It's Halloween or Howl-oween!

I love Halloween! When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to finish dinner and dishes and put on my costume, run around the neighborhood at night and come home with goodies. In those days, (was it THAT long ago?), people were not afraid to let their children receive homemade treats like caramel apples, popcorn balls, brownies or cookies. It was a different time, but Halloween is still fun for kids. And big kids, like me :) And Halloween cards are fun to send or receive, like the ones I found below, from Greeting Card Universe:

Greeting Card Universe Round Robin: Cancer

Yesterday's post was part of a "Lightning Round" challenge with greeting card artists and their blogs or Squidoo lenses within the Greeting Card Universe community. The subject this month: Cancer, in  honor of October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are several wonderful stories  I hope you'll check out. Here is a list of the participants and their individual blogs along with a wonderful selection of  cards related to cancer from GCU:

Breast Cancer Awareness and Pink Ribbon Cards & Gifts
“Believe in the power of the pink ribbon…”
TANITU, Creative Paradise

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
“I cannot remember a time when when there wasn’t a dear friend or family member battling cancer…”
Cards from the Heart, Lisa Charlton

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
“My mother had breast cancer as well as lung cancer…”
Eliz Designs, Elizabeth Eells

Ways to be Supportive, Helpful and Encouraging for Cancer Patients
“This post is in honor of our friends, colleagues and family members who are currently battling this dreadful disease…”
Heart to Art, Sri Devi

Breast Cancer Awareness
“There are several things you should look for when doing a self exam…”
Sheryl Kasper Card Store, Sheryl Kasper

Barbara’s Story
“Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Barbara has battled breast cancer since 1997, what better time to tell Barbara’s story?”
Rycky Creations, Robin Chaffin

Breast Cancer Awareness Month
“Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50…”
Janet Lee Designs, Janet Palaggi

Cancer Bummer
“I was diagnosed with cancer about 12 years ago.”
I Love Cuttables, Cindy Johns

October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
“Cancer is cruel, cancer makes no exceptions…”
At Sparky’s, Antoinette Van Kleef

Canine & Feline Cancer
“I’ve seen much too much cancer in the lives of my beloved pets over the years…”
Salon of Art, Doreen Erhardt

A Sobering Subject
“I think, today, how cancer has impacted my life…”
Warm Traditions, Candace J. Hardy

Pets and Wildlife Cancer, October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, drawing much needed attention to cancer and its lesser known forms such as pancreatic cancer, a form of the illness that is on the rise and took the life of Steve Jobs this past week, or breast and cervical cancer which are on the rise in poor countries. And one area of cancer research we do not often hear about, cancer in pets and wildlife, which is also on the rise.

Cat Cancer
Cats have an increase of sarcomas in the location of their vaccine injections, according to the Vacccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force. "The VAFSTF is a combined effort of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, American Association of Feline Practitioners, and Veterinary Cancer Society, the task force consists of representatives from each of the groups, veterinary researchers and clinicians, and representatives from the USDA/APHIS and the Animal Health Institute." "In 1991 Veterinarians began noticing a higher number of sarcomas    a connection has been made between vaccines and feline sarcoma, a malignant tumor arising from connective tissues." Veterinarians insist it is more beneficial than harmful to have the vaccine than not, but to discuss it with your vet.

Dog Cancer
"There appears to be a cruel and bitter parallel between the rise in numbers of Canine Cancers and the same trend in Human cancers. Cancer in dogs was pretty rare not so long ago. Now, Lymphoma & Osteosarcoma are becoming increasingly commonplace, followed closely by others such as Melanoma, Fibrosarcoma, Thyroid and Anal gland carcinoma." says Michele Ovens in her Squidoo lens, The Rise of Canine Cancer.

Cancer in Wildlife

An article in Scientific American by Crystal Gammon, suggests there may be a link between a rise in wildlife cancer and environmental contaminants. She cites several studies including Beluga whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary, California Sea Lions, catfish in the Great Lakes, and North Sea flounder.

Denise McAloose, a pathologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, and who recently reviewed the topic in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, notes “We know that toxic compounds in the environment can cause cancer in humans, so it's not a far stretch to realize that pollutants can cause cancer in animals”.

It does seem reasonable to assume that if environmental factors contribute to cancer in humans, they will likewise affect the animals we share the planet with.  So a month of attention brought to bear on Breast Cancer can also help shed light on cancer's many faces and hopefully move us that much closer to finding a way to rid ourselves of its destructiveness once and for all. In the meantime, we can love and support those of us living with cancer today. There are wonderful cards available by many artists on Greeting Card Universe for sharing with cancer survivors, their families and friends. Here is a sample:





By Corrie Kuipers

By Sandra Rose Designs




by Diana Liu