Cancer

A comedy about cancer isn't easy, but writer Will Reiser and co-star/co-producer Seth Rogen draw from personal experience to give "50/50" that rare blend of raw humor and emotion without artifice. There are no wrong notes in this movie. Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is 26 with a beautiful girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) and a beautiful mother (Angelica Huston), who both seem self-centered. Adam also has a rare form of cancer. Numbed by the news, he endures insensitive doctors, clueless co-workers and chemotherapy.

TOM JOHNSON When I think of cancer, I first think of my dad, Bill Johnson. He adopted me at the age of 9, gave me his last name and raised me as his own. He died of lung cancer after a difficult battle nine years ago this past weekend. He was a wonderful man. At the time, it didn't seem fair. Today, it still doesn't. When I think of cancer, I think of Rosalind Williams. Roz ran the Conference and Visitors Bureau in town ... or should I say Roz built the Conference and Visitors Bureau in town.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation needs volunteers to help with the group's annual September race and a May golf tournament. A free volunteer orientation offered by the foundation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the foundation's Orange County Headquarters, 3191 Airport Loop Drive, Costa Mesa. Participants will learn about the foundation's programs and have an opportunity to get involved in the program that suits them best. The Komen Orange County Race for the Cure will be held Sept.

Veronica Duran COSTA MESA -- There's a void in the carpool group Richard Rapp started 25 years ago from Orange County to Towne Avenue Elementary School in Carson. Rapp, 53, who taught at the school for 32 years, lost his nine-month battle with cancer at 6 a.m. March 9 at his home in Costa Mesa. A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday in the main sanctuary at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, 3800 S. Fairview Blvd. in Santa Ana. Now his carpool mates -- fellow teachers Joy Ferguson, Jeri Goldsbrough and Criss Kiefer -- will ride without him. "When I saw him this past Friday, he was very calm," Ferguson said.

Scientists have made a discovery that could help them better treat cancer and cholesterol, according to a new UCI study. Polyketides, organic compounds used in top selling drugs to treat cholesterol problems and cancer, have been a mystery to scientists for years. But UCI scientists have discovered how polyketides form their ringlike shape, which may allow for easier manipulation and drug creation, according to a study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Why does cancer occur more often as people get older? Humans start off as one cell and eventually are made up of about 10 trillion. Year after year, cells die and are replaced. In this continuous cycle, errors break down the reliability of the new cells and tissue, so says UCI’s Steven Frank. On Tuesday, Frank, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will discuss “Cancer and aging: How our bodies are designed to be reliable and why they fail.” Frank will explain why certain cancers occur mostly in children, why some inherited mutations move cancer onset to earlier ages and why quitting smoking changes the chances of getting cancer.

Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's older brother, Kim, died Thursday morning of complications from cancer at Fountain Valley General Hospital, the congressman's office said. Kim Rohrabacher, the congressman's only sibling, was 62 and lived in Whittier. A graduate of the University of Redlands, he served eight years in the Marine Corps Reserve and worked as a transportation specialist, mainly for Northrop Aircraft. Rep. Rohrabacher flew in from Washington, D.C., Wednesday night to be with his brother, whom he said was known for his "generosity and charitable spirit."

Jo Miller described the older ladies she works with in the Orange County Fair's Home & Hobbies Building as "kind of a sorority." It becomes evident when you see the number of smiles and hugs the 73-year-old cancer survivor and mother of six gets just for showing up to work. Miller, who received the first of many chemotherapy treatments for uterine cancer weeks ago, refuses to quit the job she's loved each of the last nine summers, even if it means she can only fill in sporadically for those who call in sick.

A Newport Beach doctor faces possibly decades behind bars for allegedly defrauding medical insurance companies and Medicare up to $1 million through false billing, authorities said Thursday. Glen R. Justice, 65, who lives in Corona del Mar, indicated in a plea agreement Wednesday that he is ready to plead guilty to five counts of health-care fraud related to his cancer-treatment practice, authorities said. Federal prosecutors said that Justice charged companies up to $1 million for injectable cancer medications that he never administered.

One of Kelly Taggart's fondest memories of his son John was seeing how thrilled he was at the lemonade stand he organized to help raise money for cancer research. "He was so happy that day," the 33-year-old Costa Mesa man said. "To see him hand out lemonade and see so many people come and support the cause … it was amazing." John was following the lead of Alexandra "Alex" Scott who, also battling cancer, started up her own lemonade stand in Philadelphia. John, who was diagnosed shortly after his second birthday in 2002 with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, suffered a relapse in the fall of 2005 and died in October of that year.

