Surgery? Question Everything

Image courtesy of www.howtolandajob.net

Lumpectomy vs. mastectomy has always been such a big debate scientifically and personally. I too, have mixed feelings about it. Each person has a different cancer journey and ultimately, it is the patient's choice, whatever she feels is best. My advice: QUESTION EVERYTHING. Gather all the facts. Pray hard. Do not stop to question until you are absolutely comfortable with your decision. Now, here's a good New York Times article on lumpectomy and repeat breast cancer surgery that's a bit enlightening: Repeat Breast Cancer Surgery Guidelines Are Unclear. While it does raise questions like "Why (the heck) are there still no clear guidelines on CA surgery at this day and age?!", it also takes you through the decision process in breast CA surgeries on an academic approach.

Blessings to everyone in your unique cancer journeys :)

Qi Gong

If you've ever been to China, you will notice that early in the morning, large groups of the elderly gather in parks and perform slow, soothing movements in unison. It's so beautiful to watch, and quite a wonderful thing to experience. Qi gong, also known as shibashi, is widely practiced in Asia for proper breathing, meditation, healing and exercise. We've been taught how to do this since middle school, and after my mom's surgery in 2008, it was the most appropriate kind of exercise for her. Qi gong is a great stress reliever, and it can also be done at home.  You can even buy one of those Chinese meditations CD to feel more authentic :) Try these steps from everyday-taichi.com

Soul Food: Champorado

Image courtesy of http://workwithray.net

My mom got a craving for champorado during her recent chemotherapy sessions. Champorado is a chocolate rice pudding from Spanish influence, topped with condensed milk and usually paired with "tuyo" or dried, salty fish. What makes champorado perfect for chemo patients like my mom is that it's sweet, hearty and warm to the stomach. It soothes the throat and isn't as heavy as a meal of rice and viand. Try out this recipe and other Filipino dishes from workwithray.net. Have a hearty day! :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Sticky Rice
3 cups water (keep adding more if needed)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (add more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Evaporated Milk (you may use HALF & HALF or you may use condensed milk)
Sugar to taste

COOKING DIRECTIONS:
Place a medium casserole over medium heat.
Add water and sticky rice.
Keep stirring until rice become translucent
depending on the brand of sticky rice, you may need to keep adding water until you achieve rice’s translucency.
Once rice is cooked, stir in cocoa, and vanilla.
Keep stirring until rice become brown in color.
Add sugar to taste.
Top with milk.

Spread Love, Give Back!

Random Story of Hope and Survival

Image courtesy of www.safenetwork.org

I was reading a nice bit on Yahoo News this morning (Read:New Lung Cancer Test Predicts Survival ) when I chanced upon one of the comments of someone who goes by the name 4me2knw:

"I wish they had this test when I got my lung cancer. I had Hairy Cell Leukemia and the doc's did a cat scan on my lymph nodes to see if they were involved, during the test they found the lung cancer. Stage zero! About as big as a marble. That was 8 years ago. My surgeon said "if you're still alive in 10 years give me a call and let me know." This comment is making me think I've got about 2 years left. If I had been able to do this test maybe I wouldn't be thinking this way? Not a comforting feeling thinking you've got 2 years at most. BTW, the leukemia never started to grow. Had my blood drawn every 3 to 4 months for 5 years and it never grew. I had thousands praying for me, worked in 10 prisons and everyone knew. So, had all of them backing me then got a blessing from the Mormon church and an American Indian healing done. I swear, something here worked! This is why the leukemia never grew and I was stage zero. I now believe in the power of prayer!"

No doctor can really predict how long you'll live. In this day and age, "life sentences" for cancer patients are really a thing of the past. Not only are there new medicines and treatments, but also everyday miracles. Happy Monday everyone! :)

Healing Prayer

View from Kennon Road

Good evening Philippines and hello to the rest of the world! To celebrate this blessed Sunday, let me share with you a beautiful healing prayer, which I learned in Monte Maria:

"Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy. May Your healing spirit rest upon me. It is through Your powers that I was created. Since you created me from nothing, You can certainly recreate me. Fill me with healing power of Your spirit. May Your life-giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul. Mend what is broken. Cast out anything that should not be within me. Rebuild my brokenness. Restore my strength for service in Your kingdom. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others. Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all. Touch my mind with Your wisdom that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You, and help me to lead others to You by Your example. Most loving heart of Jesus, bring me health in mind, body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength. Amen."

