Lance Armstrong Foundation

Some information about the Lance Armstrong Foundation:

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Austin, Texas.

Lance's story:

At age 25, Lance Armstrong was one of the world's best cyclists. He proved it by winning the World Championships, the Tour Du Pont and multiple Tour de France stages. Lance Armstrong seemed invincible and his future was bright.

Then they told him he had cancer.

Next to the challenge he now faced, bike racing seemed insignificant.

Then a combination of physical conditioning, a strong support system and competitive spirit took over. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor. He took an active role in educating himself about his disease and the treatment. Armed with knowledge and confidence in medicine, he underwent aggressive treatment and beat the disease.

During his treatment, before his recovery, before he even knew his own fate, he created the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This marked the beginning of Lance's life as an advocate for people living with cancer and a world representative for the cancer community.

Lance Armstrong's victories in the 1999-2005 Tours de France are awe-inspiring, but the battle against cancer has just begun-not just for him, but for all cancer survivors and people just like him who think cancer could not affect them. He plans to lead this fight, and he hopes that you join him. This is a life he owes to cancer. This is his choice to live strong.

At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we inspire and empower people affected by cancer.

We believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Read our Manifesto.

We provide the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms.

We take aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent suffering and death due to cancer.

We unite people to fight cancer and pursue an agenda focused on:

• Prevention
• Access to screening and care
• Improvement of the quality of life for cancer survivors
• Investment in research

Thoughts and more thanks...

I continue to be blown away by the level of support I am getting in regards to this website. The response I am getting is overwhelming. I apologize for not posting much lately, but it is tough to talk about how I feel right now. My thoughts are mostly on my family and what they are going through. That doesn't leave me with much to share with you, but I will try to improve upon that. Please stay with me through this journey. Thanks, Jill

Information about gastric cancer

Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) starts in the stomach.

In everyday speech, the word "stomach" is often used to refer to the area of the body between the chest and the hips. For instance, people with pain in the appendix, small intestine, colon, or gallbladder might say they have a "stomach ache." The medical term for this area is the abdomen and doctors would describe the symptom as "abdominal pain."

The difference is important because the stomach is only one of many organs in the abdomen that can develop cancer. So stomach cancer should not be confused with other cancers that can occur in the abdomen. These other cancers can cause different symptoms. They are treated differently and have a different outlook for survival.

Cancer can start in any part of the stomach. Symptoms, treatment options, and the outlook for survival can all vary depending on where in the stomach the cancer begins.

Most of the time stomach cancer starts in the mucosa and slowly grows out into the other layers. Stomach cancer tends to grow slowly over many years. Before a true cancer develops, there are usually changes that take place in the lining of the stomach (the mucosa). These early changes rarely cause symptoms and often are not noticed.

How it Spreads (Metastasizes)

Stomach cancer can spread in several different ways. It can grow through the wall of the stomach and invade nearby organs. It can also spread to the lymph nodes (bean-sized collections of immune system cells) and then through the lymph system. If cancer spreads this way, the outlook for a cure gets worse. When stomach cancer is more advanced, it can travel through the bloodstream and form deposits of cancer cells in organs such as the liver, lungs, and bones. But even though it has spread to other organs, it is still called stomach cancer.

Adenocarcinoma

Most cancers of the stomach are of a type called adenocarcinomas. This cancer develops from cells that form the lining of the innermost layer, the mucosa. The term "stomach cancer" almost always refers to this type of cancer.

How Many People Get Stomach Cancer?

We know that there will be about 21,500 new cases of stomach cancer in the United States in 2008. About 10,880 people will die of this disease. Two thirds of the people found to have stomach cancer are older than 65. The risk of a person getting stomach cancer in their lifetime is about 1 in 100, but it is slightly higher for men than for women.

Stomach cancer is much more common in other countries worldwide. It was once a leading cause of cancer deaths in this country but it is now much less common. The reasons for this decline are not completely known, but they may be linked to more use of refrigeration for food storage and less use of salted and smoked foods. Some doctors think that an important factor is the use of antibiotics to treat infections in children. These drugs can kill the bacteria (called H. pylori) that may be a major cause of this disease.

For more information:

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org (phone 800-ACS-2345)

National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov

Wow

Just a brief note to thank all of you for your initial response to this website. My heart is full from the positive energy flowing through the site on behalf of Debbie. The comments I'm receiving show how much Debbie is loved by so many people.

Peace, Jill

Where to start...

I'm in the process of putting this blog together. I've decided to dedicate my upcoming trek in Nepal to helping my sister-in-law battle cancer. I have no clue how I'll do this, but I'm going to figure it out as I go. I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks for stopping by.