Sometimes--especially when it comes to health news--you hear statistics that don't really seem to register. One day something is good for you; the next day it's not.

But here's a statistic I want you to hear: cancer remains Alaska's number one killer.

That's why one year ago, on May 11, 2007, CBS 11 News made a station wide commitment to do our part in fighting this cancer war. We take look now at what the program has done and what we hope to do in the future for you.

    "I'm proud to say I'm a survivor. And I'm not a fatality."

They are your neighbors.

    "Had I not gone to my doctor, I don't think I would be here today."

They are everyday Alaskans...

    "I basically wanted to shout from the rooftops of the world, 'There is hope.'"

...who feel lucky enough to be alive.
They've shared their cancer connections.

    "And he spun around in his chair and said, 'You're the next Lance Armstrong.' That's all he said."

They are hoping, along the way, you will learn from their warning signs.

    "I said, 'I've got this unusual growth. Wasn't there before, and it's something brand new.'"

They hope you will go get tested early.

    "Because I've had an infection before. So it's just this thing in the back of your head that says, 'Keep talking to somebody, because it's not getting fixed.'"

Sometimes they're the heroes who've lost the battle, who are still teaching us how to live.

    "I just think that, you know it's hard, because he was just a really nice guy. And he really was just out to make things better."
    "I came home and I was expecting to see her over the toilet throwing up. And she wasn't home. And I called her and I said 'Celia, where are you?' And she said, ' I'm at Applebee's having lunch with my friends.'"

Their stories remind us how common cancer is in Alaska.

    "About 90 -95 percent of this room knows someone in their family or friend that's been affected by cancer."

Cancer does not just affect adults.

    "Speaking very candidly. This is just a day that I get to remember Ian."

They are stories about our community.

    "Hi everyone. Altogether, 40,000 dollars raised this year."

They are stories about how we are coming together as a community to fight cancer.

    "I'm walking for my aunts. My cousins. My uncle."
    "My son Cole is walking. His friend Ian Robins in school died from cancer last year."

This is the CBS 11 News Cancer Connection.

"We knew it was something we wanted to do the right way, and not just rush to do something," said Staci Feger, CBS 11 News Director.

That was the consensus my boss, KTVA-CBS 11 News Director Feger, and I came to nearly three years ago about my dream of starting the Cancer Connection.

    "We bring you these cancer stories on the 11th of every month. It's part of our station commitment to do our part to win the cancer battle."

It's a personal battle.
When I was 21-years-old, I was as sick as dog, using a forced smile to fight cancer.

    "If just one boy can learn from what I've been though and live, then my life would have meaning."

It was Jason Struble's dying wish to make sure every young man knew testicular cancer is 15 to 35-year-old men's number one cancer killer.

Last year I partnered with the Anchorage School District to make sure Struble's story was told in ASD's mandatory eighth grade health education classes.

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This is where I also tell my story:

    "I was in the shower. I found my lump and had no idea what it was. But I went to the doctor right away. And I thank God I did. Because I think that saved my life."

Golden View Middle School health teacher Eric Heil's class was the first group of students I talked to.

"After you visited the classroom there was no question. I had boys coming back the next day saying, 'Mr. Heil, I'm all good.' They took the time to, they took it to heart," said Heil.

At Golden View, like across the district, they have a really good health education book. But like all good health education books across the country, this one only has one sentence that tells kids they should be doing self-examinations.

The CBS 11 News/ASD partnership gives health teachers the opportunity to separate boys and girls, so each group learns how to do a self-cancer check.

"I think I look at this series now, and our commitment to it now through a different set of eyes, now, then I did at the very beginning." said Feger.

For Feger, Cancer Connection goes beyond a station commitment.

"The reality is cancer is going to be part of your existence. And I really didn't get that until my father passed away in 2006 of lung cancer," said Feger.

You may recognize that reality, because cancer seems to touch almost all of our lives. That's why our goal is to take the Cancer Connection to the next level.

"And whether that be through things that come out on a daily basis in regular news, or through the series that you do, or the information that we have on the web," said Feger.

We're calling it Making Cancer Alaska's Priory. There are bold Web site plans in the works.

"Connect you to the latest research. Connect you to all the different, wonderful organizations out there that deal with cancer. I wish we had that two years ago. Because I think that would've made my journey a little easier," said Feger.

Making the cancer journey as easy to understand as possible: that is what CBS 11's Cancer Connection continues to embrace as we continue to grow, while never forgetting the Alaskans behind all these cancer stories.

To contact Matthew, call 907-273-3186.