Issue 8 : The Women's Health Issue

FALL 2020

INFLUENCING CANCER

BLOGGERS CETA WALTERS AND KAMELIA BRITTON ON

THE WOMEN’S HEALTH ISSUE: STARRING TRACY BUTLER AND THE LEADING LADIES OF NEWS

THEIR CANCER JOURNEYS

RETHINKING ESSENTIAL OILS

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN

US $10.00

ARC helps me feel normal. – Said many cancer patients using ARC

To purchase and learn more about ARC, visit thergy.com

Feel Better While Getting Better. Inside and Out.

LETTER from the Editor

Photo courtsey of Allison Hoover Photography

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love celebrating accomplished, awe-inspiring women. “The Loudest Voices,” our new cover story (p. 54), is a celebration of six such women, all Chicago household names and media personalities. The public esteem these media mavens have cultivated throughout the years has won them awards, but what’s truly remarkable is how they use their stardom to bolster cancer awareness and philanthropy. Opening up to cW, these women share the motivations behind their advocacy and desire to change the way the public relates to cancer.

Speaking of change, I must admit that I have yet to fully find my stride in this COVID-19, “new normal” world.

My stride fluctuates wildly in pace (like my at-home internet speed) and direction, and this highly tumultuous world is simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting to operate in.

Along with social distancing regulations, mandatory masks, travel limitations and cooler weather comes a good deal of time spent in our homes. This has forced change in several important areas. It has catapulted certain technologies and services, like telehealth to the forefront of developments in patient care (p. 84). It has also inspired many home improvement projects, like my own yet-to-be completed back deck. If this sounds like you, make sure to read our story “Healthy Home, Healthy You” (p. 12) by freelancer Maria C. Hunt, which illustrates how to limit noxious chemicals and toxins from your abode.

As a true lover of and believer in travel, not doing so feels unnatural and claustrophobic, and sometimes even inspires daydreams of running out the door. In an effort to combat my own impulsive flight response, I have been leaning heavily on a couple of trusty meditation apps including “Calm.” I encourage you to read our story on guided imagery (p. 40), which has offered many cancer warriors and thrivers peace during difficult times.

Whether you are suffering from restlessness, anxiety or physical pain, guided imagery meditation can offer relief while strengthening our understanding of just how much power we have to alter our own perspective by fine-tuning our thoughts.

With this, I invite you to take a couple of deep breaths and turn your focus to the powerful thoughts, stories and voices of leadership and courage from our community in this new issue.

With love and gratitude,

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

CHERYLE JACKSON CLAUDIA “SUNNY” HAYES MARIA LUISA GONZALEZ DAMIAN BUCHMAN

FALL 2020 AROUND TOWN 47

THE FUTURE OF FUNDING Nonprofits are facing a changing financial landscape when fundraising in the time of COVID-19.

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MANO A MANO, CON PODER Mano a Mano is empowering Latinx communities and immigrants through health resources to diminish cancer disparities among minorities.

ENTERTAINMENT 54

THE LOUDEST VOICES How some of the best and brightest Chicago women journalists are speaking up for the cancer community.

FASHION 80

KAMELIA BRITTON P. 28 NUTRITION 21

RESOURCES 27

A DIETETIC DISPARITY ASK THE CANCER COACH Approaching nutrition and wellness through Meet Mirela Kopier, our certifed cancer an anti-bias, anti-racist and culturally sensi- coach, in this new cW column. tive lens with Maya Feller, R.D.N.

MIND & BODY 24

CLOSING THE GAP The Gardasil vaccine can eliminate all HPV-related cancer types—and it’s not just girls who should be getting the shot.

LEAVING A MARK Paramedical tattoo artists like Elsa Milani are rethinking ink to help cancer thrivers feel like themselves again.

84

THE INS AND OUTS OF TELEHEALTH Everything you need to know for your next virtual house call.

COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

CANCER & THE ENVIRONMENT

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91

JUST THE ESSENTIALS Don’t let pesky MLMs give the wrong impression of essential oils as supplementary treatment.

THE CANCER-CLIMATE CONUNDRUM Climate change can affect cancer risk, survival and care accessibility in monumental ways.

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CAYLEI VOGELZANG Editor-in-Chief BRITT JULIOUS Editorial Director

NATALIA ESPINOSA Creative Director FEATURES Senior Editor TAYLOR NOVAK Editor-at-Large MIRELA KOPIER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KAMELIA BRITTON, NATALIE CRAIG, ALYSSE DALESSANDRO SANTIAGO, CATHERINE EVES, MARIA C. HUNT, MAURA KELLER, SUSAN LORIMOR, SHERYL NANCE-NASH, MARIA TRIPODIS, ELIZABETH TUCKWELL, ERIKA R. WHITEHEAD

IN-HOUSE PHOTO & VIDEO SARAH BELL

PHOTOGRAPHERS SARAH BELL, JOHN KHUU, KATRINA WITTKAMP

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD NATALIE CRAIG, DENA DODD PERRY, SHIKHA JAIN, GAIL PRINS, GLEN STEVENS, MARIA TRIPODIS

OPERATIONS JACK SAXE-STARAL

ACCOUNT MANAGER ALLISON STERN

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST KALLIE APPLEGATE

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ISABEL GARCIA

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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401 N. MICHIGAN AVE. SUITE 325 CHICAGO, IL 60611

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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

CONTRIB UTORS

KAMELIA BRITTON

SARAH BELL

WRITER

IN-HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER

Kamelia Britton was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in July 2019. Already an established blogger, she chose to share her full story with her audience to help other women who would unknowingly receive a diagnosis. Kamelia shares information on everything from freezing your eggs to the best hair extensions after chemo. You can follow Kamelia on Instagram at @Kamelia.Britton and check out her blog at KameliaBritton.com.

Sarah Bell is a photographer and videographer at Cancer Wellness. Her main goal in photographing any subject is to tell a compelling story. She learned many years ago that the power one can hold in capturing meaningful moments and providing a platform to give others a voice is not to be taken lightly. Sarah is passionate about food, portrait, documentary and lifestyle photography. She received a degree in Photojournalism from the University of Missouri.

