Cancer Wellness Magazine: The International Issue with Clara Pablo

WINTER 2020

CLARA PABLO THE BOSS LADY BEHIND MUSIC’S BIGGEST STARS LAUNCHES A MOVEMENT

HEART + SOLE

CHICAGO CLOTHIERS CUSTOMIZE FOR A CAUSE

STAY & PLAY SEDONA: A SOUTHWESTERN SANCTUARY

JARRETT PAYTON

WALTER PAYTON’S SON BUILDS HIS OWN LEGACY

Top in Chicago.

Top in the country.

Rush University Medical Center is ranked No. 1 in the nation for quality, recognizing our excellence in patient safety, care effectiveness and patient centeredness. And, the Rush University Cancer Center brings this commitment to excellence to our patients every day. To learn more about cancer care at Rush, visit rush.edu/cancer.

Rush University Medical Center ranking among participating academic hospitals. Vizient 2019.

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Cancer Wellness

letter from

THE EDITOR

Photo by Katrina Wittkamp

T

he word “international” gets me giddy. I love to travel for the same reasons as you: Exploring different cultures and absorbing their sights, tastes, smells, and sounds is inspiring and educational.

Traveling has given me the opportunity to meet new people from across the globe and glean insights into how different cultures function, changing my perspective forever. It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to issue 5, our very first internationally inspired issue.

How other cultures handle the subject of cancer on a social and medical level is an interesting topic, and one I have found has more similarities than differences.

Conversations on cancer can no longer be sidelined by cultural tradition or stigma. This movement towards greater awareness and dialogue was highlighted during my recent trip to Singapore for the Global Wellness Summit, where the topic of cancer is considered to be “trending.” Powerful voices across the globe are now advocating for greater social awareness and action.

Our cover star, the bold and beautiful Clara Pablo has a voice and a mission transcending cultural and topographical divides. As Senior Vice President of WK Entertainment—a music management firm boasting clients such as international sensations Maluma and CNCO—Clara’s star is quickly on the rise. She uses her platform to raise awareness for breast cancer, especially among Latinas. Read her cover story for more insight into why this population is at an especially high risk.

Speaking of international stardom, the famed Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton needs little introduction. Heralded by Mike Ditka as “the greatest football player he had ever seen; but even greater as a human being,” Payton’s early death from a rare form of bile duct cancer was felt by fans far and wide. Through the diligent oversight of Jarrett Payton, Walter’s son, his legacy of philanthropy and spirit lives on. We sat down with Jarrett at his home in St. Charles, Illinois, to discuss how Walter’s mission to give back to the community lives on.

I encourage you to revel in the exotic, international recipes in our nutrition section, and let your imagination wander to the far reaches of the earth as you enjoy our article about vacation destinations with purported healing properties. A little closer to home, get introduced to Bill Burnett and Michael Barkin of Stitch + Heart, a Chicago clothing house customizing for a cause. Yes, you can simultaneously rock great threads and practice social responsibility!

Each day, new pathways are forged by adventure seekers all over the world. What is a severe wanderluster like myself to do? While a photo is great, nothing beats getting out there to really change my perspective.

I hope issue 5 inspires you to do the same.

@cayleiCW

Cancer Wellness

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I’M IN THE NEW CANCER COMMUNITY. I FIGHT. “I think I’ll be living really well with this for a long time, and I want that message out there. I’m excited that there’s a new paradigm for metastatic breast cancer.”

BROOKE LONG

2-TIME BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR LIVING WITH STAGE IV METASTATIC BREAST CANCER

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Cancer Wellness

cancerwellness.com

WINTER 2020

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JARRETT PAYTON

TRAVEL 69

DESPERATELY SEEKING TREATMENT Tijuana clinics prey on the seriously sick with medical treatments ranging from zany to dangerous.

INNOVATIONS & RESEARCH 81

RARE CANCERS, RARER DISCOVERIES Dr. Carbone and one of the most important discoveries in the fight against an exceptionally rare cancer.

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SHOOT FOR THE MOON The NCI’s Cancer Moonshot initiative accelerates cancer research from the top minds in cancer care.

NUTRITION 22

FOR THE GOOD OF THE GRAPE Are cancer-causing pesticides hiding in your wine rack?

MIND & BODY 28

LET’S GET IT ON Cancer can wreak havoc on your libido— here’s why, and what to do about it.

BEAUTY 33

UNDER THE SKIN The rise of oncology skin care prompts survivors to create product lines for cancer patients, by cancer patients.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE 38

STICK IT TO CANCER Acupuncture is a fast-rising holistic therapy for cancer care.

ENTERTAINMENT 53

SHE’S GOT THIS After her own battle, Clara Pablo, the boss lady behind music’s biggest stars, became the Latina community’s loudest advocate against breast cancer.

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THE HEALTHIEST HARRIS TV show host Samantha Harris on her cancer diagnosis, her “healthiest healthy,” and her new book.

FASHION 92

HEART + SOLE The men behind Stitch + Heart customize beautiful clothes in your fit, for your favorite cause.

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FOR THE BREAST OF US Dana Donofree’s AnaOno Intimates is for every body.

RESOURCES 103

THE RIGHT TO WORK How can the Americans with Disabilities Act help cancer patients in the workplace?

Cancer Wellness

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CAYLEI VOGELZANG Editor-in-Chief

BRITT JULIOUS Editorial Director

NATALIA ESPINOSA Creative Director FEATURES Senior Editor CATHERINE EVES Editor-at-Large MIRELA KOPIER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS BETHANY KANDEL, SUSAN LORIMOR, SHERYL NANCE-NASH, MARIA TRIPODIS, LIZ TUCKWELL

PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAN C. GARCIA, ANNA GUNSELMAN, PETYA SHALAMANOVA, KATRINA WITTKAMP

CREATIVE Media Manager ADRIAN C. GARCIA

SALES Account Manager EVE WIMPFFEN Account Manager ALLISON STERN

OPERATIONS Operations Manager JACK SAXE-STARAL Executive Assistant MELANIJA ERGARAC

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD NATALIE CRAIG, DENA DODD PERRY, DR. GAIL PRINS, DR. GLEN STEVENS, MARIA TRIPODIS

DISTRIBUTION

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If you would like to know more about distributing Cancer Wellness in your facility or group, please email: info@cancerwellness.com

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR PART WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN CANCER WELLNESS ARE THOSE OF THE RESPECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY CANCER WELLNESS AND ITS STAFF.

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Cancer Wellness

CONTRIBUTORS BRITT JULIOUS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Britt is a writer, editor, essayist, and storyteller for publications like The New York Times, Vogue, Bon Appétit, Esquire, ELLE, Women’s Health, and others. She currently pens a weekly column for the Chicago Tribune and serves as the editorial director of Cancer Wellness magazine.

As a creator, Britt’s work focuses on the intersection of art, culture, race, feminism, and politics, and she is a firm believer in the underground, the avant-garde, and the underdog. In 2019, Britt was awarded the Studs Terkel Award for her journalism.

BETHANY KANDEL

ANNA GUNSELMAN

Bethany Kandel is a New York Citybased journalist and author whose work has appeared in hundreds of publications and websites. After being diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago, she began writing about the subject. She also founded the website BreastCancerFreebies.com, which serves as a portal helping patients and survivors find all the free items, services, and support offered to them, including wigs, hats, retreats, exercise classes, hotlines, financial aid, and much more.

Anna is a professional photographer who documents her vision of beauty, personality, and lifestyle in New York, L.A., Miami, and Europe. Having grown up in a region known for warm summers, well-dressed women, and sweeping landscapes, Anna became passionate about representing life through photography as joyous and sophisticated. Anna combines a mix of light, vision and, where appropriate, technology, with her innate sense of joie de vivre to create images which tell a story, create a brand, and lure a viewer.

CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTOGRAPHER

SUSAN LORIMOR CONTRIBUTOR

Susan is an award-winning writer and editor with experience leading national and international magazines to success, including Stanford University School of Medicine’s Stanford Anesthesia. She served as editor of The Magazine of Sigma Chi and has written for Consumers Digest magazine. After her own fight with breast cancer, she began to write about health. Now in remission, her aim is to help others facing the same concerns she did. She blogs about her experience at TakeThatBreastCancer.com.

EVE WIMPFFEN

MELANIJA ERGARAC

Coming first from a career in education where she taught English and advised an award-winning yearbook staff, Eve joined Cancer Wellness after a five-year stop in electromechanical sales. She is a published poet and loves connecting with people through language. Her role as account manager for partnerships and advertising brings together two of her great joys: people and communication. At home she is busy with her husband, four children, and a crazy wire-haired pointing griffon named Fritz.

Melanija is the Executive Assistant to Caylei Vogelzang, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Wellness magazine. She has more than six years’ experience working in this field, and thrives on tight deadlines and staying organized. Every day, Melanija strives to be better than she was the day before, and she appreciates the opportunities to grow with the Cancer Wellness family. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her toy poodle and her fiancé.

ACCOUNT MANAGER

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Cancer Wellness

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GILDA'S CLUB CHICAGO WHO IS GILDA? Laughter and love were central themes of Gilda Radner's career and life. Gilda was one of the original members of Saturday Night Live and she created enduring characters, including Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Lisa Loopner.

Gilda was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1985 and said cancer gave her membership to an elite club she'd rather not join. She passed away in 1989, but her legacy lived on when her husband, actor and comedian Gene Wilder (the original Willy Wonka) and friends established Gilda's Club, a nonprofit community organization for people living with cancer, in 1995 in New York City.

Cancer Wellness (312) 464-9900

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WHAT IS GILDA'S CLUB?

GILDA'S CLUB LOCATIONS

In 2000, Gilda's Club NYC grew into Gilda's Club Worldwide, a national network of clubhouses.

In 2009, Gilda's Club Worldwide merged with The Wellness Community to form the Cancer Support Community (CSC), the largest cancer support network in the country. Now, each CSC (50 local affiliates and 100 satellite locations) provides 350 free workshops, support groups, lectures, and social events monthly. Their mission is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community.

To view Gilda's Club or CSC locations and upcoming events in the U.S. and Canada, visit: www.cancersupportcommunity.org /FindLocation

www.gildasclubchicago.org

MORE THAN 300 PROGRAMS

We offer a wide range of workshops spanning the full spectrum of experience – some focus on the physical being and others on the mental being.

537 N. Wells St, Chicago, IL

#cW MANTRA

“OUR SCARS ARE SEXY! TOO OFTEN WE ARE TOLD TO HIDE OUR IMPERFECTIONS OR FEEL LESS OF A WOMAN BECAUSE OF THEM. I SAY, WE ARE MORE OF A WOMAN AND EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE OF OUR SCARS, NOT IN SPITE OF THEM!” - PAIGE MORE @paige_previvor

Cancer Wellness

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the warrior

MARDIE ANDERSON AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

I thought I was doing all the right things.

To hear more from Mardie, visit cancerwellness.com

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Cancer Wellness

I feel fine. I look fine. I’m functioning fine. And there’s no sense worrying about what’s going to happen.

Look for joy in everything, because there’s no

guarantees for anybody. I had friends die in car accidents. If you’re going to be here, [live your] life every day without worrying about what’s going to happen.

You have no control over it anyway.

Photo by Petya Shalamanova

I’m very healthy. I’ve been eating mostly organic for years. I even owned an organic juice bar for a few years. I always use clean products for my skin and cleaning supplies, including the crystal deodorant. I lived in Los Angeles for a long time [working in film and television], so this was my lifestyle.

My diagnosis was a total shock, especially because I’m diagnosed with stage IV. It’s metastasized from my breast, to my lymph nodes, to pretty much most of my bones in my body. But the journey has taught me to really slow down and to take care of myself and to eliminate stress as much as possible.

I’m not working because I feel really good, and I’ve managed really well with the chemo.

For my job, my industry, it’s super intense. And I’m not able to do 12 to 14 hour days. I feel like I need to really, really focus on a complete healing.

I started a daily yoga, meditation, and reiki practice. I even got reiki certified through Wellness House, so I can reiki myself. And I take tons of supplements, just to try to keep myself strong.

My husband and I, because we work in film and TV, are writing a TV series that we’re going to sell, which is a comedy about cancer. I have had other ideas of TV shows I wanted to do, or films, and I’ve always been too busy. I [was] a workaholic, so I kind of feel like [cancer] has given me the opportunity to give me the time to actually do my dream.

I am a strong believer that you have the power to heal yourself. And so I really just [try] to use all those tools to have really positive thoughts. It totally calms me down, which is really good.

I feel fine. I look fine. I’m functioning fine. And there’s no sense worrying about what’s going to happen. I could get hit by a truck walking out the door today. And I don’t look sick. I don’t feel sick. So we’re going to operate like I’m not really sick.

THE cW LIBRARY This season’s shelf features international reads, including a beautifully lyrical memoir translated from French, the work of a recently deceased Canadian poet, and an investigation into the poisoning of U.S. soldiers and civilians abroad during the “War on Terror.”

REVIEWED BY CATHERINE EVES

“I

f: A Mother’s Memoir” opens with an especially poignant scene of discovery—a mother, examining her son’s mouth, finds a swelling: “What I’m looking at is putrefying, with the color and smell of death.” A recount of one mother’s journey caring for her son while he receives treatment for cancer, “If” keeps you captive and, at times, alarmed.

In free-wheeling prose, Marzouk perfectly captures the torture and tumult of this uniquely horrifying position. Though “If ” was originally written in French, Marzouk’s wizardry with the written word shines through the English translation. Her voice is strong and true, her pain almost tangible. Despite almost daily nightmares, she carries on, as any mother would: “I’m an athlete exquisitely trained for impending catastrophe,” she writes.

“If” is the story of mother-as-superhero—what can she withstand, so that her son may live as comfortably as he is able? But it is also offers an almost maddening glimpse at the French healthcare system. From an American perspective, it seems almost heartless for Marzouk to fail to recognize the family’s undoubtedly mounting debt, but this isn’t much of an issue in socialized France, who provide low-cost health care for all its citizens. Equal parts heartbreaking, astute, and lyrical, “If” beautifully tells the story of a loving family navigating the horrific landscape of childhood cancer.

Book covers courtesy of the publishers

By Lise Marzouk, October 2019, Other Press, $16.99

NOT ONE OF THESE POEMS I S A B O U T YO U

THE BURN PITS

By Teva Harrison

By Joseph Hickman

Teva Harrison was a Torontobased artist, writer, and cartoonist known for documenting her life living with metastatic breast cancer. Harrison passed away in April 2019, and her latest book of poetry follows the progression of her illness, charting the highs and lows in intimate and revealing poetry that will both stun and soothe you. Visceral and gut-wrenching, Harrison holds nothing back— “In bulbous orbs and creeping tendrils, my cancer bloomed. My cancer/ grew faster, faster, and my liver could not stretch to accommodate,” she writes. In pages intermixed with delicate illustrations, “Not One of These Poems Is About You” introduces a sensitive, insightful, and charming artist who was taken from this world too soon.

January 2020, House of Anansi Press Inc., $19.95

“If you find these stories disturbing, I have done my job,” writes Hickman in “The Burn Pits.” Considered “this generation’s Agent Orange,” the open-air burn pits that raged all day, every day during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have had devastating health effects on soldiers and civilians abroad. Originally identified as “temporary” means to remove trash on U.S. military bases, many burn pits operated as late as 2015, incinerating all kinds of toxic substances—from plastics to medical waste to asbestos insulation—and cloaking the air around the base in toxic smoke and ash for years. While there is little investigation into the affected Afghani and Iraqi civilians, many U.S. soldiers who served in areas that operated burn pits are now experiencing devastating chronic illnesses— almost exclusively brain cancer and leukemia.

PPB: January 2020, Hot Books, $16.99 Cancer Wellness

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WE’VE GOT AN APP! We’ve launched a Cancer Wellness app for iPhone and Android!

Visit CancerWellness.com/app for a free digital download of issue 5 — there’s no obligation.

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Cancer Wellness

Talk Therapy Listening to a podcast is a great way to stave off boredom—and maybe even learn something new—while mowing the lawn, walking to work, or even sitting at a clinic receiving chemotherapy.

BY CATHERINE EVES

W

hether you’re driving to work or waiting KAPPA KAPPA CANCER at the doctor’s office, podcasts are sure Breast cancer warrior Erin Cummings created to stave off boredom, make you laugh, “Kappa Kappa Cancer” when she couldn’t find a or help you learn something new. Turn podcast to help distract, entertain, and educate on and tune in to our roundup of podcasts cover- her during her own cancer treatment. Featuring ing the intricacies of cancer and its treatment. episodes like “Stupid Shit People Say When You Have Cancer,” “It’s High Time We Talk About YOU, ME AND THE BIG C Cannabis,” and “Chemo Class: Why You Can’t From BBC Radio, this all-encompassing series Get Mani/Pedis,” “Kappa Kappa Cancer” is a covers an incredible range of topics, from proper light-hearted and informative resource (with a nutrition to handling grief. Each episode, hosts feminine bent) for cancer patients who seek the Rachael Bland, Deborah James, and Lauren truth, a good laugh, and want to feel included in a Mahon invite experts in their field to provide community of like-minded cancer warriors. clarity and perspective to the topic of the day, with new episodes premiering every two weeks. In STUPID CANCER SHOW September 2018, Bland lost her battle with breast Though they released their final episode in 2016, cancer—on an episode released a few days prior, the “Stupid Cancer Show” created more than 400 Bland shared she had only a few days left, result- episodes over their seven-year run, with enough ing in the podcast soaring to the top of the U.K. content to keep even the most avid listener busy charts. James and Mahon continue to produce for quite some time. Episodes address issues from new episodes, sometimes with Bland’s husband politics to cancer research to social media, and Steve. In a June 2018 interview in the Guardian, much more. “Stupid Cancer Show” touted itself Bland was quoted as saying, “We wanted to create as giving a voice to the young adult cancer coma space where you feel like you’re sitting down with munity and is an effort from the 501(c)(3) nonprofit girls like you, having a cup of tea, talking about it Stupid Cancer. Stupid Cancer’s aim is to “empower like it’s (a popular British sitcom) ‘EastEnders.’” young adults affected by cancer by ending isolation and building community,” and was founded TED RADIO HOUR - FIGHTING CANCER

by Matthew Zachary. In 1995, Zachary was diagTEDTalks are short, powerful talks from experts nosed with pediatric brain cancer—it was a time with “ideas worth sharing.” “Fighting Cancer” when even less resources were available to young offers innovative ideas from the foremost experts people diagnosed with cancer. Today, Stupid in the cancer treatment world. This one-hour Cancer connects the young adult cancer commuepisode from NPR’s TED Radio Hour podcast nity with resources and support groups, as well as series might just be a single episode, but it covers their annual “CancerCon,” a multi-day conference a wide range of topics relating to cancer. This featuring exhibitors, informational workshops, episode features pioneers in their field covering networking opportunities, and social activities. healthy eating, cancer research, cancer survivorship, and other topics.

