Today I delivered two blankets I had made for cancer patients. I went to Madison Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho. I made a blue blanket with shoes and a baby pink blanket. The first man I visited was all alone in his room watching tv. I went in with my two friends, Lauren and Emily. We visited with the man about his life, family and experiences. I do not know what stage of cancer he had, but he had tubes and medical equipment all around him and inside of his nostrils. By the look of his skin, he did not look well. He told us about his wife who had passed away two months earlier. He told us that they had been married for 73 years. He asked us what we were studying. He was from St. Anthony in Idaho. He repeatedly thanked me for the blanket and it was so great to visit with him. The next room brought me great joy and sadness at the same time. We visited an old woman, and he family surrounded her bedside. Her son grasped onto her hand as her daughter talked to the woman and tried to put her at ease.  Her daughter started tearing up a bit as she explained that three college girls were there to give her something, and it made me tear up as well. She was confused because of the medicine and the drugs she was on. I shook the hands of her children and smiled at the family remaining. I draped the pink blanket over the woman's fragile body. She kept saying things that did not make sense, and then she said, "I just want to go home." One of the men who I was talking to turned to me and said, "She is not talking about her home here. She is not going to make it." I told the family that they would be in my prayers. They thanked me multiple times for coming in, and I told them my pleasure- and really, it was. I am so blessed to have a body that I can walk with to the hospital and deliver blankets. I am so blessed. I do not have to wake up every morning and get ready to go to the hospital for the day. I do not have to wonder each day if a loved one is going to pass. But I know someday that will happen because death is part of the plan of salvation. I know that my attitude has changed and that I have gained a clear perspective on the beauty of life. I am so grateful for my life in which Heavenly Father gave me.

Chemotherapy Pictures:

   There has not been a permanent cure but there are multiple treatments for cancer. They are: bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, biologic therapy, proton therapy, hormone thearpy, diagnostic tests, complementary and alternative medicine, targeted therapies, surgery and radiation. Chemotherapy is a common treatment. There are a few different ways to undergo chemotherapy. There are chemicals and there are also antibiotics and pills to take. When injected, it can take a few minutes. When used with a pump it can be worn for months.

Cancer

What is cancer?

   According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer is: "a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start - for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells in the skin is called basal cell carcinoma." It then proceeds to explain different types of cancer, which are:

Cancer types can be grouped into broader categories. The main categories of cancer include:
Carcinoma - cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.

Sarcoma - cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.

Leukemia - cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.

Lymphoma and myeloma - cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.

Central nervous system cancers - cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

   In addition, there are different types of tumors. "Benign" means that although the cancerous tumor is not good, it can be fixed. "Malignant" means that the cancer is dangerous and proceeds to cover different parts of the body intstead of just the affected original area where the tumor is.
   To understand what cancer is in simpler terms, let us take a look at what KidsHealth.com had to say about cancer. Cancer begins in the cells of a human's body. "Cancer happens when cells that are not normal grow and spread very fast. Normal body cells grow and divide and know to stop growing. Over time, they also die. Unlike these normal cells, cancer cells just continue to grow and divide out of control and don't die when they're supposed to."