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From actress Jane Fonda giving an update on her cancer, to a patient with leukemia proving he was at the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City with an old newspaper clipping, here’s what’s happening in the cancer space this week.
Jane Fonda provided an update on her cancer treatment, saying she feels “stronger than (she) has in years.”
On Sept. 2, actress Jane Fonda announced that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a type of blood cancer) and has since provided an update on her blog.
“Many have asked how I am feeling. Well today, about 3 weeks from my first chemo session, I must tell you that I feel stronger than I have in years. The doctor told me the best antidote to the tiredness that chemotherapy can cause is to move. Walk. And I have been walking. Very early before the record heat kicks in. Also working out,” Fonda, aged 84 wrote.
Fonda said that this is not her first experience with cancer, as she previously had breast cancer, for which she underwent a mastectomy.
Fonda also acknowledged that she is privileged to receive the care that she has.
“I am painfully aware that the top-drawer treatment I receive is not something everyone in this country can count on and I consider that a travesty. It isn’t fair, and I will continue to fight for quality health care for all.”
Former BBC broadcaster Bill Turnbull died after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017.
Bill Turnbull, who hosted BBC’s Breakfast for 15 years before joining Class FM in 2016, died of prostate cancer.
Turnbull’s family wrote, "Following a challenging and committed fight against prostate cancer, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in Suffolk surrounded by his family on Wednesday, 31 August."
BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty announced the news on the show, reflecting her time with Turnbull. She said, "His energy was amazing. He came into this program and threw everything at it. He was funny; he was a brilliant journalist. He loved this program and he loved serving you, the audience.”
Newspaper clipping proved a West Coast native was at the Sept. 11 attacks.
Spencer Cullum, then 9 years old, was visiting New York City with his family when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened, exposing him and his family to a cloud of smoke and debris from the burning twin towers. “We were completely covered in gray, like stage makeup or something,” Cullum told the “New York Post.”
That exposure to the debris contributed to his 2019 leukemia diagnosis, according to Cullum, who said that he was facing difficulties proving to the Sept. 11 Victim’s Compensation Fund that he was in New York during the attacks.
However, Cullum’s family was able to dig up an old article from a local newspaper featuring photos and quotes from their harrowing experience at Sept. 11. The fund deemed that to be sufficient evidence that Cullum was at the attacks and awarded him a six-figure payout to cover potential wages lost as a result of his cancer diagnosis.
One-thousand custom shirts will be donated to children with cancer.
The Tyler Robinson Foundation is teaming up with Care+Wear, a company that makes specialized clothing for clinicians, as well as patients with health conditions, to donate 1,000 shirts to children with cancer.
The shirts are designed with a zipper in the front, offering easier access to chemotherapy ports.
The Tyler Robinson Foundation is a nonprofit co-founded by members of the band Imagine Dragons. The mission of the foundation is to help families offset out-of-pocket costs while a child is receiving treatment for cancer.
“Care+Wear was founded in 2014 and since then has worked hard to support patients undergoing treatment. Partnering with TRF will make our shirts more accessible to pediatric cancer patients and will help make them more comfortable without the financial burden to their families,” said Care+Wear founder and CEO, Chaitenya Razdan, in a press release. “The positive association that the band is with them somehow during treatment is one that can’t be measured.”
The shirts range from sizes 4T to youth XL and will be distributed in 58 hospitals across the United States.
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