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nutrition 14

Cancer Wellness

16 DESTINATION: DELICIOUS 21 TASTE THE WORLD 22 ORGANIC WINES

Cancer Wellness

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Destination: Delicious

Our resident nutritionist shares cancer-fighting recipes from around the world, crafted especially for home chefs with an adventurous palate.

BY MARIA TRIPODIS 16

Cancer Wellness

THAILAND SOM TUM MAMUANG (GREEN MANGO SALAD)

7. Add the sauce mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated.

8. Let sit for at least 5 minutes for flavors to marry. Serve cold.

GREECE

Yield: 4 servings

Photography by Adrian C. Garcia

1/4 cup unsalted peanuts 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1½ tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon cane sugar 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 red chili peppers (fresh or dried), chopped (add more depending on your heat preference) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 unripe green mangoes, shredded (they should be fully green and hard to the touch) 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced 1/2 cup scallions, sliced 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons mini dried shrimp salt to taste

KOLOKITHOKEFTEDES (ZUCCHINI FRITTERS) Yield: 12 fritters 2 large zucchinis, shredded 2 eggs 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup scallions, sliced 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped 1/2 cup feta, crumbled 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon salt lemon wedges

PREPARATION: 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Wash zucchinis and cut off the top and bottom.

3. Shred the zucchini with a cheese grater.

4. Place shredded zucchini on a kitchen towel. Bring the corners of the towel together to make a pouch for the zucchini, and twist the towel over the sink and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

5. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl, and beat. Add shredded zucchini, flour, scallions, dill, feta, garlic, baking powder, oregano, salt, and combine.

6. Drizzle olive oil onto the lined baking sheet and spread evenly.

7. With a spoon, form the zucchini patties (about 2-by-2 inches) and place onto baking sheet.

8. Drizzle patties with olive oil and put into oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until the fritters have browned. Flip halfway through and drizzle with more olive oil.

9. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, and serve with a lemon wedge.

PREPARATION: 1. Soak the shrimp with water in a small bowl.

2. Heat a sautĂŠ pan to medium heat.

Add peanuts and sesame seeds. Stir for 4 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove from heat and place in a separate bowl to cool.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the cane sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, peppers, and garlic.

Set aside.

4. Remove the mango skin with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.

5. Shred the mango with a vegetable shredder or grater into thin strands (about 1 to 2 inches long).

6. Drain shrimp. In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded green mango, halved tomatoes, peanuts, sesame seeds, shallots, scallions, mint, basil, and shrimp.

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MEXICO CHILES EN NOGADA (STUFFED CHILES WITH WHITE SAUCE) Yield: 4 chiles 4 large poblano chiles 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium white onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1½ teaspoons salt 1 pound lean ground turkey 1 8-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped 1 cup salted pistachios, shelled 1 ripe pear, diced 1 apple, diced 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon pomegranate seeds fresh parsley, chopped

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Cancer Wellness

White sauce 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 4 ounces soft goat cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons water PREPARATION: 1. Set oven to broil. In a medium bowl, soak walnuts and cashews in water. Set aside.

2. Place chiles in the oven directly on the rack for about 18 to 20 minutes to blacken and blister, turning every few minutes with tongs to ensure even roasting.

3. Remove from oven and place chiles in a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the plastic and peel off the skin or scrape off with a knife.

Cut the side of each chile and remove the seeds and white pith. Place chiles on a plate and pat dry. Set aside.

5. Heat a large pot to medium and add olive oil, onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt.

6. Once onions are soft and translucent, add the ground turkey and ½ teaspoon salt.

7. Cook turkey for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

8. Mix in tomatoes, chopped pistachios, pear, apple, golden raisins, cumin, cinnamon, and another ½ teaspoon salt.

9. Cover and increase heat to high.

Cook for about 10 to 13 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring every few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

10. Drain walnuts and cashews. In a food processor, blend nuts, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, goat cheese, salt, cinnamon, and water.

11. Stuff each chile with the filling.

12. Spoon the white sauce over the chiles until they are fully covered.

13. Sprinkle each chile with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

Serve warm.

7. Pour the liquid dal into the sauté pan and mix. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.

8. Top with remaining ghee mixture and fresh cilantro. Serve hot over brown rice.

ISRAEL EGGPLANT BALADI (WITH LEMON TAHINI SAUCE) Yield: 4 servings 2 medium eggplants 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons tahini 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup pine nuts date syrup or honey to drizzle salt to taste

INDIA DAL TADKA (TEMPERED YELLOW LENTILS) Yield: 4 servings 1/2 cup moong dal (yellow lentils) 1/2 cup masoor dal (red lentils) (Note: These are preferred, but any type of lentil is fine.)

3 cups water 1½ teaspoons turmeric 2½ teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons ghee 1/2 tablespoon whole cumin seeds 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small white onion, diced 1 medium tomato, diced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 bunch cilantro, chopped brown rice, optional

PREPARATION: 1. Add dal to a medium mixing bowl and fill with water. Mix dal with your hands until the water is cloudy. Drain.

Repeat 2 more times until water is clear.

2. Fill the bowl with 2 cups of water and soak lentils for about 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Heat a saucepan to medium heat, add dal (including the water) and an additional 1 cup of water. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking until dal is soft and smooth (about 40 to 50 minutes), stirring every few minutes. The dal should be a liquid, pourable consistency. If too thick, add more water and stir.

4. Heat a large sauté pan to high and add the ghee. Once hot, add cumin seeds. Cook for about 30 to 45 seconds (until they start to brown).

5. Add ginger, garlic, onion, and tomato. Cook on medium heat uncovered for about 2 minutes.

6. Add chili powder, curry powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Stir for about 4 minutes. Place 1 spoonful of this mixture into a small bowl. Set aside.

PREPARATION: 1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and garlic. Set aside.

3. Add pine nuts to baking sheet and roast for about 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Remove from oven and add pine nuts to a small bowl to cool.

4. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. With a knife, score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern about 1 inch deep.

5. Place eggplants on the lined baking sheet, skin side down.

6. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the garlic mixture on each eggplant and spread with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven.

7. Roast eggplants for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cut sides brown and the inside is translucent and soft.

Remove halfway to drizzle more olive oil. Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

8. In a small mixing bowl, mix tahini, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, and salt.

9. Spoon the tahini mixture onto each half. Top with roasted pine nuts and a drizzle of date syrup or honey. Serve warm.

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Healers. Game Changers.

Comprehensive.

Victory means leaving it all out there. Everything you have. Every time.

Like the patients and doctors battling every day at Comprehensive Cancer Centers. From breakthroughs that use DNA to guide cancer treatment, to the latest in treatment technologies, the multidisciplinary team at Comprehensive will give everything they have to deliver the most effective treatment strategy for your individual needs. From medical oncology, radiation oncology and clinical research, to breast surgery and pulmonology – when you’re up against cancer, having top performers on your team can mean everything. Change the game. Visit our website to learn more.

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Vegas Golden Knights

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Taste the World

We’ve scoured the globe to find the tastiest (and healthiest) diets from around the world so you can become well-traveled without ever leaving your kitchen.

BY CATHERINE EVES

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET Rich in fish, olive oil, and red wine, this diet seems almost too luxe to be healthy. Interest was piqued in the 1960s due to the fact that coronary heart disease caused fewer deaths in Mediterranean countries than the United States, and subsequent studies revealed eating habits were to blame. The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and olive oil, with moderate dairy and limited red meat. Those who follow this diet aren’t afraid of fat—olive oil, fatty fish such as mackerel and sardines, and nuts and seeds all contain healthy fats that help lower cholesterol. And a glass of red wine isn’t even an indulgence—the Mediterranean diet calls for one glass per day.

Eat this: vegetable skewers with grilled salmon, whole-wheat pita, and hummus THE ETHIOPIAN DIET The staple food of the Ethiopian diet is injera, a pancake-like fermented bread that replaces cutlery. Made with teff flour, injera is high in fiber, protein, iron, and calcium. Typically, stews made with meat, vegetables, and beans will be served on a large piece of injera. To eat, tear off a piece of injera and use it like a spoon to scoop up the stew. This diet is low in fat and dairy, so it’s perfect for those with an intolerance to lactose. Teff flour and the customary leafy green vegetables should provide enough calcium to reach recommended daily values. A typical family-size platter consists of a meat stew, a lentil dish, a vegetable stew, a raw vegetable dish, and Ayib, a type of Ethiopian cheese.

Eat this: doro wat, a chicken stew made with onions, garlic, butter, red wine, and a hefty handful of spices, including cardamom, garam masala, paprika, red pepper, thyme, and fenugreek, all served atop injera

THE FRENCH DIET “French women don’t get fat” is a platitude common enough to anger dieting Americans who hungrily compare their expanding waistlines to the French, a people well-known for staying slim despite eating diets rich in cheese, bread, and wine. What’s their secret?

Portion control, mainly—the French don’t limit themselves as is common in the U.S. Rather, they eat the foods they like, and stop eating when they are full.

And the foods they like aren’t fried or processed. The French diet is high in full-fat dairy, fish, fruit, and vegetables—simple foods that are made at home and enjoyed in moderation, usually with a glass of wine.

Eat this: baked camembert served with a baguette, followed by coq au vin, a dish made of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, garlic, and red wine THE JAPANESE DIET The Japanese have long been revered for having one of the highest life expectancies in the world, and it may be because of their diet, which is low in calories, rich in fresh and unprocessed foods, and with limited sugar. Compared to other diets, the Japanese diet is very high in raw fish, white rice, and soy. Staples of this diet may be unfamiliar to the Western palate, such as miso and seaweed. Miso, a fermented soybean paste, does wonders for the digestive system, and seaweed is incredibly high in health-boosting minerals.

Eat this: miso soup with tofu and seaweed, followed by a sashimi and rice bowl, made with salmon roe, raw yellowtail, vegetables, and a vinegar sauce made with mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt

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For the Good of the Grape You try to do the right thing and buy organic fruits and vegetables, but there might be one place pesticides hide in secret: your wine rack.

BY CATHERINE EVES

H

ealth-conscious consumers buy organic produce to reduce exposure to cancer-causing pesticides sprayed during the growing process, but consumers may not know of the hidden dangers lurking in their nightly glass of heart-healthy red wine, too.

This is why many wine drinkers are turning to organic wine. Beverage Daily, an industry news source, reports that organic wine sales almost doubled from 2012 to 2017, and by 2022, 1 billion bottles will be consumed each year. But there is more to mindful wine drinking than just purchasing a bottle labeled “organic.”

There are four popular silos of wine making: conventional, organic, biodynamic, and natural (or lowintervention). Some winemakers also include sustainable on this list. Conventional wines are those purchased in the average grocery store, produced with grapes sprayed with pesticides, with finished bottles including any number of additives to influence things like flavor, color, and acidity. The other methods—organic, biodynamic, natural, and sustainable—all produce wines that are not

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laden with chemicals and pesticides. Biodynamic wine production has been around since the 1920s; growers rely on compost rather than chemical fertilizer, and base harvesting schedules around a specific astronomic calendar. Natural, or low-intervention, wines are made without adding anything in the cellar, like additives, chemicals, or cultured yeasts. Sustainable wines are produced in ways that are positive for the environment and reduce waste.

Still not sold on making the switch to a healthier alternative? An April 2017 article from Smithsonian magazine notes that scientific advancements have helped inexpensive, conventional wine companies produce the delicately nuanced flavors found in more expensive wines. The Smithsonian article references a new book

by Bianca Bosker, “Cork Dork,” which examines the conventional wine industry and shares scary realities such as the fact that there are people “developing wine the way flavor scientists develop the new Oreo or Doritos flavor.”

Producers draw on a list of more than 60 governmentapproved additives that affect taste, acidity, and color.

While these additives, ranging from egg white to grown grapes. According to a September 2019 article defatted soy flour to sodium bicarbonate, don’t pose from Wine Enthusiast magazine, wines that carry a any health risks, the pesticides often sprayed during certified-USDA organic seal have strict regulations: the growing process certainly do.

“The grapes are grown without the use of synthetic

A February 2019 report from the U.S. PIRG fertilizers, and all ingredients going into these wines, (Public Interest Research Group) found significant including yeast, must be certified organic. No sulfites amounts of the herbicide glyphosate in all but one may be added to these wines, although some that occur of the popular beer and wine brands they tested. As naturally are permitted.” Wines made with organically reported in issue 4’s “One Bad Apple,” glyphosate grown grapes, however, do not need to exclusively was labeled as a “probable carcinogen” by the World include organic ingredients.

Health Organization in 2015. Bayer, the new owner But some consumers might be buying strictly for of glyphosate’s creator Monsanto, is currently facing the label, without realizing there may be healthier altera brunt of lawsuits from individuals claiming the use natives than organically labeled wine. Napa Valley’s of glyphosate (most typically through the use of the Honig Vineyard & Winery practices sustainability, first popular weedkiller Roundup) caused their cancer. and foremost. “The reason I’ve gravitated toward [sus As of January 2019, Roundup Pro360, a weed killer tainable wine] is because I believe that you need to look containing glyphosate, was banned by France, and at everything you do as a business to be sustainable and other countries in the EU will consider following suit. to be viable and to be something that will last for generAccording to a September 2019 ations,” says Michael Honig, presarticle on TheGuardian.com, in ident of the vineyard and winery.

“The reason I’ve gravitated “You can be an organic farmer and July 2019, Austria became the toward [sustainable wine] first EU member to outlaw glystill destroy your environment.” phosate, with use restrictions is because I believe that you Though Honig is quick to point in the Czech Republic, Italy, that he does not intend to be need to look at everything out and the Netherlands. The PIRG critical of other wine producers, you do as a business to be report states, “It is possible that his winery never sought organic even low levels of glyphosate can sustainable and to be viable certification, because he didn’t be problematic,” citing a study believe organic practices created and to be something that that found 1 part per trillion of the best product. will last for generations. glyphosate “has the potential to “Ultimately, the idea is we need [...] You can be an organic to create a healthy environment, stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells and disrupt the farmer and still destroy your but not just a healthy environendocrine system.” While more ment for our vineyard,” he says. environment.” and more countries in the EU “The things we’re doing in our consider glyphosate (and glyphovineyard are creating a more flasate-containing product) bans, the United States does vorful grape.” not seem any closer to reaching a similar conclusion.

Honig Vineyard & Winery employs sustainable An August 2019 article on CBS.com says the Trump practices in every way, from utilizing solar energy to Administration told companies not to warn their cussourcing lighter weight wine bottles to outfitting the tomers about products that contain glyphosate, despite vineyard with electric cars. Honig even spearheaded Bayer losing three high-profile lawsuits due to harmful a project with the Assistance Dog Institute in Santa health effects as of May 2019.

Rosa, California—the Institute trained “sniffer dogs” But glyphosate isn’t the only culprit. According to the to detect the potent mealybug, the practice of which Organic Vineyard Alliance (OVA), a group of winemakers, can help alleviate the broad use of pesticides. retailers, importers, and distributors who aim to educate “As consumers get more knowledgeable about what consumers on the benefits of wine made with organic grapes, these [labels] mean, [they’ll realize] there are other cer25 million pounds of pesticides were applied to conventiontifications that may be more applicable to what they ally grown grapes in the state of California in 2010 alone. care about,” says Honig. Regardless of whether or not Additionally, conventionally grown grapes receive more pesconventionally produced wine has a better chance of ticides than table grapes, tomatoes, and strawberries—all giving you a headache, there are extensive reasons to three fruits which appear on the Environmental Working do your research and pick the type of wine that best Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list. suits your lifestyle. Be it organic, sustainable, natural, Organic, natural, and biodynamic grape-growing and or biodynamic, a grape that has been grown with care wine-making practices all employ different methods to and attention is sure to produce a very fine wine indeed. produce pesticide-free wine. Organic wine must first be distinguished from wine made with organically Cancer Wellness

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mind

body

26 ASK THE DOCTOR 27 THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB 28 LET’S GET IT ON

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Ask the Doctor

Dr. Jane Mendez of the Miami Cancer Institute (and an oncologist for our cover star, Clara Pablo) answers your questions about oncofertility prior to breast cancer treatment. doctor said that I am considered a “young” breast Q: My cancer patient but didn’t explain what that means. What

mentioned performing mastectomies. Is there a Q: You benefit to receiving a mastectomy versus a lumpectomy?

When you have only one tumor site, there’s really no benefit, provided we can get the negative margins. If we do the lumpectomy and the margins are negative pathologically, we can follow that with radiation. Compared with a mastectomy, there’s no improved survival.

Whenever you are in a class of data where it is only on one side and it is an early stage, a lumpectomy is a choice, and it’s as good as mastectomy. So in this case, it really boils down to personal choice. And certainly, we’ll surveil the patient closely, but there’s no survival advantage to have a mastectomy performed. And that has been for over 40 years of follow up.

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thing my physician mentioned is that Q: Another because I am a younger cancer patient, I should

receive an oncofertility consultation. What takes place during this type of consultation?

When it comes to somebody who’s young who’s never had any children, a cancer diagnosis is far from the beginning of the conversation. We refer the patient to the oncofertility department where they do a full consultation, and then they discuss with patients what options they have so they can choose what is going to work for them and their future plans, in terms of motherhood, childbearing, etc. And we can never assume because it’s different for everybody.

So nowadays, with oncofertility, they can retrieve the ova, they can freeze embryos, which they can keep.

When freezing embryos, you need to have a partner so that they can fertilize invitro and freeze the embryos. It is all dependant on the patient’s wishes and the technology available. It is also very costly. Some of these things are covered by insurance and some are not. Things like that will determine what’s best for them in the long run.

We never know how the body’s going to respond, so usually when somebody is young and voices a desire that they really want to have children in the future, oncofertility before initiation activity for the cancer is critical. If it’s not done in a timely manner, it’s too late, because you’ve started the major treatment, especially with chemotherapy. The chemo has already affected your ova and it’s already affected your fertility. We need to do it before the treatment is initiated.

ABOUT THE DOCTOR Dr. Jane Mendez is a breast and surgical oncologist at Miami Cancer Institute. She serves on the editorial board of the breast section of the Annals of Surgical Oncology. Mendez was appointed to the governing board of Komen Massachusetts, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Photo courtesy of Baptist Health South Florida

does it mean to be a “young” breast cancer patient?

Age is a very important factor. Usually the likelihood of developing breast cancer increases as we age as women.

The two main risk factors for developing breast cancer are getting older and being a woman. And if you take a look at the numbers, if you’re anywhere in your 30s, you have a one-in-1,000 likelihood of developing breast cancer.

When you’re in your 50s, it’s one out of 50. When you’re in your 70s, it’s one out of 14. So as we age, it will increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer.

The psychological components are also significant in younger women. It’s different when you get the cancer news when you’re younger in terms of “why me?” which is the first question that many people ask. And then, how am I going to live my life now that I have this cancer diagnosis?

