MCA Staff Writers

This picture, presumably of a young girl with cancer, was one of the most retweeted photos on Twitter for the week of November 27th, 2011

Each December, many of us spend hours in malls and other retail outlets agonizing over ensuring we’ve got every last person on our holiday gift listcovered. In the world of a cancer patient and caregiver, December is likely a somewhat different experience. Often the holidays serve as a reflectivetime when we choose to cherish our time with family and loved ones and re-kindle our fond holidays memories.

The Following is a guest post from Tricia Cardone detailing some great holiday recipes for those battling a difficult illness like cancer

“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” ~ Hippocrates

Struggling to find that perfect gift for that special person battling cancer in your life? We’ve got you covered!

Not only do we have the top holiday gift ideas, but we’ve also provided a thorough list of every other fantastic gift that will surely put a smile on anyone’s face.

The following is a guest post from Rob Harris. Rob's wife is a two-time cancer survivor. Rob has been with her to assist in her care throughout her journey with cancer. We'd like to thank Rob for sharing his thoughts on the holiday season with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance from the unique perspective of a caregiver.

For much of the month of November the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance has been highlighting thoracic oncologists, causes studies, support groups, and other events associated with Lung Cancer Awareness Month . As the month draws to an end, it is our hope that the awareness we’ve been generating and the message of those we’ve spoken will not simply be lost as we turn the month to December. It is only through a continued commitment to lung cancer treatment and research funding, in December and beyond, that we’ll finally be able to reach the long-awaited cure for this difficult disease.

When lung cancer strikes, cigarette smoking is often blamed for its development. However, notes the American Cancer Society, of the 170,000 cases or so of lung cancer diagnosed each year in the U.S., some 10 percent of those cases are among those who never smoked a single cigarette. In those individuals, other causes of the disease – like exposure to secondhand smoke, radon, or asbestos – might be part of the picture. Nevertheless, the disease remains the number one cause of cancer fatalities in the United States.

The United States Center for Disease Control noted that in 2007, the last year for which accurate figures are available, more than 158,000 people in the United States died of lung cancer. The risk of developing the disease, they note, increases with age and is greater in men than in women. Though the incidence of the disease has indeed decreased in the last decade, lung cancer still remains a major concern…especially for medical professionals such as Dr. Anne Tsao who – each day – sees the ravages of the disease firsthand.

One of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the U.S., lung cancer effects individuals from all walks of life – young and old, rich and poor, men and women. Statistics from the American Cancer Society (ACS) note that lung cancer is the second-most diagnosed cancer in both men and women and that the disease is responsible for more than one-fourth of all cancer deaths that occur in the United States each year.

As part of lung cancer awareness month, the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance is attempting to shed light on some lesser known facts about the disease, including its causes, potential new treatments, and challenges in attaining funding for lung cancer treatment and research. In this post we'd like to explore lung cancer causes. While cigarette smoking remains the number one cause of lung cancer, there are others risk factors many may not be aware of that have nothing to do with smoking. Knowing all the risk factors can help us as we try to finally eradicate this difficult disease. Let's explore each risk factor in detail below.

Each year in America, approximately 160,000 men and women die of lung cancer and the disease remains the leading cause of cancer deaths for both sexes. Long linked to smoking, though not exclusively, lung cancer continues to devastate families, never discriminating between young and old. It can also be an extremely difficult cancer to tackle and researchers are consistently searching for new and better ways to address the disease.

November 1st marks the beginning of Lung Cancer Awareness Month across the United States. While mesothelioma is not a lung cancer, both diseases are associated with similar risk factors, including asbestos exposure and smoking.

The following post is the first in a series of mesothelioma patient, survivor, and caregiver interviews entitled Perspectives in Mesothelioma. The first participant in our series is Louise "Lou" Williams, a mesothelioma survivor who serves as Vice President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria in South Melbourne, Australia. We'd like to thank Lou for not only sharing her story with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance and its visitors, but also for serving as a tireless advocate for the many victims of asbestos disease across the globe. Read below for Lou's unique perspectives and reflections on mesothelioma and other asbestos related disease.

We at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance are truly excited today to present St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with a check for $21,841 as part of our summer-long 50k to Cancer Twitter campaign.

The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance is recognizing Mesothelioma Awareness Day with a number of special features on our site! Check back throughout the day to see our coverage of the day. Below are some of the special events we’ll be featuring today.