LIVESTRONG‘s Senior Director of Engagement, Heidi Adams, came to the Foundation from the cancer community. A young adult survivor of Ewing’s sarcoma, she founded an organization called Planet Cancer to address the needs and issues of young adults with cancer in their 20′s and 30′s. Planet Cancer’s vibrant online community, MyPlanet, is a place where young survivors can talk about life and insurance, dating and family, school, work and pretty much everything else under the sun. It is from this community that Heidi and Chris Schultz (her brother and co-author) drew stories and insights for their new book…

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Chad took part in the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program and shares his story below. LIVESTRONG at the YMCA supports people affected by cancer to reach their health and well-being goals.
Programs have been implemented across the country with 150 locations nationwide expected this year. For more information about the program go to www.livestrong.org/ymca

On April 4, 2009 I held my dad’s hand when he took his last breath, ending his struggle with prostate cancer that had started 25 years earlier. He had done everything he could to prolong his life. When diagnosed he got his…

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My name is Matt Lenze and I am a Survivor of Testicular Cancer since March 2009. Back in 2008, I was at the top of my game. I had a steady job and money was not a worry for me. I was confident that I could achieve all the things in life that I wanted; but one day I woke up with extreme lower back pain. I went to my chiropractor who said he couldn’t help me, so I tried going to work, but the pain was excruciating. I was sent home and told to bring a doctor’s excuse the…

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LIVESTRONG believes in your right to live without pain. In many countries pain is viewed as an afterthought or ignored all together because of stigma and lack of education. We are working with the Pain and Palliative Studies Group (PPSG) to ensure that patients all over the world have access to pain medication to ensure a better quality of life. Much of the PPSG’s work focuses on identifying and addressing the barriers to medical use of opioid analgesics (narcotic drugs), which are essential to chronic pain management and palliative care. Below are a few members of the pain…

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One of the best things about the LIVESTRONG Challenge is that it becomes the perfect venue for people to share their cancer stories. We were able to capture some of those stories this weekend in Philadelphia. Please watch and send words of encouragement in the comments below.

Ashley Spurlocks’ Story:

Colleen Shaible’s Story:

The Gray’s Story:

Jessy Kyle’s Story:

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