By now you would understand that cancer doesn't discriminate age, sex or social status. It's one of diseases that can affect anyone at any time in their life. While studying cancer cytology, our lecturer would often refer us to famous people with cancers as an example of the disease he was teaching at the moment. It was a small hobby of his, to collect a list of celebrities alike that have been affected by cancer all the same.

Now to end this knowledge of cancer series, here is a list of some famous celebrities that have either died or survived cancer. It's interesting to know things you never knew before, it's also nice to have something to show off at parties.

1. Bob Marley - Reggae Musician - Diagnosed with malignant melanoma on the right toe. Died of multiple metastasis to the brain, liver, lungs and stomach in 1981, 4 years after he was diagnosed and refused initial surgery to remove the toe.
2. Kylie Minogue - Dance-Pop Singer - Diagnosed with breast cancer. Underwent surgery to remove the tumour and has otherwised completed chemotherapy treatments. The cancer is in remission.
3. Delta Goodrem - Singer-Songwriter - Diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma on July 2003 at the age of 18. Underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy as a full treatment and otherwise made a full recovery. The cancer is in remission.
4. Ronald Reagan - Former US President - Diagnosed with colon cancer in 1985 and basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) on his nose in 1987. Both surgically removed and no recorded radiotherapy and chemotherapy was needed due to the early discovery.
5. Walt Disney - Creator of everything we know and loved about Disney - Diagnosed with lung cancer. Died in 1966 as a result of failing health conditions resulting from the cancer.
6. Steve Jobs - Co-founder and CEO of Apple - Diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer called islet cell neuroendocrine tumor in 2004. Underwent surgery without the need for radiotheraphy or chemotherapy. Cancer is currently in remission.
7. Nelson Mandela - Former South African President - Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. Treated only with radiation therapy. Cancer is currently in remission.
8. Lance Armstrong - Cyclist - Diagnosed with advance metastatic testicular cancer in 1996. Underwent surgery to remove the diseased testicle and the tumours in his brain and chemotherapy. Won the Tour de France in 1999 after the doctors gave him a 2% chance of survival during treatment. The cancer is now in remission.
9. Isaac Asimov - Science Fiction Writer - Diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in 1972. Surgically removed with a lifelong treatment of thyroid hormone until his death unrelated to cancer in 1992
10. Sigmund Frued - Father of Modern Psychiatry - Diagnosed with mouth cancer in the late 1930's. Underwent 30 operations to remove the tumours in his jaw. Died in 1939 at the personal request of being euthanized from morphine by his doctor and friend.

Now I'll bet that's something new to you isn't it?

This year Footsteps in the Mirror will be blogging to raise money for the Association for International Cancer Research which is a non-profit organisation that helps fund cancer research throughout the world. If you're willing to help, you can sign up on the Blogathon website and pledge your amount right here. Help make a difference, no matter how small it may be.