Wishing for some more birthdays ...

It's about the C word -- you're all familiar with it. There isn't anyone reading this who doesn't know someone fighting cancer, right? Maybe you're pressing on in the battle right now. Maybe it's your mom. Or your child. Maybe it's a friend. Hopefully, they're winning the battle. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.




The above video is dedicated to the people I know and care about who are doing what they can to overcome a disease that has robbed us of way too many ... way too young. It's dedicated to

• my brother-in-law, Tom, whose battle began 13 years ago and he's still playing the part of warrior
• my husband's first wife, Mary Ann, who was diagnosed 2 years ago and is staying strong in her fight
• my son-in-law's mother, Brenda, who keeps discovering more tumors
• my friend from college, Michael, who was told it's terminal, but he's not giving up

And to the survivors I know

• my sister, Tina
• my friends Trudi, Rocco, Laura, Kathy, Diana, Claire, LuAnn ...

I am so thankful to be able to add your names to this list. Birthdays. You get to celebrate them. How wonderful is that?!

But while there is so much being done to help, so much more needs to be done. We spend tons of money trying to find a cure, yet we need to focus on causes and not just cures. You know? Causes like toxins in our personal care products. Toxins in our fabric softeners. Genetically modified foods. Toxins in our clothing. Toxins in diapers. Toxins in formula.

Manufacturers need to claim responsibility and quite sticking pink ribbons on products that contain known carcinogens (what is that about?!). We, as concerned citizens, need to demand these things! Why? Because we all have our own lists of people, like mine above. We want to celebrate more birthdays.

Get involved. Sign petitions to congress. Boycott companies. Do your research.

It's about birthdays. And a lack of them.

And I'm writing this because I care,

Hana

This post is sponsored by American Cancer Society.