How would you handle the news

You can't know. Until you are there, in the middle -- you can't really know how you'll handle the news.
Melissa Ethridge was one of 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. 200,000 -- really? 200,000 women with the chance to explore how they would handle the news. 1.2 MILLION worldwide.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers for women. So common in fact that 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in females was breast cancer. Men are not immune. My friend Greg Honzo died the fall after Dad did after suffering with breast cancer for years.

So -- you're famous, and you are diagnosed with breast cancer -- how do you handle the news? Following in the footsteps of Shirley Temple Black, Betty Ford, Peggy Fleming, Sandra Day O'Connor, Jacklyn Smith, and Julia Child (sorry for those of you too young to know who they are -- google them!) -- you attack your treatment, get your life back to normal as fast as possible -- and continue to LIVE.

And for several of them, Melissa included, you take advantage of your fame, and your disease, to be an inspiration to many.

Melissa performed at the 2005 Grammy awards with Joss Stone, sans hair. Her performance and the courage she displayed showing up with no hair created quite a buzz. Singing Janis Joplin's "Take another piece of my heart" -- especially the line "and a woman can be strong" -- I remember getting chills. For women everywhere struggling with wigs to cover the savage results of chemo she was a proud and true inspiration. She made it somehow cool (and not in the Sinead O'Connor cool way) to be bald, to show the world you are a survivor and proud of it. Imagine seeing a star of her caliber, suffering with the same disease, the same doubts and fears, the same vanity issues -- getting up in front of millions of people -- bald and belting out an anthem from Janis Joplin. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-f-l2Pbn8&feature=fvw

(Fast forward to about 2 minutes 30 seconds to see Melissa come on -- watch when she sings the "women can be strong" part)

Music is for me quite therapeutic. It is so emotive, so wonderful. It makes me cry, laugh, ponder. It give me hope, challenges me, pushes me, makes me think. Music calms me, quiets my busy mind. Music heals.

To use your gift of music and fame to reach so many people is quite powerful. But we all have a chance to reach and help many people. There are so many ways. We don't have to be famous, form a foundation, write a song. You can do one thing, smile to one person, say hello and thank you, make one person happy.

I can't thank you all enough for supporting Joe and I on our cancer rides at the end of August. It means so much to me personally, and it helps me think I'm making a difference. Together, with your help, we can make a difference. I pledge to reach out to one person, to do what I can, to be a better person, to share my blessing's. Melissa may run for life -- I cycle for life. By combining my passions I hope to make a difference against cancer. I hope prevent one more person from knowing how they would handle the news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgiwrvEX8wY

Spread the word, spread the love. Smile to someone you wouldn't normally think to cheer. Make a difference today.

Bravely you let go of my hand -- I can't speak yet you understand -- Where I go now I go alone -- This path I walk these days of stone -- And the angels are calling

I must go away -- Wait for me here -- Silently stay -- And don't ask me why -- Only believe -- This is not good bye

All of my strength all my desire -- Still cannot melt this breath of fire -- I go to meet some kind of test -- Bury the truth that scars my chest -- And the angels are calling and calling

I gathered all my courage -- I shaved off all my fear -- With this banner on my shoulder -- I hold your essence near -- And the angels are calling and calling and calling

"This is Not Goodbye" by Melissa Ethridge, written while she was in chemotherapy