KATRINA WITTKAMP PHOTOGRAPHER

Raised in the mountains of North Carolina, photographer Katrina Wittkamp is a former Chicago Tribune photo editor and avid snowboarder. She lives in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago with her two children and has called the city home for the last 24 years. When she isn’t taking photos, you can find her running outside in Chicago or on the slopes in Colorado.

ALYSSE DALESSANDRO SANTIAGO WRITER

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Alysse Dalessandro Santiago is a plus-size fashion and travel blogger, LGBTQ+ influencer, writer, designer and professional speaker. As a creative entrepreneur, she is best known as the creator of the body positive fashion brand turned lifestyle blog, Ready to Stare, founded in 2012. Alysse was named one of NBC Out’s #Pride50 in 2019 and one of Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People in 2018.

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cW Online WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

RUNWAY THERAPY Lolita Frazier created Strut Talk to help cancer warriors, thrivers and others learn how to strut through life’s most difficult challenges.

#FIGHTERFRIDAY: EMBRACING THE BATTLE When Army Col. Doug Thomas was diagnosed with epithelioid mesothelioma in May at the age of just 45, he chose to return to the basic principles of service that guided him over the years.

#FIGHTERFRIDAY: A RELUCTANT WARRIOR Matt Newman says cancer hasn’t stopped him from inspiring other warriors to take charge of their own lives in the face of a diagnosis.

More stories at CancerWellness.com

ON @CANCERWELLMAG, WE ASKED: How have you become an advocate for your health on your cancer journey?

“I WRITE ABOUT IT. HAD SO MUCH TO SAY, IT BECAME A FIVE-PART SERIES.” - @SILVERLININGVEGAS “I TOLD THEM I WANTED A BMX TO FLAT AND I WASN’T INTERESTED IN ANY OTHER OPTION [...] I ALSO QUESTIONED EVERYTHING AND ASKED FOR EVIDENCED BASED RESEARCH TO READ THROUGH PRIOR TO ALL MY CHEMO TREATMENTS.” - @RUNNING_THROUGH_THE_MOTIONS “MY DOCTOR TOLD ME IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE PAGET’S DISEASE WHEN I SUGGESTED HAVING IT. I WAS 26 WITH NO FAMILY HISTORY, SO I HAD TO FIGHT FOR A MAMMO. AFTER MANY [MONTHS], I HAD A BREAST SURGEON GIVE ME A SCRIPT AND THEY FOUND I HAD DCIS AND PAGET’S.” - @REBECCAJULINET

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“FORGET ABOUT YESTERDAY, DON’T THINK ABOUT TOMORROW, FOCUS ON TODAY. CANCER OR NOT, LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DO OTHERWISE.”

#cW MANTRA

Photo by Oriana Koren

- Theresa Sundstrom, breast cancer warrior, @quarantiniandchemo

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the warrior

CYNDI GERDEZ AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

To hear more from Cindy, visit cancerwellness.com 10

Cancer Wellness

They diagnosed me with acid reflux, [but] a year after, I got really bad pains in my stomach and went to the emergency room thinking it was going to be my appendix.

Through a CAT scan, they discovered a big tumor on my kidney that was pushing everything up and out. [I was] devastated. They [had] just kept saying, ‘Oh, [you] have an acid reflux problem.’ That’s what they kept telling me without testing me for anything.

I had surgery and had the kidney removed. Then I started doing [oral chemo]. I’ve been on four different pills and I’ve done two other treatments. I did interleukin and then I did a [clinical] trial at the University of Chicago like a year ago. None of [it] has worked until the last pill [I tried].

It’s been a year in March, and so far, so good.

I don’t know why it’s been different. My doctor just says everybody responds differently. There are two pills I take together. I feel better overall so far because the last three scans I’ve had have shown there’s no activity of the cancer.

I was diagnosed in November 2013 and six months later, I found out it metastasized. Life expectancy [for] kidney cancer is usually about two to five years, and I’ve exceeded that.

It really helps to have a doctor you trust and really like. My first doctor ... I did not like or trust. She told me there was only one pill out there for me. If I stayed alive a year, that would be a good thing, but she didn’t think I was going to make it a year. I found a different doctor through some friends. I think you have to trust your doctor and be comfortable with your doctor to make it all work. He’s always a step ahead of the program. He thinks outside the box. He’s upfront with you. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but he’s already got a plan if this one fails. He’s been fabulous.

Now, I live for today instead of [for] a week from now.

I try to do more things now than I’ve done before. I see the grandkids more. We travel a little more, try to see the world a little more. Jamaica was outstanding. The Netherlands and Belgium were great. Maine was beautiful, especially if you go in October.

Now, I live for today instead of [for] a week from now. I try to do more things now than

I’ve done before

I get a lot of support from my family and my husband supports and helps me a lot. He’s helped me truly through all of it, like 100 percent.

Photo by Sarah Bell

I was sick for about a year, coughing all the time and throwing up.

cW Chat

Philadelphia educator Erika Wimms’ teachings have expanded beyond just the classroom as she works to spread early awareness about breast cancer in Black communities.

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

Photo provided by Erika Wimms

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early 14 years ago, Erika Wimms discovered the 3 millimeter-sized protrusion on her chest that would end up redefining her role as an educator forever.

Wimms has been a teacher in the Philadelphia area for 27 years, and that specific morning began like any other. It wasn’t until Wimms, 35 at the time, felt a sharp pain in her right breast while walking down the school hallway that things took an unexpected turn.

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of a triple negative breast cancer diagnosis, mammograms, biopsies and surgery.

“I had no time to process it at all, other than telling my job I was having surgery and navigating the logistics with two young children,” Wimms says. Her husband had just started a new job that limited his ability to take time off. Fortunately, Wimms’ parents and sister lived nearby and quickly stepped up while members of the school community dropped off meals and gave handmade cards and gift cards to the family.

Wimms’ surgery removed what appeared to be all of the cancer but because she was in her mid-30s, her oncologist recommended four months of chemotherapy and 30 rounds of radiation for prevention purposes.

Eventually, about a year later, Wimms was officially able to begin her cancer-free life and return to teaching.

In her free time, she fundraised and participated in Susan G. Komen Philadelphia’s Race for the Cure but started feeling like there was more she wanted to do in the breast cancer community.

