Have you or anyone you know gotten cancer or some other disease/ailment from using oil paints (for art)?

I read about a guy who got Hodgkin's Disease after prolonged exposure, so I am curious. I have also learned the dangers involving cadmium (in reds/yellows) and lead (in whites).

Yes.

It is said that oil painters (I've heard van Gogh himself was one) started developping skin & mouth cancers at the time bright cadmium colors were introduced (before that only earthen pigments were used). Cadmium & lead are extremely toxic, and you should avoid puting them on bare skin and near mouth. Some people even advise to completely avoid them if you are pregnant.

For white you can use readily available non-toxic titanium oxide. For cadmium colors you can substitute synthetic azodyes. The difference will mainly be in duration. Cadmium colors can keep their hue for over 400 years while azodyes will degrade over time, especially if they are exposed to UV light. The worst case is lead black, which has been substituted with carbon black with mediocre results. But anyway I never use black in my painting but complimentary colors, which give much more natural shadows.

I've found this link on art pigment/solvant toxicity:

http://www.trueart.info/art_hardware.htm

That doesn't mean that you WILL develop cancer or disease if you are a painter, just as all organic chemists dont develop illness from contact with chemicals. The thing is to be aware you are using toxic chemicals, so apply the safety rules that goes with that fact:
-Dont put oil paints on bare skin or near mouth
-Dont eat/drink as you paint
-Wash your hands thouroughly after using said paint, using an oil-based soap (Murphy's is wonderful for that)
-Wear converings (lab coat, old shirt...) while painting so paint does not get onto your regular clothes

Those are basic precaution similar to what is used in lab when using toxic chemicals. You should avoid any unpleasanteness that way.