The younger you are diagnosed with breast cancer, the more we have to be concerned about the likelihood of you having some genetic mutation associated with your breast cancer, because it’s not as common. Only 5 percent of patients with breast cancer have an associated genetic mutation with the cancer. However, the younger you are, the higher the index association. If your genetic testing came back positive, then we would broadly opt to perform a mastectomy or a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.

The Lonely Hearts Club

You probably won’t die from a broken heart, but a new study finds it could contribute to a future cancer diagnosis.

BY CATHERINE EVES

I

t attacks out of nowhere, with little warning and, breast cancer, followed by cancers of the gastrointestinal usually, no definitive cause. We’re not talking system, respiratory tract, internal sex organs, and skin. about cancer, but takotsubo syndrome, aka broken

One population, however, is at an even greater heart syndrome. A July 2019 study released by the risk: Due to hormonal changes experienced by women Journal of the American Heart Association revealed over 50, menopause appears to be a contributing factor that one in six people diagnosed with broken heart linking broken heart syndrome and cancer. “[These syndrome will eventually receive a changes] are very drastic,” says Mantz, cancer diagnosis.

Due to hormonal changes “and there’s no correlate in men.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Noting the July 2019 study, Mantz broken heart syndrome is charac- experienced by women over says that menopausal symptoms like terized by a disruption in the heart’s 50, menopause appears to increased anxiety and worsening normal pumping functioning, spedepression resulted in 88 percent of be a contributing factor cifically caused by stress—either those diagnosed with both broken physical (like a serious medical conheart syndrome and cancer to be linking broken heart dition requiring surgery) or emowomen. syndrome and cancer. tional (like the death of a loved one, According to Mantz, the recomor preexisting mental illness such as mended regime to stave off broken depression or anxiety). Symptoms include shortness of heart syndrome looks incredibly similar to those recbreath and chest pain, and will usually resolve in a few ommendations against cancer. “Proper diet, exercise, days. “These emotional and physical stresses have the devoting time for relaxation techniques and other effect of weakening the heart’s ability to pump blood methods of alleviating stress appear on a very basic level out to the rest of the body,” says Dr. Constantine Mantz, to reduce these risks of anxiety, depression, medical a radiation oncologist. “[It] also can cause spasm of the illness, all of which [are] further linked to broken heart coronary blood vessels feeding the heart, leading to syndrome,” he says. chest pain and possibly heart attacks.”

More studies need to be done to properly under Broken heart syndrome is considered a “tempo- stand the link between broken heart syndrome and rary condition” by the Mayo Clinic, but according to cancer. What doctors can do now is treat the damage Mantz, “There is a very high incidence of cancer among done to the heart, recognize their patient’s higher likethese patients, [...] far above what we see in the general lihood of developing cancer, and recommend specialpopulation.” Even when patients recover from broken ists when necessary. “We’re just beginning to underheart syndrome, their health should remain a top pri- stand how to diagnose it and treat some of the effects ority, and they should regularly be screened for cancer. on the heart,” says Mantz. “There’s still obviously a long Cancers with the highest occurrence in the study were way to go.”

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Let’s Get it On

After a cancer diagnosis, sex might be the last thing on your mind, but as recovery progresses, sexual dysfunction may be a very real part of your life. Here’s how, and what to do about it.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

T

he cancer patient of today lives a radically different existence than their elders. Many are diagnosed at a younger age, and advancements in treatment means patients are living longer, healthier lives. A post-cancer life is not a far-off dream for many warriors, and even those living with certain forms of metastatic cancer have found forms of radical, experimental, or new treatments that turn what could have been a death sentence into something akin to a chronic illness.

However, for many breast and gynecological cancer warriors, the changing state of cancer has also changed their perceptions of their bodies, their relationships,

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and their sexuality. The physical and emotional effects of cancer can linger long after treatment, but there is little information or resources available to those in search of solutions. And medical professionals, including oncologists, are often lacking in the proper training or communication methods to have discussions about such concerns with their patients.

Change is on the horizon, but educating the masses—both medical professionals as well as patients— will be a long and slow process. “There’s physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual consequences that all come into play [with people] who have had cancer,” says Dr. Anna Cabeca, author of “The Hormone Fix.”

“Sexual health beyond reproduction is critically import- percent of patients will report depression (a rate that is ant.” To understand how to relieve the symptoms of at least four times greater than that of the general popsexual dysfunction in cancer patients, we must first ulation) and 10 to 30 percent will experience an anxiety acknowledge how it can happen in the first place. disorder. “Depression and anxiety not only adversely Although rarely discussed, sexual dysfunction is a affect QoL (quality of life) but also compliance with common occurrence in those facing cancer. According treatment, ability to care for oneself, and length of hosto a 2015 report in the journal Translational Andrology pitalization,” the report states. “Physical and emotional and Urology (TAU), “nearly 90 factors can also negatively influpercent of patients with a history “There’s physical, emotional, ence a woman’s sexual response.” of cancer have sexual dysfunc Such psychological condirelational, and spiritual tion at some point in their cancer tions can occur due to a number experience.”

The Diagnostic consequences that all come of issues, from a lack of support and Statistical Manual of Mental to the appearance of surgical into play [with people] who scars.

Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) According to the report, have had cancer.” names three types of sexual dys“women may equate these losses function in women: female orgasor changes as an insult to their mic disorder, sexual interest/arousal disorder, and sense of self, viewing their body differently and often genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. The most as less attractive.” A positive self-perception of one’s frequent problems for cancer patients include vaginal sexuality can often counteract depressive symptoms. dryness, dyspareunia (painful intercourse), and a loss of desire.

WHAT CAN BE DONE Post-cancer sexual dysfunction in breast and gyne- A number of different products, guides, and books have cological patients can be caused by a number of differ- recently entered the market to address the concerns ent factors relating to treatment, the most common of of many people facing sexual dysfunction during and which is the removal of reproductive organs. According after cancer treatment. Cabeca has created The Keto to the TAU report, for gynecological cancer patients, Green Way, a diet and lifestyle-based plan which incor“surgical treatment often involves the removal of some porates more plant-based, alkaline, low-carbohydrate or all of the reproductive organs, including the uterus, food and vegetables into one’s diet. Cabeca has also cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, and can also created Julva, a vaginal cream to help combat dryness include the removal of lymph nodes.” and discomfort. Other tools include lubricants, dila The removal of such organs can cause a number tors, and incorporating pelvic floor exercises. of side effects, including surgical menopause, which

But the most effective treatment begins with a typically has “more abrupt, intense, and/or prolonged” proper discussion with one’s medical professionals. If symptoms due to a sudden fall in estrogen and andro- your medical team is not trained in discussing these gen levels compared to a natural menopausal decline. issues, seek out other medical professionals—from psy“Cancer patients who experience a menopausal transi- chiatrists to sex educators to therapists—who undertion due to treatment can be more susceptible to urinary stand both how to treat sexual dysfunction and how to tract infections, emotional lability, and increased irri- work with patients who’ve had cancer or other chronic tability. Unmanaged menopausal symptoms like hot illnesses. flashes, changes in mood, and difficulty sleeping may

Screening and assessment tools have increasimpact overall [quality of life], function, and desire for ingly become a tool for medical professionals to assess intimacy,” the TAU report says. one’s psychological, social, and spiritual distress while Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can coping with cancer, its symptoms, and its treatment. also cause long-term physical and emotional side effects The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) directly affecting one’s sexuality. For example, neu- recommends oncologists use the Brief Sexual Symptom ropathy, or the neurotoxicity from chemotherapy, can Checklist for Women as a screening tool for sexual dysaffect one’s sensations in their feet and hands, altering function. The checklist, comprised of only four questheir daily activity and directly impacting one’s quality tions, is a quick and easy tool for medical professionals of life. Other nerve changes, such as in one’s pelvic to determine the presence of sexual dysfunction and and clitoral area can severely lessen one’s “pleasurable recommend a treatment plan to combat it. sensations and intimacy,” says the TAU report. Other Being proactive, rather than simply reactive, is the common chemo side effects—like nausea, vomiting, best way to take a step forward. “I think the biggest diarrhea, and fatigue—can have a negative effect on thing is to not accept a victim status and to really try to one’s well-being if not treated. understand the reasons that put [you] at risk,” Cabeca But some of the most damaging side effects can be says. “We have to take action that empowers our physipsychological. According to the TAU report, 15 to 25 ology to heal.”

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beauty 33 UNDER THE SKIN 35 SUPER CLEAN SOLUTIONS

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I’M IN THE NEW CANCER COMMUNITY. I THRIVE. “It’s the recovery and the impact on your soul and spirit that you really have to fight for as well, while you’re fighting the disease.”

CHERYLE JACKSON

FOUNDER OF GRIT + GRACE 6-YEAR BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR

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cancerwellness.com

Under the Skin

The skin care market is now crowded with brands creating products specifically for consumers currently undergoing cancer treatment, but what exactly does this mean?

BY CATHERINE EVES

C

ancer treatments have never been skin-friendly.

Chemotherapy and radiation often wreak havoc on your skin. Previously clear complexions, for example, can suffer from acne, painful and itchy rashes, and sometimes even infection—and not just on your face.

This is why it’s so important for people undergoing cancer treatment to choose the right skin care products to protect their skin. But without formal guidelines and regulations, it can be incredibly daunting for cancer patients to feel confident in their choice.

Chemotherapy drugs affect the cutaneous barrier function. This barrier is responsible for keeping out the bad—microbes, allergens, and chemicals—and retaining the good, like moisture, keeping skin soft and smooth. According to a 2013 study published in the journal Cancer Management and Research (CMR), when

this barrier is compromised, common chemotherapy reactions may negatively impact patient quality of life.

Side effects include hair loss (one of the most commonly known chemotherapy side effects), paronychia (infections in nail beds), folliculitis (skin rash), xerosis (dry skin), pruritus (itchy skin), hyperpigmentation (discoloration), and hand and foot erythema (pain, redness, and swelling on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet).

Radiation can cause redness, pain, and swelling on the radiated area, or in more severe cases, moist desquamation, a condition where the skin thins and begins to weep, essentially creating a wound which becomes highly susceptible to infection. Some reactions can be so severe that oncologists may recommend stopping treatment: “These reactions may lead to dose reduction or discontinuation of therapy, which could be detrimental to the outcome of treatment,” the CMR article states.

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Pharmaceutical (prescription drug) recommendations exist to help treat negative symptoms, but there are no established guidelines “for the choice or use of dermatological skin care products for oncology patients,” says CMR. The journal referenced a team of oncologists about best skin care practices during cancer treatment, and found benefit in maintaining good hygiene and proper hydration. And the earlier these routines are established, the better. “Early education and continued encouragement throughout treatment [...] contributes significantly to better management of symptoms,” says CMR. The burgeoning clean beauty industry means more products than ever before are available for those who need to avoid the toxic ingredients in conventional beauty products, but it is brands founded by individuals who have been personally touched by cancer that are creating the finest formulations for cancer warriors.

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Karen Ballou, founder of Immunocologie, creates products for people with all skin types. “I formulate for all skin conditions—before cancer, during cancer, and after cancer,” she says. A cancer survivor herself, Ballou became inspired after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

“We’re always talking about, eat the green vegetables for your immune system, drink your vitamin C for your immune system, and the only area where we’re not doing that is for the largest organ of our body, which is skin.”

With health in mind, Immunocologie products are gentle enough for cancer patients and effective enough for the average consumer—all of their products are formulated with green clay, which is naturally hydrating, soothing, and anti-inflammatory, while also removing impurities.

Here are some other cW-approved, clean beauty brands created by cancer warriors, for cancer warriors (and everyone in between).

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in 2011, Cynthia Besteman started Violets are Blue, a natural skin care line free of unsafe chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Even better: Through a partnership with Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center in New York City, Violets are Blue donates a skin care gift box to every woman entering the hospital on their first day of chemotherapy treatment.

This makeup line is the brainchild of sisters Sarah and Leah. When Sarah was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer, she joined forces with Leah, an oncology nurse, to get a better understanding of what the food we eat and the products we put on our bodies can do to our health. During chemotherapy, when Sarah needed a little beautifying pick-me-up, the idea for this chemical-free, safe, and natural makeup line was conceived.

Skye Morland was first diagnosed with skin cancer at age 22.

Despite excellent sun-safety habits, Morland was told she would most likely experience new skin cancers for the rest of her life. This was when she started researching topical nutrition to help ward off cancer. With the help of her father, a Mayo-clinic trained doctor and researcher, Morland developed a line of skin care filled with “nutrient rich oils and extracts” to keep her skin healthy. Thanks to her all-natural products, Morland has been cancer-free for 10 years.

approved

approved

approved

Tamanu & Helichrysum Scar Repair—this serum features blue tamanu and helichrysum, two ingredients that work together to reduce the appearance of scars and brighten skin. With regular use, we noticed significant improvements in old scars.

Salmon Pink Lip Gloss—this ultra-hydrating lip gloss features coconut oil and shea butter to deliver shine without stickiness.

Vitality Face Oil—this oil is fatty-acid balanced to penetrate deeply and feed every layer of the skin; it’s nutrient-rich and works like a “topical multivitamin” for your face.

Cancer Wellness

Super Clean Solutions

We’ve scoured the globe for the best clean beauty products that keep the skin feeling fresh and nourished (even after a transatlantic flight).

REVIEWED BY CATHERINE EVES

OILIXIA, AMAZONIAN CACAY FACIAL OIL

INDIE LEE, I-RECOVER MIND & BODY GEL

INNA ORGANIC FRANKINCENSE TRAVEL KIT

AO, RAW NOURISH AM TREATMENT

This moisturizing facial oil can be adopted into your morning or evening skin care routine—or both. It’s light enough for twice daily application but doesn’t clog pores or leave skin feeling greasy. This product features cacay oil sourced in Columbia—an oil naturally rich in retinol, which is purported to slow the aging process and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. We love this facial oil because it left our skin feeling smooth and looking radiant.

This delightfully spicy body rub was formulated to soothe overworked muscles and promote relaxation. Featuring arnica, black pepper, lavender, and patchouli, these natural scents help to revitalize and reinvigorate the mind and body. Incorporate this rub into your post-workout self-care routine, or apply wherever you hold tension.

Preparing for a long flight?

Rub into legs and ankles preflight to reduce inflammation and stimulate blood flow.

Taiwan’s Inna Organic boasts products that are “EWG Verified,” meaning the nonprofit Environmental Working Group has declared the product free of toxic chemicals. This handy travel kit features everything you need to keep skin glowing and fresh without taking up too much space in your carry-on. The frankincense formula aims to revitalize dehydrated skin, with a delightfully woodsy scent.

Hailing from New Zealand, Ao is a clean skin care line that formulates products that help the skin make more of its own moisture, with the intent that you don’t have to slather on layers of oils and creams for soft, nourished skin. This serum features manuka honey which provides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, and red algae which enhances the skin’s barrier function, keeping out the bad and keeping in the good.

AVAILABLE AT CREDOBEAUTY.COM, $75

AVAILABLE AT INDIELEE.COM, $48

AVAILABLE AT INNAORGANIC.US, $53.29

AVAILABLE AT CREDOBEAUTY.COM, $65

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Complementary Medicine 38 STICK IT TO CANCER 40 THE QUEEN OF GREEN 41 THE COURAGE TO EXPLORE

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Stick it to Cancer Although acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat a number of medical ailments, it has only recently crossed over to the Western medical world, including for cancer patients.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

A

cupuncture may have originated in 100 B.C., but it is only now gaining in popularity as a form of complementary medicine in the Western medical world. That’s likely due to many reasons, from a minimal amount of major scientific research backing its claims to a generalized xenophobia for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). But despite claims against its effectiveness, many cancer patients have turned to the practice as a method of relief from cancer treatment side effects like nausea, pain, hot flashes, and fatigue.

“Acupuncture’s precise mechanism of action has still not been elucidated by science, but it is a virtually risk-free complementary treatment that has much potential to relieve some of the most painful and difficult aspects of cancer treatment,” says Yelena Deshko, N.D., the founder of the Timeless Health Clinic in Toronto and a specialist in integrative oncology.

According to a 2009 paper in the journal Hematology/ Oncology Clinics of North America, “randomized

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clinical trials have demonstrated that acupuncture is effective for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.” As well, “research studies also suggest acupuncture may be helpful in managing cancer-related pain, chemotherapy-related neutropenia, cancer fatigue, and radiation-induced xerostomia.”

In recent years, cancer centers across the United States have added integrative acupuncture into their overall cancer care, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. This speaks to its larger overall acceptance. According to the Hematology/ Oncology report, “specific use of acupuncture by cancer patients is estimated to range between 1.7% and 31%.”

For those unfamiliar, navigating acupuncture may seem overwhelming, but the practice’s increasing popularity has made this form of complementary medicine more accessible than one may think.

HOW IT WORKS still suffer from various forms of pain which impact their Acupuncturists insert disposable, stainless steel needles quality of life, says the World Health Organization, and into precise acupoints in a patient’s body. The acupoints with the rise of opioid abuse, many are hesitant to use are chosen based on the concerns a patient has within pain relieving meds for fear of dependence. Acupuncture their body. According to a report from the National Cancer may provide much-needed relief.