That seed was first planted in 2007 when Wimms attended her first Race for the Cure event in Philadelphia, shortly after her treatment had ended. “I remember looking around and thinking how few Black women I saw participating,” she says. “That stayed on my mind.”

According to the CDC, Black women and white women get cancer at about the same rate, but Black women die from it at a higher rate. Five years ago, Wimms finally felt ready to share her story to increase early cancer awareness in Black communities.

“As an educator, I teach little ones all the time,” says Wimms. “I figured I could teach big ones too.” She says it comes across differently when Black women see someone who looks like them spreading awareness. Whenever she has a day off from teaching second grade, Wimms volunteers through Komen Philadelphia’s outreach programs and makes a point to attend events in the predominantly Black communities and areas of Philadelphia whose residents make up 44 percent of the city’s total population.

With the COVID-19 virus, Breast Cancer Awareness

Month may look different this October when it comes to in-person events. Impacts can still be made, though.

For those who are able, Wimms encourages donations to Komen Philadelphia, specifically its new Patient Assistance Program that provides men and women in breast cancer treatment with $500 annually for everyday costs like groceries and transportation.

Wimms believes this program is crucial to Black women by showing how Komen can offer various types of financial support – a key focus in her own activism and advocacy. “I try to make sure that women, and Black women especially, understand that organizations like Komen have funds for people like them,” she says. “I think, as Black women, we take charge of things and care for everybody else and put ourselves last. We have to make ourselves a priority and accept help when we really need it.”

Contact Erika Wimms for engagement and speaking inquiries: nomorebc@yahoo.com. Anyone wishing to donate to help ensure adequate funds in Komen Philadelphia’s Patient Assistance Program can do so at KomenPhiladelphia.org/donate.

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A house is a sanctuary, but the materials used to create your home may be impacting your wellbeing. We deconstruct the toxins you can avoid to create a safer – and healthier – abode.

Photos provided by HHB-Healthy Home Builders

BY MARIA C. HUNT

our home is meant to be a nurturing and safe

refuge to cook meals with family and friends, relax on the sofa to watch a movie, or snuggle into bed to recharge and dream. But you may be surprised to learn that your home is likely full of unseen toxins in your sofa, mattress and cabinetry that can increase your cancer risk over time.

“The most shocking thing was how many chemicals are in everything,” says Alaina Penn, a commercial interior designer in Atlanta. She took a sustainability class while she was studying design. “Any material with toxins, such as in paint or the upholstery you’re sitting on […] that can impact your body internally.” The skin is the largest organ, and it’s permeable, absorbing toxins. And as toxins are off-gassed into the air, we breathe them in. Penn earned a healthy home design certification from Wellness Within Your Walls, an interior environment advocacy and education organization in Atlanta.

Penn is also part of a growing number of designers, builders and architects dedicated to helping clients create homes that are free of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, radon and benzene. Making safer choices goes a long way in keeping you healthy, whether you’re dealing with chemical sensitivities or recovering from cancer.

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CLEAN AIR + WATER “We’re all about the air and water, that’s where it starts,” says Jan Flanzer, president and co-founder of Healthy Home Builders (HHB) in Scarsdale, New York.

And that makes sense because air and water are essential for life.

After exposure to toxic mold, Flanzer decided to root out toxins throughout her home. Now, her team specializes in non-toxic new construction and remodeling projects. They use building materials free of VOCs, such as untreated solid maple or poplar cabinetry and recycled denim as insulation instead of chemical foam that’s made from petroleum. Fumes are linked to causing headaches and respiratory problems, plus petrochemicals can accumulate in the body over time, disrupting the endocrine system and hormone production.

Every project starts with a ventilation system that brings fresh air inside and sends stale air outside. The fresh air is filtered and purified, and the homeowner can set controls to determine the temperature and how fast the air enters the house. Because tap water across the U.S. can be contaminated with lead, mercury and pesticides, every HHB home gets a whole-house water filtration system installed at the water source, plus smaller carbon filters in the kitchen or bathroom. “If you do this properly with non-toxic materials, your house is safe,” Flanzer says.

FIGHTING FORMALDEHYDE

For Andy Pace, his aha moment came 28 years ago, when a crew from his family’s construction business was finishing a parking lot with a water-based sealer. When nearby residents complained of the odor, he thought they were exaggerating. But when three workers were rushed to the hospital with breathing problems, Pace was shaken. That started his quest to find safer home construction materials and products.

“Ninety percent of the toxicity issues inside the home will be caused by things you can see and touch,” says Pace, founder of the Green Design Center, a resource for nontoxic building supplies and education based in Wisconsin.

He consults on projects around the world and hosts the Non-Toxic Environments podcast.

While most people avoid asbestos and lead, Pace said many are unaware of formaldehyde, a VOC that the World Health Organization and National Toxicology Program call a known carcinogen. It’s found in flame retardants commonly added to flooring and textiles, foam inside of furniture, and adhesives in particleboard and pressedwood furniture. As these products age, formaldehyde is released into the air and onto our skin.

“With low-level exposure over a long period of time, our body builds up these toxins, and at some point, people can’t filter it out any more, and you start getting reactions,” Pace says.

He performs a test that measures the amount of formaldehyde being released by various surfaces in the home.

The most significant source of toxins he sees? Wallto-wall carpeting. “I’ve tested carpeting that’s 28 years old that is still off-gassing toxic levels of formaldehyde,” he says. “Carpet becomes a sponge […] for what else is in the room.” Pace prefers hard flooring, natural hardwood, cork or porcelain tile laid with non-toxic grout.

PURE PAINT Painting the walls or staining your wood trim is an easy

way to refresh a room. But when you smell paint or stain drying, you’re inhaling VOCs added to help the products apply smoothly or dry faster. The worst offenders include benzene, a known carcinogen, and methylene chloride, a solvent found in paint thinner that the EPA says likely causes cancer in humans. Other chemicals commonly found in paint are xylene, toluene and acetone, which can cause eye and lung irritation and headaches.

Mandy Cheng, an interior designer based in Los Angeles, says it’s easy today to find low-toxin paints. That’s what she used when she designed The Live Oak House, a LEED Platinum home in St. Augustine, Florida. “Make sure when you’re buying paint, you get zero-VOC paint,” Cheng says.

