Columnist Robert Novak Has Brain Tumor
Conservative columnist Robert Novak has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Statement from Novak:
“On Sunday, July 27, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I have been admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where doctors will soon begin appropriate treatment.
“I will be suspending my journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period.”
Bob Novak is a great guy and a brilliant columnist. He and his family will be in our prayers, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Immunotherapy Cures Skin Cancer Patient
A cancer patient has made a full recovery after being injected with billions of his own immune cells in the first case of its kind, doctors have disclosed.
Ted Kennedy Diagnosed With Malignant Brain Tumor
From the AP:
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma, they said.
His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.
The 76-year-old senator has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after a seizure at his home.
His wife and children have been with him each day but have made no public statements.
His doctors said in a statement released to The Associated Press that he has had no further seizures, is in good spirits and is resting comfortably.
Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year — and the most common type among adults. It’s a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.
Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types — such as glioblastomas — or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.
Video: Senator Kennedy Airlifted To Hospital After Suffering Seizures
1 in 4 Teen Girls Has Sexual Disease
From the AP:
At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.
A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls—nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.
What this really means is that parents need to quit kidding themselves about their kids. I don’t care how many “promise rings” you buy or what kind of promises of saving themselves for marriage are made, most likely your kids are having sex.
Encouraging abstinence is obviously a good thing, but acknowledging reality is also important. Parents need to quit being shy about discussing these issues openly. Teens should be taught about the importance of condom use and how sexually transmitted diseases are spread.
I understand that some parents are uncomfortable with their child’s school teaching them about sexual issues, but if that’s the case it’s extremely important that parents discuss these issues at home.
-Chris Jones
Patrick Swayze Diagnosed With Cancer
From the AP:
American actor Patrick Swayze, best known for his roles in the movies “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost,” has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, People magazine reported on Wednesday.
“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Swayze’s doctor, George Fisher, was quoted as saying.
“All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”
George appeared to be responding to rumors that began circulating on the Internet early Wednesday, alleging that the 55-year-old actor was in serious condition and had just weeks to live.
Swayze’s representative said the actor, who was voted Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine in 1991, was “continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects.”
The popular leading hunk appeared in a slew of movies in the 1980s and 1990s, including “Youngblood,” “Red Dawn,” “Road House” and “Point Break.”
Tabloids including the National Enquirer and New York Post first reported Swayze’s diagnosis, with both describing it as more serious than the actor’s representatives let on.
“Pancreatic cancer spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it’s a leading cause of cancer death,” the US-based Mayo Clinic says on its web site, calling it “one of the most serious of cancers.”
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