1.Survivors Follow-Up Care Crimped Due To Costs

Not long ago, Sanjay Gupta, M.D., chief medical correspondent for CNN and board member of LIVESTRONG, reported on alarming numbers of patients who have skipped prescribed, necessary care due to high costs and lack of funds. Citing the journal Cancer, Dr. Gupta’s blog quoted Kathryn Weaver, M.D., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, who stated that between 2003 and 2006: "Two million U.S. cancer survivors did not get one or more medical services because of financial concerns."
See http://bit.ly/amTnBq or, for potential help with certain costs for care, visit
LIVESTRONG.org/SurvivorCare.

2. Making Treatment More Personal: Sound Off
Survivorship medicine is a fast-growing, but still spanking-new, medical specialty. Which means if you look hard enough or ask the right questions, you’ll find ways to help improve the care survivors get. In that vein (as well as heeding Dr. Gupta’s call, above), the engaging, LIVESTRONG Post-Treatment Survey has been revised and updated. Visit LIVESTRONG.org/survey2010.

3. Solo Testicle Dad-Hood: The Club Grows

Sometimes cancer predictions don’t hold up. A grateful testicular cancer survivor posted this to us the other day: “In November 2006, I was diagnosed and only had time to get sperm frozen for one shot (if ever needed) before I had to have one testicle surgically removed. After my surgery, I went through a massive dose of chemotherapy. My doctor wasn’t sure that I would ever be able to have children after the amounts of chemo that I took, and said that if I could, it would be after five years of remission. In June 2009, we conceived our first child, after just two years of remission, and my girlfriend being on birth control. Hailey was born March 25, 2010, a true blessing. We share our story with others in hope that they will see that it truly is possible.” —Kylin Chapin for Candice Brown and baby Hailey Chapin.