In January 2010 my 17 year old son was diagnosed with a sarcoma tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma they call it. Since then he has endured about 200 chemotherapy treatments, 4 weeks of daily radiation, and 4 surgeries, only to have 3 new tumors grow.

In the last 2 months since the new tumors appeared, he has gone through another 12 chemotherapy treatments, but the last MRI showed the tumors have continued to grow.

Why am I writing about a childhood cancer that doesn't want to go away? Because cancer is the second leading cause of death, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and most lung cancer is linked to smoking. My hope is this post will give you the will power to stop smoking now.

If my son could have done anything to prevent his cancer, he would have. Unfortunately, there is no prevention for childhood cancer, and there is no link to any lifestyle. The child either gets it, or he doesn't, and doctors don't know why.

If he could talk to you today, he would say, "Why are you smoking, when smoking can lead to cancer?"

Maybe he'd tell you how awful chemotherapy is, how sick it makes him feel, what it's like to lose all his hair, lose his energy, and look like a walking skeleton. He is five feet eleven inches, but after the first 3 months of chemo he weighed only 118. Maybe he'd tell you how awful it is to have to put his life on hold – to miss high school graduation, postpone college indefinitely, have to stay indoors away from people because any little cold or flu could kill him.

BTW, lung cancer isn't the only cancer that smoking can cause. Smoking can cause cancer in the larynx, oral cavity, bladder, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, and so on. Anyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer can expect to live about 3 months – there are about 30,700 people diagnosed with this cancer each year, and each year about 30,000 people die from it.

It's been very hard watching our son live with cancer – the weight loss, the vomiting, the numerous hospital stays and weekly trips to the clinic for blood tests, and constantly watching for any sign of fever. Any temperature over 100 and he goes straight to the hospital, which is the last place he wants to be.

Now, since chemotherapy can't get the tumors to stop growing, surgery is a scary option since it would require they take out a large section of his colon, which means he would have to wear a colon bag the rest of his life.

Cancer is a scary word – especially if you've lived with it as we have for the last 18+ months, not knowing if our son will be with us month to month.

But there is one thing you can do to greatly reduce your risk of getting it – stop smoking. It's really that simple. And the sooner you quit smoking, the lower the risk of your getting cancer.

If my son could have done anything to prevent his cancer, he would have. He didn't have a chance, but you do. By quitting smoking now, you could prevent cancer destroying your life.

Want to send a message about cigarettes by creating t-shirts that proclaims to the world that smoking is bad for a person’s health? What a great way to let everyone know that you think smoking is a bad habit to start.

What if you were to design your own t-shirts that had a list of five reasons not to smoke? Or how about putting a big cigarette with an X through it? People would get the message.

There is a site on the Internet that allows you to create your own custom t-shirts. They offer full color printing directly to the shirt. And you don’t have to order a bunch. You can order one if that is all you need.

But why not order several and hand them out to other people who feel the same way you do about smoking?

Right now you can save 20% on any order by using the coupon code "sonic20." This sale lasts until the end of May so you have plenty of time to come up with your personalized t-shirts, just in time for summer.

Maybe you have a friend who is celebrating a birthday. One year my sister put a picture on a t-shirt of my husband holding our son and gave it to my son for his fourth birthday. It was his favorite shirt for a number of years. We kept it for a keepsake after our son outgrew it.

There are so many things you can put on a t-shirt, but I really think it would be great to design a t-shirt that warns people about the dangers of smoking.

SonicShack.com is the site where you can order any design you want on any t-shirts. They were generous enough to sponsor this web site to help me continue to provide information, tips and advice to help people stop smoking, and to encourage non-smokers not to start. I hope you will check them out. And remember to use the coupon code sonic20 to get 20% off your order.

As I get older I notice that my memory is not what it used to be, so whenever I learn about things that can help me retain or increase my memory, I take note. Here are some things I learned recently while doing research online.

I think most people realize that as we age our brains begin to degenerate and memory deteriorates along with it. But did you know there are 4 main reasons for this degeneration?

1. Reduction in Neurotransmitters, especially acetylcholine causes decline in brain function.

2. Reduced blood circulation. The brain uses a significant proportion of all blood. Any impediment to blood flow therefore has a huge impact on brain function.

3. Effects of Cortisol. As a response to stresses cortisol is produced in the brain which damages the cells in the Hippocampus. The Hippocampus is instrumental in converting short term memories to long term ones. The damage in the hippocampus also triggers further production of cortisol setting off a ever increasing cycle of cell damage.

4. Free radical damage. Free radicals are atoms that have an electron imbalance and are constantly seeking to steal an electron to make itself whole. This process of stealing electrons from cells causes cell damage. Brain cells are no exception and brain cell damage also occurs due to free radical activity.

There are many common sense approaches to limiting and preventing brain degeneration:

* Proper diet – limit intake of salt, cholesterol and fat while eating plenty of fresh fruits and foods high in antioxidants.
* Regular Exercise – avoid becoming overweight.

* Control Blood pressure

* Control and limit stress

* Limiting alcohol intake and not smoking helps reduce free radical damage.

* Increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids – found in large quantities in fish -helps combat free radical damage.

* Avoid even minor head trauma – When engaging in activities which could result in jarring of the brain use adequate protection. Regular jarring, even minor levels has been connected with higher incidence of dementia.

There are those in the medical field who believe that anyone who has been knocked unconscious has a greater chance of getting Alzheimer's.

Several not so obvious strategies that have emerged from recent studies into the brain include:

* Depression can affect the way the brain processes information and retrieves it. Therefore avoiding or minimizing depression can positively impact on brain function in later years. Socializing and involvement with family and community activities is recommended.

* Mental exercise. "Use it or lose it". Stimulating your brain with mental exercises such as crossword puzzles, board games or even taking up a new hobby or learning a musical instrument has been shown to increase the number of brain cells and connections between brain cells.

These activities improve what is known as "Brain Plasticity". Personally, I have noticed an improvement since I starting publishing blogs. Just learning how to do it was tremendously taxing for my brain and forced me to really think.

Certain drugs such as aspirin and anti-inflammatories as well as cholesterol reducing drugs in the "Statin" group are also believed to deter the onset of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Careful with the drugs, though, as they can damage the liver if taken too often.

Herbal supplements such as Gingko Biloba which is credited with improving blood circulation may also help.

These strategies were an encouragement to me. They are, for the most part, very simple. It's easy to take Omega-3 capsules and Gingko Biloba.

Brain exercises are easy to do, too. Who doesn't enjoy a good game of checkers, Monopoly or Risk? And it's never too late to learn an instrument. I have a sister-in-law who started taking violin lessons after her 40th birthday and found that she loved it.

Of course, if you can quit smoking it will actually help your mind stay sharp, too. Anything that puts toxins in your system, whether it's polution or cigarette smoke, damages your cells, causing aging and brain deterioration.

I thought this information was important enough to share. I hope it has given you some good suggestions for improving your memory now or in the future.