Institute, “the inserted needles may be twirled, moved

According to the Hematology/Oncology report, up and down at different speeds and depths, heated, or “several [randomized controlled trials] specifically studied charged with a weak electric current.” Common types of acupuncture pain control during surgical procedures methods include auricular acupuncture, electroacupuncand found that acupuncture reduced analgesic requireture, trigger point, laser, acupressure, and cupping. ment of drugs such as morphine, piritramide, and alfen Researchers believe acupuncture works through tanil.” Other trials have found it useful for conditions like the stimulation and the responses of the neuroendocrine post-operative pain in patients with breast cancer, bladder system involving the central and peripheral nervous cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. systems. According to the Hematology/Oncology report,

It has also been used as symptom relief for “data from animal research suggests that therapeutic depression and anxiety. A 2015 report in the journal acupuncture is partially mediated through opioidergic Translational Andrology and Urology (TAU) found 15 and/or monoaminergic neurotransmission involving the to 25 percent of [cancer] patients will report depresbrainstem, thalamus, hypothalamic as well as pituitary sion (a rate that is at least four times greater than that function.” Additionally, “acupuncof the general population) and 10 ture stimulation moderates a wide to 30 percent will experience an “Acupuncture […] is a network of brain regions, including anxiety disorder. According to virtually risk-free the primary somatosensory, secthe Hematology/Oncology report, ondary somatosensory, and anterior complementary treatment “massage combined with acucingulated, prefrontal, and insular puncture in post-operative cancer that has much potential cortices, amygdale, hippocampus, patients can improve the depressive hypothalamus, and other areas.” to relieve some of the most mood of these patients when used

For cancer patients, special in conjunction with usual care.” consideration must be taken when painful and difficult aspects administering acupuncture. Cancer HOW TO GET IT of cancer treatment.” patients are carefully assessed in Those interested in incorporating order to get a holistic sense of what acupuncture into their current or symptoms are part of a larger issue. Hygiene is key. post-cancer treatment should first ask their oncologist “Practitioners who treat cancer patients regularly for a referral to an acupuncturist. As mentioned earlier, are aware of the importance of hygiene because of a many health care facilities have now added integrative patient’s potentially compromised immune system as acupuncture clinics. As well, working with an oncolwell the types of conditions that may show up and how ogist typically insures a direct line of communication to treat them,” says Stephen Chee, M.D., LAc, an intebetween the oncologist and the acupuncturist. Every grative medicine specialist dual trained as a doctor and patient is different and may require different needs or acupuncturist. “Personally, I always make it a point to concerns based on their current treatment. “Ask the do everything I can to help cancer patients feel heard acupuncturist how often do they treat cancer patients,” and also feel empowered with any and all choices possays Chee. “It’s important for patients to feel and to sible (like the focus of today’s treatment, room temknow that they are in experienced hands.” However, perature, music, and lighting).” acupuncture is still not covered by most health insur Practitioners may also look out for rare risks that ance providers, so there may be more cost-effective might occur if patients suffer from bleeding disoroptions outside of a hospital setting. ders or are taking blood thinners. “One large study If your oncologist can not provide a referral, a patient found only 43 minor adverse events associated with 34, should find a naturopathic clinic or Traditional Chinese [and] 407 treatments with no serious adverse events Medicine clinic that specializes in oncological care. reported,” says the Hematology/Oncology report.

Deshko recommends patients make sure oncologist offices share any important medical records with the acupuncWILL IT HELP? turist before treatment. Respect and empathy can change Yes, at least according to a number of clinical studies, as an experience from awkward or uncomfortable into one well as anecdotal evidence. Although acupuncture is not that is beneficial. “Too often, the cancer experience for a cure for cancer, it can be a temporary cure for the side patients feels impersonal or disempowering,” says Chee. effects of common Western treatments like chemother“Often a little extra kindness can go a long way for a patient apy and radiation. Nearly 55 percent of cancer patients in an overwhelming situation.”

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Priscilla Vilchis uses her experience working in the health care industry to provide medical marijuana products to those who need it most.

BY CATHERINE EVES

P

riscilla Vilchis is an absolute powerhouse. It’s clear from the way she talks about herself and her business—confident and succinct—and in the way she’s carved space for herself in the rapidly growing world of medical marijuana, a world historically dominated by men.

From the very beginning of her cannabis career, Vilchis has made headlines for being the first woman of color to be awarded licenses to cultivate and produce medical and recreational marijuana in the state of Nevada. Vilchis is the founder and CEO of Premium Produce, a company that grows cannabis and produces its own brand of cannabis-infused products, in a massive cultivation and laboratory facility in Las Vegas.

Vilchis, who first broke into the industry in 2013, experienced success so fast you’d think it was easy, but this is far from the truth. Vilchis needed to succeed, because her mission was based around something

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much more important than fiscal gain. Before becoming the “Hollyweed Queen” (she operates out of Nevada, but grew up in Los Angeles), Vilchis worked as a consultant in the health care industry, helping physicians navigate the complexities of insurance policies and regulations. This is where she was able to see the impact of a growing epidemic. “I saw the opioid epidemic crisis [from] working with physicians,” Vilchis begins. “I was able to see patients come in, one day in pain, physicians [treat] their pain and prescribe meds, and fast forward four months: patients are aggravated, upset, they want their meds. It really just opened my eyes, and it made me want to find an alternative.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths from prescription opiates were five times higher in 2017 than in 1999.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in 2017 to help combat the epidemic. Vilchis believes medical marijuana is something that can help.

And she’s right: A May 2018 article on Harvard Medical School’s blog examines two recent studies from JAMA Internal Medicine that found a lower rate of opiate prescriptions in states where medical marijuana has been legalized. “One of the studies, a longitudinal analysis of the number of opioid prescriptions filled under Medicare Part D, showed that when medical marijuana laws went into effect in a given state, opioid prescriptions fell by 2.21 million daily doses filled per year. When medical marijuana dispensaries opened, prescriptions for opioids fell by 3.74 million daily doses per year,” the article states.

Vilchis used her experience working within the constraints of an industry with increasingly strict regulations to branch out into the world of medical marijuana. “Because I learned [how to operate in a] highly regulated industry, [...] it was easy for me to take that same delicacy and to make sure I was delicate with everything I did in this new industry,” Vilchis says. Her products bring relief to an increasingly larger pool of patients—those who suffer from chronic pain or other illnesses, like cancer. “That’s what our products are geared towards—mainly towards pain relief, anxiety, inflammation,” she says. Her best-selling product is the full-spectrum CBD tincture, which is of special interest to people with cancer. “People who have been undergoing chemotherapy love my [CBD tincture], because it’s given them an appetite to eat again, and they fall asleep [more easily],” she says.

Vilchis’ main goals for the future are to help the movement of making marijuana reimbursable by insurance carriers, because it can help relieve the suffering of so many—from those with chronic pain, depression, or anxiety, to those fighting cancer, and more. “It feels great to know that we’ve given [people this] option as an alternative,” Vilchis says.

Photo courtsey of Premium Produce

The Queen of Green

The Courage to Explore The key to answering life’s greatest questions resides within yourself, but you must first learn how to access this internal well.

BY LIZ TUCKWELL

I

talked with a woman I will call Diane over the telephone to give her a series of life-coaching sessions about moving forward. During our first call, she said, “I am not sure what is behind this feeling. All I know is that I don’t want to repeat this pattern anymore. I want so much more from my life.

Something is missing, and I don’t know how to find it.”

From the outside, Diane appeared to have it all as a vibrant, witty, and smart woman in her late 30s. She excelled in her career and loved being a mother and wife. Yet in her mind, she felt like she was still failing in life. There was an elusive feeling of wholeness she had always chased.

In response to this feeling, she joined new activities, tried new things, and met new people. Although each attempt was moderately successful for her for a short period of time, her enthusiasm eventually waned, and she would revert to the same sense of longing.

This is a common feeling for most of us. But looking externally will keep you on a never-ending path. To create a foundation for your life, you must search internally.

Marcelo Manucci of Emotional Competitiveness writes, “The inner landscape is the personal representation of reality [...] The inner landscape is a map that contains historical references based on our emotions, sensations, ideas, and habits that we use to give meaning to the facts of everyday life.”

These emotions act as electric ley lines within us, dictating our responses and reactions to our lives. This is a blueprint of our deepest thoughts about ourselves and our deepest truths. It also houses our deepest longings and desires. Yet because its location is housed so deeply within us, it becomes buried beneath the clutter of our lives. We rarely consider accessing it when looking for any type of solutions in our outer world.

The world we live in externally is a direct result of the stories that lay deep within us internally. If we truly want to effect change in our outer world, we have to be willing to investigate our inner world.

If you want to renovate your house, your first step would be to consult its blueprints. You discover the rooms and passageways that lay within. Sometimes you uncover forgotten rooms or reveal hidden walls that have been closed for ages. This same thought process can be applied to concepts of changing the external reality of your life. To do so, you must have the courage to explore the internal landscape that is your current foundation.

Accessing your internal landscape can be rewarding and revealing. Try one of these easy exercises to connect to your internal landscape.

ASK WHY: Get a fresh piece of paper and a pen. At the top of the paper, write a question about a current life challenge.

In Diane’s case, she wrote, “Why do I feel so dissatisfied in my life?” Without judgment, write down the first answer that comes to mind and then simply ask “Why?” Then answer that question and after, ask why again.

Continue this process until you discover the golden answer waiting to be revealed.

EXPLORE: S it with an empty chair facing you. Ask yourself a question about the current situation in your life you would like to explore. After asking, switch seats and answer the question from the other chair. By placing yourself in both seats, you are able to reveal a fresh perspective of your own challenge rather than asking and answering from the same place, both physically and metaphorically.

RELEASE THE ANSWERS: Get a fresh piece of paper and a pen. Write your question or challenge at the top of the paper. Set a timer for three minutes and write nonstop without correcting or judging yourself. You can reveal so much truth within when you allow it to simply be released without judgement.

In chapter 64 of the Chinese classical text “Tao Te Ching,” Laozi writes: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Imagine the destination of this journey is toward the life you know is waiting for you to discover. By having the courage to explore your inner landscape, you can begin the journey to a life where you feel truly at home. You deserve nothing less.

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The NOCC’s Teal Lights Celebration was held on Sept. 13, 2019.

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Photo by Adrian C. Garcia

Around Town

45 CHARITIES WE LOVE 48 RECAPS 50 CALENDAR

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1,313

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procedures funded

women tested

510

347

diagnostic mammograms

screening mammograms

75

364

biopsies

ultrasounds

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MRIs

MAMMOGRAMS SAVE LIVES But only for those who can afford one A SILVER LINING FOUNDATION

funds cost-free breast health testing for Chicagoland's uninsured, underinsured and those ineligible for other breast health testing programs

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Help us ease and save lives asilverliningfoundation.org 312-345-1322

The Comedy in Cancer Olivia Clarke, founder of Humor Beats Cancer, shares stories from around the world that feature cancer warriors finding the funny in a traditionally sober space.

BY CATHERINE EVES

Cancer Wellness

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“R

Clarke noticed a gap in the community—cancer eally, it was kind of a way to not be in that warriors could find resources to connect through dark place all the time,” explains Olivia common ground, such as being on the same treatment Clarke, a former journalist who currently plan and taking the same medicine, but not through works in public relations. When Clarke was humor. According to Clarke, Humor Beats Cancer is diagnosed with cancer at just 36 years old, she needed unique in that respect. “It’s so gratifying to see, because a way to fight through the doom and gloom. During you take one small story and then it becomes six or treatment, Clarke would tap into moments of “dark seven other stories,” begins Clarke. “People [say], ‘My humor” that brought her joy (like poking fun at painful goodness, I was experiencing that too, and I thought it treatments, or the way chemotherapy can ravage a was funny, but I didn’t know I could laugh.’” body—things that only other cancer warriors could Recently, Humor Beats Cancer has branched out to possibly understand). So she figured out a way to help make IRL connections. Clarke has hosted writing workothers beat cancer with humor. shops at places like Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Humor Beats Cancer is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that Center and Gilda’s Club Chicago to help cancer warriors launched online in 2017. They operate out of Chicago but interact with cancer warriors, thrivers, and sup- tell their story in their own words. “People in general kind of afraid to tell their stories porters globally through their “[It’s] giving each other are sometimes, [but] it doesn’t matter if website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Clarke collects stories from permission to laugh at you’re not a good writer, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done anything cancer warriors about moments of something that is so dark like this before,” Clarke says. “Give it humor during a difficult time—like and scary and heinous.” a shot.” accidentally texting your treatment

Clarke also sends care packages plan to your dog’s groomer instead to cancer warriors, but with a comedic bent, including of your son, or awkwardly revealing a cancer status to a well-meaning bartender—“[It’s] giving each other per- things like “adult” coloring books and bitter lemon drops, mission to laugh at something that is so dark and scary “because cancer is kind of a bitter pill to swallow,” Clarke says with a laugh. and heinous,” says Clarke.

Through annual fundraising events (the most recent Clarke points out that being diagnosed with cancer taking place last October), Clarke hopes to continue can often make one feel very isolated, particularly for sharing stories, sending gift packages, and helping warpeople in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. “You walk into any riors get through the dark days of cancer treatment with waiting room, [and] you’ll be the youngest person in a little camaraderie and a lot of comedy. “[In this commuthe room,” Clarke says. “[Most people] don’t realize this nity], you can feel some sort of joy and connection, and is happening with young people, too. [Humor Beats you can feel some sort of relief,” Clarke begins. “It will Cancer] is a unique way to bring people together and to get better, or maybe it never gets better, but you find new show them that they’re not alone, and that they can lean on each other and on people that they’ve never even met.” ways to cope with it.”

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Photography by Natalie Battaglia

Guests attend the 2nd Annual Humor Beats Cancer Fundraiser & Celebration of Beauty on Oct. 16. 2019. Learn more at HumorBeatsCancer.com.

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cW EVENTS

A Casino for a Cause

BY ALLISON STERN

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Photography courtesy of Susan G. Komen Chicago

G

uests were welcomed into a roaring ‘20s Chicago casino at Susan G. Komen Chicago’s annual fundraising gala, All Bets on Pink.

Dressed in sparkly flapper dresses and bow ties, dancers greeted guests during the celebration on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019.

The evening was more than a fundraiser. It also honored breast cancer thrivers, paid tribute to those we have lost, and celebrated fighters and supporters in the breast cancer community who have made it their mission to make an impact.

In a pink-lit ballroom, guests enjoyed an awards ceremony, live auction, paddle raise, and a cereLUCK BE A LADY mony to honor cancer thrivers. The Left: Dr. Tiosha Bailey, University of Illinois at Chicago Kathryn Jackson; top: two dancers from UIC’s Dancing dance team, the Dancing Flames, Flames; middle: Josh Krugh, put on the ritz in their performance to “All That Jazz.” ChicagoRobert Cole; below: Marley based singer John Vincent wooed Kayden. guests by crooning the classics.

The Moe Fitz Project kept attendees delighted with live jazzy tunes between performances.

The unique, highroller experience in the Red Lacquer Room was one of the highlights of the evening. Charitable, classic casino games like blackjack, craps, and roulette were dealt by celebrity dealers, including Whitney Reynolds, host of “The Whitney Reynolds Show” on PBS, WGN’s Nancy Loo, former Chicago Bear Israel Idonije, and radio host Art “Chat Daddy” Sims.

cW EVENTS

Photography courtesy of Rush University

T

he inaugural Women in Medicine Summit took place Sept. 20 and 21 at The Drake Hotel in Chicago and brought together women physicians to discuss and find solutions for gender inequity in the medical community. Shikha Jain, M.D., FACP, a co-founder of the summit and a board-certified hematology and oncology physician and assistant professor of medicine, said its purpose is to “not only talk about gender equity and gender parity in health care, but also to come up with solutions and work towards improving ourselves, and hopefully in doing so improve the system.” She illustrated the weight of the topic by pointing out, “gender equity isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the most important thing to do to treat the women who we are treating to the best of our ability.”

In order to accomplish their mission of gaining gender equity in health care, Jain and summit co-founder Mamta Swaroop, M.D., FACS, an associate professor of surgery in trauma and critical care surgery, and the Global Surgery program director at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, created the two-day summit. This year’s event included exhibits, panels, breakout sessions, and networking receptions, allowing participants to interact with one another, reflect upon the program’s information, and develop their own tools and action plans.

THE DOCTORS ARE IN Top: Dr. Pauline Rose Clance, Dr. Mamta Swaroop; middle: art by Lauren Green; right: Dr. Dana Corriel; below: A guest enjoys the summit.

Medicine Women

BY ALLISON STERN

Cancer Wellness

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FEBRUARY 2020

SPOTLIGHT ON UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL

4TH ANNUAL GOT HOPE GALA

Memorial Sloan Kettering

Date: February 6 - 9 Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Equinox The Loop Cost: minimum fundraising requirement www.cycleforsurvival.org Participate in a high-energy, indoor cycling ride to support rare cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Cal’s Angels

Photo courtesy of Cycle for Survival

FIRST LOOK FOR CHARITY Susan G. Komen Chicago

Date: Friday, February 7 Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: McCormick Place Cost: $275 www.komenchicago.org This black-tie event offers an exclusive sneak peek of the Chicago Auto Show while supporting Susan G. Komen Chicago’s mission to end breast cancer.

Bear Necessities

Date: Saturday, February 22 Time: 6:00 p.m.

Location: The Geraghty Cost: $400 www.bearnecessities.org This annual black-tie ball is boots & bling themed and benefits Bear Necessities’ mission of eliminating pediatric cancer.

TICKLED PINK FOR BRIGHT PINK Tickled Pink Chicago

Cancer Wellness

To list or partner with Cancer Wellness on an event, please contact our account manager Allison Stern astern@cancerwellness.com

27TH ANNUAL BEAR TIE BALL

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Date: Saturday, February 29 Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: Q Center, St. Charles, IL Cost: $200 www.calsangels.org Join Cal’s Angels for a New York-themed evening of dinner and dancing featuring cocktails, entertainment, live auctions, and more to support their mission to raise awareness and funds to help kids fight cancer.

Date: Friday, February 28 Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: Rockwell on the River Cost: $95 www.tickledpinkchicago.com A rockin’ celebration featuring dancing, music, food, an open bar, and raffles with proceeds going to Bright Pink, an organization focused on prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

MARCH 2020 THE MAGIC BALL

FIGHT FOR AIR CLIMB CHICAGO

Camp Kesem

Date: Saturday, March 7 Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Swissotel Cost: $250 www.campkesem.org An evening packed with cocktails, dinner, programming, a live auction, dessert, and dancing, all to benefit Camp Kesem.

American Lung Association

Date: Sunday, March 8 Time: 7:00 a.m.

Location: Presidential Towers Cost: $25 lung.org Climb 1, 2, 3, or all 4 of the Presidential Towers while raising funds for the American Lung Association.

GLITZ & GLAMOUR

A Silver Lining Foundation

Date: Sunday, March 4, 2020 Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: The Peninsula Hotel Cost: $150 asilverliningfoundation.org The 6th annual Glitz & Glamour Fashion Show sponsored by A. Marek Fine Jewelry raises funds for breast health.

3RD ANNUAL METASTATIC BREAST CANCER CONFERENCE AND RESOURCE FAIR Susan G. Komen Chicago

Date: April 3 & 4 Time: All Day Location: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab komenchicago.org This annual conference presented by a committee of women living with metastatic breast cancer aims to educate attendees on scientific breakthroughs, emerging treatment options, and ways to improve quality of life as well as gain support and build community.

Photo courtesy of ASilver Lining Foundation

DISCOVERY BALL American Cancer Society

Date: Saturday, April 18 Time: 6:00 p.m.

Location: Hilton Chicago Cost: $275 discoveryball.org This annual gala reminds us that together we are fighting cancer smarter, better, and faster than ever before.

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entertainment

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Photo by Carlos Escobar / courtesy of Meyer Sound

53 SHE’S GOT THIS 59 THE HEALTHIEST HARRIS 62 ALL IN THE FAMILY

She's Got This After her own battle, manager-to-the-stars and vivacious personality Clara Pablo brings breast cancer awareness to one very deserving and secretive population—the Latina community.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

Cancer Wellness

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Custom suit élevée; Shirt Rufus; Shoes Rockport

Photography by Anna Gunselman Hair & Makeup by Armando González Styling by Lucy Tovar

N

ot even a little rain can stop the force that is It was that community support from her friends, Clara Pablo. On the day of our scheduled photo family and peers—that emphasis on “we” rather than shoot and interview with the music industry “I”—that helped Pablo through it all. “I heard the news VIP, a torrential downpour practically flooded at 11 a.m., and by 3 p.m., everybody was at my house,” the streets of Miami, canceling any outdoor plans for Pablo says. “We cried. I would say I gave myself five the day. And yet the less-than-ideal weather didn’t delay hours to cry. I said, ‘Everybody cry what you have to cry.

