There is one disease that probably has affected the family of every reader or advertiser of our paper in one way or another.

That disease is cancer. It can strike anyone, no matter the age, gender, status or accomplishment, and the anguish it causes families and patients is rarely ever forgotten. In many cases this disease can be controlled, especially if detected early enough.

Over the next two months, we are going to devote as much space as possible to success stories in dealing with all kinds of cancer. We hope you might share your personal experiences and give someone the encouragement to keep fighting.

Starting today, you can upload your stories on to www.rockdalenews.com/success/ or e-mail your story to us at news@rockdalenews.com.

Our Circulation Department will offer special rates with a portion of the subscription going to donation will be made directly to a local nonprofit organization to help screen for and fight cancer. Our ad representatives will be working with our advertisers on developing special ads and a portion of those proceeds will go to the same nonprofit for every advertisement purchased.

If you have any suggestions, send them to our General Manager at pcavanaugh@covnews.com.

To bring awareness to two types of this disease, we will run our banner in blue for the month of September for prostate cancer awareness and pink for the month of October for breast cancer awareness. We hope this will remind our readers weekly of the fight to save lives.

We have confidence that cancer can not only be beaten, but eradicated in our lifetime.