If you watched the Academy Awards Sunday night, you may have seen the commercial featuring a 16-year-old cancer survivor from Littleton.

Peyton Linafelter started having problems last year and on her 16th birthday was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Grapefruit-sized tumors invaded both of her ovaries, but today she is cancer-free and in remission.

The television message from Peyton simply encourages women of all ages to get checked if they notice anything out of the ordinary at all. Early detection of cancer can make all the difference in the world -- the difference between life and death.

Too many parents have had to deal with the anxiety and dread of a cancer diagnosis in their children. But, Peyton's story reminds us there is hope no matter how dark and hopeless things may look.

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