Pablo, who arrived on set at the Gibson Showroom We’re not going to be crying this entire time. We’re in the Wynwood District with the same bright smile going to figure this out.’” and positive attitude that has attracted her more than Later, she reached out to friends like the late philan200,000 followers on Instagram. thropist Wendy Grant who also had breast cancer and

Pablo, who works directly in management with was best friends with Nancy Brinker, the founder of global superstar artists like CNCO and Maluma as the Susan G. Komen. “[Grant] was one of the most beautiSVP of Marketing at Walter Kolm Entertainment, is on ful souls. She’s somebody who advocated for everybody the forefront of the breast cancer awareness movement besides herself,” Pablo notes. The two telephoned the within the Latina community. Despite a busy schedule recently opened Miami Cancer Institute (MCI). After which takes her from New York to Miami to Los Angeles receiving her diagnosis on a Friday, Pablo was at MCI (and everywhere in between), Pablo still spends much by that following Monday. of her days advocating for breast cancer Although she originally planned on awareness. Why? Because at age 38, Pablo receiving treatment at the Memorial is also a breast cancer survivor. “When I “When I was diag- Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New was diagnosed, I kept asking why, why, York (Pablo splits her time between New why,” Pablo recalls. “But my mom said, nosed, I kept asking York and Miami), she decided to go with ‘Stop asking why. Ask what for? This hap- why, why, why [...] MCI instead. Pablo describes MCI as “the pened to you for what specific reason?’”

Disney for cancer patients,” and praised but my mom said, the facility for its true warmth and comHer advice and inquiry, Pablo says, has inspired her to be an advocate—for passion for its patients. “Everybody just ‘Stop asking why. generally herself and for others—from the stream cared about me and my health of her popular Instagram feed to the and my well being,” she says.

Ask what for?’” pages of this magazine.

Pablo’s breast oncologist, Dr. Jane

Like most young breast cancer Mendez, says that is just how MCI patients, Pablo’s diagnosis came as a surprise. Pablo operates. “In my eyes, every time somebody walks in and her boyfriend found a lump on her chest while through the door of the institute, every patient brings watching television. She immediately texted her gyne- a story, every patient brings their own fears, their own cologist, who scheduled her for an 8 a.m. appointment hesitations, their own expectations, their own dreams,” the next day. The doctors performed an ultrasound and says Mendez. “The only common factor they might have found a mass. “It was a dark little mass,” she recalls. “It in common is that they have, in my case, breast cancer, looked like one of those hurricane doppler radars, like so not one size fits all.” The hospital also aims to indiyou could see the eye of a hurricane.” vidualize each patient’s treatment to not only the type Pablo was not yet worried until she spoke with the of tumor, its characteristics and its pathologic features, physician. “I said, ‘So, it’s a cyst right?’ And she looked but also to the individual and what’s in store for them at me straight in the face and said, ‘It’s not a cyst. It in the future. For someone like Pablo, whose work looks like a tumor, and in my experience, I’m pretty takes her around the world regularly, she needed care sure it’s cancer,’” Pablo says. She immediately called that was focused and proactive. her parents who rushed to the center to be with her As she began her treatment, her support system before they performed a biopsy. The next morning, she remained strong. She came to her first appointment received the news: invasive ductal carcinoma. with 11 people, including her parents, her sisters, her “I felt like somebody punched me in the gut, and boyfriend, and her best friends. “One of them, it was I couldn’t breathe,” Pablo says. “It’s the worst feeling her birthday that day, and she spent her day with me,” in the world.” Pablo credits her mother for being her Pablo recalls. Enrique Iglesias even sent her flowers motivator in the immediate moments after receiving every day for three weeks straight. Pablo’s treatment her diagnosis. “She looked at me with the strength that regimen included a lumpectomy, the removal of the only moms can give you and said, ‘Okay, we got this.’ glands of her right and left breasts, reconstructive And that was like our motto the entire time: We got surgery, and radiation. this,” says Pablo.

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Undergoing treatment gave her perspective on the ways in which she lived her life. “I am the type of person that is Type A, so I like to plan way ahead and know everything,” Pablo recalls.

“So for me, it was weird to not be able to, because without surgery, without a result of something, you can’t plan for the next part.”

Since her diagnosis and initial treatment, Pablo says she has learned to let go. “If it’s not in control, you can’t control it, so just leave it. That was a game changer,” she says. “Honestly, my life is a lot better now because of what I learned during my cancer.”

What she can control is her advocacy for breast cancer awareness within the Latina community. When she got sick, Pablo began looking for other Latinas she could relate to and did not find any. On Oct. 1, 2017, right after her diagnosis, Pablo took a photo of herself sitting on her parents’ bed and announced her diagnosis to her then-40,000 Instagram followers. “I just felt like, if this is happening to me in October and this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there’s something there,” says Pablo. The post went viral. Others in the music community rallied behind her too.

After announcing the news to others, many artists and their teams asked what they could do to help. Pablo asked them to repost her message.

Although she received lots of positive feedback, she also got backlash, like from her grandmother, who encouraged her to not tell anybody. “I was blown away by her reaction, but that is a reaction that Latina women, the older generation, they have,” Pablo says. “They don’t talk about it. It’s taboo. It’s like you did something wrong.” Many women Pablo had known for years reached out to her and revealed their own breast cancer diagnoses which they had kept secret. “I said, ‘Why didn’t you speak up? Why didn’t you share your journey?’ And they said, ‘I was ashamed,’” says Pablo.

Her aim now is to change that stigma. Soon after revealing her news, Pablo connected to Nalie Agustin, creator of Feel it on the First, an initiative for people to give themselves self-breast exams on the first of the month. Pablo soon launched her own Spanishlanguage initiative, Te Toca Tocarte, targeted toward the Latina community. The initiative is a reminder to Latinas to “touch yourself so it doesn’t touch you.” “My goal and my mission is to make this campaign have a life of its own. I don’t want to be the face of it.

I want Latinas, other survivors and warriors, to be the face of this campaign,” says Pablo. She also hopes to turn it into a 501(c)(3).

At the end of our day, the storm clouds depart and sunny blue skies cover the Miami area like a reminder that hope is always just around the corner. Pablo understands that feeling well. Although Pablo no longer receives radiation and has recovered from her surgeries, she still comes to the MCI every 28 days to get blood work done and receive an injection in her ovaries to combat her menopausal symptoms, a common side effect of breast cancer treatment.

“There are so many things I’ve learned inside this experience that have changed me internally and that have affected my life and those around me in such a beautiful and positive way that I say it’s been the most horrifying thing of my life and also the biggest blessing,” begins Pablo. “Cancer sort of stopped me in my tracks, and I think I’ve become a better human because of it.”

Learn more about Clara’s campaign on Instagram @TeTocaTocarte 56

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Clara Pablo poses inside

Cancer Wellness 57the of the MCI’s “Pink Up Volume” mammo truck.

WE’VE GOT AN APP! We’ve launched a Cancer Wellness app for iPhone and Android!

Visit CancerWellness.com/app for a free digital download of issue 5 — there’s no obligation.

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The Healthiest Harris

Photo by Jeff Vespa

BY BRITT JULIOUS

In the fittest shape of her life, television host Samantha Harris got the surprise of a lifetime— she had breast cancer.

Now, after successfully beating the disease, she’s sharing what she’s learned about the real meaning of health.

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amantha Harris wants you to find your healthi- (Sterling, September 2018). The idea for the book came est healthy. It may not look the same for everyone, after a battery of extensive genetic testing and research.

Harris does not have the BRCA gene mutation, so she but there are some fundamentals she advocates turned to her investigative skills to learn what could for, like positive self-talk, regular exercise, and have led to her diagnosis. “I spoke to every expert I was clean beauty. But learning all of this didn’t come easy for able to, and I determined that it is what you put in, on, the celebrated television host of shows like “Entertainment Tonight,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “The Doctors.” No, and around your body that really has a profound effect on your overall health, [leading] to chronic diseases it was her surprise breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 41 that fueled Harris to reevaluate her own everyday practices. [like] cancer and diabetes and heart disease,” Harris says. “So the changes I began to make to stop further Harris found two lumps in her breast, but was told cancer diagnoses in the future, I [knew] I [had] to share by two doctors over the course of a few months that it was with other people.” “nothing.” It took Harris’ nagging gut instinct to schedule Some of those changes are emotional, a follow-up with a surgical oncologist. like the shift in mindset and positive self “The crazy thing about it is that none talk she utilized during her treatment. of the tests even detected the cancer,” Others required more effort. “It’s someHarris begins. “But what we found was thing that I am trying to teach my kids: to that the needle biopsy found an unusual read nutrition and ingredient labels, and collection of cells that were proliferating.” to understand what the words mean,” she Although cancer was not initially detected, says. “Beyond reading flour, sugar, water, the oncologist still suggested a lumpecpeople don’t necessarily know—what’s tomy. It wasn’t until her final pathology maltodextrin? What’s sucrose? What are results a week after the lumpectomy that the horrors of high fructose corn syrup, she finally received an answer: invasive and do you know it’s liquid poison?” Other ductal carcinoma. Harris later opted for areas she covers include questions to ask a mastectomy where she learned it also doctors before, during, and after a diagspread to her lymph nodes. nosis, reinforcing personal relationships,

“I was completely blindsided by a and how to shop for the best food, beauty, breast cancer diagnosis,” Harris admits. and other personal care products. It’s all “I was more fit and healthier than I’d ever about being empowered, in one’s personal been, or so I thought. I was always very life and as a consumer. “It’s about small, vigilant about my health and nourishgradual changes that you integrate into ing my body and taking care of myself.” your life in a way that works for you,” Harris Unsurprisingly and despite being what Harris snaps a selfie before begins. “And then, once those become a she describes as a “really happy-go-lucky mastectomy surgery. part of your daily habits and routine, you person,” her cancer diagnosis fueled say, ‘OK, great. I’m ready to level up now. overwhelming anxiety. “[It got] to a point [where] I finally stepped down one day and made a con- What’s next?’”

Harris also created Gotta Make Lemonade, an scious choice to turn my perspective around because I online community of shared stories of inspiration from knew it was going to be a long journey, and it was a feeling people “knocked down by anything in their life,” not I could not bear to feel for the unknown foreseeable just a health diagnosis. The idea came to her during future.”

Harris describes this conscious choice as a “mind- another moment of finding the positivity in things. shift.” “The power of positivity is infectious,” she says. “When I was in bed recovering from my mastectomy and I had that woe-is-me moment, my husband just “Not just to the people around you, but to yourself.” With everything she encountered on her cancer journey, looked at me and said, ‘You gotta make lemonade.’ And Harris tried to find a positive spin. Although receiv- then he paused and said, ‘I think maybe we should ing a breast cancer diagnosis was emotionally devastat- do something about that.’” The site, she says, is about finding the light when darkness is so palpable. ing, Harris was thankful she advocated for herself. Not Like all things in life, Gotta Make Lemonade is not doing so could have made her cancer journey longer and more debilitating in the end. And while the treat- just about getting knocked down, but about what you do with it to make things better. “My lemonade was my ments were tough on her body, Harris was thankful book, ‘Your Healthiest Healthy,” she says. “It’s not to to have great insurance to cover them, a large support say everything has to be all rose-colored and rainbows system to keep her spirits up, and an otherwise strong and unicorns, but when you’re having a down moment, and fit body to recover more easily. it’s important to remember it is a rollercoaster. You will

Now, Harris encourages others to advocate for themselves in her new book, “Your Healthiest Healthy” come back up.”

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the thriver

ANNA WASSMAN AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

[Before my diagnosis], life was always busy.

I did ballet professionally at the Joffrey, and then I went back to school at Loyola. I was also working full time. I was in really good health, exercising a lot, and eating healthy. My breast cancer diagnosis was definitely unexpected and terrible timing, but I think these things usually are.

[After my diagnosis], I took a step back and thought, “Hey, this happened, but I’m going to get through this. And I’m going to do everything I can in my power to push through and be okay.

Let’s do whatever I have to do to be healthy again.

It will all be fine.”

I used ways to distract myself by setting goals: of still graduating from college, of accepting a job offer.

For the first couple of months, I was able to rely on schoolwork and exams. That definitely kept me busy.

And once I wasn’t in school, once I took that leave of absence from work, I got really involved in the breast cancer community and joined a bunch of different groups. I found Gilda’s Club and the Breasties. I went to events from Susan G. Komen. I reached out to people from Imerman Angels. Not only did I get a mentor angel, but I became one. I not only wanted to be a part of it because I was going through it, I wanted to help people who were going through it and having a harder time [than me].

Photo by Adrian C. Garcia

Being present helps us see where we really are. All you have is time.

To hear more from Anna, visit cancerwellness.com

I think my optimistic outlook on everything helped me. Just try and stay positive. It helped me stay present, making sure I was OK after treatment. Yes, it is extremely hard on your body, and it’s extremely hard emotionally, physically, and mentally. But I think that if you can try and somehow find the silver lining in things, it will help. Being present helps us see where we really are. All you have is time.

My cancer journey was crazy and scary and one of the hardest things I had to go through. It’s one of those things where, when you’re in the middle of it, you kind of forget that, in the beginning, [you told yourself] you were going to make it through. And I did. I’m on the other side of it now.

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all in the family Twenty years after his death from bile duct cancer, legendary Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton’s legacy lives on in a new documentary, “Savoring Sweetness,” produced by his son, Jarrett.

BY CATHERINE EVES

Photography by Adrian C. Garcia

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alter Payton is more than a Chicago legend; he’s a national treasure. His celebrated 13-year career as running back for the Chicago Bears created a legacy for Payton as one of the greatest NFL players of all time. His son, Jarrett Payton, an ex-NFL player and sports anchor for Chicago’s WGN, continues to foster this legacy with the release of his new documentary, “Savoring Sweetness: The Life & Times of Walter Payton,” which premiered on WGN-Channel 9 in the fall of 2019.

With his colleague Rick Tarsitano, Jarrett and a team of producers pored over footage of Walter Payton—playing football, appearing on television, at home with family—to create “Savoring Sweetness,” a documentary of Walter Payton’s life and times, focusing on his fearlessness on the field, his intimate relationships with friends, family, and fans, and (a subject usually glossed over when it comes to celebrity tributes) his battle with cancer. Walter passed away on Nov. 1, 1999, from bile duct cancer at the age of 45.

“Savoring Sweetness,” a celebration of Walter’s life 20 years after his passing, offers some of the first coverage of his battle with cancer. “When [we started] putting the puzzle pieces together, I just thought it was a critical part of really showing what we went through as a family at that time,” Jarrett says.

The public understood his father much like he did—a fearless adversary on the football field, who never showed pain or complained about injury. This is a consistent talking point from the documentary’s interview subjects—people like his Bears teammates Steve “Mongo” McMichael and Gary Fencik remember Walter’s ability to play through pain.

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It was during his first year attending college that “[H]e didn’t seem normal, he didn’t seem human,” his father passed away. After his memorial service at Jarrett says. “The things that he did in football— Chicago’s Soldier Field, Jarrett was faced with a real you’re not supposed to do. [It] goes to show how much conundrum—should he return to school? To football? fight he had, all the way up to the end.” According Jarrett remembers a moment he had with the Rev. to Jarrett, his dad played with separated shoulders, Jesse Jackson, who delivered a eulogy at the ceremony. sprained ankles, and even worse, but it didn’t stop him “[He] looked at me and said, ‘What would your dad want from leading his team to victory. you to do?’” says Jarrett. “It hit me like a ton of bricks; His ferocity on the field was something he carried my dad would want me to get back into it.” with him through his cancer fight. “He wasn’t going And he’s glad he did. “If I wouldn’t have gone back to give up; pound for pound he was the best football to school and taken that time off, I don’t know if I’d player to ever play,” Jarrett begins. “There were times play football again; I don’t know if I’d get my degree.” [when he was] going back and forth to the Mayo Clinic, But he accomplished all this, and more. “That’s what I [and] he was in pain, but his pain tolerance that [was know my dad would want me to do,” says Jarrett. “Take necessary] to play 13 years in the NFL—he brought a break, [then] get back on the road. That’s just how my that into this fight.” life has always been; it never stops.”

It was around Jarrett’s senior year, when he was It would seem that this quality of perseverance is deciding which college to attend, that the rest of the genetically linked to the Payton name. Jarrett has the world was introduced to Walter’s illness. His decision pleasure of watching his son, Jaden, to attend the University of Miami on grow up to share many of the traits football scholarship was a matter of “The same way my his grandfather was known for. “[My public interest, and covered on the parents taught me, dad and my son] are similar when it news. “They saw the loss of weight, they saw the difference in his appear- we’re trying to steer my comes to their personalities, their work ethic, their drive, their deterance,” Jarrett says. kids down that same mination,” Jarrett says. “One of the What the public also got to see hardest parts of [Jaden growing up] was a kindness and selflessness that path. Not just being is he doesn’t get a chance to meet had marked Walter’s football career, a good athlete, but his grandpa.” But Walter Payton will and was maintained through his being a good person. continue to live on in the hearts of diagnosis. “He gave people time, he let them in, and he wanted to get That’s what keeps your football fans everywhere. “Everyone has a story [about] when they met to know them, and to me that’s the memory alive.” him,” Jarrett says. reason why he’s remembered,” says

Jarrett encourages the legacy Jarrett. “Three days after he found of philanthropy through his own charity, the out he’s going to die, he goes out and tells people to Jarrett Payton Foundation. Launched in 2011, the become organ donors. He used one of the days left in Foundation’s signature initiative is PROJECT: NO his life to do that.”

BULL, an in-school, anti-bullying program that seeks But his legacy extends far beyond his philanthropy. to create and maintain safe environments for youth.

Walter was first and foremost a father to his children— “My family taught me what it means to give back in Jarrett and his sister Brittney. “To be the son of a service, doing things for other people that might not famous person, it’s never easy,” Jarrett begins. “The have what you have,” Jarrett says. “My mom always says, expectations for you are always set a little bit higher. [...]

‘Giving back in service is the rent you pay while you’re I have to thank my mom and my dad for really keeping on this Earth.’” my sister and I humbled and grounded.”

