Hello Everyone, Thank you for visiting my page...

Just four months ago, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  This was only after 3 months of illness, blood tests, and other examinations.  I am extremely fortunate to have great doctors who are passionate about their work and their patients.  They took my well being seriously.  My sincere thanks to both Dr. Bailey and Dr. Mador.

 I underwent surgery and one round of localized chemotherapy in February and have since made a full recovery.  I share my story because I want to raise awareness to the importance of general health checkups and cancer screening. Cancers below the waist, and specifically bladder cancer was diagnosed in 660 people in Alberta in 2009, with 490 of those being men!  Additionally, bladder cancer is generally a cancer that "comes with age", so my diagnosis further highlights the importance of diligent health maintenance, and awareness of such diseases as I was not considered to be in a high risk age group.

I am passionate to do my part in finding cures for various types of cancer, which led me to join "The Underwear Affair".  I shall proudly run 10 kms to honor those who were not as lucky as I was.  I have set a goal to raise $5,000, however as you can imagine, I am extremely passionate about this cause and plan to shatter that goal, raising as much money as I can not stopping once I hit my goal. 

Please visit the following website to help raise awareness for cancers below the waist:

http://ed12.uncoverthecure.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ed12_homepage

or type "Underwear Affair" or "Uncover the Cure" into your web browser.

Below I have provided more statistics regarding cancers below the waist. I can say from experience that when reading statistics like the ones below, they become much more impactful once you ARE one of the statistics yourself. 

I hope you take it upon yourself to seriously help me in my plight by donating, sending this link along to your family and friends, posting the link on your Facebook page, on your Twitter page, and anywhere else you can.  Awareness is critical to beating cancer!  Cancer affects us all whether it be directly or indirectly, we all need to take action. 

Sincerely,

Aaron

CANCER STATISTICS ACROSS ALBERTA AND CANADA

Prostate Cancer Statistics 

In Alberta 

 In 2009, an estimated 2,900 Alberta males were diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

 There were an estimated 440 prostate cancer related deaths in Alberta in 2009. 

In Canada 

 In 2009, an estimated 25,500 Canadian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,400 occurred from the disease. 

Cervical Cancer Statistics 

In Alberta 

 In 2009, an estimated 160 women in Alberta will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 40 will deaths will be connected with the disease. 

In Canada 

 An estimated 1,300 Canadian women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2009. 

 Cervical cancer was the cause of 380 deaths in 2009 

Colo-rectal Cancer Statistics 

In Alberta 

 In 2009, an estimated 1780 Albertans will be diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer; of those diagnosed 1,000 were men and 780 were women. 

 An estimated 660 colorectal related deaths will occur in Alberta; of those estimated deaths 370 were men and 290 were women. 

*Colo-rectal includes small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. 

In Canada 

 In 2009, an estimated 22,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer and 9,100 will die of it. 

 Overall, colo-rectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer (men and women combined) 

Bladder Cancer Statistics 

In Alberta 

 In 2009 there were an estimated 660 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed in Alberta. 

 Of these cases 490 occurred in men and 170 occurred in women. 

 In 2009 there were an estimated 145 bladder cancer related deaths; with 69% occurring in men. 

In Canada 

 In 2009, an estimated 6,850 Canadians will be diagnosed with bladder cancer and 1,850 will die of it.