About Monte Maria: Monte Maria is a place of worship founded by Father Fernando Suarez, a well-known healing priest in the Philippines and around the world. Thousands of people go there during Sundays to hear the 10:00AM mass and receive healing from Father Suarez. To know more about his mass schedules, directions to Monte Maria, etc. visit their website: http://www.ourladyofmontemaria.org/

Happy Sunday everyone! :)

An Excellent Piece of Advice

Image courtesy of http://www.americanpharmacyintl.com

Here's an excellent piece of advice from my mom's good friend, who is an oncology nurse at Cedars Sinai Hospital in LA: If your doctors aren't giving up on you, why should you?

Don't give up cancer sisters. You are not alone in this battle. Fight Fight Fight! :) :) :)

Our Lady of Manaoag

On our way home from Baguio, we made a side trip to the Our Lady of Manaoag Church located in Manaoag, Pangasinan. It is one of the most well-known places of worship in the Philippines and surprisingly, we didn't have a hard time finding it passing through the Binalonan route. It was my first time to go there, and I was quite awestruck with what I saw. The miraculous Lady inside the Church looked so magnificent. Her robe was covered with priceless jewels, glass case bullet-proof because of the numerous attempts to rob her. Devotees can, however, touch the back of her robe through a hole in a separate room, which is what we did, only we had to wait in line for about an hour to do so. What was most beautiful and captivating was her face, one could only kneel and feel her presence and pray. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges the countless miracles that she has granted, and with all humility, I asked for my one wish to also come true--my mom's complete healing from cancer.

A Difficult Decision

Image courtesy of www.blather.net

The cancer journey entails A LOT of crucial, lifesaving decisions: lumpectomy or mastectomy, chemotherapy or alternative medication, conventional therapy or clinical trials, and the list goes on and on. It becomes even more difficult when well-meaning friends and loved ones offer conflicting opinions. "Don't do this, it will kill you." or "Drink this, it will save your life." I often times wish for God to reach down and literally point His finger towards the best path.

A friend of my sister recently underwent mastectomy and got diagnosed with stage 3 ER-PR positive Her2-negative breast cancer, which is the most common type of breast cancer that is not aggressive and highly responsive to medications. Her oncologist recommended the standard chemotherapy treatment, and she will need to take hormone pills for the rest of her life. When she asked her doctor if this will guarantee that her cancer will not recur, her doctor said that there's no assurance. So now, she doesn't want to continue with the treatment anymore.

I wish I could convince her to go ahead with the chemo, because even if there's no guarantee, it's still the best option out there. Go with chemo because there are medications to counter all the nasty side effects--nausea, body pain, vomiting, etc. Go with chemo because thousands of women older and weaker than her have done it and survived. But at the end of the day, it's a personal decision. It's her body, and she has to be 100% comfortable with whatever decision she makes.

Avastin: The Harsh Truth

I froze and I couldn't sleep when I read this article published just a few days ago: Avastin, Sutent increase breast cancer stem cells, study shows. The article says that "tumors treated with (Avastin and Sutent) developed more cancer stem cells, the small number of cells within a tumor that fuel a cancer's growth and spread and that are often resistant to standard treatment." So these drugs worked for awhile, then after a few years, bam! Hello cancer again?!?!

In my mom's case, THIS is our answer as to why my mom's breast cancer recurred. For countless days and nights, we dwelt on this question and blamed different things---lumpectomy vs. mastectomy, bad genes, food, my dad's smoking, inadequate dosage, etc etc etc. Maybe they contributed as well, but from this article, it appears that Avastin is largely to blame for the recurrence. And because Avastin always had the impression of being a grossly expensive "rock star drug" taken as an adjuvant therapy, it never occurred to me to blame Avastin. Not to mention that the side effects that my mom endured to take Avastin are no joke.

