Prevent Cancer Foundation Blog

Early Detection - When I was 17 years old, cancer was the furthest thing from my mind. I was focused on school, sports, and friends. I never really thought twice about my mortality. Like most kids, I thought that I was invincible, that nothing could harm me because I was young. So when I noticed a big lump in my neck during my junior year, I ignored it. After a few weeks the lump grew larger, so my mom took me to a doctor, who brushed it off as a virus and sent me home. Weeks later it was still there, so my mom took me to our trusted family physician who insisted I have tests the next day at a nearby hospital. Two days later, a biopsy confirmed that I had Stage II-A Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I never had major health problems growing up, so to find out that I had cancer – and that I’d had it for about year – was a complete shock to me and my family. I transformed from “high school student” to “cancer patient” literally overnight and was quickly immersed in a world of medical jargon, surgeries, and medications I couldn’t pronounce. Just days after my diagnosis, I ...

Advocacy - Prevent Cancer Foundation is looking forward to May, particularly getting back out on the road with Breakaway from Cancer at the Amgen Tour of California (ATOC.) Prevent Cancer and our Breakaway from Cancer partners have the honor of traveling for nine days with the professional cyclists, and having a significant platform to talk about the resources that are available to the public through our Foundation and those of our partner organizations. A memorable part of this ...

Healthy Eating - This spinach salad tossed with spunky ginger dressing was inspired by the iceberg salads served at Japanese steakhouses across the U.S. Add shrimp for lunch or a light supper. 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients 3 tablespoons minced onion 3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste 10 ...

The Super Colon - Marking a milestone in the advancement of public health, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) commemorated the 10-yr anniversary of the CDPH laboratory in Richmond, California on April 6th by bringing the Prevent Cancer SuperColon™  to the campus along with demonstrations of other public health programs. The celebration occurred during National Public Health Week and underscored the vital role the laboratory plays in enabling scientists to identify and track diseases and contaminations.  "As one ...