Turning Pain into Purpose Heals!

The strength and power of words saves lives,

So Gals, Let’s Start Tawking!
By Surinder Moore

In last years Fall issue of a ADS we caught up with Fran Drescher, T.V.'s beloved Nanny, and a crusader to bring
Cancer awareness to women all over the world. October is Cancer Awareness Month and to mark the occasion we
thought we'd follow up with Fran's and her team at The Cancer Scmancer Movement to see what's new...

A Distinctive Style: We read about the recent news about
the Safe Cosmetics Act, which Fran and Cancer Schmancer
supported – What can you tell us about how this changes
things for women who use cosmetics?
Fran Drescher: The Environmental Working Group
performed a study and found that more than 1 in 5
personal care products contain chemicals linked to
cancer and 80% have ingredients that commonly include
hazardous impurities. Right now, in the U.S., the FDA
does not have the system or authority to require safety
and assessment of these ingredients. If passed, the Safe
Cosmetics Act will impact every American man and
woman by ensuring that the products we smear on our
faces and bodies (and that of our children!) are safe and
do not contain harmful ingredients. It would ensure
that cosmetic and personal care product manufactur-
ers live up to their responsibilities to consumers.
ADS: Why did Cancer Schmancer decide to add a youth
movement?
FD: Everywhere I go, I am touched by people’s stories;
whether they themselves are survivors, or they have lost
people near and dear to them. Over the last few months I
have met some remarkable young adults who are living
in a generation where cancer is the “norm.” Cancer
Schmancer created WE THE FUTURE, a youth initia-
tive, to engage our young ones to understand the impor-
tance of living healthy, being proactive in their healthcare,
and helping their families do the same.
ADS: June 21st marked your 10-year anniversary of well-
ness from uterine cancer (CONGRATS!) and the third
birthday of Cancer Schmancer. Since the start (of CS) what
have been some of the major milestones that you have
accomplished?
FD: Thank you! Good health and good sense are two of
life’s blessings and this past decade has been absolutely
transforming for me. Cancer Schmancer is still dedi-
cated to shifting our nation’s focus from just searching
for the cure to prevention and early detection of
cancer. We’ve been working hard to grow our programs
and continue to transform women from patients into med-
ical consumers so they can live long and healthy lives.
ADS: We have seen many Survivor stories on Twitter/
Facebook – How many of these stories have you been get-
ting each month, are there common themes that you are
seeing throughout stories (example: misdiagnosis).
FD: Did you know 1 in 3 women and HALF of all men in
the U.S. will get cancer in their lifetime? Not a day goes
by where we don’t hear from people who have been
affected by cancer. What we are seeing is regardless if
they were misdiagnosed, caught their cancer early, or are
unfortunately in the late stages, the individuals who reach
out to us are empowered to share their stories with hope
of inspiring their fellow brothers and sisters across the
globe to be in charge of their health. It’s a beautiful thing
to see people turning lemons into lemonade!
ADS: Tell us about the Early Detection Fran Van program.
FD: We are currently collaborating with Inner Images,
Inc., one of the leading providers of mobile mammogra-
phy services in California who provides service to over 80
community-based health centers throughout the state to
under-privileged women. Together, we will activate