Cancer, AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis C and many other serious diseases are ignored by too many teens in the United States.   These same diseases are the cause of many young

African American and Latino deaths.

The diseases aren't the average conversation topic amongst teenagers daily, because they think it won't affect them at a young age. This is why the topic is ignored.

Therefore people are dying before they get a chance to realize how serious it is. Not all people are ignoring the seriousness of the diseases, and not only older people are being affected.

Andre Singleton is an everyday teen, from Kansas City. Andre was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with Cancer. The form of Cancer he was diagnosed with is called Hodgkin's disease; this is a disease that attacks the lymphatic system. This form of cancer was named after an English scholar and physician named Thomas Hodgkin.

When Andre was diagnosed he was in his freshman year at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The disease was already in the fourth stage and Andre had to leave school for a year of treatment. Not only did the disease affect his body, it affected his life. Here he is today finished with treatment and delivering his story to young people around the world.

When Andre was first told that he was diagnosed he thought he would die soon. Before he was diagnosed he thought of cancer as any teenager would, "balding and dying." Of course there were ignorant people asking him

questions like "How long do you have to live?" or "Why don't you look sick?" He just didn't pay them any mind. Even though he was suffering emotionally, physically and spiritually he still managed to keep a smile.

With the help of a book called "The Pact" written by three African American doctors from Newark, NJ and the support of family and friends he managed to go through the whole year of treatment. "I was impressed by their motivation to overcome stereotypes," Andre said about "The Pact." He admired them for their determination, drive and focus.

Andre, who's still in touch with the doctors, appreciates the authors as men that he can relate to. The first time he read the book was in his junior year in high school.

Throughout Andre's year of treatment he managed to keep his spirits up. "When I'm thinking good I'm feeling good," Andre said. "It is in my interest to think positive and embrace the good days while it's here." He believes that mentality plays a big role in cancer. Because his positive outlook on everything, he learned "to appreciate myself and others, I've also learned to appreciate my body and to have faith." He says each day he embraces life and tries not to stress about things that he can't control.

Andre is now using his experience to teach young people. He says "God used me as an example." He is also using this year to recover, and then he will go back to college. He says that his battle is just getting started.

Everything isn't completely over; he now has to go every month to test if the cancer is still gone. No matter what happens Andre Singleton is always smiling, he's the new face of Cancer.