cancer to the mat to complete defeat.

"It seems like I have been fighting someone, something, someplace, in some manner, my whole life. But this fight, is one I am gonna win! Ever Forward." stated Piper on his blog.

Canadian-born Piper lives in the Portland, Oregon area. If you are a fan who would like to send Piper your support and best wishes, you can write to him at:

Roddy Piper
18645 S.W. Farmington Rd.
PMB 312
Aloha, Oregon
97007
USA

Piper blogs about wrestling, his family, and now surviving cancer at Piper's Pit.

Among all sorts of news circulating as a result of the recent breast cancer conference in San Antonio, Texas is a report about an international study that has many touting Canadian chemotherapy treatments as the best therapies around -- even better than the commonly-used AC/T cocktail (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel) .

The winning Canadian drug combinations -- EC/T (epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel) and CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil) -- are reportedly more effective at preventing breast cancer recurrence than AC/T.

About 2,104 women in Canada and the United States participated in this international study. All had undergone surgery to remove a tumor and were receiving chemotherapy. The women, aged 60 and under, all had cancer that had spread to their lymph nodes, indicating the disease was likely to spread.

The women received one of three treatments -- AC/T, EC/T, or CEF -- and results revealed that for every 100 women who received EC/T or CEF, 10 women would suffer a recurrence. For every 100 women who received AC/T, 15 women would relapse.

The lead researcher of the study says it's too soon to say whether EC/T and CEF are more effective in the long-term. So participants will be followed for some time while researchers will try to make sense of their initial findings. In the meantime, they suspect AC/T will continue to be widely used because of its lesser side effects.

Checkoutmybreasts.com is a webpage that shows how to do a self breast exam. It shows a woman examining her breasts so other women can learn what to look for when performing a breast exam on herself. I was shocked a bit when I saw this website, as I have not seen anything like it before. The website also tells about an organization called Rethink Breast Cancer.

Rethink Breast Cancer is an organization that was established to help young people who are concerned about and effected by breast cancer through innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs. They do this by educating young women about the importance of breast health awareness, providing a community for young people to make a difference in the fight for the cause, raising funds to advance breast cancer research and raising awareness about the unique needs of young women who are battling breast cancer.

Rethink Breast Cancer fills a unique niche in the world of breast cancer organizations in Canada by hosting dynamic fashion, music and fitness events to attract the attention of people under 40, spreading the important messages of breast cancer to a new audience.

(Thanks to Deb Kirkland for the tip)

Just two months after her mother lost her battle with gall bladder cancer, Liane was diagnosed with breast cancer. It all happened earlier this year -- and while Liane is still mourning the loss of her mother, she is also still managing the madness of her own disease. Liane is surviving with courage, with determination, with the same powerful spirit that powered her mother's fight.

Liane lives in a small city -- population 43,000 -- in northern Alberta Canada. She has been happily married for 18 years and has two daughters, ages 13 and 15, and a golden retriever named Sunny. Liane loves to garden, cook, read, and spend time with family. She normally works full-time in a real estate and property management office but has been blessed with six months off for treatment. Liane is already -- without a doubt -- a survivor.

Ashley was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2003. Earlier that year Ashley felt a lump and went to her doctor immediately. She was reassured that it was most likely nothing to worry about. In July she found another lump and her diagnoses was confirmed after returning to the doctor.

The cancer had spread from her neck to her chest, left lung and spleen. Ashley underwent six months of chemotherapy. In March of 2004 Ashley was in remission.

She then dedicated her life to putting together a cancer fundraiser to raise money for lymphoma research. Ashley wanted to give something back.

One week before her Keep on Swimming Gala Ashley was told her cancer had returned. This time the cancer had spread to her neck, chest, lungs, spleen and liver. This development led to Ashley receiving high dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

Ashley was an amazing girl. I kept up with her blog called Ashley's Journal. I was so sad to hear that she passed away on April 22, 2006. She left a great legacy behind and did so much for such a young girl.

I can't really put into words how brave and admiring she was so I'm going to quote one of her postings on her blog dated February of this year.

"The words palliative and terminal have come up this week. BUT ...they always come with and IF or a WHEN!! These two words are my HOPE. I am still fighting this disease and I haven't give up or surrendered. Yes, these are very scary times but I am also witnessing my bodies amazing ability to heal"

Prescription drugs purchased online from Canadian pharmacies were intercepted before they reached the US, and after preliminary laboratory tests were found to be counterfeit. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers who may have obtained prescription drugs from Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy or Mediplan Global Health in Manitoba, Canada not to take the medication as it may not be safe.

The drugs in question are Lipitor, Diovan, Actonel, Nexium, Hyzaar, Ezetrol or Zetia, Crestor, Celebrex, Arimidex, and Propecia. Most of the drugs are prescribed for cholesterol disorders and high blood pressure; Actonel for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women; Nexium for gastroesophageal reflux disease; Celebrex for arthritis-related pain; Propecia for male-pattern baldness and Arimidex is a breast cancer chemoprevention medication.

Interestingly, the FDA conducted an investigation last year and discovered that nearly half of the imported drugs they confiscated from four selected countries were shipped to fill orders that consumers believed they were placing with Canadian pharmacies. The drugs did not come from Canada. According to the FDA, 85 percent actually came from 27 other countries around the globe. Buyer beware.

At the beginning of May, four skateboarders -- Rob Lewis, 26, of Winnipeg, Aaron Jackson, 25, of Summerside, P.E.I., Benjamin Jordan, 25, of Toronto and Carlos Koppen, 26, of Halifax -- left Halifax, Nova Scotia to skateboard across Canada to benefit breast cancer.

Traveling the Trans-Canada Highway, the group is averaging 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) a day, and has raised over $26,000 dollars for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The ultimate goal is to raise one million dollars -- one dollar at a time.

They are hoping to reach Vancouver, British Columbia in September or October. You can learn more about the skateboarders and keep up with the young men at the Push for the Cure website. They publish updates of the journey and excellent photography of their travels.