*Cancer - affects all of us in one way or another, a friend, family member, a neighbor, a child, even ourselves.... This year, it's been expected that there will be over 1.5 million new cases, and a 1/3 of them will pass away. These statistics are startling, but we must see it as a growing epidemic.
Being diagnosed with cancer is beyond scary and when dealing with so much already it's hard to know what priorities to set into play. Focusing on appointment after appointment and numerous tests can be discouraging. But we need to realize that there is more help for us out there. There are people who have been heir too and can provide others with their strength, hope, inspiration & knowledge.
People like Rachel Shur, who is a 2-time young cancer survivor. Shur was diagnosed in December 2006 with end stage Leukemia and was given a 10% chance of survival. Shur is coming up on her 4 year anniversary December 11th, when the doctors initially diagnosed her. Despite all of the trials & tribulations she had to overcome over the past 4 years, she has surpassed the doctor's original expectations. She has even started her own non-profit organization called United Cancer Advocacy Action Network (UCAAN) and she's been helping fellow survivors for over a year. By not only providing them with the resources and information that they need but also by donating small handmade gifts of hope to survivors, which include handmade plaques, bracelets and pendants that Shur makes herself. Her favorite gift to give away is the "Share the Hope" bracelet because she says "It's a way to give to those survivors who need it, and if they ever meet a fellow survivor or caregiver that needs it more - they are meant to share it by giving it away to them."
"People are very familiar with the Pink Ribbon." Shur says "We see it everywhere all throughout the year, everyone knows that the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer. But do you know what the other colors of the other cancers are?" Shur asks. The truth is that most people don't, unless they knew someone who was diagnosed with another type of cancer. "I was diagnosed with Leukemia and my cancer color is orange." Shur replies. When Shur first was designing her logo for UCAAN she had a great idea and used purple ribbons for the "A's". "What does purple stand for?" Shur asked me. I didn't even know what to say, and she quickly answered it for me. "Purple is the universal color of all cancers! My organization helps people with All Types of Cancer!"
UCAAN continues to help survivors of cancer and plans on having more and more events in the near future where survivors can get involved. "I wanted to build a strong organization of volunteers & survivors who really want to make a difference in the lives of other survivors. I really want survivors to feel like they are apart of something and UCAAN is where they need to be!" Shur says. As we approach the holiday season, we must keep in mind that there are many people out there that need to know about UCAAN and all it has to offer them & all it plans to offer in the future. UCAAN is sponsoring the "Gift Wrap 4 a Cause" fun-raiser at The Janss Marketplace starting Wednesday December 15th thru Friday December 24th. Gifts will be wrapped by volunteers and they will be accepting donations. But that's not all UCAAN is doing:
* They have a L'il Elves Workshop where kids can decorate holiday cards that will be sent to cancer survivors in the hospital at UCLA Medical Center & The City of Hope.
* They have a gift basket giveaway, where every $20 donation gets you entered into the drawing.
* Hope jewelry will be available for sale there, and customizable pieces are available as well! 100% of proceeds from these sales go to UCAAN.
* Tax Deductible receipts are available upon request.
UCAAN hopes to spread the cheer to as many people as possible. Shur adds "If you're a survivor of cancer, we'd love for you to come visit us. If you tell me your cancer story, I'll have a special gift for you!" This sounds like a lot of fun, a great cause and if you want to participate or volunteer, please contact Rachel Shur directly at: 805-479-1032 or ucaanorg@yahoo.com
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