Cancer

Health officials say it's a good time of the year to remind people about the dangers of the sun. Saturday at the GraceMed Health Clinic, officials offered a free skin cancer screening. It's sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Cancer Society. The organizations have been putting on the free screenings for more than a decade. Doctors say getting a screening is now more important than ever. "The incidents of melanoma is probably doubling. " Says dermatologist Steven Passman.

Vicki Bakula never imagined her front stoop would be the scene of a crime. It all started when a woman, who claimed to be from the American Cancer Society, knocked on her door Sunday evening, asking for donations. "My mother died of cancer, ovarian cancer, so who wouldn't donate if you've had a parent or relative die from something like that. " But when she went to get her purse, a relative in the house became suspicious. "My brother-in-law stopped us because he had heard a story on the news about people doing a scam with this.

We've done stories before of dogs that can detect seizures or cats at nursing homes that spend time with patients before they die. This story tells of a Labrador Retriever that has a better than 90% rate of sniffing out cancer in breath samples and stool samples. Read it for yourself here .

I can't stop thinking about a man I never met. I knew him only through Twitter, he followed me and I followed him back. He seemed to know a lot about computers, offering help when others asked. And every once in a while he tweeted about his health.   That's the first time I responded to him, commenting on the outcome of a hospital visit. And now, he's gone.  I found that out through Twitter. My husband doesn't understand Twitter or Facebook. He asks, "what do people write on there, just what they're doing?"

The Kansas Department of Health releases vital statistics for 2009. The report shows a decrease in heart disease and the infant mortality rate. In 2009, 290 infant deaths occured.  That's 13 less than 2008. The death rate for heart disease dropped 6.3% from 2008 to 2009.  KDHE says the new statistics show that cancer has passed heart disease as the leading cause of death in Kansas. “It’s certainly too early to tell whether cancer surpassing heart disease as the leading cause  of death will become a trend, but it is an area we will continue to watch,” says Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, State Health Officer and Director of KDHE’s Division of Health.

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.

From getting Betty White on Saturday Night Live to social causes, if want to get something done, put it on Facebook. A Kansas City woman did. She wants Oprah Winfrey to devote a show to childhood cancer. She's created a Facebook page to do just that. The idea came because her friend and her friend's son are both fighting the disease. "I'm in remission. My breast cancer is done. I'm finished with treatments. Everything is done with my stuff, so that's a very happy thing.

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.

Don't be surprised if you see wichita firefighters wearing pink this week. They're raising awareness of cancer. It comes ahead of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which takes place Saturday, September 25. We're told the effort was actually the idea of the firefighters themselves. Those in the battle against cancer say they've been receiving calls from people who have noticed the pink shirts and have been inspired by them. The shirts will be available for sale Thursday and Friday at Towne East Square Mall and at Saturday's race.

Watch a Replay of Stand Up 2 Cancer A bevy of stars from Hollywood, sports, music and more are planning to stand up to cancer on Friday. The second "Stand Up 2 Cancer" telecast, which will raise funds for cancer research, is set to feature celebrities manning the phones, performing and lending their support during the broadcast. Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Michael Chiklis, Cindy Crawford, Bill Hader, Anne Heche, Cheryl Hines, David Boreanaz, Randy Jackson, Rob Lowe, Jane Lynch, Abigail Breslin, Kelly Osbourne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Renee Zellweger are all among the stars scheduled to participate.