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February 4th 2018: International World Cancer Day

February 4th is the international World Cancer Day, founded by the Union for the International Cancer Control. It tries to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. However, the primary goal of the World Cancer Day is to reduce illness and death caused by cancer. If you are reading this post, chances are that cancer has touched your life or it will do it in the future. I learned it myself not long ago. I also learned to separate things that are important from things that are not. Cancer brings a lot of perspective and it helps to set priorities. Donations on World Cancer Day Today I have donated all the sales commissions collected during 2017 to the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer. They do a great job here in Spain. The Association provides information, supports research, organizes campaigns and runs programs to support families. They even have a 24/7 toll free number to provide help to patients, caregivers and relatives. However, their help comes often in a very humble form. Perhaps a volunteer listening to you in the waiting room of a hospital. There are similar associations in most countries. The American Cancer Society is one of the most...

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Raúl

This post is difficult to write, and perhaps I shouldn't write it at all. However, now that the site is changing, it is important to provide some background on the genesis of Rare Puzzles and a reference for the future. The core and heart of Rare Puzzles is in this post. In March of 2015, my brother Raúl was diagnosed with Klatskin tumor, a very uncommon type of cancer and extremely rare for patients in their 40's. It was inoperable and incurable. I was then working and living in Los Angeles, CA and decided to come back to Spain and be close to my brother for whatever time left he had. I quit my job, sold almost everything I owned, and took a flight back to Madrid. I am sure that most of you have been touched by cancer one way or another. I have learned that cancer doesn't leave any family untouched, so you probably know what it looks like. Raúl's cancer started to set our schedules, our routines, and our plans. Patients and caregivers. I knew I wanted to be there 24/7. I didn't want to have a job schedule. I wanted to be able to pick up my car keys at any moment and drive my mom to or from...

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