Cancer; a word that brings such pain, misery, and sickness to innocent people all over the world.  Cancer does not discriminate, and its various types of evil can attack anyone at any age at any point in their life.  Although there is yet to be a cure for the deadly anathema known as cancer, there is a silver lining in that there are so many phenomenal hospitals and researchers working to make cancer a thing of the past.

There are an abundance of different types of cancer such as breast cancer, skin cancer, testicular cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, brain cancer, bone cancer, mouth cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, thyroid cancer, bladder cancer, Lymphoma, Leukemia, Mesothelioma, Hodgkin’s disease, and other cancers that affect different parts of the body.  Each diverse type of cancer is unique in its own way but similar in that it is deadly, relentless, and weakens the undeserving bodies of so many babies, children, teenagers, and adults.

Today, there is a great deal of awareness for all types of cancer, especially breast cancer awareness.  There are so many fundraisers that sponsor a cure for breast cancer such as Race for the Cure as well as all types of merchandise that sport the pink ribbon and give money toward finding a cure for breast cancer.  The pink ribbon of breast cancer is seen everywhere and people are helping to make a difference every day to end this predominant type of cancer.  There is also heightened awareness for wearing sunscreen for protection against skin cancer.  Cancer awareness is widely shown with childhood cancer with all the advertisements about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which is a shining light for so many families that have children fighting for their life because of cancer.

Although there is not a cure at this time for the deadly disease, there are different cancer treatments that put many cancer sufferers in remission and possibly cured for life.  Chemotherapy is a common treatment used for most types of cancer, and it is an extremely strong treatment that kills the bad cancer cells as well as a person’s good cells which lowers their immune system significantly and many people become very ill while receiving chemotherapy.  Chemo is strong enough to sicken a patient and cause all of their hair to fall out, but it is also strong enough to often end a patient’s suffering from cancer for life.  Another common form of treatment for cancer is radiation treatment which uses what is called ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.  This type of treatment can be successful in getting rid of cancer, but the radiation has the potential to cause different forms of cancer for the patient in the future.  Doctors and families are always hopeful that either chemotherapy or radiation will work, but if the cancer comes back, stronger, experimental treatment is sometimes used on patients.

Cancer sends not only individuals but their families on an agonizing journey through emotional and physical pain, and researchers, doctors, and families all over the world pray for a cure that will end the horrible disease forever.