By Laura Nathan-Garner, MD Anderson Staff Writer

Wendy Dio's husband -- heavy metal singer/songwriter Ronnie James Dio of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, DIO and Heaven & Hell fame -- was a patient at MD Anderson until he died of stomach cancer in May. But that's not why I called Wendy recently.

In July, our team noticed a huge wave of people using MD Anderson's Cancer Risk Check. Most had found it through a link on The Official Ronnie James Dio Fan Page on Facebook.

Cancer Risk Check, as Dio fans discovered, calculates a person's chances of developing common cancers. It also makes personalized suggestions for lifestyle changes and cancer screening exams that may lower one's cancer risk.

Wendy's story
After finding that Facebook post, my co-workers and I wanted to thank Wendy for sharing Cancer Risk Check with Dio fans. We also wondered how she'd found it. After all, we hadn't sent out a press release or shared a link on our Facebook and Twitter pages yet.

I tracked Wendy down, and she shared her story with me.

It turned out her Los Angeles-based family doctor -- who sits on the board of the cancer foundation Wendy created after Ronnie died -- had found Cancer Risk Check. He'd sent her the link, and she'd shared it with the other board members.

Did they take Cancer Risk Check? "Oh, yes, we all took it," Wendy told me, "and we all discovered we're really bad at a lot of things." She rattled off a list: making healthy food choices, exercising, not smoking and not drinking alcohol -- all habits that reduce a person's risk of developing many cancers.

Ronnie hadn't been very good at these things either, she said. "He didn't eat right," Wendy told me. "Ronnie had a diet of meat, potatoes, pasta and rice. And alcohol, of course. He almost never ate fruits and vegetables."

Making changes
Taking Cancer Risk Check gave Wendy and the other board members a wake-up call -- one much stronger than I'd expected.

"One of our board members is very overweight, and now he's taking another look at his diet and exercise habits. He even plans to get tested for different cancers." Wendy paused, then added, "Actually, we've all arranged to see our doctors for cancer screening exams in the next few weeks."

Doing it for Ronnie
Wendy, as her post on Facebook hinted, wants everyone to use Cancer Risk Check, especially men, who are less likely to see a doctor. "It's important for people to be more aware of cancer risks and find out what tests they need," she told me.

This is exactly why MD Anderson's disease experts created Cancer Risk Check. "We created this online tool to be simple to use and to empower individuals to take actions for a healthier lifestyle," says Therese Bevers, M.D., medical director of MD Anderson's Cancer Prevention Center and Prevention Outreach Programs.

Before we hung up, I asked whether Ronnie might have gotten screened for cancer sooner if he'd used Cancer Risk Check.

"I think he would have," Wendy said. "If we'd known about different screening tests and things that can cause cancer, Ronnie may have been better about taking care of his health."

Take Cancer Risk Check at www.mdanderson.org/riskcheck.