In the United States, one in every four deaths is due to cancer, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

On Today's Stories that Touch your Heart, we focus on a woman who beat a rare, aggressive form of cancer. This is the second part of Maria Voermans story.

https://nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/ https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/types.htm

This year, it's estimated that cancer will kill more than 600,000 Americans. That translates to about 1,650 people dying per day in 2017, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S.

Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart focuses on Maria Voermans. The Greendale, WI woman was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer nine years ago. She walks us through her diagnosis and battle with epithelioid sarcoma.

Sources:

https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2017/cancer-facts-and-figures-2017.pdf

http://sarcomahelp.org/epithelioid-sarcoma.html

Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart has the second part of Lee Drewa's story. The recovering addict shares how he got clean in treatment and has stayed clean for 12 years. Only a small percentage of those who are addicted receive treatment, and the number of Americans who die from drug overdoses continues to rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 from illicit drugs (like heroin, cocaine, amphetamines) and prescription opioids, which include: oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine, and methadone. A provisional CDC report shows the trajectory for drug overdoses continuing to climb in 2017. While the numbers seem bleak, there is hope. Individuals who get hooked on these highly addictive drugs can receive treatment. "Research shows that combining treatment medications (where available) with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients," according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Sources: https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/monthly-drug-overdose-death-estimates.pdf

Over 20 million Americans struggle with substance abuse addictions, according to "Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health." That's more than 10 times the number of people who are diagnosed with cancer in the United States in one year.

So many people have been affected by addiction, and family members often wonder why their loved one can't stop using. On today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart, you'll hear from 54-year-old recovering addict Lee Drewa. His addiction began in a common way, drinking as a teenager.

https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics

It's estimated that over half a million people (549,928) in the United States are homeless, according to a report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. A majority (68%) of those individuals were staying in emergency shelters and other transitional housing programs, while the rest were in unsheltered locations.

(Further information can be found here: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2016-AHAR-Part-1.pdf)

In Wisconsin, it's estimated that 5,685 people are homeless. In the city of Milwaukee, there are several shelters offering a safe haven from sleeping on the streets. The Milwaukee Rescue Mission is one of them. In addition to food and shelter, the Christian non-profit organization has programs to help individuals get back on their feet and provides hope for a brighter future.

Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart focuses on one man who walked through MRM's doors four years ago; the person he was then doesn't resemble the man he is today.

Many people are striving to move up the career ladder at work. They may be jockeying for a better position with their current employer or searching for an opportunity elsewhere that offers more pay and status.

Most people couldn't imagine voluntarily taking a large pay cut, and going from a position of prestige to one without. But that's what Glenn Rohde did 19 years ago. He was a chef preparing high end meals for the rich and chose to leave and serve free food to the poor.

On today's Stories that Touch your Heart, you'll hear why he made that choice and has stayed at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission for so many years. Glenn shared his story while vats of chicken were frying in the background and his kitchen crew was preparing meals for the day.

More information on the Milwaukee Rescue Mission can be found here: https://www.milmission.org/

Thursday, October 12, was world sight day focusing attention on blindness and visual impairment. Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart focuses on a Milwaukee teenager who doesn't let blindness stop him from achieving his goals.

Before you meet him, here are a few facts on blindness: according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 36 million people in the world are blind. (http://atlas.iapb.org/) To be considered "legally blind," an individual must have 20/200 vision or less, with the best possible correction. (https://nfb.org/blindness-statistics)

Carlos Garcia wasn't born blind, but has been 100% blind since he was a toddler, when cancer (retinoblastoma) in one eye spread to the other one. He hasn't let blindness slow him down. He's a member of the National Honor Society, on his school's wrestling team and volunteers his time to help others who are blind. His can-do attitude is inspirational.

The following links have further information. The first is a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Carlos Garcia: http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/columnists/jim-stingl/2017/01/05/stingl-teen-says-dont-really-see-handicap/96154212/ The second has photos of Carlos Garcia taken by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:: http://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/news/columnists/jim-stingl/2017/01/05/photos-carlos-garcia-will-compete-in-academic-decathlon/96208964/

Have you ever wondered why someone would want to become a professor, or how they became so interested in a particular subject that they decided to make it their life's work?

Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart features Dr. Young Kim who became interested in researching crisis communication after holding a position in the South Korean army. He is an Assistant Professor in Strategic Communication in the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University.

More information on him can be found here: http://diederich.marquette.edu/COC/Young-Kim.aspx

Many of us have an image of homeless people in our minds. It could be the man with a cardboard sign asking for money by a freeway ramp or someone sleeping in an alley in the middle of the day. You won't usualy hear people talking about a homeless person by name, or mentioning what a great conversation they had with a homeless man or woman that morning.

Today's episode of Stories that Touch your Heart offers a different perspective from two women who eat free Saturday breakfasts with the homeless and working poor in the basement of a church on Milwaukee's south side. Sandra Mandell, 44, and Patricia, 90, (a widow who was not comfortable sharing her last name) linger for a while at Ebenezer Stone Ministries, chatting with the regulars, getting to know people and even developing friendships with some individuals. They enjoy the conversations and sense of community that develops over the breakfast table.

Almost three in ten people who live in the city of Milwaukee live in poverty, according to Census Bureau statistics published by the Hunger Task Force. The estimated poverty rate in Milwaukee is 28.7%, the poverty rate in the United States is 15.5%. (See more details here: https://www.hungertaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/QuickFacts_Feb2017.pdf)

To live in poverty, a family of four needs to make $24,600 a year or less. Those who are struggling to buy food and pay their utilities often take advantage of several meal sites and food pantries throughout the city. Ebenezer Stone Ministries, at 35th and Scott, is one location that offers free meals Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, as well as an emergency food pantry.

On a Saturday morning visit, I spoke to one man enjoying a warm meal who shared his story with me. McKinley Cullins has had some difficulties in his life, but he isn't bitter or resentful for the circumstances. In fact, he calls himself blessed.