A lump in her breast was the last thing that Mel Majoros expected to find.  After all, she was in perfect shape, felt great, and was in the process of training for a hockey team.  Not only was the athlete physically fit, she was in her thirties, young and full of life.  Cancer was hardly something that Majoros was ready to process.

*   *   *

Mel Majoros loves hockey.   Without much motivation for the gym, Majoros was in search of an exercise regimen that would keep her going and give her something to become passionate about.  At the time she was living in California, and attending an L.A. Kings game, was a pretty exciting thing.  Majoros got tickets, and quickly became hooked.  In the year ahead, the young woman learned to skate and even spent her tax refund money on hockey gear.  Majoros found great passion for the ice sport.

It was 2007 and Majoros had moved to Michigan and began working for a radio station there.  As an affliate of the Detroit Red Wings, the station gave media credentials to the training camp held in Traverse City.  Majoros typically jumped at the opportunity to go to the camp.  That year though, it was different.  It was the last day of the camp, and the same day that Majoros got diagnosed with cancer.  Instead of heading over to see the Red Wings practice, she drove home and told her fiance.  Majoros then called her friends and told them she would not be going.  They knew something was amiss when she cancelled.  And there, at her home, Majoros sat and cried.

It wasn’t long after Majoros was diagnosed that she encountered her most profound moment; a time when she felt her once very stable world, crumbling all around her.  “It was when I started to lose my hair,” confides Majoros.  “The oncology nurse said it would fall out two weeks after I started the adriaymicin/cytoxan (the first chemo treatment), but I didn’t believe her.”  It was exactly two weeks to the day, according to Majoros, that her hair started falling out in clumps while in the shower.  “That was overwhelming.  It was then that I realized I was in for a battle.”  Majoros recalls the moment as extremely traumatic, and certainly one she will never forget.

Once a hockey player, radio station employee and someone greatly involved in the entertainment industry (she worked on the hit shows, Walker, Texas Ranger and Crossing Jordan), Majoros was now taking on a new title- “The Cancer Warrior.”

Knowing she had to keep strong and fight, Majoros used her sense of humor and athleticism as weapons against her diagnosis.    “I had friends who didn’t even know I had cancer, and they saw me lose weight.  I didn’t look sick, so they thought I had been working out.  I said no, I have cancer, and it’s the best diet I ever had,” said Majoros jokingly.  “You have to keep your spirits up regardless of the disease.  Why would you want to go through life in a bad mood?”  When Majoros wasn’t using her spiritual strength to get her through her darkest days, she was also physically trying to get stronger.  The hockey player continued to keep on the ice, and the game kept her going.  According to Majoros, having a trainer prior to getting cancer was greatly beneficial.  And while Majoros couldn’t go to the gym very often during her chemo treatments due to fatigue and low white blood counts, she continued on with the hockey and also participated in The Pink Ribbon Program.  This is a pilates program designed just for breast cancer survivors.  Majoros says that it helped with learning breathing techniques, posture and even self-esteem.  She loved the program so much, that she has still participates in pilates and goes at least once a week.

Despite Majoros’ strength and courageousness, days were still quite challenging, to say the least.  Chemo came with not-so-fun side effects.  Fatigue would hit without any warning, and there were varying degrees all depending upon the type of chemo and radiation.  “It’s true that the treatment is sometimes worse than the disease,” states Majoros.  In addition, Majoros developed osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis, possibly brought on by the chemo.

The side effects weren’t just physical.  Majoros suffers from “chemo brain,” a condition from the treatments that affects memory.  For Majoros, it is sometimes a struggle to just form a thought or recall a simple word.

As a warrior of cancer, Majoros knows how important it is to have a good army on her side.  She did not have to go through her fight alone.  Shortly after Majoros’ lumpectomy, The Vic McCarty Show contacted her.  The radio show out of Michigan features news and sports talk.  They were in need of a producer, and were hoping Majoros would want to step up to the plate.  Happy to do so, she accepted and was soon producing the popular show.  McCarty and Majoros became co-hosts and clicked almost immediately.  “Vic and I had instant chemistry, which is pretty rare,” says Majoros.  The show provided an outlet for Majoros to openly and honestly talk about her cancer. It wasn’t long after that The Cancer Warrior was born.