Do your research and read the label to make sure your paints and stains meet strict Green Seal guidelines for lowor no-VOC labels. The non-profit organization sets environmental standards that limit a low VOC paint to 50 grams per liter, while zero-VOC paint to 5 grams of VOCs per liter.

SAFER HOME CHOICES Our experts shared these low and zero-toxin products and resources for everything from paint to furniture to bedding.

PAINT/STAINS Zero-VOC paints include Benjamin Moore Aura, AFM SafeCoat, and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint, made from milk protein and mineral pigments. Rubio Monocoat is a zero-VOC, wax-based wood stain.

CARPETING Earth Weave carpet is wool fiber that’s free of flame retardants and pesticides down to the backing made of jute, cotton and natural tree rubber. Look for area rugs labeled non-toxic or organic – “natural” is a meaningless marketing buzzword.

FLOORING Amorim Wise is a waterproof cork flooring, while Forbo Marmoleum is a plant-based linoleum that follows a 150-year-old craft.

FURNITURE Cisco Home makes sustainable furniture by hand, while Urban Natural promises toxin-free sofas, chairs and beds.

MATTRESS Flanzer only works with OMI, an organic mattress maker.

TEXTILES Look for organic sheets and towels from Coyuchi and Pottery Barn. Avoid anything marketed as flame- or wrinkle-resistant.

KITCHEN Choose only solid hardwood cabinetry; the cleanest woods are poplar and maple. Avoid granite counters which can release radon gas and anything made from pressed wood, plywood or medium-density fibreboard (MDF).

BATHROOM Opt for hardwood vanities, non-toxic caulking by AFM SafeCoat and powdered grout to avoid antimicrobials and nanosilver in wet preparations.

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nutrition 16 LIFE IS GOURD 21 A DIETETIC DISPARITY

Life is Gourd

Allow the flavors of fall to ease you into this season. These anti-inflammatory dishes balance out the sweet, the savory, the acid and the spice and will have your friends and family feeling the love.

BY MARIA TRIPODIS

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH ROSEMARY AND FETA Yield: 4 servings 1 medium butternut squash, whole 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped 1 teaspoon salt 4 ounces feta, crumbled

SHAVED BRUSSELS SPROUTS SALAD

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oven to 415 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, then cut each piece in half again, making 4 large chunks.

3. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.

4. Cut the butternut squash into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary and salt.

6. Add butternut squash cubes and toss until squash is evenly coated.

7. Pour the mixture onto the lined baking sheet and spread evenly. (NOTE: Keep the mixing bowl for the final step.)

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until squash edges begin to brown.

9. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

10. Add the roasted squash back into the large mixing bowl. Toss in the crumbled feta and serve.

NOTE: Save the seeds! Clean them off under running water with a strainer to remove the fibrous strands. Roast them in the oven with olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Add to salads or eat them on their own.

Yield: 4 servings

ALKALINE CHAI-SPICED GINGER SMOOTHIE Yield: 1 serving 1/2 inch fresh or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 inch fresh or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 ripe avocado, peeled with pit removed 1/2 fresh or frozen banana, peeled 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 3/4 cup almond or oat milk (unsweetened) 1/2 cup spinach 3 dates, dried and pitted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup filtered water 4-6 ice cubes 1 scoop protein powder (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. If using fresh ginger and turmeric, peel skin off with a spoon or a sharp knife.

2. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Top with ground cinnamon and serve immediately.

2 cups whole brussels sprouts 1/2 cup raw almonds 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/2 cup white onion, thinly sliced 1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed, sliced 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 small apple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Rinse brussels sprouts under cold water to clean.

2. Roughly chop almonds and add to a small mixing bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, garlic powder and thyme.

Toss until evenly coated.

3. Pour almond mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

4. With a sharp knife, remove the stem of each brussels sprout and thinly shred. Add to a large mixing bowl.

5. Add onion, avocado, pomegranate seeds, parmesan cheese, apple and roasted almonds.

6. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Mix until well combined. Pour over salad and mix until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

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STUFFED TOMATOES WITH PISTACHIO PESTO AND MOZZARELLA Yield: 4 servings 4 large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes 1/2 cup salted pistachios, shelled 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to season) 2 cloves of garlic, whole, peeled 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme 1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for drizzling) 3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped 1 cup shredded mozzarella

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Slice 1/2 inch off the top of each tomato. Save tops. Remove the seeds and juice. Season the insides of each tomato with salt and add to an 8-by-8 inch baking dish.

3. In a food processor, add pistachios, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, basil, thyme and olive oil. Pulse until well combined.

Transfer to a bowl and add golden raisins.

4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each tomato. Add shredded mozzarella cheese. Layer another spoonful of the mixture and another layer of mozzarella.

Keep layering until the tomatoes are fully stuffed.

5. Add the tops back on to the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil.

6. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

TUSCAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH SUNDRIED TOMATOES Yield: 2 servings 1 spaghetti squash Olive oil 1/8 teaspoon salt (more to season) 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup spinach 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 tablespoons fresh basil 1/4 cup soft goat cheese Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

PREPARATION:

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. With a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise.

3. Scoop out the fibrous strands and seeds with a spoon. (Note: Save seeds to roast if desired.)

4. Drizzle each half liberally with olive oil and spread evenly. Season with salt.

5. Place squash halves on the lined baking sheet, cut-sides down. Roast for 50-60 minutes.

6. Let cool for 20 minutes.

7. With a fork, scrape flesh and add to a bowl. Set aside.

8. Heat a large skillet over high. Add and melt butter.

9. Add sliced garlic. Once garlic begins to brown, reduce heat to medium and add sundried tomatoes and pine nuts.

Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until pine nuts begin to brown.

10. Add spaghetti squash, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

11. Add spinach and basil. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

12. Remove from heat.

13 Mix in goat cheese until the cheese is fully melted and incorporated. Add lemon juice. Serve immediately.

A Dietetic Disparity BIPOC communities are systemically burdened with limited health resources while provided an abundance of items that negatively impact their wellbeing.

Registered dietician and nutritionist Maya Feller shares what this could mean for cancer risks, and how nutrition and wellness can be approached differently— and better.

