By now you should be able to summarize cancer into one important line.

"Too many cells, too fast, is bad"

It's short. It's concise but it's absolutely true about cancer. Imagine if you will a see-saw, one one end you have cell death, on the other end you have cell growth. When cell death goes down and cell growth goes up, you either have the body trying to heal itself or you have a malignant tumour growing.

Because the genes that regulate the cells have been damaged, cells now divide rapidly without ever stopping. If what you see in your mind is a speeding car that keeps going faster without the brakes to stop it, then that's exactly how a malignant tumour is like. One way or another the car is going to stop. Chances are the occupant inside will be dead once that happens.

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.