Judith Blume is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known works are Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), and Blubber (1974). Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
Gilda Susan Radner was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.
Max Gerson was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, a dietary-based alternative cancer treatment that he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases.
Rita MacNeil was a Canadian singer and songwriter from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she had hits on the country and adult contemporary charts throughout her career. In the United Kingdom, MacNeil's song "Working Man" was a No. 11 hit in 1990.
Hulda Regehr Clark was a Canadian naturopath, author, and practitioner of alternative medicine. Clark claimed all human disease was related to parasitic infection, and also claimed to be able to cure all diseases, including cancer and HIV/AIDS, by "zapping" them with electrical devices which she marketed. Clark wrote several books describing her methods and operated clinics in the United States. Following a string of lawsuits and eventual action by the Federal Trade Commission, she relocated to Tijuana, Mexico, where she ran the Century Nutrition clinic.
Stephanie Forrester is a fictional character from The Bold and the Beautiful, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Stephanie is known for her marriage to the famed fashion designer Eric Forrester, and for her rivalries with Brooke Logan, who at first was a serious competitor for Eric's love, and later was involved with her two sons Ridge and Thorne. She had also rivalries with other women that were competitors for Eric's love, such as Margo Lynley, Beth Logan, Sheila Carter, Sally Spectra, Maggie Forrester, Lauren Fenmore, Jackie Marone and Donna Logan, but with some of them, she also developed friendships. She had also rivalries with Deveney Dixon, who pretended to be her daughter Angela, and also was involved with her son Thorne, and Morgan DeWitt who was involved with her son Ridge, and also had a good friendship with her daughter-in-law Taylor Hayes. She has been portrayed since the show's inception in 1987 by Emmy-winning actress Susan Flannery. Stephanie's lung cancer diagnosis played a central role in the series, and the character died of the disease on November 26, 2012.
The "war on cancer" is the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death. The signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 by United States president Richard Nixon is generally viewed as the beginning of this effort, though it was not described as a "war" in the legislation itself.
ghostgirl is the debut novel from author and filmmaker Tonya Hurley. It is the story of high school senior "Charlotte Usher", The young teenager dreams of becoming popular in school, but before she gets the chance of that OR asking Damen out, she dies from choking on a gummy bear. The young adult novel was published on August 1, 2008, by Little, Brown and Company, and hit the New York Times Bestseller list, Chapter Books, on September 14, 2008. ghostgirl has been printed in several different languages around the world, including Spanish and French. It was followed by a sequel in July 2009 called ghostgirl: Homecoming, and a third book, ghostgirl: Lovesick was released in July 2010.
Brooke Megan Greenberg was an American woman who became famous for being the first documented case of neotenic complex syndrome. Throughout her life of 20 years, she remained physically and cognitively similar to a toddler despite her increasing age. She was about 30 in (76 cm) tall, weighed about 16 lb (7.3 kg), and had an estimated mental age of nine months to one year.
Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from the novel series The Vampire Diaries. In the television series adaptation, set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, she is portrayed by Nina Dobrev. In the books, Elena was popular, selfish and a "mean girl". However, the show's producers, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, felt that it wasn't the direction they wanted to go with their heroine in The Vampire Diaries television series. Instead, she became a nicer, relatable, and more of "the girl next door" type, until her life gets flipped upside down when she meets the Salvatore Brothers. In April 2015, Nina Dobrev announced that she would be departing the series after the sixth-season finale.
Damon Salvatore is a fictional character In L. J. Smith's novel series The Vampire Diaries. He is portrayed by Ian Somerhalder in the television series. Damon is one of the two main protagonists along with Stefan Salvatore, especially in the story's main setting, Mystic Falls.
Haywire is a 1977 memoir by actress and writer Brooke Hayward, daughter of theatrical agent and producer Leland Hayward and actress Margaret Sullavan. It is a #1 New York Times Best Seller and was on the newspaper's list for 17 weeks. In Haywire, Brooke details her experience of growing up immersed in the glamorous and extravagant lifestyle afforded by her parents’ successful Hollywood and Broadway careers and tells the story of how her privileged, beautiful family and their seemingly idyllic life fell apart.
Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered (DMG) is a fatal tumour that arises in midline structures of the brain, most commonly the brainstem, thalamus and spinal cord. When located in the pons it is also known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Talia Joy Castellano was an American internet personality and model who was best known for her work on YouTube, notably her makeup and fashion content, and for becoming the first honorary CoverGirl in 2012. She battled the diseases neuroblastoma and leukemia for six years, and died on July 16, 2013. As of May 2021, her YouTube channel has received over a million subscribers.
The 2014 Hiram vs. Mount St. Joseph women's basketball game, billed as Play for 22, was the first game of the 2014–15 NCAA basketball regular season. The Division III game between Hiram College and Mount St. Joseph University (MSJ) was originally intended to be played at the Hiram campus in Hiram, Ohio, on November 15, 2014. However, the game was moved to November 2 to accommodate Lauren Hill, a Mount St. Joseph freshman who had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and wished to play in one college game before her death. The game was also moved to Cincinnati, initially to the MSJ campus in nearby Delhi Township and ultimately to Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University.
Leelah Alcorn was an American transgender girl whose suicide attracted international attention; she had posted a suicide note to her Tumblr blog about societal standards affecting transgender people and expressing the hope that her death would create a dialogue about discrimination, abuse, and lack of support for transgender people.
Lauren Hill was an American freshman basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, who suffered from terminal brain cancer. She was runner-up for 2014 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, coming second in voting to Mo'ne Davis.
Jessica Ainscough was an Australian teen magazine editor who became a writer and wellness entrepreneur following a rare cancer diagnosis at the age of 22. Ainscough went by the self-coined nickname "The Wellness Warrior" and used her popular blog by the same name to share her personal story of using alternative cancer treatments. Ainscough died of her untreated cancer at the age of 29.
Ren Michael Pedersen is an advocate for children's brain cancer research.
