Happy spring to all of you.
The “Rally for a Cure” by the American Cancer Society in Tallahatchie County will be this Saturday, April 12, beginning with a walkathon at 8 a.m. around the Shade Street walking trail behind the East Tallahatchie County school District office.
The Rally itself will take off at 9 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. at the former National Guard armory in Charleston.
Donations may be sent to Rally for a Cure, P.O. Box 971, Charleston, MS 38921.
Our Rally will consist of the honorable Mayor Sedrick Smith as our master of ceremony. Our national anthem will be sung by Shelby Boone. We will have prayer, a memorial service, a balloon liftoff at noon, and a silent auction, sweet shop, concession stand and much more.
Please make plans to be at the Rally, for the support from our community is a must for us to keep helping our cancer patients.
This month we recognize esophageal cancer, with 16,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. The ribbon color is periwinkle, from the flower of the same name. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death worldwide.
We also recognize testicular cancer for the month of April. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men between ages 15 to 34. According to the Testicular Cancer Foundation, one man is diagnosed every hour in the United States alone. The ribbon color is light purple.
April is also the month that we recognize head and neck cancer. The ribbon color we recognize for that is burgundy and white.
Esophageal cancer is cancer that occurs in the esophagus along the hollow tube that runs from your throat to your stomach. Esophageal cancer usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus. More men than women get esophageal cancer and it is the sixth most common cause of cancer death worldwide.
Testicular cancer occurs in the male organ that makes up hormones and sperm. The testicles are located inside a loose bag of skin, which is called the scrotum underneath the penis. Testicular cancer happens when cells in the testicular grow to form a tumor. This is rare, and more than 90% of the testicular cancer begins in the germ cell, which produces sperm. There are two types of germ cell cancer: seminoma, which grows slowly and responds very well to radiation and chemotherapy. Non-seminoma can grow more rapidly and can be less responsive to those treatments.
There are around 200,000 cases of head and neck cancer each year. It usually begins inside squamous cells that line the mucosal surfaces of the head and neck — for example, those inside the mouth, throat and voice box. These cancers are squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. They can also begin in the salivary glands, sinuses or muscles or nerves in the head and neck. For more information, contact your doctor or www.cancer.org.
Prayer: Heal us, oh Lord, and we will be healed. Help us, and we will be saved. For you are our purpose and for you, Almighty King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are you, Lord, who healed the sick of his people. May God’s presence be with you and grant you peace. Amen.
