Legislation to Ban Teen Tanning in Illinois Heads to Gov. Quinn

The bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), would prohibit all teens 17 and younger from using UV tanning beds.

By Amanda Luevano Legislation to ban minors from indoor tanning beds was sent to Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday after being approved by the Illinois Senate. House Bill 188, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), would ban Illinois minors age 17 and younger from UV tanning beds. Currently, minors ages 14 to 17 are allowed to tan if they provide a parent's signature. Spray-on tanning is exempt from the legislation, as is phototherapy, which applies to situations where a physician supervises tanning when it is necessary to treat a medical condition. Radogno said in a press release that she sponsored the bill to protect Illinois minors from the serious health risks involved with indoor tanning beds. “Not only do children …

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Benefit Concert for Martin J. Larson Foundation

The Martin J. Larson Foundation provides scholarships to all Lincoln-Way High Schools, and it benefits the American Cancer Society, the Multiple Sclerosis Society,

VIDEO: Silver Cross Opens New Cancer Center

Hospital and village officials lauded the new cancer center, which will be able to provide treatment for the increasing number of patients in Will County.

Officials from Silver Cross Hospital and the University of Chicago Medical Center said they've formed a "perfect partnership" in opening a state-of-the-art cancer center in New Lenox. On Tuesday, hundreds of people toured the new facility, which is on the replacement hospital campus near Interstate 355 and Route 6. The facility will open for patients June 25.  According to Silver Cross, there are about 4,800 people in Will County who are diagnosed with cancer each year. And 70 percent of them were traveling outside of the county for their treatment.  "To us, that was simply unacceptable," Silver Cross CEO Paul Pawlak said. "They should be able to see their doctors and receive their chemotherapy and radiation treatments close to home where …

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Toy to the World: Bringing Childhood to Children Facing Cancer

A local group brings toys and a little fun to children facing cancer.

I must be doing something wrong, I thought, slapping a sticker on a donated Barbie and placing it in a box.  I mean, I must have been messing it up somehow. Volunteering is supposed to be tedious, boring, full of heavy lifting and weird smells. You're supposed to come home with your shoes full of silt or with something pulled that wasn't pulled before. It's not supposed to be an afternoon enjoying classic rock, good conversation and the warm feeling of preparing donated toys for children with cancer. Volunteering isn't supposed to be... fun. But that's exactly what volunteering at the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation was. And the foundation helps bring some of that fun to children across the country when they need it most. Make…

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Mokena Comic Jokes for Cancer Research

Mokena comedian Brian Hicks runs a yearly comedy benefit for research into the disease that claimed his mother.

When Mokena resident Brian Hicks takes the stage at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park tonight, he won't just be doing it for for the crowd or for the American Cancer Society. He'll be doing it for his mother, who died from breast cancer 12 years ago. "All the comics on the show, they're all donating their time. They’re not taking anything," Hicks said. For the past five years, Hicks, 42, organized and has emceed the "Laughs for Life" show. Tonight's show will feature Hicks and six other comics with proceeds from the door and from a split-the-pot raffle all going to the American Cancer Society. Find out more about the Laughs for Life show. Tickets are only $10. "With the hard times everyone's having, I want to make it affordable for …

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LIVE BLOG: Keep Track of Team Tiaras and Ta Tas This Weekend

Frankfort Patch will check in with the team members as they participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Chicago.

This weekend, eight women will join in a national movement to fund the cure for breast cancer. The Tiaras and Ta Tas team members will be sharing their progress with Frankfort Patch as they cover 60 miles in three days as part of the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure event in Chicago. Check back with us over the weekend to see how they're doing and feel free to leave them words of encouragement. They made it! More details to follow. $5.1 million raised just in Chicago's 2011 3-Day for the Cure! Team T&TT members walked through heavy rain this morning, but their spirits lifted when the skies cleared, and they passed the cheering station. "Women who obviously were in treatment were cheering on US. Can you believe they are in the fight of …

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Helping Hands

As Relay for Life Events Near, There's Still Time to Show Support

It's not too late to form a team for New Lenox Relay or to simply show up at Frankfort and Mokena's for moral and donatory support.

She was only 14 years old when she passed in 2000. It was a mere three years earlier that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was Alicia DiSandro, of New Lenox. Her parents, Nick and April, with the help of Alicia's five siblings, keep her memory alive as well as cope with her passing while trying to find a cure by being the local organizers of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in New Lenox. This year's will take place Friday, July 15, at Lincoln-Way West High School starting at 6 p.m. and running through the night until 6 the next morning. Although New Lenox broke away to have its own relay, Frankfort and Mokena continue to share their own. This year's event begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 10 at Lincoln-Way East …

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Raising Money for Cancer Means Walking in the Name of Hope

The Cancer Support Center hosted its third annual spring Walk of Hope event in Mokena on Sunday, with about 700 participants.

Sharon Blumer, a volunteer at Mokena’s Cancer Support Center and a participant in this year’s Spring Walk for Hope, said she has walked each year for her daughter-in-law. “She had stage 4 colon cancer, so we walked for her the first two years,” Blumer said. “She passed this last December, so this year we’re walking in memory of her.” Sandy Skwirut, a friend of Blumer, said she has also walked all three years and does so with her husband, who is battling colon cancer. “Supporting this cause means more to us than supporting the American Cancer Society, because not only does all the money stay local, but the center does so much for people struggling with cancer, and for their friends and family,” Skwirut explained. Barb Nevins, a volunteer at…

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Local Service Groups Join Forces to Help Two Students With Their Rare Illnesses

The Frankfort Lions Club and Frankfort Area Jaycees are sponsoring a musical fundraiser Thursday to benefit two Summit Hill Junior High classmates.

Summit Hill Junior High School students Joey Leone and Samantha Krainik, both 13, have been battling life-altering diseases. On Thursday night, the Frankfort Lions Club and Frankfort Area Jaycees partner up to help the kids in their fight with the Dinner and Show for Sam and Joey fundraising event. "When somebody's sick in District 161, it is amazing how the community comes together," said Summit Hill School Board member and fundraiser organizer Denise Lenz. "We always help our own." In 2009, Samantha was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. According to her website, she is now facing stage IV angioinvasive follicular thyroid cancer, which has spread to her bones, something doctors have never seen before in a child and will require additional …

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: Soldier Welcomed Home, Survivor Shares Her Story

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

Home Cookin': Soldier Returns From Iraq and Enjoys Meal With Friends (Video) Area Parents and School Board Officials Oppose School District Consolidation Bill Mother and Daughter Share Story of Triumph Over Cancer Boys Swimming: Sandburg's Matt Veldman Lives Up to Standards Set by Brother at State Meet

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