myh-r.com

The National Cancer Insti-tute estimated that in 2009 there were 57,760 new cases and 12,980 deaths from kidney cancer.
My daughter Lori Shew lost her battle to kidney cancer on Jan. 18, 2005. She would have been 40 on March 14. March is Kidney Cancer awareness month in Illinois and many other states in the U.S. The Kidney Cancer Association has also proclaimed March Awareness Month.
The nation/world needs to be educated regarding this disease.
Please be aware of the signs and symptoms associ-ated with kidney cancer:
Blood in urine (“hematuria”), pain in the back just below the ribs, a mass that can be felt, unex-plained weight loss which can sometimes be rapid, intermittent fevers or night sweats, fatigue and lethargy, fever that is not associated with a cold or the flu and pain in other parts of the body if the cancer has spread
While kidney cancer normally affects men over 60, more young people are being diagnosed. Kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women.
Lori was misdiagnosed at the age of 32. Her OB/GYN told her for three months he wasn’t concerned, it was just a severe urinary infection. That “urinary infection” turned out to be a water-melon sized tumor that weighed more than 10 pounds.
If a doctor does not take your symptoms seriously, find one that will listen to you! This information could save your life or the life of a loved one.

Linda Cox
Clinton