Photo provided by Maya Feller

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

M

aya Feller (@MayaFellerRD) is a Brooklyn-based registered dietician specializing in nutrition for risk

reduction of non-communicable diseases. She runs Maya Feller Nutrition where she provides clients with medical nutrition therapy. Feller has also appeared on “Dr. Oz” and “Good Morning America” and written for various media outlets to promote nutrition education. We talked with Feller about the importance of nutrition when it comes to cancer, and her anti-racist, anti-bias, culturally sensitive approach to healthcare Cancer Wellness

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What is your focus, and what about the nutrition and wellness field drew you in?

I’m a registered dietician who focuses on risk reduction of the development of non-communicable diseases, as well as managing diagnoses that may be present.

Additionally, I write about nutrition and talk on-air about nutrition for various outlets. I also teach nutrition.

I was drawn to nutrition, a second career for me, simply out of curiosity around metabolism of foods. I was training for the Boston marathon, thinking about food all the time and wondering what happens [in our bodies] with the food that we eat.

I went to NYU [for my degree] and started my rotations in oncology. Afterwards, I transitioned to infectious disease. Now at my practice, I have people who have been touched by cancer and we work together on what a pattern of nourishment looks like now considering their tolerance, work-life balance, etc.

How important is nutrition and wellness when it comes to managing diseases such as cancer, and what harm might result from lack of access?

I work with people on how to include foods [in their diet] that are nutrient-rich, fiber-rich or minimally processed, and how to decrease foods that are pro-inflammatory with added sugar, added salts, synthetic fats. This is especially relevant with non-communicable diseases that are modifiable or preventable […] like some cancers.

We know that there’s certain ways of interacting with toxins, specifically alcohol, that can increase a person’s risk for developing some cancers. I work with my patients to explore how those types of toxins show up in their regular patterns so that they think about modification.

With [the COVID-19 virus], alcohol consumption is at an all-time high. When speaking about access, I mention alcohol because in Black, Brown and Indigenous communities, there’s more access to alcohol – which is a pro-inflammatory toxin that increases your risk for cancer – but there’s less access to the phytonutrient foods that are fiber-rich that decrease risk. BIPOC communities are disproportionately burdened with an abundant access of alcohol and processed foods and limited access to ways of moving your body in a safe way. This is what inequality looks like. When broken down by race and socioeconomic status, you see across the board that Black, Brown and Indigenous communities don’t have the variables that allow them to express health.

Survivorship is really dependent on the type of cancer, but also on when it’s diagnosed and how it’s treated. When people are so disadvantaged [with health access], there can be huge outcomes.

You’ve written about racism being a public health issue. How can this be addressed both societally and at a healthcare provider level to ensure care is more accessible, culturally sensitive and inclusive?

It’s linked to structure and policy. This is, unfortunately, where health and politics collide. When we start 22

Cancer Wellness

to put people over profit, that becomes something that is democratic. It becomes about who is in a position to make powerful change.

If there is an individual provider in a hospital center who cares about anti-bias, anti-racist patient care, they should petition their department to put new policies in place alongside other like-minded individuals within that same system.

Sometimes when you’re so marginalized, you’re tired.

Black and Brown people go into hospital settings, ask questions and never get answers. For hospital administrators and people who are making those decisions, it’s important to think about what equitable patient care looks like and how they can continue to make profits not at the expense of people’s lives. Part of what we have to start talking about in healthcare is restructuring, reallocation and dismantling.

How important can patient self-advocacy and accessible health literacy be when navigating these disparities?

Patients do need to make their voices heard. But as providers, even if patients come in ready to self-advocate, we use language that throws them off. Like, “Do you understand what I’m saying?” rather than, “What do you understand about the diagnosis that you have, and how can I help you?” It’s pretty hostile, so I think it goes two ways.

What Tracie Collins [of National Black Doulas Association] suggested is: as a patient, document and escalate up the chain. If a provider shuts you down, note the time and date, who the provider is and ask again. Continue documenting if you’re shut down a second time and ask to speak to another provider in the system. Continue moving up the ladder if you’re still being shut down. By the time you reach whoever is in charge, they’re mad because it shows that every single person under them didn’t address your needs.

I also encourage patients to connect with case management workers that can help them navigate this, especially if they have public insurance. Then they have a partner with them going into these appointments, sitting by their side through all of it and helping them advocate.

To learn more about Feller’s work or inquire about nutrition counseling, visit mayafellernutrition.com. Feller also shares inclusive nutrition tips and education on her Instagram and Twitter, @MayaFellerRD.

mind

body

24 CLOSING THE GAP 27 ASK THE CANCER COACH 28 PAYING IT FORWARD 30 ASK THE DOCTOR

CLOSING THE GAP HPV-related cancer types could be eradicated in the near future if all children receive a vaccine. So why are many young boys not getting the shot?

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

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Cancer Wellness

I

magine this: It’s late summer, and you’ve brought your 11-year-old son to his pediatrician appointment for a yearly physical before the new school year.

While sitting in the exam room, the doctor mentions an available vaccine that could prevent your child from developing certain cancer types for the rest of his life. This may sound like a far-off fantasy, the product of wishful thinking – but such a vaccine does exist. In fact, it’s existed for quite some time.

rates are still far below the Healthy People 2020 target of 80 percent. In 2017, the CDC reported that coverage of greater than one dose of an HPV vaccine was 65.5 percent among adolescents ages 13 through 17. Among males, only 48.7 percent were fully vaccinated compared to 53.7 percent of girls.

CHANGING THE COURSE “Too many people for too long focused on the sex aspect of HPV, and not the fact that this vaccine protects their chilTHE FIRST SHOT dren from preventable cancers,” says Jason Mendelsohn, First-generation Gardasil was first approved by the FDA board member for Head and Neck Cancer Alliance and in June 2006 for females between the ages of nine and 26. stage IV HPV-related tonsil cancer survivor. Mendelsohn Younger generations of women may remember receiving the was diagnosed at 44 years old and his doctors believed that vaccine in their preteen years through a two- or three-dose he was exposed to HPV in college more than 20 years prior. series in order to protect against the sexually transmitted While now cancer free, Mendelsohn describes the treatment infection Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Gardasil covered he had to endure – seven weeks of chemotherapy, radiation, four different HPV types (6, 11, 16 and 18). A further benefit a feeding tube and third-degree throat burns – as “brutal.” of Gardasil for women is the highly He recalls recording videos for effective prevention of precancerous Most oncogenic HPV types his children telling them goodbye. cell development that often forms into “There’s nothing more difficult than can be eliminated only if both that; it felt like my obligation to share cervical, vulvar or vaginal cancers.