This is something the new generation of Paytons will Jarrett followed in his father’s footsteps and played learn as well. Jarrett’s son and daughter, Madison, will in the NFL—as running back for the Tennessee Titans— know their grandfather—his kindness to those less forbut football wasn’t something he always expected to tunate, his perseverance in life and on the field, and his make a career. He couldn’t deny his genetics, but his dedication to his community of fans. “The same way my first love was another sport: soccer. “A lot of people parents taught me, we’re trying to steer my kids down think I could have changed the landscape of American that same path. Not just being a good athlete, but being a soccer because of [the Payton name] and how good I good person. That’s what keeps your memory alive.” was, but as a 14 year old, I just wanted to have fun,” Jarrett says. Jarrett switched to playing football his Learn more about the Jarrett Payton Foundation on junior year of high school and immediately fell in love.

JarrettPayton.org, and visit WGNTV.com to watch He played with the University of Miami Hurricanes “Savoring Sweetness: The Life & Times of Walter Payton.” before being drafted to the Tennessee Titans.

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Travel

69 DESPERATELY SEEKING TREATMENT 73 STAY & PLAY: SEDONA, ARIZONA 77 BE WELL AND WANDER

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I’M IN THE NEW CANCER COMMUNITY. I CARE. “It’s about connection, telling the stories that weave us together; it’s about action, making sure people have access to resources and services.”

DR. TIOSHA BAILEY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KOMEN CHICAGO SUPPORTER

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cancerwellness.com

Desperately Seeking Treatment Alternative treatment centers in Tijuana, Mexico, claim miracle cures for cancer, but therapies on offer—ranging from zany to dangerous—often do more harm than good.

BY CATHERINE EVES Cancer Wellness

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lways, people who are desperate [...] will After coming under fire from the U.S. Food and go to any lengths to find an answer with Drug Administration for repeated violations, includwhich they are comfortable,” says Irving ing his “reluctance to disclose the treatment formulas,” Stackpole, president of Stackpole & Harry Hoxsey was forced to close his American clinic Associates, a market research and business development and reopened it in Tijuana in 1963. The publication goes firm in the health care sector. Stackpole is responding on to say that Hoxsey did not know why his treatment to the phenomenon of Americans seeking medical treat- worked—it quotes Hoxsey as saying that the treatment ments outside the country, often as a last-ditch attempt “corrects the abnormal blood chemistry and normalizes to cure chronic illnesses, especially cancer. cell metabolism [by] stimulat[ing] the elimination of

A 2009 article from Minnesota newspaper Star toxins which are poisoning the system.”

Tribune declares Tijuana, Mexico, “the world’s most The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has a concentrated battlefield against [cancer].” With loose page on its website dedicated to warning patients against regulations and a lower cost of living, Tijuana is a the Hoxsey method, making note of the fact that the formula, popular medical tourism destination for cancer war- through testing, hasn’t been proven to affect cancer cells riors who aren’t getting the results they want from their in any way. “Hoxsey also claimed that his topical mediconventional treatment regimes. cine would selectively kill cancer cells, however the caustic While, yes, there are reputable hospitals in Tijuana ingredients contained in the ointment are known to burn providing safe treatment to those who seek it, such healthy tissue as well,” the website states. as Hospital Ángeles, there are just as many “sketchy” Hoxsey’s treatment is just one example of Tijuana facilities which dangerously advise cancer patients to clinics touting dangerous cancer treatments. There abandon conventional treatment for a gamut of odd and are certain buzz words associated with alternative “too good to be true” treatments with virtually no evi- treatment centers in Tijuana. “Hoxsey” is one of them, dence to their efficacy. Some of these “Gerson” and “laetrile” are two others. treatments include coffee enemas, Laetrile, in this case, is another “Always, people who inducing fevers, and rigorous juicing name for amygdalin, a bitter subare desperate [...] (sometimes upwards of drinking one stance found in fruit pits. When juice per hour), among many others. will go to any lengths laetrile breaks down in the body, it A 1991 abstract in CA, a journal releases cyanide. Proponents of laeto find an answer published by the American Cancer trile therapy believe that the subwith which they are stance targets tumor cells while Society, notes that most clinics in Tijuana offer “metabolic therapies” leaving healthy cells alone. However, comfortable.” which generally follow a three-phase in numerous National Cancer regime: detoxification by enemas and Institute (NCI) funded clinical trials special diets, followed by a stage of strengthening the involving both animal and human subjects, laetrile was immune system with natural supplements, and then never proven to have any significant antitumor effects, attacking the cancer directly with treatments as far nor was laetrile ever approved by the FDA for treatment ranging as injections of hydrogen peroxide to liver and of cancer. Laetrile treatment centers have been operatcarrot juice. “The American Cancer Society, therefore, ing in Tijuana since the 1950s, but gained prominence strongly urges individuals with cancer not to seek treat- in the mainstream media in 1980 when actor Steve ment with metabolic therapies in the Mexican border McQueen sought laetrile treatment at a clinic in Juárez, clinics,” the journal goes on to say.

Mexico, and ultimately died there.

One of the first alternative treatment clinics in This is not the only clinic garnering national attenTijuana was opened by Harry Hoxsey in 1963, based tion after a celebrity death. Coretta Scott King, the civil around an herbal supplement that supposedly cures rights activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., cancer. A 1990 publication from the now-defunct Office passed away from ovarian cancer in 2006, just days of Technology Assessment (an effort from the U.S. after checking in to the since-renamed Santa Monica Congress to provide Congressional members and com- Health Institute. The Institute opened in 1987, promittees with analysis of scientific and technical issues, moting treatments such as hyperthermia—exposing such as cancer) tells his story. Harry’s great-grandfather the body to high temperatures in order to kill cancer John prepared an herb formula for a horse with cancer; cells. The clinic was shut down by Mexican authorities after taking the formula, the horse’s cancer was sup- after Coretta’s death, saying the clinic was conducting posedly cured. “John Hoxsey surmised that the wild unauthorized surgeries, had poor sanitary conditions, plants had caused the recovery. He gathered some of and employed people who were not properly trained. the plants from the pasture, and later added ingredi- Another popular alternative treatment is Gerson ents from old home remedies for cancer,” the publica- Therapy, which appears relatively tame when compared tion states. to more aggressive and invasive treatments on offer.

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The Gerson Therapy treatment focuses on nurturing danger found in these disreputable medical facilities is healthy cells over destroying cancer cells. According to that they, ultimately, offer false hope. When a cancer the Gerson Institute’s website, “The Gerson Therapy™ patient’s treatment doesn’t seem to be working, or their activates the body’s extraordinary ability to heal itself current treatment regime is making them feel sicker, through an organic, plant-based diet, raw juices, coffee they may turn to the alternative treatment centers of enemas and natural supplements.” With a hefty price Tijuana. “The real issue, in my opinion, is that in the tag around 12,000 USD per week, the Gerson Therapy United States, we have a very odd and uncomfortable offers little more than a strict diet plan of drinking 15 relationship with death and dying,” begins Stackpole. to 20 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables each day: “The medical profession has not helped to this point, one juice per hour, for 13 hours. because they have sold hope through aggressive treat One Gerson Therapy patient, Sue Ackerman, speaks ment even when many of the practitioners applying publicly about how adopting the Gerson Therapy cured those aggressive treatments know very well that the her of lung cancer. She shared a speech with Cancer probability [of curing the cancer] is miniscule.”

Wellness about her experience treating cancer with A better approach is to utilize complementary therGerson Therapy. Diagnosed in January 2013, Ackerman apies that complement standard treatment. These theradopted a Gerson diet by drinking 10 juices per day and apies, like reiki, acupuncture, and oncology massage, pairing them with four to five coffee enemas per day. help minimize chemotherapy side effects, promote the Ackerman’s oncologists recommended surgery, but days efficacy of standard treatments, and improve quality of before the operation, she cancelled, intending to let the life. A November 2014 study from JNCI Monographs Gerson regime do its job “the natural way.” Six months found there is “strong evidence” that therapies like into the therapy, her tumor had meditation and yoga lead to “mood shrunk. She continued to have yearly improvement”—and the authors call Hoxsey also claimed scans, but sought no other medical for more research into just how comthat his topical attention. Six years after being diagplementary therapies can address nosed, Ackerman says of her tumor: unmet patient needs. Instead of medicine would “The spot where the tumor was continseeking untested, unapproved, inherselectively kill cancer ently dangerous ued to show up on the CT scans, but it treatments outside cells, however the did not change in size.” of the country, talk with your health It is strictly anecdotal accounts like care team about complementary thercaustic ingredients Ackerman’s that contribute to cancer apies often covered in the pages of contained in the patients seeking alternative treatments this magazine—movement, healthy ointment are known eating, and taking time to de-stress outside of doctor’s recommendations, not scientific evidence. A recent study and practice self-care can be some of to burn healthy from Yale Medicine examined 1,290 the best medicine available to work in tissue as well. patients with breast, prostate, lung, complement with your conventional or colorectal cancer—258 used comcancer treatment. plementary medicine, and 1,032 did not. It found that patients who use complementary medicines during cancer treatment were more likely to forego some doctor-recommended conventional treatments. This was also associated with a higher risk of death. In an article on YaleMedicine. org, Dr. Skyler Johnson, part of Yale’s COPPER Center for cancer research, said: “The bottom line is that alternative and complementary medicines marketed and used as treatment for cancer are associated with an increased risk of death, if they lead patients to not use accepted medical cancer therapies. The alternative therapies themselves are not causing death—it’s the fact that they are replacing effective therapies.”

But the alternative therapies themselves aren’t totally harmless. Take laetrile, which can lead to cyanide poisoning, or coffee enemas, which can lead to infection or even bowel perforation.

While those in treatment for cancer can certainly benefit from some of these treatments (like those that center around a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet), the Cancer Wellness

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©2018 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (34142)

St. Jude patient Keeton blood cancer pictured with his mom, Ginna

Keeton’s family didn’t give up. We won’t either.

When Keeton was found to have blood cancer, his family was referred to St. Jude for treatment, where he’s undergoing two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy.

“St. Jude means everything to me,” said Keeton’s mom. “They’re saving my baby’s life.” Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it first opened more than 50 years ago. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

72 Cancer Wellness Learn more at stjude.org

STAY & PLAY

Sedona’s mild climate, dynamic arts community, and natural places of healing make this the ultimate wellness destination for those seeking whole health in mind, body, and spirit.

BY SHERYL NANCE-NASH

SEDONA

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Photo courtesy of L’Auberge de Sedona

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ancer attacks not only the body, but the mind and spirit. For those looking to restore what cancer can impact, visit Sedona, Arizona, a haven for healing for travelers across the world.

Sedona is two hours north of Phoenix and 30 miles south of the Flagstaff peaks. Health and wellness are deeply embedded in the city’s culture. There is no shortage of spas, retreats, and wellness activities, with plenty of places to meditate, practice yoga, hike, bike, and commune with nature (Sedona is surrounded by nearly two million acres of national forest land).

Plentiful too is good-for-you food and inspiring art.

Expect a journey that just may be life changing.

REVITALIZING RETREATS The Sedona Wellness Retreat is a two- to four-week (or longer) residential educational program designed for those with chronic illnesses like cancer. The program is medically supervised by naturopathic medical doctors and medical support staff. Expect juicing, organic vegetarian meals, infrared saunas, yoga, art-therapy classes, educational health talks, kitchen demonstrations, and more. Simply put, it is a detoxification and rebuilding program which also includes psychological and spiritual health.

Sedona Soul Adventures helps individuals and

couples reconnect with their spirituality through customized retreats specific to individual needs, time frame, and budget. While they have no medical doctors or psychologists on staff, they’ve seen positive results for their 9,000 guests thus far. “We believe that there is a mind/body connection and that all illness has underlying emotional and spiritual components,” says Debra Stangl, founder of Sedona Soul Adventures.

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Practitioners can’t change a medical prognosis, but they can help patients find ways to improve quality of life by working through emotional blocks and understanding sources of stress. An individualized retreat might include a guided visit to Sedona’s five vortexes, places where the earth’s energy compounds that are said to have sacred, healing energy.

If you’re ready to take a deep dive into your condition, explore the options at Angel Valley Sedona, who will design a plan incorporating different modalities beyond counseling, like massage, sound healing, a vegetarian or vegan diet, and more.

“We cannot heal or change anybody. People can only heal or transform themselves,” explains owner Amayra Hamilton. “What we can do is [create] a safe container for a person to explore themselves and to contribute suggestions, tips, ideas, and hopefully the light that people need to get the insights that lead to their healing.”

WHERE TO PLAY, EAT, & DRINK There is no such thing as “ordinary” in Sedona. At Red Rock State Park, Sedona Philosophy hosts guided hikes that feature meditation, communication, and spiritual education from the teachings of philosophers like Socrates, Descartes, and Aristotle.

Like any good wellness destination, Sedona has an abundance of yoga spots, including at a vortex through Aumbase Sedona. They also offer reiki treatments and tarot readings. If you’re looking for late-night adventures, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to take the Sedona Stargazing tour with astronomers. You’ll use high-tech telescopes to observe the constellations, as astronomers share how ancient civilizations named the stars and used

them for navigation. If you’re feeling up for the challenge of adventure, hop on a horse and take a tour with A Day in The West, or go rafting with Verde Adventures. Or take it slow, with a scenic tour through Arizona’s backcountry on the Verde Canyon Railroad.

Enjoy a pottery or photography class at the Sedona Arts Center. Check their events calendar for mustsee shows, like the “31 Women Artists” exhibition in January 2020. If the therapy you’re craving is the retail kind, find an array of art galleries, boutiques, and shops that reflect local culture, like the Mystical Bazaar, who sell crystals as well as psychic readings, or the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village with its special events like Flamenco in the Courtyard. Be forewarned that the beautiful work of the artisans, be it jewelry or arts and crafts, will be hard to resist.

You won’t just be feeding your soul in Sedona; the cuisine is impressive, too. Places like Mariposa, Cress on Oak Creek, and Elote Cafe show off the area’s finest gastronomy.

For something quirkier, check out ChocolaTree Organic Oasis, featuring a menu of gluten-free, vegetarian, ultra-healthy, and creative food. What makes this place really special is the backyard and patio area with seating for dining, and a garden where some of the restaurant’s food is grown. After your meal, visit their marketplace which offers foods, supplements, essential oils, local artists’ crafts and jewelry, and books. Plus, their educational programs, meditation classes, gardening, food-as-medicine

workshops, cooking demonstrations, and om-chanting lessons are essential Sedona experiences.

PAMPER YOURSELF Keep the positive vibes flowing with a visit to one of more than a dozen spas in the area. A Spa for You Sedona Day Spa and Sedona’s New Day Spa are beloved for their creative treatment options. Don’t expect the traditional spa experience—at Sedona’s New Day Spa, treatments include native wisdom spa rituals like a Wheel of Life Gem Stones Reading, where you explore your energy centers using selected wisdom gemstones, along with a massage or reiki session. Then there’s the Sweat Lodge. Let the steam purify and detox your body.

WHERE TO STAY Options are plentiful when it comes to where to seek rest.

Mii amo, which loosely translates to one’s path or journey, is an all-inclusive Native American-inspired destination resort. Everything is designed to renew and rejuvenate, be it spa services like the Anasazi Ubtan body scrub, which blends Ayurvedic ritual with desert botanicals, or a guided meditation. Sedona Mago Retreat features casitas and includes three meals a day. Enjoy walking paths, daily classes, meditation at the lake, and a healing garden. Then there’s the luxurious L’Auberge de Sedona situated along Oak Creek with its unique sounds of babbling or rushing waters to calm the spirit. Lounge on the large private decks with sweeping views of Sedona’s legendary red rocks.

Photography courtesy of Sedona Mago and Mii amo

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YOU ’RE IN V ITE D TO

CHICAGO’S HOTTEST PART Y FOR A GREAT CAUSE! Friday, February 28 8:00 PM – 1:00 AM Rockwell on The River Join us for our 15th Year Anniversary with chef stations from Chicago’s Top Restaurants, Live Music, Dancing, Open Bar, Silent Auction and much more.

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To learn more and buy tickets: tickledpinkchicago.com

BE WELL AND WANDER

Adventurous travelers can forego a trip to the spa to make pilgrimages to the world’s most naturally healing locales.

Here’s a guide to some of our favorite special spots.

BY CATHERINE EVES

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KUSATSU ONSEN, JAPAN A trip to a hot spring is quintessential to any traveler’s itinerary when visiting Japan, but there’s one mountain village that is especially famed for its abundance of geothermally heated water: Kusatsu, located just a few hours from bustling Tokyo. A hot spring is a naturally occurring body of water that is organically heated by the earth, and is purported to cure a host of ailments, from arthritis pain to psoriasis. Kusatsu Onsen (onsen meaning hot spring) touts its water as having healing properties due to the high acidity of the water, which naturally contains sulfur, aluminum sulfate, and chloride. All inns, hotels, and spas in Kusatsu source their healing water from Mount Shirane, an active volcano.

Kusatsu has the largest flow of hot spring water in the entire country, and due to its proximity to the mountains, is a top tourist destination for adventurous types, boasting exceptional skiing and hiking trails.

BLUE LAGOON, GRINDAVÍK, ICELAND Just 45 minutes from Reykjavík, Iceland’s Blue Lagoon features sparkling blue, geothermal seawater that is naturally rich in minerals like algae, mineral salt, and silica (the latter of which gives the lagoon its startling hue by reflecting sunlight). The lagoon is manmade, but it was a unique series of events that led to Blue Lagoon being a top healing vacation destination: Multiple spas opened in the late 1980s and early ‘90s to capitalize on the pools that were created after the construction of a geothermal power plant nearby. When a person with psoriasis bathed in the water, they found that it alleviated their symptoms, and further study of the water revealed a mineral-rich, naturally antibacterial lagoon that maintains a pH of 7.5. Situated in the Svartsengi lava field, Blue Lagoon is surrounded by walking paths that twine between moss-covered volcanic rocks that first appeared in 1226 A.D. TABLE MOUNTAIN, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA Table Mountain is a flat-topped land mass rising about 3,500 feet above sea level within Cape Town’s Table Mountain National Park. It runs about 2 miles from side to side, and is home to an incredible variety of plants and animals, most of which are only found in this particular national park. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions on the African continent, and that may be because of Table Mountain’s rumored healing properties. According to its website, Table Mountain is one of the planet’s 12 main energy centers that radiate magnetic, electric, or spiritual energy. Each of these centers are believed to have special properties that represent the four elements vital to the earth’s well being: earth, air, fire, and water. Table Mountain is believed to be the “earth wheel, sending out nurturing energy and pulsing forth light.” Other “energy centers” are found at the Great Pyramid in Egypt, the Haleakala Crater 78

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in Hawaii, Lake Rotopounamu in New Zealand, and others. Many flock to Table Mountain for relaxation and meditation, which leaves them feeling physically and spiritually rejuvenated.