“The Cancer Warrior on Empoweradio came about after I was producing Empower for five months.  The owner of the station wanted to add more shows.  He read my blog that I was writing and thought that having a show which focused on positive aspects of cancer would be a great addition to the station,” adds Majoros.  Despite being a little nervous about hosting her own show at first, she soon realized that this show would be unique and unlike any others out there.  Majoros quickly took the offer.  “It’s always fun finding inspirational survivors or organizations to feature that might be overlooked by a larger show, station or network,” explains Majoros.

It wasn’t just being on the radio that helped Majoros get through her battle.  “I had a great support system.  The doctors and medical staff were amazing,” recalls the courageous cancer fighter.  She also gives much praise to her then boyfriend, now fiance.  “He took me to all my surgeries, doctors’ appointments, and chemo/radiation treatments.”  Majoros feels that caregivers often do not get the recognition they deserve.

She also thanks her mentor, Matt Zachary, for his great support and guidance.  Zachary is the head of the “I’m Too Young For This!” foundation which focuses on teenagers and adults ages 15-40 and what they must endure when they are suffering with a disease like cancer.  According to Majoros, “We are an undeserved population of the cancer community.”  Majoros found Zachary online when he was looking for guest bloggers for his website.  She had her own blog site, but eventually guest blogged on Zachary’s.  “Matt is a mentor, an inspiration, and best of all, a friend,” fondly states Majoros.  To this day, she will call Zachary if she needs advice on anything cancer related.  Majoros encourages other young adult survivors to seek out Zachary and his foundation if they need support.

Majoros has also found strength through the Internet.  “It has been a good resource,” states The Cancer Warrior. “It would have been nice though to have had Facebook or Twitter when I was going through treatment.”  Social networking was not available then like it is today.

Today, Majoros makes great use of sites such as Facebook so she can network and friend other survivors, advocates and organizations.  She also spends time blogging about her experience with cancer and attends as many charity events as possible.  In the summer particulary, her weekends are filled.  Relay for Life, Bike for Breast Cancer, and Cruising for the Cure are just a few of the events that Majoros participates in.  She is on the board of directors for Cruising for the Cure. Majoros is also passionate about speaking and sharing her story with others.

On September 18, 2011, Majoros will be four years cancer-free.  Even though each and every day for the survivor is a celebration, she still struggles.  “Survivorship is hard,” confides Majoros.  ”It is hard getting back to the everyday life.”  She describes her daily challenge as the “new normal.”  Majoros now suffers from depression, which she takes medication for.  Her hair has grown back, but is now entirely grey; something that Majoros says she is finding hard to deal with now that she is free of cancer.  However, Majoros is very thankful to be a survivor and tries to maintain a positive attitude.  She is active and exercises as much as possible.  In the winter months, Majoros goes to the gym regularly, participates in pilates and plays hockey.  While in the summer, she incorporates bike riding, tennis and other outdoor activities into her routine.

Majoros says that she feels that there is a strong analogy between hockey and cancer.  She explains how hockey is a team sport and you need the help of your teammates to get you through the game.  Cancer is much the same way.  You need a support system, including doctors, nurses, family and friends.  Without these people, you would not be able to overcome the disease.  In hockey, Majoros says that if you get knocked down on the ice, you cannot stay down; you have to be able to get up and keep skating.  With cancer, you must get up and keep on going in order to endure.  Majoros finds great significant in these similarities.  A fighter on the ice, and a fighter for her life, Majoros really is The Cancer Warrior.

As a warrior, Majoros has much to advocate to others going through her battle.  “Be proactive about your health, whether you have cancer or not,” urges Majoros. ”If you feel your doctor isn’t giving you the best treatment, seek out another doctor.”  Obviously, taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do.  And it is important to find others going through similar treatment.  Once again, a good support system is key.