According to a 2019 study in girls and boys are vaccinated, my story now and hopefully prevent Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, parents from ever having to strengthening the case even other & Prevention, the number of cervimake those types of videos for their cal cancer cases – the most common more for equal promotion in kids by helping to increase HPV vaccancer linked to HPV in women – has cination rates for both girls and boys,” all genders receiving HPV Mendelsohn dropped significantly with the inclusion says. vaccines if possible. of Gardasil alongside increasing pap Mendelsohn’s hope could become smear rates, making it clear why many a reality one day. Recently, a study pubdoctors encourage parents to vaccinate their young girls. So lished in The Journal of Infectious Diseases in March 2020 why aren’t some doctors doing the same for young boys? determined that most oncogenic HPV types can be eliminated only if both girls and boys are vaccinated, strengthening the GENDER GAP case even more for equal promotion in all genders receiving In 2009, the FDA approved Gardasil for males – and HPV vaccines if possible. then, in 2014, approved the newer Gardasil 9 with its even In order to do so, barriers to access of HPV vaccination greater coverage of five more HPV types (31, 33, 45, 52 need to be examined. Regulations for receiving the vaccine and 58) – to protect against genital warts and anal and vary widely by state and must be addressed. HPV vaccipenile cancer caused by HPV. However, HPV vaccination nation is most effective when received prior to the start of continued to be marketed primarily for the female popusexual activity and, thereby, exposure to HPV. According to lation, despite the CDC reporting that nearly all sexually the Kaiser Family Foundation, two states and D.C. require active people will get HPV at some point in their lives and HPV vaccination by law for school entry. However, “D.C. and the fact that oropharyngeal (back of the throat) cancer has Virginia require the HPV vaccine for girls to enter the sixth now surpassed cervical cancer as the most common type grade, but allow parents to opt out due to medical, moral or of HPV-related cancer. Oropharyngeal cancer is five times religious opposition.” Only one state, Rhode Island, requires more common in men than women and is caused by one of all seventh-grade students to receive the vaccine. the HPV types covered by Gardasil.

The CDC suggests that state and local health depart The FDA recently expanded approval of Gardasil for ments continue assessing which strategies are effective direct prevention against HPV-related strains of throat and which are not when it comes to HPV vaccination. It and head and neck cancers but due to years of the vaccine also encourages more widely accessible public communibeing mis- or under-represented by marketing and cation campaigns to be established. medical professionals alike, an unfortunate struggle to Similarly, cancer organizations, like Head and Neck increase vaccination rates among men may lie ahead.

Cancer Alliance, are working to increase awareness of the

A 2018 study for the Journal of Adolescent Health link between HPV and cancer, especially for men, and conducted by Johns Hopkins gynecologic oncologist Anna urge parents to consider vaccinating their children in the Beavis showed that one in five parents do not plan to vacciname of cancer prevention. nate their sons, compared to one in 10 parents of daughters.

“Every single patient or survivor I’ve spoken to would have Beavis concluded that physician communication is part of been overjoyed to get the vaccine had it been available when we the issue, discovering that some parents do not push for were young,” writes cancer researcher Stewart Lyman, Ph.D. on their child to receive HPV-preventative vaccines due in part the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance’s website. “We all know deep to absence of physician recommendation (17 percent) and a inside us that preventing cancer is way better than treating it.” lack of knowledge about HPV (14 percent).

These numbers may seem small, but HPV vaccination For more information on the Gardasil vaccine, visit gardasil9. com or cdc.gov/vaccinesafety.

Cancer Wellness

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ASK THE CANCER COAC H

In this new column, our resident cancer coach will focus on a new holistic topic that readers can incorporate into their health and wellness journey.

BY MIRELA KOPIER

Photo by Sarah Bell

I

ssue seven is our women’s health issue, and it is an honor According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleep is for me to talk about the amazing women who are battling a significant component of boosting your immune system. cancer every day. I am inspired by the dedication, sacWithout sufficient sleep, your body makes fewer cytokines, rifice, creativity, strength and love our women warriors a protein that targets infection and inflammation, effecembody. It encourages me to continue doing what I love as a tively creating an immune response. Cytokines are procancer coach. duced and released during sleep, causing an increased Although statistics indicate that men are more likely to negative effect if you don’t get enough sleep. develop cancer than women in their lifetime, women tend As a patient, the drugs you take to fight the cancer can to be the caretakers, researchers, volunteers and supportstrain your immune system. It’s vital, therefore, to do everyers of loved ones who receive a cancer diagnosis. According thing you can to boost your immune system when possito researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, this ble. For caretakers, you may spend several hours, days and discrepancy between cancer diagnoses in men and women months trying to provide the best care for your loved one. occurs because women carry extra copies of specific protecBut you can’t do that if your immune system is compromised. tive genes in their cells. These copies function as an addi Here’s the problem: getting enough sleep is easier said tional line of defense against cells growing out of control. than done. Chemo and other cancer treatments can make it

Nature does its best to protect us, but sometimes our hard to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. One proven alterbodies need a little extra help. How can we increase our line native therapy to help your beauty sleep is meditation. The of defense to avoid a cancer diagnosis or mind is powerful. If you can focus It’s easy to get lost in the improve our chances of recovery after a your mind, you can supersede anydiagnosis? Let’s talk about it. fray worrying about how life thing that’s going on in the body.

There are many tools that women

If you’ve never meditated before, will change post-diagnosis. I start with a simple exercise. Five to can use to navigate their battle with cancer, but one useful tool is often over- encourage you to be gentle with 10 minutes before bedtime, open a looked—sleep. Yes, that’s right. Busy meditation app like HeadSpace or schedules and responsibilities don’t yourself as you’re processing it. Calm. Both apps offer free three-, fivevanish because of a cancer diagnosis, and 10-minute bedtime meditations. and many women battling cancer are still juggling their normal Another great option is taking a warm bath. A bath before bed routines as best they can. Many have demanding jobs and wear is a great technique that will allow your body to relax enough to several hats like stay-at-home moms, devoted partners, extrafall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. It’s time to pull curricular dynamos or volunteering gurus. Self-care is critical. out the bath oils and candles, ladies!