THE DEAD SEA, JORDAN AND ISRAEL The Dead Sea is a salt lake sitting 1,412 feet below sea level, marking it the lowest elevation on Earth, as well as one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. Due to the high salt content, travelers to the Dead Sea don’t swim in its waters, but float. Bathing in the water is purported to heal skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis as well as soothe muscle injuries and arthritis due to high amounts of the minerals magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Bathers will also slather themselves in the mineral-rich mud, or use the salt as an exfoliant to remove rough, dry skin. Due to geographical location, the area is also free of pollution and allergens.

And damage from the sun’s rays—U.V. radiation—is less harmful at this low elevation. High levels of bromide and other metals also help filter U.V. radiation.

GANGES RIVER, VARANASI, INDIA The Ganges River is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world, but that might be the secret to it’s natural healing properties. Condé Nast Traveler’s website reports that the Ganges River could provide treatment to ailments like tuberculosis, typhoid, pneumonia, cholera, dysentery, and meningitis, despite running for 1,569 miles through one of the world’s most industrialized and polluted regions. Researchers from India’s Institute of Microbial Technology tested the waters and found a number of viruses that eat harmful bacteria, keeping the waters clean and healthy.

Because of this, tens of millions of Indians congregate every twelve years to bathe in the river—according to Condé Nast Traveler, it is considered one of humanity’s greatest gatherings.

innovations & research 81 RARE CANCERS, RARER DISCOVERIES 85 SHOOT FOR THE MOON

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Asbestos Around the World Asbestos is banned in over 55 countries around the world, including Japan, Australia, and every country in the European Union. Iceland was the first to ban asbestos due to health concerns in 1983, followed soon after by Sweden. Germany banned asbestos in 1992, and the U.K. did in 1999. However, asbestos continues to be used around the world, especially in Asia and Russia, and in small amounts in the U.S. Asbestos Health Risk Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that can be pulled into a fluffy consistency.

Asbestos fibers are soft and flexible yet resistant to heat, electricity, and corrosion.

These qualities make the mineral useful, but they also make asbestos extremely toxic.

If the fibers from asbestos are breathed in over long periods of time, it increases the risk of diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

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Rare Cancers, Rarer Discoveries Research in two small villages in the Cappadocia region of Turkey led to one of the most important discoveries in the fight against the rare cancer mesothelioma.

Now, one of the lead researchers shares his story.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

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ometimes, the most interesting medical disnot explain the high rates of diagnosis and death from coveries happen by chance. Consider the case mesothelioma. “About 4.65 percent of people working of Dr. Michele Carbone, who, in 1996, was continuously in asbestos mines for 10 years get mesoasked to give a talk in Turkey and later stumthelioma,” says Carbone. “But there was 50 percent bled upon what would lead to a major medical breakhere, and it was only in certain homes. The thing through in the understanding of the genetic compodidn’t make sense. That’s a small village. Everybody’s nents leading to mesothelioma. exposed to the same stuff. Everything is asbestos.”

Carbone’s discoveries, which took him from the Upon returning to America, Carbone decided to Iraqi border to the streets of Louisiana and Wisconsin dedicate his research to figuring out what was going and everywhere in between, demonstrate the profound on, even as his colleagues discouraged him from importance of faith and financial support in studies wasting his time. “They told me you’re going to ruin catered toward rare cancers. But the path to discovery your career. Who do you think is going to ever care was not a simple one. about two villages in the middle of nowhere and give During his visit to Turkey, Carbone heard stories you funds to do that?” Carbone recalls. about villages in a remote part of Cappadocia where

But he forged on, spending his vacation time there was an epidemic of mesodoing research in these villages. thelioma deaths. According to And despite the disbelief of those rumors, 50 percent of people died around him, grant money began “About 4.65 percent of from the debilitating cancer. This to pour in, including a $10 million people working continuintrigued Carbone. “There is no grant in 2006 from the National epidemic of cancer in which 50 ously in asbestos mines for Cancer Institute to continue percent of people died. That never his research on finding what he happened,“ Carbone recalls today. 10 years get mesothelioma. believed to be the genetic marker “I mean, even with heavy smokers, [...] But there was 50 percent causing mesothelioma.

10 percent get cancer. Maybe 15 Once he began working and here, and it was only in percent. But 50 percent? Never publishing about the mesotheliheard of it.” certain homes. The thing oma epidemic in Cappadocia, a Upon investigation, Carbone number of American families didn’t make sense. That’s a began was struck by “the tragedy of the calling him. Most said small village. Everybody’s what Carbone described was place.”

“They were very simple, poor also occurring in their families. exposed to the same stuff. Carbone people,” says Carbone. “I mean began to visit the famiEverything is asbestos.” today, nobody had clothes or lies, and when family members things like that. You’re talking had surgeries, he took samples about homes where there is no (with their permission) back to his bathroom in the house.” But what lab to study them. Two families was most surprising to Carbone was the discrepancies in particular, one in Wisconsin and one in Louisiana, in who was dying and who was not in the small villages. stood out to him. In one family, five cases of mesotheli“I was told in this house, everybody died of mesothelioma occurred within two generations, and in the other, oma, and in this other one, no one did.” there were seven. Carbone also noticed other cancers Researchers and people in the villages believed it in these families—eye melanoma, in particular. was due to excessive amounts of erionite, one of the

Four years and six months into his research, six fibers typically ascribed to asbestos, its commerCarbone still had nothing due to a number of factors, cial name. Villagers were exposed to asbestos because including an insufficient amount of specimens to pinthe terrain naturally contained it. But that still did point exactly where the gene was located. And with

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only six months remaining in his funding, there was 90 percent of eye melanomas, and 90 percent of renal too much genome left that needed to be sequenced. cell carcinomas contain BAP1 mutations on their

However, one patient provided a breakthrough. tumor cells. “We found that cancer cells become much That patient first developed eye melanoma and later more responsive to chemotherapy when BAP1 levels developed mesothelioma. “And that was very weird, are restored and calcium channels are fixed and stabibecause there are 2,000 mesotheliomas in the country lized,” Carbone told the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and 2,000 eye melanomas in the country, which means in 2017. “The fixed channel should be able to prevent it is a very rare cancer,” says Carbone. “I went to my biocancer in people who have inherited BAP1 mutations statician and asked, ‘What’s the chance this happened and to help treat cancers whose tumor cells have develby chance?’ And he called me back and said it’s a oneoped BAP1 mutations.” in-100-million chance. This was not a coincidence.”

According to research Carbone’s team published

Refocusing his research on eye melanoma, in 2018 in the journal Clinical Oncology, despite the Carbone found that most people with the disease had increased likelihood for obtaining mesothelioma, deletions in a gene on chromosome 3B. On his list of people with a germline mutation above one typically unfinished genomes to sequence was chromosome have a less aggressive form of the disease. They live, on 3. Carbone went back to his lab average, about six years, compared and put his team at the University to the typical one-year rate for of Hawai’i at Mānoa to work on “It’s very important to be able most mesothelioma cases. About 3B. “Either it’s on 3B, or it’s not,” 20 percent can live an additional to tell someone, ‘Look, you 15 to 20 years. “It’s very important says Carbone. Luckily, Carbone’s theory proved to be true, and they have the bad luck of mesothe- to be able to tell someone, ‘Look, found the gene. A paper on their you have the bad luck of mesothefindings, what is now called the lioma, but you have the good lioma, but you have the good luck BAP1 cancer syndrome, was pub- luck that your mesothelioma that your mesothelioma is occurlished in 2011. Since then, around ring on a background of germline is occurring on a background mutation,’” says Carbone. “There 677 additional published papers have since referenced his team’s of germline mutation.’ [...] is a good chance that you will be findings. for much, much longer, There is a good chance that around

Eight years later, Carbone’s and hopefully 20 years from now.” team continues to make important you will be around for much, These new discoveries have discoveries in the study of mesoa sea change for how we much longer, and hopefully brought thelioma. In 2017, the team pubtreat cancer, including mesothe20 years from now.” lished in the journal Nature about lioma. While traditional treathow the BAP1 gene causes cancer. ments like chemotherapy and The BAP1 gene regulates the IP3R3 channel inside new treatments like immunotherapy have not proven cells which moves calcium. A mutated or damaged to be successful in treating the disease, discoveries gene causes calcium levels in the cells to decrease, like Carbone’s have given other researchers a much making them “more likely to become malignant when better understanding of how mesotheliomas, and exposed to environmental carcinogens.” According other cancers, occur. “Some people get cancer, some to their research, people who carry mutations on the people don’t, and that is a combination [of] the type of BAP1 gene are more susceptible to asbestos, sunlight, exposures that you have in the environment. This mix and other environmental carcinogens. of your own gene background with the environment The team also discovered that cancer cells with a determines your outcome,” says Carbone. “The BAP1 BAP1 gene mutation (about 20 percent) are resistant cancer syndrome is the poster model to study the gene to chemotherapy. Around 70 percent of mesotheliomas, environment interaction.”

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SHOOT FOR THE MOON The National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot initiative aims to advance cancer research with the help of the country’s top minds in cancer care.

BY CATHERINE EVES

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n what might be the biggest show of governmental support in the history of cancer research, the U.S. Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act in December 2016. This act authorized $1.8 billion to fund Cancer Moonshot, a program overseen by the NIH’s National Cancer Institute to accelerate cancer research. Despite questionable silence from the Trump Administration, Cancer Moonshot is still trailblazing the cancer research world thanks to firm commitments from the NCI. Three years in, a wave of initiatives are currently underway from the country’s best minds in the field of oncology.

Former Vice President Joe Biden sparked Cancer Moonshot during the Obama Administration after losing his son, Beau, to glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. His goal was to “end cancer as we know it.”

Biden’s intentions were set immediately: to double the rate of progress in the cancer research world, to increase the availability of more therapies for more patients, and to accelerate cancer prevention and detection research.

The NCI established a Blue Ribbon Panel to determine where efforts should go to ensure “the Cancer Moonshot’s goals and approaches are grounded in the best science,” according to the NCI’s website. The Blue Ribbon Panel is a community of experts in their field and includes names such as James Allison, Ph.D., who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in immunotherapy. Below are just a few of the initiatives set forth by Cancer Moonshot and the Blue Ribbon Panel.

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for an upcoming clinical trial, the patient or the doctor would be alerted immediately. This is of special concern to patients who are members of ethnic or racial minority groups who may lack access to quality health care. The NCI has awarded funds in a few avenues. One is the Cancer Moonshot Biobank—a collection of tumor biopsy and blood specimens and associated data is made available to a wide range of researchers to advance progress in cancer treatment. Another is the NCI Rare Tumor Patient Engagement Network—a network of researchers, patients, and advocacy groups who collect and analyze tumors from patients with rare cancers. Out of the lab, the Workshop on Social Media and Clinical Trials was held during the summer of 2018 and explored ways to connect patients, physicians, and the community at large online, especially in terms of finding subjects for clinical trials.

Minimize Cancer Treatment’s Debilitating Side Effects Everyone who has undergone cancer treatment is familiar with the side effects of certain drugs like unrelenting nausea, hair loss, and fatigue, among others. This particular initiative aims to improve patient quality of life by gathering data from diverse patient populations. The data will help doctors determine best approaches for controlling these negative symptoms, for the recently diagnosed through their survivorship.

KEY INITIATIVES FOR PEDIATRIC CANCERS There are two notable Cancer Moonshot initiatives centered around pediatric cancer. According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 4 percent of the billions of dollars spent on cancer research are directed towards childhood cancers.

KEY INITIATIVES FOR ADULT CANCERS Create an Adult Immunotherapy Network Why does immunotherapy work so well in some patients, and not in others? Immunotherapy, a fairly novel cancer treatment that has recently gained popularity, is a type of Intensify Research on the Major Drivers cancer treatment that boosts the body’s natural defenses to of Childhood Cancers fight cancer. NCI recognizes that not all patients respond Childhood cancers may be caused by something called to immunotherapies, and will address this with the creation fusion oncoproteins, which form through the joining of an “adult cancer immunotherapy translational network” of genes that were originally coded for separate proto develop immunotherapies that are effective for a diverse teins. According to NCI, these types of cancers are at set of patients (based on race, age, prognosis, and other “high risk” for treatment failure. Cancer Moonshot aims factors) with a diverse set of cancer types. Preventive to fund more research into therapies that target these cancer vaccines are also being developed through this ini- types of oncoproteins due to how common they are in tiative—vaccines that are intended to aid effector T-cells in children with cancer, and to provide insight into how recognizing cancers in their premalignant stages. Funds childhood cancer develops in the first place. have been awarded to a number of institutions across the country for a variety of different projects, including the Create a Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Sloan-Kettering Institute and Development Network for Cancer Research, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Immunotherapies in childhood cancers have proven Cancer Center, and more. successful for only a limited number of cancer types— leukemia and neuroblastoma. According to the NCI, Establish a Network for Direct Patient Engagement “There are currently no effective immunotherapy options This initiative aims to collect data from patients with a for most patients with high-risk or difficult-to-treat childvariety of different cancer types with the intent to help hood cancers.” Cancer Moonshot aims to change that by researchers “better understand what interventions work, funding immunotherapy research opportunities specifically in whom, and in which types of cancer,” according to for children.

NCI. The initiative would also help more patients find clinical trials—if a patient’s “tumor profile” is a match Stay up to date on Cancer Moonshot progress and research initiatives by visiting Cancer.gov.

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A Prescription of Precision

Rush University’s precision oncology program brings new and novel cancer treatments to advance-stage patients.

BY CATHERINE EVES

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Photography courtesy of Rush Photo Group

recision oncology just might be the next big thing in cancer care, and it’s good news for Chicago—in September 2019, Rush University launched their precision oncology program under directors Dr. Ashiq Masood and Dr. Mia Levy.

Precision oncology is a relatively new but complex arm of cancer treatment. Essentially, doctors conduct genomic tests on applicable patients to prescribe cancer treatments that are more suited to their cancer type. Genomic testing refers to the process of observing an entire genome of the human body. Doctors look for alterations, or mutations, in the genetic code. Cancer is born from these mutations.

Because of the sheer amount of data derived from genomic testing, it takes specially trained doctors like Masood and Levy to figure out what findings mean for cancer patients. “Most oncologists may not be comfortable with all the data, because they are not well trained in genomics,” Masood says. “At Rush, we are uniquely positioned, as our oncologists directing the program are trained in bioinformatics and cancer genomics.”

Rush’s precision oncology program keeps a dedicated team to help patients navigate the appointment and treatment process, including a nurse, pharmacist, and a coordinator. These patients are exclusively in advanced stages of cancer, and Masood and Levy work closely with their preexisting oncologists to devise treatment plans based on genomic data. “[With advance-stage patients], whatever [standard] treatments we use, eventually these patients will progress,” says Masood, explaining why precision oncology is a field dedicated to advance-stage patients. “The whole point is, can we provide them more options if we bring them to precision oncology?”

The answer is yes, hopefully. Once the program receives the results of genomic testing, a tumor board meets to match patients with specific drugs or clinical trials. Rush is able to pull from a large network of research hospitals to find a trial that is well-suited to the patient. When a trial has been identified, the precision oncology program will do the legwork: reaching out to the doctors running the clinical trial, securing a patient’s spot, and helping to obtain medications recommended during the consultation. “These resources are not readily available at other institutions,” Masood says.

This is important, because precision oncology answers questions other tests cannot. “Newer data is emerging that carefully selected patients with genomically driven therapies do better,” says Masood. But until more advance-stage cancer patients undergo genomic testing, available clinical trials don’t always meet the need. “Many patients with advanced-stage cancers will receive multiple treatments, but eventually their tumor will become resistant to these therapies. The goal of our precision oncology program is to find treatment options for patients when traditionally there are none,” says Levy.

Luckily, precision oncology is a fast growing field, with new therapies and trials approved daily. The National Institutes of Health launched a Precision Medicine initiative in 2015, and it is currently collecting genetic data, biological samples, and other health information from at least 1 million volunteer subjects around the country to better predict disease risk, understand how diseases occur, and find improved diagnosis and treatment strategies. “[Precision oncology] is not going to treat everybody, but I think it’s going to be one of the options, [like] chemotherapy [and] immunotherapy,” Masood says.

Cancer Wellness Dr. Ashiq Masood

Dr. Mia Levy

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Research, education, patient support, and advocacy to end mesothelioma.

One mission.

One community.

One Foundation.

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01 Gina, who had a single mastectomy, wears our front closure bra, without her prosthesis

02 Jamie wears our Leslie bra after her bilateral mastectomy, when she isn’t wearing her forms

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Jamie, back in the Leslie bra, uses her light weight breast forms to fill out the interior pockets

Gina, uses her right side balance form to complete her symmetry in the Leslie bra

05 Gloria, with bilateral breast reconstruction, utilizes the interior modesty pads to smooth her shape under clothing

06 Gina is using the front closure pocketed bra, which works with breast forms and customized breast prosthesis

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fashion

92 HEART + SOLE 96 FOR THE BREAST OF US 98 RECOVER IN STYLE

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Bill Burnett and Michael Barkin in their West Loop studio.

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Heart + Sole Upstart Chicago-based clothing company Stitch + Heart customizes the fit and charitable donations of its customers.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

Photography by Adrian C. Garcia

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n a fast-fashion consumer apparel market driven by cheap prices and even cheaper clothing, Stitch + Heart offers something different: a truly beautiful shopping experience. The upstart company describes itself as a stylist-led, 1-to-1 menswear experience prioritizing the customer. That means, rather than selling poorly made, trend-fueled clothing, the Stitch + Heart team works with each individual customer to build a complete wardrobe based off their favoritefitting clothing. To sweeten the deal, 10 percent of a customer’s total purchase goes toward cancer charities like the Anthony Rizzo Foundation or the American Cancer Society. But a closer examination shows the Stitch + Heart origin story may be even more interesting than the brand itself.

Stitch + Heart was born when childhood friends Bill Burnett and Michael Barkin were in search of the next path of their professional lives. Burnett had just sold his business to LinkedIn and Barkin had just left Trunk Club, a company he cofounded. Then, illness struck. “Two days after I sold my business, my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” says Burnett, whose father was also diagnosed at one point with nonHodgkin lymphoma. “I went through this period of the high of highs professionally and the low of lows personally.”

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Barkin knew how to launch their business quickly and Being thrust into such an experience gave Burnett efficiently by using the lessons they learned from their a new perspective on what would come next in his previous work experiences. “We thought, is there somecareer. “I just started talking to Michael, and said, ‘I thing more here? Could we recruit people? Could we don’t know what’s next, but I learned that whatever get vendors to work with us again? Could we basically I want to do next, I want to do something that gives recreate some of the same engine that was out there back,’” says Burnett. “Because, while I’m watching all and do it in a different way, a way that of these investors and my business get gives back a little bit?” Burnett asks. paid, and I’m certainly happy for them “We all as human “And the short answer to that was, yes, because they deserved it, I’m also beings inherently you could do that. And so we said, ‘All seeing what really matters.” right. Let’s do it.’”

