Sixteen years ago, neuroscientist and physician David Servan-Schreiber discovered during one of his own brain scanner experiments that he had brain cancer.  The diagnosis was an enormous shock, but David proceeded with chemotherapy and radiation, which he says saved his life.

When the treatment finished, he was at loss.  The chemo was was complete but David wanted to do all he could to prevent the cancer from returning.  He says, "As soon as you stop the chemo, you feel stripped, and you think, 'Wow, what do I do now?' And then everybody asks their doctor ... and this is when 99 percent of us get the standard answer, which is, 'Nothing in particular. Live your life like you always did.' "

So David investigated methods of preventing cancer from returning, and found a wealth of information his doctor had not mentioned.  "There's tremendous evidence that physical exercise helps prevent cancer, and also helps people who already have cancer prevent a recurrence," he says.

According to David, herbs and spices such as garlic, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, mint, and green tea help make the body less fertile for cancer. For instance, "When you put a little bit of garlic extract on cancer cells, they die."

He says vegetables and fruits such as brussel sprouts, asparagus and raspberries can target specific cancers, at least in test tubes.

"Your body knows how to fight cancer," David advises. "Help it with the right nutrition, with physical exercise, with managing stress better, and avoiding contaminants that feed cancer. And if you do these things, which are very simple, you're greatly increasing your chance of beating the odds."

David recently authored a best-selling book, Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life, to share his story with other patients.

Every patient has a different way of coping with disease; in California, a woman suffering from abdominal mesothelioma has painted her house seafoam green to boost her spirits.  Rebekah Price was diagnosed about two years ago and has since had surgery at the National Institutes for Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.  She returns to the Institute every four months for a PET scan, but expects the disease will return within five years.

Color has added excitment and brightness to Rebekah's life. "The living room is a metallic gold, the kitchen is orange, the kitchenette is yellow,” she said. “There’s two green rooms, there’s a purple hallway, a pink wall, a blue room and a red room.”  Most striking, however, is the seafoam green exterior.  Vivid color, Rebekah said, has become a comforting, positive force in her life.  “Life’s been pretty dark for a long time,” she said. “I want color, you know?”

Unfortunately, not all of Rebekah's neighbors have found the same joy in color.   Many believe the house sticks out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood and is too glaring for their particular community.  Rebekah and her children have incurred harassment and vandalism because of the opposition to the color. But Rebekah holds her head high and faces the abuse with optimism and humor; when a racially motivated comment was made implying her house would be better fit for Mexico, Rebekah merely hosted a Mexican-themed party with a taqueria and a mariachi band.

In the face of a terminal illness, Rebekah is inspiration to all of us.  She combats her disease and the harassment with poise, logic, and strength.  And not even the dark and disheartening comments can take the color out of Rebekah's personality.

In the UK, one community has rallied around a neighbor who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma.  Stuart Smith, age 64, believes he contracted the disease when sweeping asbestos-laden buildings belonging to the air force.   To honor Stuart, local businessmen and craftspeople donated goods for an auction to benefit charities of Stuart's choice.

In just one day, the town raised over £2,600 for the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and Macmillan Cancer nurses.  The kindness of his neighbors meant much to Stuart, who said, "I'm overwhelmed that people wanted to hold this auction for me. I feel quite emotional, to be honest. I cannot believe that people can be so generous. Some of the people who have arranged it, I have only briefly met.  It seems a lot of people around here have empathy for my problems."

Stuart's wife Wendy, age 65, echoed his sentiments: "We have lived in Horsford 11 years and I would not now move even if we won the Lottery.”

In reaching out to Stuart, the community not only affected his life, but also the lives of other mesothelioma patients.  A single event raised nearly £3,000 towards finding a cure and assisting those currently suffering from the disease.  The support Stuart encountered has armed him with the strength he needs to face the cancer: “My attitude is that I have got to be positive, and make the most of my life,” he said.

For more on Stuart, click here.

It was announced today that in a monumental move, ABC, CBS, and NBC will collaborate to air a telethon on September 5 featuring a collection of celebrities.  The hour-long special is a fundraiser for cancer research and has been termed "Stand Up to Cancer."

The telethon will include musical performances and appearances from actors, athletes, and journalists.  Viewers will be invited to donate by calling the celebrity-staffed phone bank or by texting.  This sort of collaborative event is rare but not unprecedented.  In recent years, similar fundraisers have been hosted for victims of Hurricane Katrina and September 11th.

Stand Up to Cancer will feature such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Lance Armstrong, Forest Whitaker, Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Salma Hayek, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Masi Oka and news anchors Charles Gibson, Brian Williams and Katie Couric.  The list is expected to grow as the event nears.

FOX was invited to join the telethon, but declined so as to focus on their own global outreach project, "Idol Gives Back," centered around American Idol stars.  FOX will promote Stand Up to Cancer by airing public service announcements for the event.

According to the Associated Press, "The telethon is part of a broader initiative aimed at raising money to quicken the pace of research leading to development of new treatments.  The effort is to be administered by the American Association for Cancer Research under the direction of a committee led by Phillip A. Sharp of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT."

Along with aiming to reform the child support maintenance system, The United Kingdom’s Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill contains provisions to extend compensation to all people suffering from mesothelioma. The bill provides a way to make lump sum payments to all people suffering from mesothelioma, regardless of how they were exposed to it, within six weeks of them making a claim. People who cannot currently claim would include secondary victims of asbestos, such as spouses and children who were exposed to asbestos through clothing.

The bill is believed to be enacted in October 2008 and will front financial support to those who are unfortunate enough to develop mesothelioma but would not be eligible for payment currently under the 1979 Pneumoconiosis (Workers Compensation) Act or for Industrial Injuries Disablement.

To View the Bill in its entirety, Click Here