When you receive a life-altering cancer diagnosis— If you can handle the smell, aromatherapy can also be whether it is yours or someone else’s—two things usually helpful. Scents like lavender, chamomile and bergamot can happen. A million thoughts begin racing through your mind relax the mind and body before bed. Try adding a few drops or, sometimes, things go completely blank. After the initial of these essential oils to your bath. You can even squeeze a shock, your mind will start working again. You may picture few drops under your pillow for a peaceful night’s sleep too. your family and how this diagnosis will affect them. You There are herbal remedies you can ingest to help with sleep, might think about your career and how this diagnosis will but please check with your doctor before trying anything new. I affect your ability to continue working. like to use valerian root to help me fall asleep. My mom, a 15-year It’s easy to get lost in the fray worrying about how life stage IV cervical cancer survivor (we’ll save that story for another will change post-diagnosis. I encourage you to be gentle time), uses magnesium with calcium for restful sleep. with yourself as you’re processing it. Remain focused on the I hope one of these suggestions can help you fall asleep best self-care methods to get through this. Believe it or not, and stay asleep, so your body can be in prime shape for anycounting sheep is one of them. thing that comes your way!

Cancer Wellness

27

t I ng i y Pa d ar w or F

When blogger Kamelia Britton was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, she struggled to share her story with thousands of followers and find a sense of purpose. A stranger’s small act of kindness helped her do both.

BY KAMELIA BRITTON

Photos provided by Kamelia Britton

“Y

ou have breast cancer,” my doctor said, as my heart sank to the floor. My mind rushed with a million questions at once. How bad is it? Am I dying? How did this happen? Will everything be OK? In early May of 2019, I found a lump in my left breast by accident. A little shocked and a little in denial, I made a mental note to have it checked as soon as I was back from my work trip.

I work for myself full time as a travel and lifestyle blogger and I was leaving within the week for a 10-day press trip to Greece. While on the trip, my mind wandered often as I kept feeling the lump. I’d had a scare, back in 2008, that had turned out to be nothing. So I assured myself that this would be the same. I’d have it checked ASAP and then move on with my life.

But when I finally got the official diagnosis in July, I was in utter disbelief. It was a rare breast cancer—triple-negative—and the cause was unknown. My mind raced with the hows and the whys.

I’m the girl who goes to meditation retreats and drinks her green smoothies every morning. How did this happen? Not to mention, I was literally at the peak of my life in every single way. I was newly engaged to the love of my life and I’d worked super hard to create the career of my dreams. After years of hard work, I was finally reaping all the fruits of my labor, and now this.

It was like someone had scooped me up right out of my eighth round of chemo, I made eight inspirational handwritperfect life overnight and put me away in a prison. I went ten cards and left them in random seats at the infusion center. from the boundless freedom of traveling to a new country People found me through help from their nurses and once a month to the ultimate restriction of being handthanked me with tears in their eyes. It felt so good to give back cuffed to a chemo chair and endless medical appointments. so I kept it going. I made eight more cards at each visit and For six weeks, I kept my diagnosis a secret. I had 200,000 even added little gifts with them too! I’d give away bath and people following my every single move on Instagram and I body sets, cozy blankets and keepsake scrapbooks – really, wasn’t sure how I was ever going to share this with them. I anything I thought would brighten someone’s day. Some even considered not sharing it at all. Maybe I could just wear days, I’d ask the nurses to hand them out to whoever needed wigs and keep it quiet for a year and pretend to live a normal it the most that day. The gifts were always well received and life. I tried it on mentally, but no matter how much I tried to the gesture itself was tremendously appreciated. push my diagnosis away, my soul was aching to let it all out.

After my life-threatening diagnosis, I searched for My stomach was extremely uneasy about making the more meaning in my life. As I wasn’t able to travel, The announcement, but I knew I couldn’t hold it inside for Love Ripple gave me a new purpose while being a positive another day. I created a heartfelt video to share the news and creative outlet. with my audience and as I lay in bed on the day of my egg I used my platform to share The Love Ripple stories freezing surgery, I posted it publicly on all of my social media and it inspired others to seek out random acts of kindness channels. One by one, I responded to the hundreds of comin their own lives. This took the attention off of my own ments, and I felt so much relief that my secret was finally out. pain and suffering and I believe that my body healed more In a weird way, it made me feel a bit free. easily because of it. I found gratitude in the

From that day forward, I made the process and it was all very healing. choice to use my platform to share my story in

After my cancer diagnosis, I feel forever “You’ve always been changed. order to serve others and give back. I looked It ripped a filter off of my vision at this new challenge as an opportunity for strong, now everyone that I can never put back on, and I see things personal growth, and I wanted to turn this else just knows too. so differently now. Passions have shifted and negative into a positive in the best way that I there’s a much deeper desire to connect with I’m sending you love. why I’m truly here. Life after cancer is hard, could. I wanted to be a light amongst all the darkness that I’d seen online and to show but I’ve found that it can be made easier by You’ve got this.” that this journey could be experienced in connecting with a purpose. another way. Other cancer thrivers began If you don’t know what your exact purpose reaching out, thanking me for my positivity and asking for is, that’s okay. Follow what lights you up in the moment advice, so I started to share even more on my blog. and makes you feel good when you do it. Don’t be hard too Hundreds of women were helped through their journey on yourself. Feeling connected to a purpose doesn’t always just by simply watching mine. To my own surprise, my folhave to be complex; it can be really easy and as simple as lowers that didn’t even have cancer found value in my story. sharing a smile. Just follow whatever brings that smile to Watching me “kick cancer’s butt,” as they said, inspired them your face, and then just keep on doing it. to feel better about their own lives, overcome depression and,

You are so much more than a cancer diagnosis. for some, even leave long-term abusive relationships. Still, I Remember, you’ve always been strong, now everyone else wanted to do more, but I wasn’t sure how. I was still in aggresjust knows too. I’m sending you love. You’ve got this. sive treatment and I had 16 rounds of chemo in my plan.

