Kidney Cancer Awareness...

Since I lost my beloved Father two years ago December 6, 2008, I wanted to dedicated this post and month to Kidney Cancer Awareness.  Cancer is a terrible disease that affects many.  My father was a miracle x3.  The Lord still had things for him to accomplish here on Earth when he was diagnosed.  He beat the cancer for five years.  Five years is a very long time to fight when the cancer is caught in stage 3, but my father is a fighter and he did overcome it.  As it says in the in the Doctrine & Covenants 42:48 "...he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed."  My dad was healed but it was his time to pass into Eternity.  I'm so grateful I got to have him in my life for 21 years.   

They traced the result of Kidney Cancer in my father from the herbicide, Agent Orange.  Agent Orange is a herbicide that was used by the U.S during the Vietnam War to defoliate the hiding places of the Viet Cong (VC) guerillas and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars.  My dad served honorably in the Vietnam War.  During this time he was exposed on a regular basis to Agent Orange.  My father was an amazing man.  He was presented with a purple heart which he declined because he said "I did what any man would have done for another and for his country."  He is my HERO.   I love you daddy.

A little bit about Kidney Cancer:

Kidney cancer, also called renal cell cancer or renal adenocarcinoma, is a cancer that starts in the kidneys. The most common type of kidney cancer in adults is renal cell cancer. It accounts for more than nine out of 10 cases of kidney cancer.  We don't know what causes kidney cancer, but we do know there are certain risk factors. According to The American Cancer Society, risk factors for kidney cancer include:

• Smoking — the risk factor decreases if you stop smoking
• Being overweight
• Exposure to certain chemicals on the job, including asbestos, cadmium, herbicides, benzene, and certain organic solvents
• Inherited diseases, including von Hippel-Lindau disease and hereditary papillary renal cell carcinoma
• A family history of kidney cancer, especially of a brother or sister
• Having high blood pressure
• Having advanced kidney disease
• Gender — men develop kidney cancer about twice as often as women
• Race — African Americans have a slightly higher rate of renal cell cancer than whites

   

I wear a green Ribbon In Honor of the: 

 Survivors, Warriors, Caregivers, The Families, And for the Lives Lost

Be aware. Not afraid.