I see cancer every day. Since 2002, I have dedicated my career to helping those battling cancer through nursing. During these years, I have worked as a registered nurse, nurse practitioner and, most recently, as a clinical nurse specialist, working in oncology since Day One. I have been at Hoag Hospital since 2003, serving the Acute Care Medical Oncology unit where I see blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma on a...

There wasn't a big match to be played on Tuesday, but a member of the UC Irvine men's volleyball team remained nervous for an important event dealing with the Anteaters. If you were at the celebration ceremony to honor the UCI team's national championship you wouldn't notice he was a bit anxious. But you could understand his excitement. There he was, Kevin Freeman, in his No. 1 gold jersey standing with his teammates at UCI. It was a big day for him. "I was happy to be with everybody," Kevin said a day later.

There was no way to keep Jennifer Lambert away from the OC Marathon this weekend. Lambert will work at a water station in Sunday's race, which includes a full and half-marathon, passing out water and no doubt encouraging everyone along the way. On Saturday, she and her fellow coach Julie Siff guided their 300 or so students from Irvine's Woodbury Elementary School in the Kids Run the OC 1-mile race. Lambert loves running, and has run several half-marathons over the years, including the last two at the OC Marathon.

Helen Wrate passed peacefully on April 30 at her home in Corona Del Mar, after a two year fight with breast cancer. She was attended by her loving husband of 50 years, Dick and her two children, John and Jennifer London. She was born 77 years ago in the 'train station' township of Rook, Pennsylvania to Mary and Robert 'Smokey' Franks. At 26 she moved to California to avoid an overly persistent suitor and move in with her brother, Bob. Their mutual friend Lyla Corrales introduced Helen to her brother Dick and soon after they were wed on February 17th, 1962 in Los Angeles.

When the Newport Beach and Orange County volleyball communities learned of Liz Lord's harsh diagnosis of brain cancer, they came together to help and support the former Newport Harbor High standout. Now those people are mourning for her. Lord died Wednesday morning. She learned of her diagnosis on April 1, 2011, when doctors told her they found an inoperable and incurable tumor. She was told the type of brain cancer she had carried an average life expectancy of 12-14 months.

Human tears are thought to be unique in the animal kingdom, in that they're often tied to our emotional state - but that's not the only special property they possess. Proteins in tears can protect against harmful bacteria, and now a team of UC Irvine researchers has shown how. Lysozymes are antiseptic proteins found in a number of bodily fluids, including tears. Their anti-bacterial properties were first identified by Nobel laureate Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin, in the 1920s, but it was unclear how these proteins could take out bacteria much bigger than them.

COSTA MESA - First with trimmers, then lather and a razor, members of Costa Mesa's "Team Nuclear" celebrated a month of growing facial hair for charity this week with a clean shave. "When my wife didn't kiss me for 30 days … OK, I have to shave this thing off," Team Nuclear founder John Cornuke said. "It's so liberating. (The mustache is) just so uncomfortable, (but) it's a constant reminder of why you're doing it. " But in that temporary inconvenience there was a segue to talk about a subject guys are far too often uncomfortable to broach: health.

Corona del Mar's UPS driver Athena Lewis is recovering from surgery for breast cancer, but hopes to return to work in the new year. "That's my route," Lewis said in an interview from Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. "That belongs to me. They can't give that away. " Lewis said she was diagnosed with breast cancer in August, but a lumpectomy did not succeed in getting rid of the cancer. She was tested for the cancer gene because of a family history, and when it was positive, she elected to undergo a double mastectomy.

COSTA MESA — Cycling with a mustache doesn't make you ride any faster, but it does garner a lot of awesome looks. And, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-40s, the extra facial protection may ward off frozen upper lips for a group of five Orange County natives pedaling 1,000 miles down the coast from Oregon to San Diego at the end of the month. The ride, known as CANCure1000 and founded by Costa Mesan Christopher Reynolds, aims to raise $10,000 in its inaugural year for cancer research nonprofit Movember.

University High's Chris Conlin was diagnosed with cancer last month, but the long-time high school coach is maintaining a positive outlook in an effort to beat it. Conlin, University High's baseball coach for the past 23 years, learned he had squamous cell carcinoma in his neck in September. He had surgery to remove the mass soon after and just this week began a seven-week program of radiation and chemotherapy therapy. Conlin is still at school for now, continuing his duties as co-Athletic Director and an assistant coach on the varsity football team.