The next day, I mustered the courage to tell my mom about what I read. While I didn't want her to look back and regret on having taking Avastin, I felt it was best to tell her the truth rather than have her wonder and even blame herself. On a positive note, it's really good that my mom is responding well to the CMF treatment she is currently taking. She's on her last cycle, and I really pray that all the cancer cells would finally be killed and replaced with healthy cells.

Strawberry Bliss in Benguet--Pictures!

Strawberry Fields of La Trinidad

Here are a few of our pictures at the ever popular Strawberry Farm at La Trinidad, Benguet. Doesn't the ice cream look so yummy? Remember, strawberries are anti-cancer fruits, too! :) Yummy is healthy! :)

The Scarring of Breast Implants

Image courtesy of http://natural-breast-enlargement.org.uk

Take a look at this interesting article from Huffington Post: Women Affected by PIP Breast Implant Scandal 'Psychologically Scarred'. I feel for these women, who have become stressed, fearful and depressed because their breast implants could be faulty. Now, I'm an employee of Johnson and Johnson, that's also in the business of breast implants. But after what's happened to my mom and our family, I strongly advise all women to GO NATURAL. Don't put alien things inside your body that could potentially risk your health. Even a company as "sturdy" and heavy on R&D as J&J makes mistakes and has a lot of product recalls every year. It's just not worth it. And what's more depressing about the whole situation is that women go under the knife for not-so-good reasons: career, aesthetics and self-esteem. It's sad that our perception of beauty is being dictated by media and marketing campaigns.On a more positive note, because of the breast implant scandal, British surgeons are now calling to ban adverts for cosmetic surgery. Wouldn't that be a great development? :)

Strawberry Bliss in Benguet

My birthday cake!

Hello, I'm back from my birthday vacation in Baguio, summer capital of the Philippines! The weather was so perfect--cool but not rainy! Note to self: must go back same time next year. So many places to go to and so little time! I will definitely post more pictures soon! But for now, I'm bringing to you some strawberries from La Trinidad, Benguet, just a few minutes away from Baguio City. The La Trinidad strawberry farm is a popular tourist spot, where visitors can pick strawberries, buy a wide range of strawberry souvenirs, and eat a lot of native strawberry delicacies like strawberry "taho" (soy pudding) and strawberry-flavored "dirty ice cream" (local ice cream sold on the streets). Did you know that strawberries are also a well-known cancer-fighting food because they are high in antioxidants? Antioxidants remove free radicals that in turn prevent the growth of tumors. (Read more on Time Healthland: Can Eating Strawberries Prevent Cancer?) So eat up, because healthy can be yummy too! :)

Cheers!

Another Thai advert, something to make you laugh. Nice message too! :)

Of Selfless Service

Meet Bong, the patient coordinator at the VMMC Cancer Research Center. As a patient coordinator, he deals directly with patients on several capacities: he maintains patient information and medical results, arranges doctor and lab appointments, and instructs patients on home health care and further sample collection. Bong's role is critical in cancer care, since there's a lot of work to be done in it. Bong always has a genuine, caring look on his face, and the twinkle in his eyes bring a lot of hope and optimism. I guess some people just always have a positive energy around them, and that's him. I'm really grateful that he's part of the team that takes good care of my mom. To Bong, Cheers and Be Blessed! :)

More Harm than Good: Hormone Replacement Therapy

Image courtesy of www.lookhealthy.org

Women who feel the discomfort of menopause sometimes consider  taking on a hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which artificially boosts hormone levels estrogen and progesterone. Unfortunately, new evidence shows that links the incidence of breast cancer with HRT.  Read more on ABC News: Hormone Therapy Linked to Higher Breast Cancer Death Risk.

I am no medical expert, but I think that medications that artificially change hormone levels are not worth considering. Let the body work and age naturally. Try eating healthier foods, exercising regularly, managing stress and sleeping more. I'm just in my late 20's, so I can't really say what a woman undergoing menopause feels. What I can say for sure though is that breast cancer sucks, and once it's there, it's a lifelong battle. I would rather get hot flashes than risk myself further to cancer.

Same with oral contraceptives. While there's conflicting data on the link between breast cancer and birth control pills, consider using a condom instead of altering your hormones. Why expose yourself to cancer risk? Because no matter how informed or how financially capable or how strong your are, nothing can really prepare you enough to face the Big C.

Mabuhay Coconuts

Image courtesy of http://filipinolifeinpictures.wordpress.com

Living in the tropics has its advantages, and one of them is the abundance of coconuts! Coconuts or "buko" as we call 'em, can be bought anywhere--in markets, on the streets, in food stalls etc. They're more hydrating than Gatorade and are a good source of energy! Coconuts are a known antioxidant and have numerous health benefits, including better digestion and metabolism, improved kidney function, increased immunity from diseases including cancer, lower blood pressure, and so on and so forth! My mom recently got addicted to them because they're also chemo-friendly--very refreshing, have no metallic after-taste, and they're filling without making the stomach turn.

How to eat: In the Philippines, we can buy the entire coconut nut, which we then chop in half, pour the juice into a pitcher, and then scrape the meat inside. The meat can be hard or soft, and you can actually request it from the coconut vendor. Just by knocking on the shell, he can tell which is it. You can eat and drink the coconut as is, or prepare it as a shake, icicle, salad, etc.

One fun fact about the coconut tree is that we call it "The Tree of Life" because of the endless list of products and by-products that can be derived from all of its parts. Isn't that amazing?

Bald is Beautiful!

Take a look at my mom sometime in 2009, when she lost all her hair due to chemotherapy. Isn't she beautiful?

So ladies, don't fret about losing your hair to chemo. The minute you see yourself shedding hair (happened to my mom right after her first chemo session), cut it really short so you won't get depressed with all the falling hair. Afterwards, when you're ready, have it shaved by your friendly stylist. Then, rock the bald look with a pretty face, nice earrings and a lovely glow to match! Your hair will grow back eventually, but for the moment, be fashionably adventurous--wigs, hats and scarves are the funnest accessories! Cheers and enjoy! :)

For Real Women!

Ladies, stand up and be proud of your body image, size, skin tone, scars and blemishes! Real women look like us, not the photoshopped images on magazine covers. Our imperfections make us unique and beautiful! Take a look at this short clip, and say, "So that's why they're so perfect! Ha!" Cheers to all and be blessed :)

Reducing Body Pain: TENS

Image courtesy of www.sciencephoto.com

Experiencing body aches and pains? Visit your physical therapist. He/she can recommend a suitable program for you. At home, you can also use the TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machine, which is a nifty little device that transmits electrical impulses through electrodes to specific parts of your body. The electrical impulses produced by the TENS device actually block pain signals to the brain and raise your level of endorphins. It can also lessen the need for pain medications, and that's always a good thing. You will feel a weird and tingly sensation at first, but after a while, it can get really good and relaxing, especially when paired with a heating pad. It is widely used for acute and chronic pain, but it is important to ask your PT how to use it properly. A TENS unit costs around P2000-P6000 pesos, depending on the features, and can be bought at medical shops in Bambang or elsewhere.

My Carewell Contribution

Carewell is a non-profit support organization that provides free services and resources to people living with cancer, including medical consultation and counseling. They also hold wellness activities like yoga and qi gong. Every week, I make a P20 contribution to Carewell through SMS registration, and if you are a SMART subscriber, you can do it too! You too can give a weekly donation of P10, P20, P50 or P100 to Carewell by following these simple steps:

     -To start weekly donation, text CARE<amount> ON to 234 (e.g., CARE100 ON

     -To quit or opt out, text CARE OFF/STOP/CANCEL/QUIT/REMOVE (e.g., (CARE STOP)

In exchange, I get free health tips like what to eat to boost energy or sleep better, etc. Well worth my twenty bucks, I should say!

Carewell is located at the 6th Floor of S & L Building, dela Rosa corner Esteban Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City Philippines. For more info, visit their website: http://www.carewellcommunity.org/index.php

Read Up on Parabens

some products with parabens

A lot of articles have been coming up about deodorants, parabens and if they cause cancer (READ: TIME and WEBMD). Wikipedia defines parabens "a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries." A new study on breast cancer shows that parabens are found in 99% of samples from breast cancer tumors. Parabens are found in deodorants, shampoos and moisturizers. This may be being paranoid, but at home, we made a survey of the different products that we use, and found parabens in our lotions--Bath and Body, Victoria's Secret and even the J&J baby lotion. You can also do this by checking the ingredients at the back: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isopropylparaben, and isobutylparaben. Now, using these products doesn't automatically mean that you will get cancer, because there aren't enough studies to prove such. However, because my mom already has active cancer cells and we have the genes, we don't want them being triggered. The good news is that there are alternative products that don't have parabens (like the Neutrogena moisturizer), and many deodorants now are paraben-free.

A Rating for The Medical City

with my mom and her doctors at TMC

People who truly care are hard to find, but at The Medical City (TMC), caring is in their hospital staff's culture. With the exception of one nurse (lemon, perhaps?), everyone at TMC made sure that my mom's stay was comfortable and stress-free. Their formula is simple, but it works: 1) they listened to our concerns, 2) took action, 3) provided updates, and 4) they explained properly when our request couldn't be accommodated. Add another ingredient--genuine empathy--and it makes a world of difference in service. I do think it's a corporate culture because practically everyone was really accommodating and professional--from people in the nursing floors to the CT scans and even to billing and discharge. I can't help but compare it with this other hospital in Makati, where we personally experienced the opposite. On other aspects, the room at TMC is small, but it's clean and bright; the food is kind of bland, but that's hospital food for you. Overall, I give them an A for excellent service and facilities.

The Medical City is a tertiary hospital located in Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines. It is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for international health care organizations. For more information on TMC, visit their website: The Medical City Website

Chemo Care Kit

Anya Hindmarch Hot Pink Vanity Kit

First-time to do chemotherapy? It's best to pack a "chemo care kit" with the following essential items:
- bottle of water or juice
- crackers
- candies
- face mask
- stress ball
- your medicines and prescription
- skincare wipes
- brown paper bag

My mom likes using the free confinement kits that we get from her hospital stay mainly because they're compact, light and transparent.

Chemo sessions take 30 minutes to 4 hours; it really depends on the drugs you're taking. So you may want to also bring a small pillow, an iPod or a good book. Of course, nothing beats bringing a caring companion. :) Cheers to all and be blessed!

Story of Hope: Cindi

I want to share an inspiring real-life story that I picked up from www.advancedbc.org. Cindi has been in treatment for NINE years for metastatic breast cancer. It's a battle that she's been fighting beautifully:

 

Image courtesy of www.advancedbc.org

A Message of Hope from Cindi
posted to the BCMETS mailing list, December, 2008:

 

I wanted to pass along my encouraging story and give others a bit of hope for the holiday season.

I've been in treatment for NINE YEARS now for metastatic breast cancer. Several times along the way my doctors have been honest with me about my situation and I prepared for the worst. I have bone mets in 98 percent of my body and even broke a small bone in my foot last year without even knowing it. I always say "Ask me where I DON'T have cancer, it's much easier". I don't worry about it though and keep on doing my physical volunteer work. I'm a zoo keeper and have to lift 50 lb bags of feed, move wheel barrows full of dirt and poop and crawl up ladders to work on the top of the animal enclosures. I rake, shovel and have to stay alert to all the animal care procedures that are always changing. It exhausts me and at times I think I can't do it anymore. I'll be 55 years old this month and most people I work with are under 25 and healthy, LOL.  I love my job though and I feel it's been the reason for my continued survival.  It's almost a mile from parking the car to the area I work it and just getting there is a major feat in inself. There were times when I counted each step, telling myself that I WOULD make my legs keep working and I WOULD find the strength to walk all that way. I was so stubborn, LOL, that I always managed.

