Cancer Awareness

On Saturday, Oct. 6, TownMall of Westminster will host Paint TownMall Pink, an event aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer treatment and prevention. The event will take place at Center Court from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The organizations sponsoring and participating include Advanced Radiology, American Cancer Society, Beautiful Faces Permanent Makeup Salon, Carroll Homecare and Hospice, The Women's Place at Carroll Hospital Center, Carroll County Health Department and Carroll Regional Cancer Center.

- A lazy Sunday morning. Arising later than usual. A long week of work in the books, a promising week ahead. Now living in Armenia, I correspond regularly with colleagues, friends and family back home in the States. Birds chirp as I check some emails and enter the social media labyrinth. And there I found them: farewell messages written to my friend, Anne Smedinghoff, 25, praising her brilliance, grace and kindness. She was delivering a truck full of books to schoolchildren when it happened.

Joyce A. Warthen, a homemaker who was a cancer awareness advocate, died Saturday of melanoma at her Violetville home. She was 62. Born in Baltimore and raised in Violetville, Joyce A. McCarthy was a 1957 graduate of Southern High School. She worked for several years at Travelers Insurance Co., and later was a community volunteer. As an advocate for cancer awareness -- the disease was diagnosed in her four times -- Mrs. Warthen walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and participated in cancer survivor activities at St. Agnes HealthCare.

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings will host a public cancer awareness forum Tuesday at the East Baltimore Medical Center to provide information and resources to patients, supporters and survivors. The 10:30 a.m. forum, "From Survive to Thrive: Equipping Cancer Patients to Live Their Best Lives," will feature experts including Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Joshua Sharfstein and Dr. Michelle Gourdine, author and former deputy secretary for Public Health Services at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

ALICIA PETERSEN, 58, remembers her fear and confusion when her doctor told her she had breast cancer two years ago."I was by myself and didn't know what to do or what to think," she says. "The problem is that it's so overwhelming. You're going through this traumatic experience, but you have to maintain a sound, rational mind to find a good doctor and make decisions."Petersen's cancer was found during a routine mammogram. When she heard her diagnosis, Petersen says, she remembers thinking, "This could mean that I could die."

The art bra contestants - on a mission to spread breast cancer awareness - did not mince words. A lady bug bra bears the message "Love your Ladies." A 9-year-old titled his bra, "Why I Need You, Mom," and another one, with eyes peeking out behind fingers, is called "Don't be Shy - Get Your Mammogram." "Kiss for a Cure" is covered in pink Hershey's kisses and a miniature Sherlock Holmes, pipe and magnifying glass grace "Early Detection: It's Elementary!" The artist behind "Boob Bunnies" wrote in a blurb, "I have lived 2041 days since my diagnosis of breast cancer and I am still very thankful to be alive."

Cancer is not a stranger to Pam Schweitzer's family. She and her brother survived colon cancer. A cousin and a sister-in-law have breast cancer. Another cousin died of the disease. But it took a little nudging from a friend to get her to enter a local breast cancer awareness contest calling for decorating plain white bras with fabric, paint, sequins and feathers. "My friend said, `This is right up your alley,'" said Schweitzer, 58, of Crofton. An avid and meticulous quilter, Schweitzer did not think she had enough time to create an entry with three weeks left before the Oct. 11 deadline.

Lance Armstrong won the Revolution 3 Half-Full Triathlon at Centennial Park in Howard County on Sunday, finishing the 70-mile race in just under 4 hours, 11 minutes. The effort by the famous cyclist and embattled seven-time Tour de France winner in the combined swimming, biking and running event, organized by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults to raise money for cancer awareness, brought him in more than 18 minutes ahead of the second place finisher, Louis Therien of Quebec. Sharon Schmidt-Mongrain of Lafayette Hill, Pa., was the top female finisher in just under 4 hours, 54 minutes.

The first time Michael Sien of Eldersburg participated in a walk for breast cancer awareness five years ago, he noticed something that surprised him: very few men were among the walkers. At the time, he didn't even know anyone who had breast cancer, but he walked to support a cause that affects thousands of women - and more rarely, men - each year. "I started to think what could I do to make breast cancer and volunteering, in general, more on the radar for men," Sien said. Last year, Sien walked and crewed the National Philanthropy Trust's Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in San Diego that supports Susan G. Komen For the Cure nationwide.

Every October, products from tweezers to toothpaste get packaged in pink. They're all sold with the promise of promoting breast cancer awareness or benefiting breast cancer charities. Breast cancer has become the darling disease of corporate philanthropy - especially during national breast cancer awareness month. But are the pink promotions more about boosting corporate profits via female-friendly marketing? Although heart disease and lung cancer kill more women each year, experts say breast cancer is considered safer for companies to latch onto.

