As a Stage IV oral cancer survivor, I am very passionate about spreading awareness. Oral, head and neck cancers are profoundly different than other cancers in that they limit one’s ability to swallow, eat and talk.

The National Cancer Institute warns that obesity "may worsen several aspects of cancer survivorship, including quality of life, cancer recurrence, cancer progression and prognosis."

Every April, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center works to raise awareness about cancer among minority populations by recognizing National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, celebrated this year April 8-14, 2019.

More than 50,000 people die of colorectal cancer each year — but the death rate is on a steady decline, and the American Cancer Society projects that the 2020 death rate will be 50% lower than the 2000 rate.

"We want patients to know that we're here not only for people of many faith traditions but also those who express their spirituality in a variety of other ways."