Barkin had similar questions in have this thing that Stitch + Heart curates the clothes mind for his post-Trunk Club life. “I think one of the things you think says you should go do men love, in the fit they love, for the about often when you’re in this luxury more, you should find causes they love. The company’s team of stylists take your favorite pieces direct-to-consumer space is: Does this a way to impact the of clothing, from a well-worn pair of really matter?” Barkin says. “We all as human beings inherently have this world to do better.” jeans to an old T-shirt to your favorite suit, and replicates the fit to build thing that says you should go do more, a complete wardrobe from head to toe. you should find a way to impact the And along with the new clothes, 10 percent of your total world to do better.” purchase goes to a cancer-focused charity.

Soon, a company was born. Although discussions Selecting the Anthony Rizzo Foundation and the around Stitch + Heart began informally, Burnett and

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American Cancer Society for their first two charities partnerships look like today and in the future?” was an easy decision. Burnett’s sister-in-law runs the The brand hopes to be a spot for repeat customers.

Anthony Rizzo Foundation. “For us, we wanted a trusted Rather than maintaining a customer base for one-off source,” says Burnett. As for the American Cancer clothes shopping experiences, their team aims to facilSociety, Stitch + Heart first connected to the nonprofit’s itate long-lasting relationships with their customers so then-director of Illinois, Peter Steele, about updating they are always influenced to shop for quality goods his wardrobe through Stitch + Heart. from a company that also does good.

“We started building a relation think one of the feelings we “We started building chase“Iis that ship around ideas, questions like, what a customer should be thinkcould this look like? And how can we a relationship around ing, ‘I don’t want to buy clothes any other give back in a more meaningful way?” ideas, questions like, place, because they looked at me like a Burnett says. The Stitch + Heart and human being, they personalized every what could this look single aspect of that interaction, and the ACS formal partnership was initiated this year. Stitch + Heart attended all like? And how can we end product I received was better than five of the ACS marquee events this anything I’ve had before,’” Barkin says. give back in a more “The icing on the cake is, oh, by the way, year and proceeds were donated to the organization. “Because we are the meaningful way?” those are really good people who did donor, every one of these brands would good with the profits. It wasn’t just about love, I think, to work with us because being capitalist and taking every penny we’re writing checks,” Barkin says. “And so it puts that they could get out of the business to make more and us in a unique position to sit back and think to our- more. No, they put themselves aside as well and did really selves, what do we need, or want, out of whatever our good things with the money they made.”

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FOR THE BREAST OF US

The adaptive clothing brand AnaOno Intimates designs lingerie and loungewear for every body.

“I

don’t know a life without design,” says Dana Donofree, the founder of AnaOno Intimates, a lingerie and loungewear brand. “It has been a part of my soul and my energy since I was old enough to remember.” Donofree’s love of design is so great that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, at 27, she married her passion for fashion and her new, post-diagnosis life to found her rapidly growing brand.

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Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis one day before her 28th birthday was a shock for Donofree. She spent the next year going through rounds of chemotherapy, undergoing reconstructive surgeries, and taking Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody used to treat HER2positive breast cancer.

A cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment can be stressful for anyone, but what was most stressful

Photography courtsey of AnaOno Intimates

BY BRITT JULIOUS

for Donofree was figuring out how to dress her new invite everybody over to my house and [say], ‘Well, body. “When I went through all my reconstruction and we’re going to have wine and cheese, and then I’m my expanders came out, my implants went in, and I going to ask you to try on bras,’” jokes Donofree. expected in that moment to be ‘normal’ again. And I The first group was eclectic, from a woman still in wasn’t,” Donofree says. It was hard for her, for example, expanders to a friend who’d gotten a single mastectomy to look in the mirror and see a body with no hair, no to a friend who got a lumpectomy. Although Donofree eyebrows, no nipples, and, as she described them, assumed their vastly different physical experiences “odd-shaped structures on my chest that weren’t the would prove to be a design hindrance, the opposite things I called boobs.” was true. “What ended up happening was [I thought], Donofree’s first step to understanding and apprewow, I actually can help more women because your ciating her changing body was to get a mastectomy body is so different than my body, but it works for both tattoo. “I ended up getting a tree of life tattooed around of us,” Donofree says. my chest with the lines of a demi bra to [...] flatter the

Since then, AnaOno has expanded to a wide lines of my chest so I could feel like I had a sexy shape variety of products, including swimwear, sports bras, on my body,” Donofree says. AnaOno was born soon and bras made for flat-chested women. A loungewear after. line will drop soon. In 2017, AnaOno participated

As a young breast cancer warrior, Donofree’s in a joint New York Fashion Week show with the life was radically different than the women she often late Champagne Joy, creator of #Cancerland, to viral encountered or learned about success. while in treatment. “We see “I’ve gone through the cancer As AnaOno the brand conbreast cancer as our grandtinues to expand, Donofree (10 process, and I knew what mother’s disease, but it isn’t,” years into her own breast cancer parts of that process were she says. “While you guys are journey) continues to grow and talking about your kids and change as well. Carrying the the biggest struggles to me. your grandkids, I’m thinking, weight of cancer for 10 years has I thought about how I could been heavy for the designer. She can I even have kids?”

AnaOno is made for a new to occasionally feeling have made my life easier.” admits type of cancer patient—one like jealous of other people that have Donofree, one whose life is just gotten cancer and then moved on. getting started. All designers aim to solve a problem Throughout the years, she has lost numerous friends, in their work. For Donofree, those problems commore than most people her age. But despite it all, she pounded against each other. But as a cancer warrior still feels gratitude for the life she’s lived and the work herself, finding her first test model was easy. “I’ve gone she’s done. through the cancer process, and I knew what parts of “I can look at the last 10 years of my life and that process were the biggest struggles to me. I thought see what has changed and what impact I’ve had and the about how I could have made my life easier,” Donofree work I’ve been able to do,” Donofree begins. “I don’t recalls. necessarily peer down the road for 20 years thinking

After using herself as a test subject, Donofree about the day I’ll retire [...] If I don’t love what I’m tested women from the Young Survival Coalition in doing every minute now, then it doesn’t really count Philadelphia, a group for young breast cancer patients and it’s not worth it. I have to live now.” she joined after moving to the city. “I would always

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Recover in Style

BY BETHANY KANDEL

These organizations offer free-of-charge pampering services to help patients feel beautiful when cancer treatments have them feeling their worst.

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oing through cancer treatment is tough.

Becoming bald, boobless, and scared hits even harder. Thankfully, there are helpful and generous people offering those battling cancer ways to recover their outer beauty when at their lowest.

“Cancer can take my breasts and my hair, but not my lipstick and heels,” says Anna Crollman, who blogs about all things cancer at MyCancerChic.com. She offers hope, inspiration, and advice through fashion, beauty, and product tips and tutorials to help women navigate cancer and beyond with sparkle and style. Here are some other organizations who help cancer patients pamper their body and soul.

CHEMOCESSORIZE Ten years ago, when Iris Lee Knell was bald after receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, she threw on bright scarves, turbans, and jewelry. The compliments rolled in. Later, she gifted a set of accessories like these to a friend’s mother also going through treatment, and an idea was born.

Knell collects new and gently used scarves, turbans, earrings, necklaces, rings, pins, and bracelets. Since then, her volunteer nonprofit, Chemocessories, has sent almost 8,000 free accessory sets to cancer patients in all 50 states.

“You don’t want to look sick. You want to look beautiful,” Knell says. “When you put on a Chemocessories set and match it to your clothing, you’re ready to tackle your day.”

Visit chemocessories.org to learn more.

BRINGING BEAUTY HOME Sometimes during treatment, you just can’t get up and out the door for anything but a doctor’s visit, and your beauty routine may suffer. Enter Beauty Bus. For those living in Los Angeles County in California, the bus will come to your home or a pop-up salon in your hospital and provide free beauty services including hair, makeup, nails, and facials for seriously ill patients and their caregivers. They also provide a goodie bag with hundreds of dollars worth of products so the pampering can continue.

Beauty Bus was founded 10 years ago in memory of Melissa Marantz Nealy, who lost her life at age 28 to a degenerative neuromuscular disease. When she became homebound, her family arranged for in-home haircuts and manicures to help her feel “normal” again.

The organization has since nurtured almost 14,000 people in her honor.

“So much of care for cancer patients becomes about quality of care; Beauty Bus remembers quality of life,” says Wendy Marantz Levine, Beauty Bus co-founder and Melissa’s sister. “Until there is a cure for cancer, we will be there with our hair dryers and lipstick standing

by families in their darkest times to bring compassion, loving kindness, and support.”

Visit beautybus.org to learn more.

RED CARPET TREATMENT Kim Becker never gets tired of saying “Hello, gorgeous!”

That’s how she answers her phone, and it’s the name of her nonprofit which provides head-to-toe makeovers out of a mobile day spa for women battling cancer.

“We have a palace on wheels that pulls up unannounced to their home and treats them like a queen for a day when they don’t feel so special,” Becker explains.

“We want to pamper them and restore the beauty that cancer has stolen. They deserve it.”

For 14 years, the Hello Gorgeous nonprofit has

surprised deserving women nominated around South Bend, Indiana, with chocolates and flowers. They then receive a complimentary day of mani-pedis, facials, hair, and makeovers, plus instruction on how to deal with the physical effects of cancer. Finally, there is a new outfit and a reveal party, where they are reintroduced to friends and family to celebrate.

The organization has expanded to enlist 33 affiliate salons in 15 states to offer a similar experience. Her goal: having her team train and certify two salons in every city in the U.S. Visit hellogorgeous.org to learn more.

BEAUTIFUL EMPOWERMENT When you’re in treatment, everybody rallies around you, notes cancer survivor and beauty expert Jillian Rezo, co-founder of BeautifulSelf.org. You see your doctors regularly; you have a whole support system. And then about a year out, you’re a survivor, and people expect you to get over it. “But emotionally, mentally, physically, psychologically, you’re in a new world, waiting to return to a life that you once knew, in a body that you no longer understand,” she says.

That’s the woman Beautiful Self wants to help.

The New Jersey-based organization offers transformative, empowering photo and video sessions that coach women struggling with self-love after cancer treatment into seeing themselves as beautiful again. “We use the power of glamour and photo documentation to allow a survivor to explore and rediscover what she perceives as lost to breast cancer,” says Rezo.

“There is beauty in who you are now, whether you have no breasts, or are covered in scars. We help you see yourself in a whole new light,” she says. Survivors who need the service are not charged, but there is currently a hold on the one-year waiting list.

Visit beautifulself.org to learn more.

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THE RIGHT TO WORK

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Excellence is personalized cancer care.

Care for advanced cancer is evolving. One of the driving forces is cancer genomics, the study of cancer genes and therapeutic implications.

We now know that the results of cancer treatment often depend on your — and your cancer genes — genomic makeup.

At the Rush University Cancer Center, we use genomic testing to find treatment options that may prolong survival or improve your quality of life This approach is called precision oncology.

“Precision oncology is about tailoring treatment to each patient by determining which patients are likely to benefit from particular treatments,” says Mia Levy, MD, PhD, co-director of the Rush Precision Oncology Program and the Sheba Foundation Director of the Rush University Cancer Center.

As one of the few programs of its kind across the country, the Rush Precision Oncology Program offers genomic testing and profiling for people who have advanced-stage cancers or cancers that had previously been considered untreatable.

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Incorporating patients’ genomic data with their health and treatment history, our expert team will create a personalized care plan that may include therapies that have been FDA-approved for other purposes (offlabel) or clinical trials.

Leaders in precision oncology The Rush Precision Oncology Program is led by doctors who have shaped the field of precision oncology. Our team also works closely with other nationally renowned cancer specialists throughout the Rush University Cancer Center to provide multidisciplinary care to every patient.

“This is a watershed moment in cancer, where we are understanding and treating cancer as we never have before,” says Ashiq Masood, MD, co-director of the Rush Precision Oncology Program. “With precision oncology, we are understanding cancer at a molecular level and personalizing care by targeting specific markers based on a tumor’s genetic make-up.”

For more information about the Rush Precision Oncology Program and the Rush University Cancer Center, visit rush.edu/cancer or call (312) CANCER-1.

The Right to Work When Angela Perez was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, knowing her rights allowed her to navigate the workplace and remain productive.

BY SUSAN LORIMOR

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W

hen Angela Perez of San Diego was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in January 2017, she was fortunate to work in the same building as her union’s president, who explained her workplace rights.

Perez, who was diagnosed at age 38, became wheelchair-bound as multiple myeloma, which forms in the bone marrow, attacked her right tibia. She had no way to hide her diagnosis from her supervisor at the San Diego Unified School District, which can be the initial desire of those with cancer, as they fear they will otherwise lose their jobs or will not be able to find another one.

The number of cancer survivors in the U.S. is growing—there is expected to be 20.3 million survivors by 2026, up from 15.5 million in 2016, according to the National Cancer Institute. This means there are more survivors of the prime employment ages of 25 to 54. However, cancer survivors are 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed than those who have never been diagnosed, according to a 2009 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

HR and Employment Law News reported in 2015 that just 21 percent of job applicants who disclosed their cancer diagnosis received a call back from managers during the hiring process; 37 percent of those who did not disclose were called back.

Fortunately for Perez, her boss was understanding and made the necessary accommodations to allow her to work as she received treatment. When Perez did get sick, she learned she had workplace protection offered through the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. The ADA defines cancer as a disability and requires state and local government employees, as well as private employers with more than 15 employees, to make reasonable accommodations for those with the disease, unless doing so would cause undue hardship, such as a significant expense. Additionally, the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA,

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provides employees the right to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave due to an illness or as they care for an ill dependent, without losing their job.

For Perez, receiving reasonable accommodations meant she was able to leave work early on Friday for treatment and take the following Monday off to recover.

For others, reasonable accommodations can mean employers provide them periodic breaks, a private area in which to rest, or the flexibility to work from home.

“I think this is one of those things that you don’t think about until it happens to you,” says Rebecca Nellis, the executive director of Cancer and Careers. Cancer and Careers is a nonprofit offering resources such as webinars and conferences to help diagnosed individuals.

“Before it’s about advocating for yourself, it’s about making a decision about whether you want to tell, and if you do want to share anything, how much and to whom.”

Nellis says most people diagnosed with cancer do not know that the ADA will protect them.

And, depending upon where one lives, there are state laws that also provide protections.

But, according to Nellis, looking out for oneself begins with deciding whether to disclose a diagnosis. “Before it’s about advocating for yourself, it’s about making a decision about whether you want to tell, and if you do want to share anything, how much and to whom,” she says.

In order to receive certain protections, one would need to disclose their disability to their employer.

Nellis suggests before employees do anything, they speak with their health care team to discuss what their job entails and how treatment could affect their ability to work.

“Think about what the solutions are,” Nellis says. “If you walk in knowing what you need and also how you can get what you need in a way that supports the goals of your workplace and your role, then you have already kind of taken the conversation to the next level in terms of advocating for yourself.”

Assess the workplace. Who are your allies? Who will be supportive of you? How were others treated when they took maternity leave? Thinking about these things can help you know how to address the situation.

If additional concerns or more formalized questions linger, they can be addressed by those within the legal community. Pro-bono assistance may be available for those with cancer.

If you feel you are being treated differently because of disclosure of your diagnosis—for instance, if you were fired, passed over for a promotion, or taken off of high-profile projects—then it is time to reach out for additional help. An attorney may advise you on how to handle the situation.

Nellis recommends keeping a work diary, especially if you are concerned you’re going to be treated differently, so you don’t have to rely on memory to know when specific events happened.

For instance, a log might include: “This is the day when I was supposed to be working on the X account, but I got moved to the Y account, and this happened, and then this happened,” Nellis says.

Ultimately, the ideal situation would be one where those who have been diagnosed with cancer and wish to remain working would have a supportive workplace like Perez did. The courage that Perez gained from fighting multiple myeloma and the knowledge she acquired from Cancer and Careers has inspired her to apply for a promotion. “It was something that I had always wanted before I was diagnosed [...] I’m just not scared of the certain challenges that the position holds. Challenges don’t scare me.”

Efforts to Ban Glyphosate Extend Worldwide A number of countries throughout the world have taken steps to either restrict or ban glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. Glyphosate has helped grow food and stamp out weeds since it was introduced by Monsanto in 1974.

But the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The weed killer has recently been linked to a variety of cancers, including Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Bayer, owner of Monsanto, is now looking to settle more than 18,000 lawsuits related to Roundup totaling $8 billion.

Countries included in the efforts to ban glyphosate are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Denmark, India, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.

Chicago’s Legal Resource VogelzangLaw.com • 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 350, Chicago, IL

312-614-1661

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the supporter

TONY IANNESSA AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

I found it. I knew something wasn’t right.

I told my wife Alex over and over and over and over again. I continued to pester her: Go see the doctor. When she finally made an appointment, [they thought] it was nothing. My daughter was 11 months at the time, [and my wife] was still breastfeeding. She was 31 years old at the time, so when we first found the lump, nobody thought it was cancer. The doctor said that it was probably a clogged milk duct. But it wasn’t. She was diagnosed with stage II triple-negative breast cancer.

Because Alex would have to go through chemotherapy, we did preemptive IVF. Later, she did 16 rounds of chemotherapy, the AC, and then she got into a clinical trial with the drug Keytruda. Almost every Monday for four to six months, we were at the University of Chicago all day. She ultimately had a bilateral mastectomy.

I handled this whole situation very much like a business. For better or worse, right or wrong, I compartmentalized everything. When I was [at work], I focused on work. When I was home, I focused on being home. I kind of turned into a robot. I didn’t know any other way to get through it.

I became an advocate for my wife. I’d ask questions; I got a lot of answers I wasn’t comfortable with.

I did my own research, and we still missed things. I shudder to think what people who are less educated, can’t speak the language, or don’t have the financial means have to go through. We’re not the experts, but that doesn’t mean they know all the answers, either.

That didn’t allow me any time to deal with the emotional stuff that came along with it. Once you get done with the treatment, you’re only just beginning.

It’s a work in progress. We’re trying to get back to where we were, but it’s never going to be the same.

To hear more from Tony, visit cancerwellness.com

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After the fact, I discovered Imerman Angels, and I decided I was going to become a mentor.

I have three or four guys that are my age going through a very similar experience to mine. I know that it helps. And somewhat selfishly, I have a group of guys I can talk to about stuff my friends or brothers or parents don’t understand.

Photo by Adrian C. Garcia

Once you get done with the treatment, you’re only just beginning. It’s a work in progress. We’re trying to get back to where we were, but it’s never going to be the same.

WE’RE IN THE NEW CANCER COMMUNITY. WE FIGHT.

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“I can’t say enough praise about Nick and his crew. Extremely supportive in your time of need.

I couldn’t believe how they really care and will do anything in their power to help you.”

M. Alexander “Although we were clients, Nick made us feel like family.”

R. Richards

Taking cancer cases nationwide VogelzangLaw.com • 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 350, Chicago, IL 108

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