During my seventh round of chemo, I received great To learn more about Kamelia Britton, visit her on Instagram MRI results. Instinct told me the seventh round of chemo @kamelia.britton or online at hackerette.com. would be “lucky” in some way.

That’s when I found a surprise card in my chair from the patient who’d sat in it just before me. As I read the message, tears rolled down my face. After a short intro note, the card read: “You’ve always been strong, now everyone else just knows too. I’m sending you love. You’ve got this.”

These words spoke straight to my soul. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that there are no accidents. This person had left it there at random, placed in the crack of the chair. She had no idea who I was or that I’d previously been hiding my diagnosis from a huge audience (aka “everyone”).

I found her on Instagram to thank her for the note. At the end of our conversation, she asked, “Would you please do me a favor and pay it forward?” My heart screamed, “YES!” and I started a mini-movement called The Love Ripple, where I’d share random creative acts of kindness.

I couldn’t wait to share that same feeling I felt from the card with others who were also struggling like me.

One card didn’t feel like enough, however. So during my Cancer Wellness

29

ASK THE DOCTOR

New York-based infectious disease doctor and breast cancer thriver Dr. Alexea Gaffney answers your questions about staying healthy during the cough, cold and flu season.

WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE COUGH, COLD AND FLU SEASON? Now, we’re going to contend with, is it flu, is it RSV or is it COVID-19? And how do we manage? There’s gonna be so many other viruses that we’re contending with at that time.

We believe that we’re going to have a natural surge, that this virus is going to take on a seasonality and it’s going to be here for a while. We’re certainly not going to have a vaccine by then.

WHAT SORT OF THINGS SHOULD A WARRIOR OR THRIVER BE AWARE OF AS IT RELATES TO THE START OF THIS SEASON? For cancer survivors—who’ve already experienced surgery, chemo, radiation, have already been in a place where they’ve been immunocompromised, already had to isolate and socially distance—we know how to do this. We know what to do to keep ourselves safe because we had to keep ourselves safe everyday.

For those who are entering into a new cancer diagnosis, there is a reiteration not just to be vigilant, but to be hypervigilant. Continue to wear that mask, continue to protect your eyes. Putting goggles or a face shield on would be even more important because, not only am I going to be facing COVID, I’m going to be facing all the other things that are out there. We’re going to see a rise in a number of infected and contagious people out there amongst us.

Just because the world is reopening or the economy is reopening doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily safe for you as a 30

Cancer Wellness

patient, survivor or thriver to go out and rejoin society. We saw what happened with Florida and Texas and we anticipate that will naturally reoccur when the virus is naturally reintroduced to the country. We just have to be careful. And we can’t get comfortable. We can’t get casual. We can’t be cavalier about any of this because when you’re on chemo, when you’re in radiation, when you’re recovering from surgery, during those times when you’re most vulnerable, the flu is just as bad. Some of these cough, cold viruses can be just as bad as COVID to the vulnerable individuals in our population. We have to be mindful that now, we have six, seven or eight different viruses to contend with at this time.

HOW CAN PEOPLE BOOST THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS NATURALLY? We live in a society that encourages us to eat on the run, don’t rest, don’t take breaks, eat out, don’t eat healthy nutritious food because we look at food from a more capitalistic perspective and not from a nutrition and wellness perspective. So boosting your immune system naturally looks like getting enough sleep. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night because it plays a huge role in our bodies ability to recover and restore itself. It plays a huge role in hormone cycles, our circadian rhythms and everything pools back into our immune function.

Eating whole foods and eating a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet. I usually tell people to go plant-based. But when I say plant-based, I don’t mean that everybody has to be a vegetarian or vegan, but that plants should be the star of every plate you’re eating. And you should mostly be eating fruits and vegetables so you can get all of the vitamins and nutrients you need for a healthy immune system. So a lot of the things that boost our immune system like vitamin c, zinc, vitamin e, vitamin a— all of those are found in plants. So if we’re ingesting them, then we’re getting the nutrients we need.

High fiber foods are what we call prebiotics. They support our gut bacteria and our gut bacteria are a huge part of our immune system. And most of our immune system lives in our gut. So if our gut is healthy, our immune system will be healthy. And if our immune system is healthy, our mind will be healthy. And if our mind is healthy, it’s all connected.

Exercise also boosts our immune system. It also helps us maintain a healthy weight and a healthy heart, so if we do find ourselves impacted by things like infection, hopefully we won’t be as susceptible to them.

Photo provided by Dr. Alexea Gaffney

D

r. Alexea Gaffney knows a thing or two about infectious diseases and cancer. Gaffney, a New Yorkbased infectious disease physician at Stony Brook Medicine, is also a breast cancer thriver. And when she’s not sharing her experiences about battling breast cancer, she’s keeping her growing social media audience informed on the best ways to stay safe and healthy during the year.

Gaffney’s insights come at an especially important time for cancer warriors and thrivers—during the start of the cough, cold and flu season. Fighting off infectious diseases and viruses is always a topic of concern for the cancer community due to compromised immune systems. But the mounting complications of the COVID-19 pandemic has made our current cough, cold and flu season particularly gruesome.

For our latest Ask the Doctor feature, Gaffney addresses your questions and concerns about preparing for this difficult health season.

32 SUPER CLEAN SOLUTIONS

beauty

Super Clean Solutions

Whether you’re hibernating or embracing the chill, there’s no need to fret fall’s cooldown with these hot beauty finds that’ll keep you glowing all season long.

REVIEWED BY CAYLEI VOGELZANG

LASH BINDER

Spellbinding lashes were once the result of either great genes or the patient hand of a talented professional artist. The Lash Binder tool changes the game by making lash application a whole lot easier for the rest of us. The curved clip design of this tool helps you navigate lash placement and clamps down on your lashes, encouraging fast, even adhesion.

Best of all, for each product purchased, Lash Binder will donate a second product to someone with cancer. Now that’s a beautiful concept!

AVAILABLE AT LASHBINDER.COM, $24.99

KJAER WEIS BEAUTIFUL OIL

Packed with potent active botanicals and cold pressed oils from Italy, this signature product looks, smells and feels luxurious. