Tag Archives: cancer

Status

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR V.S. LEUKEMIA

Leave a comment

 

Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. in New York on April 16, 1947, this 12 lb. 11 oz. baby grew up to be a 7 ft. 2 in. professional basketball player.  He began his record-breaking basketball accomplishments in high school when he led Jack Donahue’s Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and a 79-2 overall record.

During his college years at UCLA, he played on the freshman team in 1966 and on the varsity team from 1967 to 1969.  According to Wikipedia, “He was the main contributor to the team’s three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses:  one to the University of Houston in which Alcindor had an eye injury, and the other to crosstown rival USC who played a “stall game.”  In his first game Alcindor scored 56 points, which set a UCLA single-game record.”

During the summer of 1968, Alcindor converted to Sunni Islam.  However, he did not begin publicly using his Arabic name, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, until 1971.

In 1969, Alcindor began his professional career with the Milwaukee Bucks.  He was an instant star, ranking second in the league in scoring (28.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (14.5 rpg).  He was named NBA Rookie of the Year.  The following year, he was named NBA Most Valuable Player.  Throughout his career, he was well known for his “skyhook,” a hook shot in which he bent his entire body like a straw, raised the ball, and released it at the highest point of his arm’s arching motion.

On June 28, 1989, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced that he would retire at the end of the season after twenty years in the NBA.

In November of 2009, he announced that he was suffering from a form of leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.  Abdul-Jabbar said that his condition could be managed by taking oral medication daily, seeing his specialist every other month, and having his blood analyzed regularly.

In February of 2011, Abdul-Jabbar announced via Twitter that his leukemia was gone and he was “100% cancer free.”  A few days later, he clarified his misstatement.  “You’re never really cancer-free and I should have known that.” Abdul-Jabbar said.  “My cancer right now is at an absolute minimum.”

If you have a family member who suffers from leukemia and needs private duty nursing, call American Home Health at (630) 236-3501.  The agency can provide round-the-clock nursing care by Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).  Our service area covers fifteen counties in Northern Illinois including , and Kankakee.  American Home Health is licensed by the State of Illinois and accredited by the Joint Commission.  For further information, go to www.ahhc-1.com, or call (630) 236-3501.

By Karen Centowski

 

Education, Information

WALK FOR THE CURE

Leave a comment

Have you ever walked ten miles in one day? How about sixty miles in three days? Was the three-day walk for breast cancer research? If so, you were probably participating in a Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer research and patient support programs.

The organization, originally known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, was founded in 1982 by Nancy Goodman Brinker in memory of her younger sister, Susan Goodman Komen. Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1943, Komen was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of thirty-three and died at thirty-six. Brinker promised her sister that she would do everything she could to end breast cancer.

In 1983, The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was introduced. Held in Dallas, Texas, the event consisted of a series of 5K runs and fitness walks to raise money for breast cancer research. Eight hundred individuals participated. In 2008, the organization celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Race for the Cure. By 2010, there were approximately 130 races worldwide, and over 1.6 million participated in the race.

Additional funding for the organization comes from cause marketing. What is that? According to https://causegood.com, “Cause marketing is the marketing of a for-profit product or business which benefits a nonprofit charity or supports a social cause in some way.” For example, Yoplait ran the Save Lids to Save Lives program. The Susan G. Komen organization raised over $36 million a year from over 60 cause marketing partnerships.

A number of large corporations provide financial contributions to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Top organizations include American Airlines, Bank of America, Caterpillar Foundation, Ford Motor Company, General Mills, Hewlett-Packard, Mohawk Industries, New Balance, Walgreens, and Yoplait.

What started in 1982 has become a multimillion fundraising effort to end breast cancer forever. According to “Susan G. Komen for the Cure” at https://wikipedia.org/wiki, “To date, Komen has funded more than $800 million in breast cancer research.”

If you have a family member who needs private duty nursing, call American Home Health at (630) 236-3501. The agency can provide round-the-clock nursing care by Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Our service area covers fifteen counties in Northern Illinois including Cook, Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee. American Home Health is licensed by the State of Illinois and accredited by the Joint Commission.

For further information, go to www.ahhc-1.com, or call (630) 236-3501.

—By Karen Centowski

Education, Information, News

HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW

Leave a comment

shaving_head

Hair, the irreverent rock musical of the 1960’s, proclaimed its glory in song: “Gimmie head with hair/long beautiful hair/shining, gleaming/streaming/flaxen, waxen./ Gimmie down to there/Shoulder length or longer.”

A study by the New York Post, reported at http://nypost.com/2017/07/06, revealed that participants reported spending $58 per month on haircuts, hair products, and shaving supplies. That figure was based on spending $34 for a haircut and $15 for hair products. If you have long hair and have gone to a beauty shop recently, you know that figure is much too low. A more realistic figure would be $80 for a color, trim, and set/blow dry plus a 20% tip.

There is no doubt that Americans love their hair. Here is the question. Would you shave your head to raise money to fund research to find a cure for pediatric cancer? Wow! That’s a hard question to answer, especially if you’re a woman. We’re used to seeing men with shaved heads, but it’s different with a woman.

Then there’s the practical consideration. Hair only grows half an inch a month. That’s only six inches in a year. For a woman with long hair, it would take years to regrow that much hair. Besides, even during that time, the hair would need to be trimmed every six to eight weeks to keep the ends from splitting.

Maybe you’ve heard about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the top private funder of childhood cancer research grants in the U.S. and around the world. What started as a challenge between three friends in New York City on March 17, 2000 has grown into a charity famous for its head-shaving events. Individuals agree to have their heads shaved for contributions to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Currently, 83% of the money raised by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is through these head-shaving events. According to https://www.stbaldricks.org, “Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $234 million to support lifesaving research, making the St. Baldrick’s Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants.”

People sometimes ask about the name of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Is there a real St. Baldrick? Apparently not. According to the article at https://www.stbaldricks.org, the name “St. Baldrick’s” is a combination of the words “bald” and “St. Patrick’s” since the first event was held on March 17, 2000, which is St. Patrick’s Day.

The head-shaving events generate the most money and publicity for St. Baldrick’s Day, but corporate sponsors are also very important to the foundation. In addition, donations of goods or services such as office supplies, event T-shirts, advertising space, and printing help keep expenses down. Volunteers are also essential to the success of the foundation.

If your child has cancer and needs pediatric private duty nursing, call American Home Health at (630) 236-3501. The agency can provide round-the-clock nursing by Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Our service area covers fifteen counties in Northern Illinois including Cook, Lake, McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee. American Home Health is licensed by the State of Illinois and accredited by the Joint Commission. For further information, go to www.ahhc-1.com.

—By Karen Centowski

To see a video of a head-shaving event, go to Mackenzie Shaves Her Head for Charity—St. Baldrick’s—March, 2012 YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxB9Inq9Apk.