My prayers are with you girl, keep your chin up no matter how bad it is.
I think the cancer society should change their statistics alittle bit, younger and younger women are facing this hardship. I hate that 50 and over, its younger then that too. My mum was in her mid 40’s!

For all that science has learned about cancer, there is still so much more to understand. When the human genome project was launched, it promised hope for a deeper understanding of the causes of cancer, the identification of those individuals who are genetically predisposed to certain cancers, etc. While the endeavor of identifying gene strands and DNA sequences which are linked to certain cancers was a worthy effort, it demonstrated that the manifestation  of cancer in an individual is a much more complex issue. For example, in a set of identical twins—who have the same DNA sequences in their genes—why would one twin get cancer while the other remains cancer free? The answer lies in the burgeoning study of epigenetics—where nature meets nurture, environment, and human behavior. Epigenetics is a riddle which will engage scientists for years to come.

In the mean time, this young girl, her family, and all those who are fighting cancer need human kindness, empathy and prayers as they struggle against this disease. The American Cancer Society, the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and other charities which promote research for cures need funds. The ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ are immaterial to those who already have the diagnosis….They need help and HOPE.

Melanie-extremely well spoken last line.  "The whys and hows are immaterial to those who already have the diagnosis…They need help and HOPE!" 

EXTREMELY well said!

Two other things:

Eileen, you write with such a gentle nature, and I wanted to thank you. 

Everybody else, thank you for saying I am brave, etc.  However, what I’d like to point out and strongly emphasize that every single person utters the very same words, "I can never go through what you are going through." 

You know what?  You can. I did not choose to have ovarian cancer weeks before my wedding.  I did not choose to have a child born 9 weeks early and be dx’d with cerebral palsy.  I did not choose to learn that I had an aggressive and rare breast cancer while my sweet baby was only 15 months old and have to go through chemo, a bilateral mastectomy, and radiation (all with him in tow).  I did not choose to have yet another cancer and have it totally turn our lives upside down. 

But, that is what happened, and we made it through.  We managed to get through each of these horrifying traumas by massive amounts of prayer (and prayer chains throughout the world), we had an amazing church family to carry our burdens alongside us, and we relied upon each other. 

What we once knew as "normal" became a thing of the past.  We mourned our old lives, and kept moving forward in our "new normal."  Everybody said we handled it with such grace and courage, but to be completely honest, there were plenty of times where we’d break down and cry out loud.  I will never forget wrapping gifts two days before Christmas (I just had a chemo treatment that day).  I had a chemo where we were supposed to have something cold in our mouths while they did the chemo push (manually, not through the IV drip).  I was already disgusted with popsicles, and thought a strawberry smoothie would be a nice change. 

Well, that strawberry smoothie made me cry.  The very thought of it made me think of the chemo push, and the taste of strawberry would linger in my mouth (where everything magically tasted like pennies). 

Bleech.  Just writing about it now makes my stomach churn. 

So, I was wrapping gifts, and began to cry silently.  My dh was wrapping gifts with me, looked up at his bald wife sitting on the floor surrounded by rolls of gift wrap, and knew I was a wreck. 

He came to me, put my bald head in his lap, and softly stroked my cheek while I cried giant, hot tears.  Every time I thought I was calm, the thought of smoothies would send me to hysteria again. 

Definitely not a moment of courage and valor! 

Hannah is a child, and this is now what she knows. We mourn her loss of a normal childhood, and she does too, to a certain extent.  From this point on, her normal childhood will still consist of playing softball, hanging out with friends, and, oh yeah, going to her oncologist for check-ups. 

When trauma enters your life, you find the strength-even if you don’t believe it exists in you.  Hannah has found her strength, and has already vowed to be an example for other kids going through cancer. 

She is an amazing kid.  I know her website was going through some administrative changes because the traffic had become massive.  If you can, check it out.  I guarantee you will shed a few tears as you read the raw emotion of a family going through breast cancer. 

Dora-I’m sending you giant hugs right now.  May your beautiful bald head teach the world that it is NECESSARY to talk openly about cancer and FACE IT HEAD ON!!!!! 

I know chemo sucks.  I’m sorry you have to deal with it.  I’m almost 4 years post dx. of breast cancer, and I now have hair almost to the middle of my back.  Oddly enough, I really miss my bald head, and wish I had gone "topless" (no head covering) much sooner than I did.  I went "topless" about 2 weeks after chemo ended (it was in the 90’s, I couldn’t stand it!). 

I am a breast cancer survivor and have a 10 year old daughter.  I can’t imagine my daughter going through what I have gone through.  I will continue to pray for Hannah and her family.  There are many known things that cause cancer, environment (think pesticides), habits (think smoking), genetics (BRCA1+ or BRCA2+) and many unknown things as well.  Is weight one of the things that causes cancer?  Well, I probably carry an additional 15 pounds over my ideal weight.  My friend (a marathon runner) probably does not carry an extra ounce (she is stage IV).  Do I deserve to have cancer more because I fall into the "normal" category instead of the ideal category?  (I am stage II).  This is not to say we shouldn’t all strive for a healthy weight as additional weight can definitely have other health impacts, but it does not have a direct correlation to breast cancer like smoking does to lung cancer. 

Because of my own battle and others, I will continue to raise funds for breast cancer research so that in my lifetime and Hannah’s, breast cancer will go AWAY and leave the women of the world in peace.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/SeattleEvent?px=2282716&pg=personal&fr_id=1300

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSoLyIb80_o&feature=player_embedded

Here is a link to Hannah as she is given the title of "Honorary Dodger."  I think this clip shows that there is NOTHING OBESE about this sweet girl, and that she is quite an athlete!