I love spending time with lung cancer survivors, and I'm still glowing from an incredibly awesome experience this month.

Thanks to LUNGevity, I was allowed to take part in an amazing weekend of celebrating lung cancer survivors in our nation's capitol. This years summit may have been the largest gathering of lung cancer survivors together in one place - ever!

The annual "HOPE Summit" was held in Washington DC May 5th and 6th 2012. As a celebration for lung cancer survivors, the talks and agenda were all based on requests made by people living with lung cancer. But the energy came from watching lung cancer survivors unite with other lung cancer survivors.

So many people I communicate with remark that they haven't been involved in a group of lung cancer survivors. In fact, many people have told me that they have never even met another survivor in person.

It's hard for me to imagine -- as a breast cancer survivor myself. And that's where I need to speak up, and not quietly.

I shared at the end of my talk that I'm so grateful that you've let me join all of you - not just this weekend, but all the way through my own cancer journey. You haven't balked at the pink, but instead welcomed me with arms wide open. It's time that the breast cancer communities similarly open their arms to those with lung cancer.

I can't say I'm not grateful for all of the pink. I'm one of those who has benefitted from the research. But it's time that we see a rainbow instead of pink alone. It's time we see that people struggle with many forms of cancer, not just breast cancer. And with lung cancer, it's time that we see anyone can get lung cancer. That is -- anyone who has lungs.

No. Lung cancer isn't "sexy." But as I've written before, it's time we look beneath the breasts. It's time we start seeing lung cancer. Because in seeing it we can raise awareness. And in seeing it we can love those who have often felt invisible amidst the sea of pink.

Photo ©Lynne Eldridge, licensed to About.com

It seems too easy. Taking 5 or 10 minutes out of your day to do nothing. But that "doing nothing" appears to have benefits worth every minute -- according to studies evaluating meditation for its effect on cancer patients.

And not only is meditation easy -- in this challenging economy, the price is right. Signing up for meditation at your cancer center may cost a little, but practicing meditation is completely free. All you need is yourself and a few minutes of time.

What are some of the benefits of meditation for people living with cancer? A few of these include:

• Improved sleep
• Lower levels of stress hormones (these hormones may play a role in the development and in the spread of cancer)
• Less pain
• Less depression and anxiety
• A lower level of perceived stress
• Less fatigue
• Better cognitive functioning (it may help with that annoying symptom of chemobrain)

As a cancer survivor myself, I believe meditation has done wonders for my frame of mind as I've coped with both the unexpected and the expected in my journey. And whether or not it has improved my survival odds, it's certainly calmed me and relaxed me at times when anxiety or stress were interfering with my enjoyment of the day.

Have you tried meditation to help you in your journey with cancer? I'd love to hear your story.

Read more about the benefits of meditation, as well as ways to get started in the comfort of your home today.

• Meditation for People With Cancer

Photo: Dreamstime.com, author Andresr

Surgery for lung cancer offers a chance for a cure - something that is unfortunately uncommon with lung cancer. But in offering that chance, we don't often talk about what happens in the long run after surgery. A time we now call "survivorship."

How good is quality of life over the long run for people who have had lung cancer surgery?

The results of a new study are - fortunately - not what I would have expected. And they left me feeling very encouraged and optimistic for people whose lung cancers are found in the early stages when surgery is possible.

Researchers took a look at 830 disease-free lung cancer survivors (disease free meaning that no evidence of cancer can be found on exam or through imaging studies.) All of these survivors had stage 0 to stage 3 lung cancer that was treated with surgery.

Comparing this group to people without lung cancer (the general population) they found that there wasn't a significant difference in functioning. Fortunately, there also was no significant difference in most of the symptoms experienced by the two groups.

As would be expected, lung cancer survivors who underwent surgery did have more shortness of breath, coughing and chest wall pain, and also experienced more financial problems.

What this study offers is good news for those people who are preparing for lung cancer surgery. Not only might it grant the chance for a cure, but symptoms and general functioning after the surgery are similar to those people who haven't had lung cancer surgery.

• Preparing for Lung Cancer Surgery

Photo: National Cancer Institute, unknown photographer

_Source:

_{Yun, Y. et al. Health-Related Quality of Life in Disease-Free Survivors of Surgically Treated Lung Cancer Compared With the General Population. Annals of Surgery. 2012 Mar 30. (Epub ahead of print).}

One of our health writers on About.com has put together an amazing article for people interested in their health. She started by asking the rest of us if we would be interested in writing an article about 10 things that people with the condition or disease we write about should stop doing.

I wrote mine for people living with lung cancer. At first it was hard to write. The last thing that anyone with lung cancer needs is having someone add to their "to-do" list, even if it's a "don't-do" list. But as I researched the article and thought about my own experiences with cancer, I realized that many of these "don't do" steps could actually make life easier, simpler, and more joyful for someone living with lung cancer.

So here's the article:

• 10 Things to Stop Doing if You Have Lung Cancer

And I have to share the article our fellow guide put together. She highlights articles that people with other medical conditions may be interested in, as well as articles that feature things to stop doing in order to live longer or lessen stress in your life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

• 10 Things to Stop Doing: Stop Doing These Things and Improve Your Health

Photo: Dreamstime.com, author Twmedia