Majoros began playing on a co-ed hockey league this year.  Her team ended up winning  the season and the playoffs.  “I scored the first goal in the finals,” proudly states Majoros.  ”It felt so good.”  It was her first goal after battling cancer.

Mel Majoros’ blog:  http://www.thecancerwarrior.blogspot.com

website:  www.thecancerwarrior.net

e-mail:  thecancerwarrior@gmail.com

Majoros is available for speaking engagements and for anyone who has questions about cancer.

The music industry today is far from what it was a few years ago when the Doo Wop bands and hit singles artists of the 60s, 70s and 80s were making names for themselves. The days of lucrative music contracts from top recording companies have all been put out to pasture, unless you’re one of the extreme lucky ones.

The computer is mostly to blame for this debacle with P2P file sharing and illegal music downloads which really hit the pocket books of these recording companies, forcing them to extend contracts on the talented artists of today unless it’s a for sure thing. In order to screw over the music industry and get something for nothing, the P2P really didn’t hurt the big wigs; they still make money on the distribution. Instead, whom we hurt most were the artists.

By not having lucrative contracts, it forces the artist to be what the industry calls an “indie” artist or independent artist. This indie artist can still produce their music and have CDs and digital downloads except they must fork over the millions it takes to make a successful career. Most bands are not endowed with bottomless pockets; rather they start out as garage bands. These artists, unless they have great knowledge of the music industry, are doomed to either stay at the status quo of the band never to be more than a garage or bar band, or excel in the industry. They are at the mercy of a very corrupt business.

The P2P is not totally to blame for the contracts not being dealt. The record industry itself has played a small part in the problem by not taking a good strong hold over the digital download revolution. Many people today prefer digital downloads to conventional CDs and tapes. The reason is simple; digitally you can store thousands of songs on your computer and carry them all around in this neat little box that is the size of a business card at most. The MP3 player was an answer to the clutter and damaged tapes and CDs that angered many music listeners. The digital downloads are great but they don’t make a lot of money for the record industry fast; at small $0.99 downloads, it would take a long time to reach the amount of money they would get off CDs. Yes, the industry does allow full CD downloads of any album along with singles but many people don’t want all the songs so that choice doesn’t get utilized like the singles do.

Disney, on the other hand, has found a way to stronghold the industry. For instance, lets take the Little Mermaid soundtrack for example. Ashley Tisdale did a remake of the famed song “Kiss The Girl” on the re-release of the classic movie. The soundtrack included that version, along with the original version by Samuel E. Wright. If you go to iTunes to purchase the song, you will see that only Samuel E. Wright’s version is available for singles download. If you want Ashley Tisdale’s version, you must purchase the entire soundtrack for $19.99. If the rest of the record industry did this they wouldn’t lose as much money on the digital download aspect and, in turn, could sign more people to full contracts.

Now, full contracts are nice and all but are they really worth it? When a record company purchases your contract, they own all your songs and can force you to be here or be there on a tour, of which you have no say. They can force you to produce a certain amount of songs or CDs in a short period of time which can actually cause lackluster songs that don’t make sense or don’t have feeling because of the “must get it done” rush. They may also require at least one #1 radio or Billboard chart song in the duration of the contract or they can cancel you keeping the rights to your music. Contracts almost destroyed Hall of Fame artist REM in the past.

The “indie” artist on the other hand has a lot more freedom. If you decide enough is enough, in most cases you own the royalties and full rights to your work. You have the choice to go on any tour you wish, when you want, as long as it’s in your budget. You can take the time to write quality songs and record them passionately, which in turn, could roll out a #1 hit or even a Grammy. The only downside is you need money to do this.

So what should an artist do? How do they stay away from the shysters of the industry and maximize their investment? Simple. Find a reputable manager who can help you all the way through. You want to find someone who keeps close records on radio hits, sales and your budget. Most artists have no idea what the music industry is about, what’s fair and right; therefore, teaming up with a veteran who knows the ropes can save you from getting ripped off, and make your career prosperous.