Harford Gymnastics, along with 2,600 other athletes from across the country, competed at the Pink Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa.., Feb. 22 to 24 to support Unite for Her and breast cancer awareness. Harford's Level 7 team shined, taking first place in a field of tough competitors. Additionally, Harford took second at Levels 6 and 8, third at Level 5 and fourth at Level 9. The entire Harford team (Levels 4 to 9) had 22 athletes score above 36 in all-around and four gymnasts tallied all-around scores above 37. A new club beam record was set at Level 7 and one of Harford's Level 9 athletes was recognized with the Strength of Character Award.

March is observed across the nation as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Many survivors, patients, caregivers and others whose lives have been affected by colorectal cancer come together to generate awareness of the importance of getting screened and also encouraging loved ones to get screened. According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States. In 2013, the American Cancer Society estimates 102,480 new cases of colon cancer and 40,340 new cases of rectal cancer will be reported.

Baltimore native Otis "Damon" Harris, a one-time member of the legendary Motown act The Temptations, died on Monday after losing a 14-year-long battle to prostate cancer, according to family spokesman Chuck Woodson. Harris was 62. Harris, a resident of Owings Mills, died at the Joseph Richey Hospice in Seton Hill. Woodson said he was in remission until three years ago. The cancer had "gotten pretty bad" by the end of last summer, Woodson said, leaving Harris in the hospital from November until last week, when he was transferred to the hospice.

Editor: November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This year, approximately 160,340 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths. That is why there is an entire month dedicated to this disease, raising awareness and increasing research to help put an end to it. People like to think that lung cancer is a self-inflicted disease from smoking. The truth is that radon, second-hand smoke and air pollution all can cause lung cancer.

Members of the Francis Scott Key High School field hockey team embraced the mission of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and hosted events and fundraisers to increase awareness and raise money for cancer research. According to field hockey coach Danielle Unflat, the team collected donations at school-related sporting events - both home and away - collected change during lunches and accepted other donations online and in-person. Part of the month included a "challenge" from the school's girls soccer team - which was also raising money through a special "Kick Cancer" event.

Lance Armstrong won the Revolution 3 Half-Full Triathlon at Centennial Park in Howard County on Sunday, finishing the 70-mile race in just under 4 hours, 11 minutes. The effort by the famous cyclist and embattled seven-time Tour de France winner in the combined swimming, biking and running event, organized by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults to raise money for cancer awareness, brought him in more than 18 minutes ahead of the second place finisher, Louis Therien of Quebec. Sharon Schmidt-Mongrain of Lafayette Hill, Pa., was the top female finisher in just under 4 hours, 54 minutes.

Estelle Marie Hynson, a cosmetologist who appeared at breast cancer awareness rallies as she fought her disease, died Monday at her Glen Burnie home. She was 66. Mrs. Hynson, who received the diagnosis five years ago, appeared as a breast cancer survivor during Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer walks. Family members said she sported pink hair, a pink feather boa and a Panama hat trimmed in pink ribbon at last year's event in downtown Baltimore. She made the walk using a cane and later said she was proud of the busload of children, family members and friends who had accompanied her. "She wanted to fight until the end," said a son, David M. Hynson of Glen Burnie.

Baltimore native Otis "Damon" Harris, a one-time member of the legendary Motown act The Temptations, died on Monday after losing a 14-year-long battle to prostate cancer, according to family spokesman Chuck Woodson. Harris was 62. Harris, a resident of Owings Mills, died at the Joseph Richey Hospice in Seton Hill. Woodson said he was in remission until three years ago. The cancer had "gotten pretty bad" by the end of last summer, Woodson said, leaving Harris in the hospital from November until last week, when he was transferred to the hospice.

On Saturday, Oct. 6, TownMall of Westminster will host Paint TownMall Pink, an event aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer treatment and prevention. The event will take place at Center Court from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The organizations sponsoring and participating include Advanced Radiology, American Cancer Society, Beautiful Faces Permanent Makeup Salon, Carroll Homecare and Hospice, The Women's Place at Carroll Hospital Center, Carroll County Health Department and Carroll Regional Cancer Center.

Whether you loved it, or you hated it, it definitely had you talking. It certainly wasn't the first time you have seen it - in fact, it probably wasn't the first time you have seen a version of it (for example, Pedro Morales winning the WWWF title for the first time against Ivan Koloff in 1971 . But the ending of the match between CM Punk and John Cena can be classified as one thing - necessary. After a terrific back-and-forth affair that had the crowd invested, especially with both men kicking out of the other's finishing move and not submitting to their signature submissions, John Cena delivered a German Suplex that left both mens' shoulders on the mat, and referee Chad Patton counting to three.