Last month, October, was Cancer Awareness month. I celebrated LIVESTRONG Day by wearing my yellow LIVESTRONG shirt
during my first 5k. I also wear my yellow band
everyday. I donated to Lee Denim Day at work. I also promoted #beatcancer on Facebook and Twitter. And Team Lagade walked in the ACS Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in San Francisco. I do what I can to help spread the word. Not only in November, but throughout the year.me before the walk
I H8 CANCER!
I really do. So many people I know are affected by this horrible dreadful disease. So may people I know, know others who are dealing with it. My cousin's friend's husband just passed recently. Why? My father in law lost a toe due to an infection that wouldn't heal. Why? Why does this have to happen? 
Unfortunately, your medical professionals won't help you prevent this. Yes, the check ups are a good starting point, and they'll tell you eat right and exercise, but that's all they'll do for you. DON'T just count on your medical professionals. They see a great number of patients daily, so they can't keep track of you or check up on you unless you're in a hospital bed.I spoke to my primary physician about my concern about getting breast cancer.
Why? Susan G. Komen Walk 2009
Susan G. Komen Walk 2010
So what are the chances I'd get it? According to my doctor, she wants to start breast exams when I'm 35. Ok, cool. She told me about the BRCAI and BRCAII tests. Ok, cool. Let's do it! Doesn't it make sense to take the tests to see if I'm a carrier of a breast cancer gene? You know...try to be preventative here. But get this, if I am a carrier then it's noted in my medical record. AND if I do get cancer, guess what!
I would be UNINSURABLE.
un-in-sur-able
Yeah, so I'd pretty much get a big freakin EFF YOU from the insurance companies. What would you do at this point? Give it a think. It's pretty hard to swallow. Because of this, I opted not to take the tests and do all I can to be preventative.
Note: I have heard that there was an act that would make the insurance companies cover you even if you are a carrier. If it's true, it would be a great start. If you have info, please contact me.
YOU need to take care of yourself. I've said it before and I'll say it again - YOUR body is YOUR temple. Yes, eat right and exercise. Include cancer fighting food in your diet. Get enough sleep. One of the best sources of info is by Dr. David Servan-Scheriber. He had brain cancer. After conventional treatment, he beat it. But his doctors told him to go back to living his life as he did before cancer. You know what happened? His cancer came back. You see, even doctors don't have all the answers, so you must do your own research. If you've gone to his website and want more info, he has written a book called, Anticancer: A New Way of Life
.So what am I doing to be preventative?
- I exercise daily. I keep moving.
- I buy mostly organic food.
- I eat lots of fruits and vegetables daily.
- I limit red meat.
- I eat clean.
- I limit intake of high fructose corn syrup.
- I do not smoke.
- I do not drink alcohol.
- I drink lots of water and green tea.
- I even limit items I apply to my skin in order to be a natural as possible.
- I examine my body.
- I try to get 7 hours of sleep a night. (this one is difficult for me)
As you can tell, I'm very passionate about spreading the word about cancer. Life is WAY too short and precious. I was a teen once, and thought I was invincible. Even in my 20's, I figured I had lots of time. But in all honesty, you don't. More and more kids are dying of cancer. More and more adults are dying of cancer. It does not discriminate.
What are you doing to prevent cancer?
How are you spreading the word?
Join the fight. Lets #beatcancer!
Just wanted to point you to information about GINA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prohibits employers or insurers from discriminating against you based on your genetic status. So, if you were to get tested for the BRCA 1 & 2 gene mutations, you would be covered. (More here: http://www.genome.gov/24519851) Also, I encourage you to speak with a certified genetic counselor who can tell you more about your risk based on your family's history and talk to you more about deciding whether or not you want to be tested. If you'd like to learn more about BRCA 1 & 2, I also encourage you to check out Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE -- online at facingourrisk.org); it's the only support organization for women and families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. It sounds like you are just at the beginning of your journey with this decision, but it's important to inform yourself and seek out qualified heath-care professionals to guide your choice. Good luck, and feel free to contact me through my blog if you have any questions.
ReplyDeleteI like this post. My mom found out today she remains cancer-free one year after her chemo treatments ended. Her mother died from colon cancer that spread to her lungs and liver one year after the colon cancer was apparently gone. Cancer took away a wonderful person I do not remember and wish I could have known; she died when I was three.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say my mom and grandpa are cancer survivors though! Cancer sucks, and we need to do what we can to fight it. I think everyone, in some way, is affected by the disease. Awareness is so important. We will probably never find a cure, but we can work hard to improve treatments and live healthy lives.
Thank you for sharing Lindsay. Very emotional topic for me as I know too many people dealing/dealt with this disease. Trying to avoid this disease is one of the reasons why I decided it was time to get fit.
ReplyDeleteAs for your grandmother, you just never know what will happen. Scary and sad. I am hoping that technology and research are progressing, but there are no promises. All we can do is educate ourselves and others.
Congrats to your mom and grandpa!
Hi Steph! Thank you for your commenting. That's one of the reasons why I posted this. I wanted to hear from people like you to help point me (and others) in the right direction. My cousin, who is a nursing student, gave me a site to look into as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am at the beginning of this journey. Knowledge is power. And I knew I briefly read somewhere about being covered regardless of the test results, but then I couldn't find the info again. So thanks again for somehow finding this blog post and giving advice.
Your blog is informative and I can't wait to read more.