Cancer

Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets breast cancer and another doesn't. It is clear, however, that breast cancer is not caused by bumping, bruising, or touching the breast. And this disease is not contagious; no one can "catch" breast cancer from another person. Scientists are trying to learn more about factors that increase the risk of developing this disease. For example, research is in progress to determine whether the risk of breast cancer is affected by environmental factors.

Here's an update to the story about the dying cancer patient denied boarding on a Korean Airlines flight to South Korea. Crystal Kim was stopped at the gate after the airline decided she was too frail for the eleven hour flight. She returned the next day with a doctor's note but was turned away again. The airline said it was concerned about her health. Delta Airlines cleared her for flying and she headed to Seoul. Delta upgraded Kim and her daughter to first class.  What do you think about this?

It's a competition that dates back hundreds of years. Pitting east against the west. The East/West 5k Run/Walk goes  much deeper than this rivalry. “My mom started Victory in the Valley in 1983 after her diagnoses and she just passed away this week," said executive director, Diana Thomi. "So this is a tribute to her in a way.” These runners came to support the hundreds of Kansans affected by cancer. “My family comes every year in memory of my mom she passed away in april of 2005,” said runner Saul Steffen.

Jodi Lane had no idea what she was in for Friday morning. She had just gotten to work when all of a sudden people were showing her up to hijak her day and give her a surprise make over. "Now I get to get pampered all day and I don't know what happened but I like it!" she said while getting her hair cut. Jodi's sister wrote a letter to Ultimate Dream Makeover, a McPherson based charity that gives free makeovers annually. This year, the letter it received about Jodi stood out. "She has a tendency to do for others before she would ever do for herself," said Kristi Porter, Jodi's sister.

By Kara Sewell (WICHITA, Kan.) In a case of convention versus conviction, Katie Wernecke's parents won. But before their victory Katie's family underwent a month long legal battle after her parents refused traditional chemotherapy to treat their daughters Hodgkin's disease. A Texas judge finally allowed Katie to come here Wichita's Bright Spot for Health, for alternative treatment. "It's really a very difficult thing for a parent to feel like the child is going to be taken out of their hands and i know as a father myself i would be very upset," says Dr. Ron Hunninghake.

Donna Jantzen finds joy in making blankets for kids with cancer.  Her caring hands have put together dozens of blankets. Last month, she made a blanket for Warrior Eli. Jantzen found the five-year-old's story on Facebook and checked it out on Caring Bridge-- a website that allows users to share health updates with others. "I had taken the email address from the Caring Bridge website and emailed that address, supposedly the father.  And, was put in contact with the aunt, who gave this story that they live in Canada, send the blanket to her, so I did that,” Jantzen said.

It's not the typical buzz you would expect to see outside a sports bar. More than 40 people lost their locks to raise awareness for childhood cancer. NetApp employees teamed up with Larry Bud's Sports Bar and Grill for a fundraiser to support St. Baldrick's foundation. Kristena Hoover was one of nine woman who volunteered to donate her hair. She helped raise $2,000 for the foundation. "Little kids everyday loose their hair in a fight against a disease they don't deserve," she said.

KWCH anchor Kim Setty made a public statement on air Tuesday, telling viewers she is battling cancer and receiving chemotherapy. Kim made a similar statement when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She recovered after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Last year, she learned the cancer had returned, and started low-intensity treatments. At that time, Kim chose not to make a public announcement. “My main goal was to keep life as normal as I possibly could,” she explained.

Alone in her Buhler home, Elaine Franz is comforted by the memories that surround her in picture frames.  But, if it gets too quiet, the sound of her husband's voice isn't far away. "Each morning when I wake-up I say thank you Lord for giving me this gift of another day,” John Franz says those words in a message to his church.  You can hear John's fight with lung cancer in the video. "The doctor said right away, it's not curable.  We can treat it, but we cannot cure it,” Elaine said.

ATLANTA (AP) - A new study says the cost of treating cancer in the U.S. nearly doubled over the past two decades, but it doesn't blame expensive cancer drugs. Researchers say the rising costs of new cancer treatments are mainly driven by the growing number of cancer patients. The researchers also found that private insurers now cover a greater share of cancer treatment costs -- about 50 percent. The study found patients' out-of-pocket costs have fallen over the past two decades.