Tag Archives: Conditions and Diseases

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Mom loses custody because of breast cancer

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Alaina Giordano was diagnosed with breast cancer three and half years ago. That was bad.

This is worse: On April 25th, a judge in North Carolina used Alaina’s cancer as a key reason to transfer custody of her 5-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter to her ex-husband (a man Alaina describes as “abusive” and who lives more than 700 miles away).

This is happening even though Alaina says her kids “know that I have cancer, they know that I go for treatment once a month now, they know that it’s stable. They know me as mom, and it doesn’t affect our daily life.”

She has just two weeks to appeal, and her hope is that a huge outcry from the public and local elected officials can help reverse the decision.

Thankfully, that outcry is growing quickly. A petition started by Alaina’s sister Lauren has more than 7,000 signatures, Alaina was interviewed on Good Morning America and the Today Show, and media throughout North Carolina and the U.S. are now covering the injustice.

But time is short, and the wrong outcome here sets a dangerous precedent for mothers and fathers with cancer or other serious diseases. Please sign Lauren’s petition asking that Alaina Giordano’s breast cancer not be used as a reason to take away her kids:

http://www.change.org/petitions/do-not-allow-nc-judge-to-take-alaina-giordanos-children-just-because-she-has-cancer

Thanks for taking action,

– Shelby and the Change.org team

P.S. Alaina is urgently looking for a lawyer who can help with her appeal, pro bono. If you’re qualified to practice law in North Carolina and can help, shoot me an email at Shelby.Knox@Change.org.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Cancer kills one American every minute


One American will die from cancer every minute this year.

“Millions of Americans are living with cancer, and millions more are affected by the devastating toll a cancer diagnosis takes on families, communities and workplaces. Please make it a top priority for your Administration to create a cancer prevention plan that stops the use of cancer-causing chemicals in products used in America every day.”

We all know someone impacted by cancer and despite the devastation it causes to our friends and families, it’s perfectly legal for companies to add known cancer-causing chemicals to products we use every day in our homes, schools and workplaces. That can change.

President Obama has the ability to reverse decades of failed policies and set the course for a national cancer prevention strategy that includes eliminating the use of cancer-causing chemicals in everyday products. But he’s not going to do it if people everywhere don’t speak out.

That’s why Greenpeace is joining up with around 200 coalition groups to deliver a petition to the President in early May on the one-year anniversary of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) President’s Cancer Panel report.

greenpeaceusa.org

Sign our petition right now urging President Obama to make cancer prevention a priority by acting to protect us from cancer-causing chemicals and we’ll include your name in the delivery.

Last year, the NCI report urged the President “to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.” Toxic chemicals are everywhere — in products like clothing, furniture, cleaning products, plastics, and shower curtains used by children, women, and men across the nation on a daily basis.

The NCI report’s final recommendation was for the President to “most strongly use the power” of his office to eliminate human exposure to cancer-causing chemical. We couldn’t agree more. Show him that you agree as well by signing the petition.

greenpeaceusa.org

Cancer is a horrible disease but it can be prevented. It’s high time we made cancer prevention one of our highest national priorities.

For a safer and healthier future,

Rick Hind

Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

iReport Assignment: 30th anniversary of AIDS epidemic (via Anderson Cooper 360)


iReport.com CNN 2011 marks 30 years since the AIDS epidemic began, and is an important time of remembrance for those whose lives have been affected by the disease. Has AIDS and HIV touched your life or that of someone you know? Have you been inspired to take action … Read More

via Anderson Cooper 360