Yes, Farrah Fawcett's cancer has returned, just three months after she was given the all-clear following treatment for rectal cancer. But not all of what is appearing in the media is true, and Fawcett now finds herself fighting for both her life and the truth.

The National Enquirer was right about Fawcett's recurrence -- a malignant polyp has been found in the area where her original cancer began. But reporters for this magazine are wrong about their previous take on her illness.

Farrah Begs: Let me Die was one previous headline. Such words were never spoken, says Fawcett who is planning to file a lawsuit against the Enquirer for libel, invasion of privacy, and infliction of emotional distress regarding numerous fabricated articles about her cancer journey.

This negativity is not only harmful to Fawcett and her family, says her spokesperson. It also jeopardizes Fawcett's chances for a successful recovery, and it's disrespectful to thousands of others surviving cancer.

We cannot be silent is one slogan printed on specialty clothing offered by a company called Privacy. Other slogans include United We Cure and Mission. Purpose. Cure.

The slogans say a lot -- but the accomplishments of Carolyn Jones, Founder and President/CEO of Privacy, say a whole lot more.

Think about this:

Jones lost her mother to breast cancer on November 16, 2000 during a time when too many questions about the disease were left unanswered and not enough options were available for women fighting for their lives.

Times have changed, in part due to outspoken pioneers like Jones, who are spreading the word and funding the cause.

Part of the Privacy corporate goal is to support medical research and to educate women about early detection and treatment.

"It is very clear that more information and research is needed due to the yearly increase in new cases nationally," says Jones who cites statistics such as this: every 12 minutes a woman in America will die from complications associated with breast cancer. And this: more than 1,500 new cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed this year.

Privacy, a California-based company with a social conscious, offers for both women and men an assortment of t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, hats, recommended books, accessories, breast cancer facts, and even a contest or two. A portion of all profits are donated to breast cancer initiatives with an emphasis on low-income and uninsured populations.

Check it all out right here.

I went out to lunch with my husband and kids yesterday. Sitting right behind us in the restaurant was a woman wearing a white hat, worn to mask an obvious bald head. My two little boys kept watching this woman, my littlest turning in his seat to get the best possible view. These boys, ages five and three, were not looking at this woman because a bald head is an odd sight in a public venue. They were looking because, to them, a bald head is familiar. And I think they were sizing up this woman, recalling what I once cleverly hid -- my own bald head.

We all noticed the woman in her white hat. But we handled our observations differently. My husband chose to focus on the task at hand -- eating. My boys chose to stare. I chose to contemplate.

I contemplated talking to this woman. I always have this urge -- to talk with others I suspect are fighting cancer -- and I always wonder if it's appropriate to approach strangers to discuss such a personal topic. Do I have a free pass to enter another's cancer world because I myself have membership in the same world? Perhaps. Perhaps not. So when faced with a possible cancer survivor -- marked mostly by a bald head -- I usually hesitate, contemplate, and then do nothing other than quietly consider what life might be like for the person who faces me.

Maybe I lack courage and should find a way to connect with these strangers. It may do us all a bit of good. Maybe courage has nothing to do with it. Maybe I refrain from conversation out of respect for each person's privacy. I am not convinced either way.

For now, I think I'll stick with what works, what feels safe -- observation and contemplation. And maybe next time I'm in a restaurant and notice someone strikingly familiar, I'll take a stab at my husband's approach -- just simply eating.

I've been keeping a journal ever since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer. I first wrote by hand in a pink fabric-covered book, sprinkled with multi-colored polka dots. It looked feminine -- which is why I bought it -- and it's vibrance made me feel inspired, motivated, eager to write down the dreaded details of the beginning of my journey. Then I stopped writing in this book and began typing my words in an on-line journal -- a blog. My husband designed the presentation of it, with a pink banner that serves as the backdrop for the title -- my Breast Cancer blog. My first entry was completed on December 21, 2004 and I am still chronicling my journey here. I am also writing for this site -- the Cancer Blog -- and I write whenever and wherever else I can record my words. I do it because it helps me process information in a quiet, calming, introspective way. It soothes me, helps me work through panic and anxiety, helps me heal, and helps me chart my progress. When I look back at what I've written, I realize how far I've come -- or haven't come -- and it helps me move forward. I recommend journaling for everyone, and I recommend these seven simple suggestions for getting started.

Twenty years ago, if you were diagnosed with cancer, your physician was your primary source for medical information. With the advent of the internet, that is no longer the case. Many patients turn to the internet to research and become informed about their cancer. Personally, I think knowledge is a good thing.

Ten years ago, all medical tests were ordered by your physician. Today you can order an at-home genetic medical test over the internet. In the privacy of your home, by swabbing the inside of your cheek and sending the sample back to the company who sold you the kit, you can find out if you have inherited genes that mean you are at greater risk for developing certain cancers known to have a genetic link. Knowledge is one thing, self administered tests without the educational background or training to know how to interpret them is not what I would normally deem a good thing.

The Washington Post has published a feature Too Much Information, where Sandra G. Boodman weighs the pros and cons in this kind of at-home test. On the surface, it might seem like a good idea. On further examination, the at-home test has the potential to do more damage than any possible good. Are some things better left to the professionals? Go here to read Results of Home DNA Tests Can Shock, Misinform Some Users, before you make up your mind.

In the majority of skin cancer cases, skin cancer develops on a part of the body most exposed to the sun. However, that is not always the case, and dermatologists suggest a regular self examination of your entire body skin surface.

To begin a self examination you will need a full-length mirror; a handheld mirror; and a private well-lit room. The full-length mirror allows you to exam the skin areas easily viewed and the handheld mirror gives you the chance to see skin areas not as easily seen, such as the back, scalp, underarms, genitalia, palms, soles, and areas between the toes and fingers. When you visit the Skin Care Physicians skin cancer self examination webpage, you will find an illustrated step-by-step guide, complete with body positions, to carry out a successful self examination.

The obvious danger signs of skin cancer are changes in the size, color, shape, or texture of birthmarks, blemishes, or moles. More specific, signs that should catch your attention are a sore that never fully heals; a translucent growth with rolled edges; brown or black streak underneath a nail; cluster of slow-growing, shiny pink or red lesions; a waxy-feeling scar; flat or slightly depressed lesion that feels hard to the touch or moles that bleed or itch. Photographs of suspicious looking skin growths and moles are also published on the skin cancer self examination webpage. To me, cancerous moles and lesions look nasty and seem easy to identify.

A final note from the experts, and another reason to perform regular self examinations -- if detected early, skin cancer is highly curable -- and the earlier skin cancer is diagnosed, the less scarring from surgical procedures when removing a cancerous growth.