Two years ago, the cancer moved in to my bone marrow and I progressively got weaker and weaker. I needed blood (red and platelet) transfusions, sometimes as frequently as every 2 weeks. My skin was yellowish looking, my stomach always bloated and pain seemed to be constant and unrelenting. I began to have migraines that kept me in bed for days too.

Last year the cancer moved to my lungs and liver and my oncologist was very grim in his prognosis. Being a realist, I totally agreed with him and again made preparations for the worst. After a year on Abraxane and Avastin, my tumor markers gradually came down and things seemed to stabilize. Last month I realized that it's been months since I've needed a transfusion. My doctors and nurses just shake their heads and said they've never seen such a turn around with bone marrow disease. I can breathe better now and don't even know I have liver mets.

Just had a bone scan and again, my oncologist shook his head and said he'd never seen a report like mine. It showed that all cancer tumors are dormant and no evidence of activity anywhere. Unbelievable....I've never had a report like that as the cancer has always progressed, year by year. He also can't believe I haven't had any bones break. I drive him crazy telling him about the things I do in my zoo keeper job. He thinks I should quit doing it. I've told him when **** freezes over and that's that.

Of course I realize that this may be temporary but the trick to successfully living with cancer and not letting it take over is to not let it take over. I choose not to spend my time worrying about when things will change for the worse again but instead use the time productively to enjoy every single thing about living. That's not me preaching to anyone but instead, just my way of dealing with it.

I'm no cheerleader, believe me, but I do think that we all need to hear encouraging stories. I remember my darkest days and how grim everything looked. I remember how much I needed to hear that someone else had survived what I was living through.

Sorry this is so long but I wanted to pass along my thoughts and share my story with all of you who are trying to survive another day. I know how you feel.....it's so hard and such a struggle. I hope it helps to hear from someone who has lived with mets for 9 years and managed to have a good quality of life.

Sending prayers (for those of you who will accept them), positive thoughts, gentle hugs and special admiration for all my cancer sisters.  You are such brave, inspirational people.....never forget it.

Love and Happy Holidays, Cindi

Follow Your Passion

A funny take on following your passion, which is one of my new year's resolutions! :) This year, I plan to take painting classes with my mom, an activity we both love. Learn to laugh and enjoy amidst all the trials :)

Clinical Trials

Image courtesy of www.sciencephoto.com

In 2008, my mom entered into a clinical trial called "Beatrice" to test the drug Bevacizumab (Avastin) on early stage, triple-negative breast cancer patients. Avastin has an approved indication for certain types of metastatic colorectal cancer, lung cancer, glioblastoma and metastatic renal cancer. At the time, the decision to enter into a clinical trial was a crucially difficult one. While the medicines, laboratory tests and professional fees were all free, our primary fear was my mom becoming a guinea pig. The doctor also handed us an overwhelmingly long list of possible side effects, which raised our fears and almost made us back off. But we did our own research and sought the advice of different doctors and friends. What convinced me was when a friend in J&J whose line of work was in clinical research for the US and Asia Pacific said that in clinical trials, they give the best medicine plus the test drug.

We now know that just last year (2011) the US FDA revoked its approval of breast cancer indication because they concluded that its not safe and effective for breast CA. Avastin also didn't really work for my mom since her cancer recurred and metastasized, but she doesn't regret entering into a clinical trial at all. Because most clinical trials have safeguards to protect the patients and not cause harm. Health care professionals follow the hippocratic oath "Primum Non Nocere: First do no harm." Some considerations would be the the type of trial, the institution carrying it out, and the country on which the trial is based. Ask and ask and ask questions. In the Philippines, teaching institutions such as the Philippine General Hospital, Veterans Memorial Medical Center and the University of Santo Tomas Hospital have cancer research centers where these trials are available for certain kinds of cancer.

Personally, I think that clinical trials can grant patients access to the latest and potentially life-saving medicines that are not yet available here in the Philippines. Most of the medicines, lab tests and professional fees are free, which could amount to hundreds of thousands of pesos. More so, support of cancer research can save lives at present and in the future. To know more about clinical trials, visit http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/info/understand.

