Photos by Peter Haentjens: 2011

In The Hamilton Spectator, on Saturday March 28th, 1998 a story was printed by Steve Buist

A few lines from this story will help you understand the illustration I created for this story

You are what you eat. Unfortunately, you are what you breathe, too. And what you smoke. And what you drink. At least, that's the case when it comes to cancer.

For the past quarter of a century, the public's interest in cancer research has focused largely on advances in treatment -- attempts to fix the problem once it has already started.

But what's also been learned -- and perhaps ignored -- is that we have more control over cancer than we think.

As many as two-thirds of all cancers can be prevented by changing our lifestyles and our diet.

Stop smoking and 30 per cent of all cancer deaths would disappear. Eat more fruits and vegetables, eliminate animal fats and increase the amount of fibre in our diets, and another 30 per cent of cancer cases could disappear. Toss in another couple of per cent if we exercised more. Drink alcohol only in moderation and another three per cent of cases would vanish. Greater vigilance against the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun would lop off another two per cent.