Teen cancer survivor raises $11,000.00 on his gofundme page after insurance company refused to pay his dentures
Alex Hunter 16, raised $11,000 on his gofundme page in just 20 hours. Two weeks ago, Alex made a tough decision to remove his 19 remaining teeth after years of radiation. His insurance covered part of the procedure to remove the teeth but refused to cover dentures because they say it’s not a medical issue.
Alex was just four when he was first diagnosed with Embryonal Parameningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma, after a mass started growing in his cheek. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation. He lost his vision on his left eye and feeling on the left side of his face. It also left him with a thin frame and teeth problems. July 2003 he was declared cancer free. But on 2011 he undergoes surgery on an enlarged thyroid gland because of Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. One final scan in October will confirm that he is cancer-free again.
Alex’s family launched their gofundme page: “Alex Hunter’s Medical Fund” in the hope of raising the money for his dentures. By Tuesday afternoon when the MailOnline first published Alex’s story, the fund stood $1,000 but in less than six hours gofundme page has reached its target of $11,000 to have dentures fitted after his insurance company declined to pay for them. Thanks to the public Alex who loves to sing will now get his dentures fitted.
For more information or to donate to Alex Hunter’s Medical Fund, visit the family’s gofundme page http://www.gofundme.com/alex-hunter-medical-fund
News sourced from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2710044/Teen-survives-cancer-killed-teeth-insurance-company-refuses-pay-dentures-claiming-NOT-medical-expense.html
Restoring Intimacy after Prostate Cancer
Published: 31 July 2014
Prostate cancer is the most dreaded disease by men but most men diagnosed with the disease survived it. Most men treated for prostate cancer suffer a disruption in their libido or sexual function or both that may be temporary or may be long lasting. It is then imperative for couple to communicate openly to be prepared for possible side effects of the treatment. This will enable them to adjust to the physical and emotional impact on their relationship.
The most common treatments for early-stage prostate cancer are: Surgery to remove the prostate gland, radiation from an external beam, or radioactive seed implants. Surgery is most likely to cause long-lasting erectile dysfunction because nerves responsible for an erection are very close to the prostate gland. Surgery cuts the nerve and radiation damages it. Erectile dysfunction and sexual intimacy issues can be challenging to couples.
Tips for Patients and their Partners
Dr. Watter and Morris Psychological Group offer advice to couples embarking on the journey.
Address the challenges as a couple: Loss of intimacy is both the patient and the partner’s problem. Partner must accept that things may not be the same as before, both must be willing to explore new intimacy options.
Be persistent – don’t expect too much too soon, not every option will work for the couple. Erectile dysfunction solution like medication may not work when nerves have been cut.
Sexual satisfaction is possible without an erection. Orgasm is possible even without erection. Emotional and physical intimacy can be maintained even without orgasm.
Keep the lines of communication open especially during difficult time. Most men can lead long fulfilling lives after prostate cancer. As long as couples are honest about their needs, they still can have satisfying intimate relationships.
Study shows: Total darkness at night key to success of breast cancer therapy
Published: 25 July 2014
A new study by Tulane University School of Medicine found that exposure to light at night shuts off nighttime production of the hormone melatonin and renders breast cancer completely resistant to a widely used breast cancer drug tamoxifen. This study is the first to show that melatonin is vital to the success of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer.
David Blask said that high melatonin levels at night put breast cancer cells to ‘sleep’ by turning off key growth mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and melatonin is suppressed, breast cancer cells ‘wake up’ and ignore tamoxifen.
The formation of tumors is significantly slowed or delayed by Melatonin. Tamoxifen also causes a dramatic regression of tumors in animals with either high nighttime levels of melatonin during complete darkness or that receiving melatonin supplementation during dim light at night exposure.
These findings have potentially enormous implications for women being treated with tamoxifen and also regularly exposed to light at night due to sleep problems, working night shifts or exposed to light from computer and TV screens. Light at night could be a new and serious risk factor for developing resistance to tamoxifen and other anticancer drugs. The study could make the use of melatonin in combination with tamoxifen, administered at the optimal time of day or night, standard treatment for breast cancer patients.
News sourced from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140725080408.htm
