All About Courage !!!

A MESSAGE FROM SANDRA JACKSON, PRESIDENT: I have survived many tragedies in life, including a certain death from a vehicle that ran me over as a child to numerous battles with cancer. I have many stories to tell but it is important to tell you that the Lord has saved me so I can be here to help others. That is what Courage Unlimited is all about!

Pictured is Sandra and Clark County Comissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey in front of the Cora Coleman Senior Center on 9-12-03 where they collaborated on providing free mammograms to low-income women.

Courage Unlimited (R), Inc. was founded in 1998. This grassroots, non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, was formed out of a desire to bring a fresh, more comprehensive approach of health education and awareness to the public. Our motto is "A positive forum for celebrating and improving life through health education and support." 1. Health education and awareness through TV, radio, outreach, formal presentations and special projects. These projects include the "Essence of Beauty" cancer awareness magazine and newsletter, the annual "Upbeat Retreat", the S.I.T. (Seniors in Training) program, the "Gift of Hope" program, Pick Your Path To Health National Campaign, and HIPP (HIV Impact and Prevention Poject).

2. Information and referral to cancer survivors, HIV/AIDS survivors, and any interested persons.

3. Moral support and comfort to individuals and families in crisis.

4. Collaborative support to other health and service organizations.

Although our primary focus is on cancer and HIV/AIDS, our services are not just for cancer and HIV/AIDS survivors, but are for anyone who has been touched by a life-threatening health challenge.

We do not discriminate against anyone regardless of age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or disability. Information on this website is designed to promote informed decision-making and communication between patients and qualified medical professionals. Because each diagnosis differs, this information is intended to supplement, but not replace, advice and recommendations from medical experts. Courage Unlimited encourages every health care consumer to consult with medical experts about screening and diagnosis, and to formulate an individual treatment plan.

HIV/AIDS

The body's health is defended by its immune system. White blood cells called lymphocytes (B cells and T cells) protect the body from "germs" such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. When germs are detected, B cells and T cells are activated to defend the body.

This process is hindered in the case of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a disease in which the body's immune system breaks down. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). When HIV enters the body, it infects special T cells, where the virus grows. The virus kills these cells slowly. As more and more of the T cells die, the body's ability to fight infection weakens.

A person with HIV infection may remain healthy for many years. People with HIV infection are said to have AIDS when they are sick with serious illnesses and infections that can occur with HIV. The illnesses tend to occur late in HIV infection, when few T cells remain.

CANCER
What we think of as "Cancer" is actually a group of more than one hundred separate diseases. These diseases are all characterized by an abnormal and unregulated growth of cells. This growth destroys surrounding body tissues and may spread to other parts of the body in a process that is known as metastasis. You have probably heard of all of these different types of cancer:

Skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma being the most common)
Lung cancer
Brain cancer
Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Colon cancer
Ovarian cancer
Leukemia
Lymphoma
There are many others as well.

Cancer can develop anywhere in the body, and at any age. Unlike infectious diseases such as AIDS, the flu (influenza), or tuberculosis, cancer is not contagious - cancer is usually caused by genetic damage that happens inside an individual cell. Cells affected by cancer are called malignant cells.