We all Have Cancer Genes

Image courtesy of www.oceanchampions.org

Last night, I found out that my sister's good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a 32-year old lawyer, a beautiful wife and mother. They have no history of cancer in the family. She has always been slender even after she gave birth; she eats the right foods and exercises regularly. It is so inconceivable that someone like her would have cancer, but she did. It's a big wake-up call that we all have cancer genes, anyone can have the Big C.

I shed a few tears last night knowing that she and her family will go through the same journey that our family has experienced and is still experiencing because of this wretched disease. I wish no one will have to go through it, because nothing in the world can prepare you for battling cancer emotionally, physically and mentally. My sister told her that cancer is a family disease, in the sense that everyone in your family will go though this battle, not just you. They may not experience what you have physically, but they will also have sleepless nights, and stages of denial, anger and even regret. They will be more religious than they had ever been, and they will suddenly be paranoid that everything in the environment has germs or causes cancer.

I do pray for all cancer fighters to have a strong support team--family, fries, loved ones, doctors, even strangers they meet along the way. I pray that no one will have to go through it alone, that someone will always be there to hold a cancer patient's hand during chemo, or gently rub his/her back when he/she's vomiting and to give him/her a big hug whenever he/she needs one.

Amuse Yourself!

Immuno-compromised and afraid to get out of the house? Or simply weak from chemotherapy? Don't wallow in depression. Amuse yourself even if you're just at home. Try searching for the funniest commercials on YouTube, they're guaranteed to make you laugh. And the great thing about it is that it's free! So go ahead and indulge yourself in funny adverts. Laughter is indeed the best medicine! Here's one that's pretty hilarious! (warning: it's pretty graphic!)

Stress Balls

Image courtesy of www.break4fun.zarte.net

Having problems with collapsed veins? Try to use stress balls a few times a day before undergoing another chemotherapy session. Stress balls are malleable toys that can be bought at National Book Store or any novelty or gift shop. Squeeze those stress balls, and when it's chemo time, your veins are ready to go. I happen to have a bunch of them that I can give away for free. If you live nearby, just send me a message; they're ready for pick them up. As an alternative, you can also use a tennis ball or simply pump your fist.  Have a good day and don't stress yourself out!

Meet the Oncologists of VMMC!

Meet some of the oncologists at Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC)! No wonder their patients look bright and happy when they go into the chemo room of VMMC. Their cheerful energy is infectious!

Pain in the Breast?

Image courtesy of www.healthline.com

My mom felt pain in her breast the first time she discovered it was cancer in 2008, and she felt pain again in 2011 when the cancer recurred and we found lumps on her right breast (just below her collar bone) and backside. She described the pain as something similar to a huge pus that is about to burst. Ouch! That has got to hurt. And it's not something that should be ignored too. So it's not true that if there is pain, it's not cancer. One thing I have learned in my mom's cancer journey is that you really have to pay attention to your body. Be aware of signs like pain, tiredness etc. and do not delay going to the doctor. It could very well just be nothing, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Here's a helpful link to learn more about breast pain: http://allhealthhub.com/pain-in-the-breast-when-to-see-a-doctor.html

Does your Bra Size Matter?

photo c/o www.sizesbra.com

Just 5 years ago during a routine medical exam, the doctor who was examining my breasts told me I was lucky. Because I was well-endowed, chances are, she said, I was not going to have breast cancer. Another doctor also told the same thing to my mom years before. That's why the first time we discovered a lump in her left breast, I was extremely confident that it wasn't cancer, because we all have big breasts in the family. Well let me tell you now that that is a BIG MYTH. Big boobs, small boobs, it doesn't make a difference. Breast cancer, like other cancers, happens when the genetic material of normal cells gets damaged, and these cells mutate and form a tumor. Cancer has no connection with your bra size. So ladies, if you feel a lump in your breast, please have it checked right away. Don't postpone going to the doctor, just do it. Go with someone if you feel scared. You don't have to be alone. Thankfully, my mom did just that. She went to a breast surgeon the very next day, and even if the doctor gave us bad news, the good thing is that we were able to act on it right away.