Katherine Lagomarsino

Shortly after interviewing President Barack Obama for a “Newshour” segment on a cold December day in 2010, Madhulika Sikka, an executive editor for 

, heard her doctor say, “You have breast cancer.”

“My head had been full of the president’s interview,” she writes, “and now my doctor was delivering the most devastating news I had ever had in my life.” The confusion and emotion that followed her diagnosis will be familiar territory to many cancer patients.

In hopes of offering guidance and companionship to others, Sikka has written

, a part memoir, part self-help book that delivers an honest, and often humorous, look at her own cancer experience. Divided into 26 succinct chapters, beginning with “A is for Anxiety” and ending with “Z is for Zzz’s,” the book covers topics that include: breasts (“‘They are cutting off my boob’ is what you want to say, but you don’t. We have this sterile-sounding medical term— mastectomy, which is now part of everyday parlance.”); drugs (“Drugs are your friends. Let me repeat, drugs, pharmaceuticals of all kinds for all things, are your friends.”); and even pillows (“In a time of enormous discomfort, pillows are an indulgence that you can afford, and they actually make a huge difference. Who knew?”).

The beauty of this book is that it can be read from start to finish, or it can be skipped through so that readers can fastforward to the topic most relevant to them at the moment, such as overwhelming fatigue, a lowered sex drive or hair loss. 

Articles

In hopes of offering guidance and companionship to others, Madhulika Sikka wrote A Breast Cancer Alphabet, part memoir, part self-help book.

A Breast Cancer Alphabet 

While much research links medical illness with lowered sexual functioning, few studies have focused specifically on the sexual health of women who were treated for cancer as children. A recent article in the 

 reported findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a large retrospective analysis initiated in 1994 to examine late effects in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. In the study, a group of 2,178 female adult survivors ages 18 to 51 reported significantly lower sexual functioning, interest, desire, arousal, satisfaction and activity compared with a control group made up of 408 of their female siblings. Risk factors for this psychosexual dysfunction, which arises from mental or emotional distress, include premature ovarian failure, treatment with radiation to the brain, and a diagnosis of cancer during adolescence. The researchers hope that understanding the incidence and risk factors of poor sexual health might result in screening tools or interventions that could prevent or mitigate these issues.

While much research links medical illness with lowered sexual functioning, few studies have focused specifically on the sexual health of women who were treated for cancer as children. 

Adult Female Survivors at Risk for Sexual Issues

Tom's River: A Story of Science and Salvation

, author Dan Fagin tells the true tale of what happens when large chemical companies with dubious waste disposal practices set up shop in a quiet seaside town in New Jersey. In a nutshell—a troubling number of cancer cases occurring in very young children living in the area. But, as this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book details, the existence of childhood cancer clusters are difficult to prove and drawing a scientific connection between environmental contaminants and cancer is almost impossible, and even less likely when cancer registries are poorly kept and public officials are reluctant to draw negative attention to their tourism-driven town.

In this case, which ultimately resulted in one of the largest settlements surrounding toxic dumping in U.S. history, numerous people had to surface at precisely the right moment: a perceptive nurse in the oncology ward at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who began noticing that an unusually high number of kids on her floor hailed from the same south Jersey town; a persistent research scientist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection who worked nights and weekends identifying mysterious pollutants in the Toms River water supply; a tenacious, outspoken mom whose son developed neuroblastoma at the tender age of three months. In this town, heroes come in the form of chemists, parents and advocates, and remarkably, triumph over large corporations and government agencies guilty of both negligent and criminal behaviors.

Fagin’s in depth reporting and engaging storytelling delves into complex issues, including the epidemiology of cancer, as well as heartbreaking accounts as told to him by parents who lost children to cancer and childhood cancer survivors themselves, some of whom still struggle with the disease. This absorbing book will appeal to many people for many reasons. We highly recommend it.

Tom's River tells the tale of what happens when a chemical company with irresponsible waste disposal practices sets up shop in a quiet seaside town in New Jersey.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Aside from wearing a gold ribbon, there are myriad ways to get involved that range from sipping tea, noshing on gourmet grub or going for a stroll. Following is a roundup of just a handful of the many, many activities going on around the country this month that are bringing awareness to the disease. 

: The St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta is hosting a Teddy Bear Tea for adults and children every day from Sept. 1-Sept. 30. Five percent of afternoon tea sales will be donated to Cure Childhood Cancer.

: On September 6 at Soldier Field stadium, CureSearch holds a walk in honor of Chicago-area children who have been touched by cancer.

: On September 20, the best chefs and mixologists in the country gather to offer tasty bites in honor of a good cause. Ticket sale proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit dedicated to raising money and awareness to defeat childhood cancer.

: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) hosts its largest fundraiser of the year with a 5K run and a 2K walk. The event supports the hospital's cancer research and survivorship programs.

: On September 21, the National Mall will host CureFest, a fundraiser for childhood cancer that kicks off with a walk followed by a festival that includes live music, guest speakers and activities for people of all ages.

Katherine Lagomarsino

A Breast Cancer Alphabet

Adult Female Survivors at Risk for Sexual Issues

Tom's River: A Story of Science and Salvation

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

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