This week’s summary of notable health and cancer news:
Helping Blacks Survive Cancer
The New York Times features Seun Adebiyi, who discovered a month after he graduated from Yale Law School that he had both lymphoblastic lymphoma and stem cell leukemia. He needed a bone marrow transplant, but finding a exact match proved difficult, as it is for many African Americans in need of a transplant. After sending out appeals through Yale, radio stations, and even YouTube, his match, though not exact, finally came from a Nigeria woman’s cord blood. Since his transplant in 2010, Adebiyi has been in remission and is working to setup Nigeria’s first donor registry. Read the Times story here.
And one more thing about Adebiyi. In addition to setting up Africa’s only donor registry outside of South Africa, he’s also training for the 2014 Olympics in the skeleton! Check out his blog, Nigeria 2014.
Note: Alternative donor transplants, like Adebiyi’s, are a necessary option for many. According to SCCA’s Dr. Paul O’Donnell, only 30% of patients needing a transplant will ever find an exact donor. Learn more about alternative donor transplants.
An Easier Colonoscopy
The hardest thing about getting a colonoscopy is not the colonoscopy itself, but getting ready for it. CNN reports on a promising new laxative-free procedure that should make colonoscopy prep a breeze.
Seattle Children’s Video Gone Viral
If you’re reading this then you probably watched Seattle Children’s Hospital video, Stronger, which went viral earlier this month (now nearing 2 million views!). What you might not have seen was the backstory about the video, documented nicely here.
The best part of summer is the most dangerous to our skin. Heading into the weekend, I’m thinking about nothing but being outside and in the sun. Warm, caressing… Sunshine on my shoulders makes me (and you, I bet) happy, as the song goes.
When the topic of the day is preventing cancer, a loud and abundant theme is exercise regularly. Use it or lose it. (We love that one!) All it takes is 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. Regular exercise will help decrease the risk of several types of cancer, including colorectal and prostate cancer, not to mention heart disease, and a bad mood!
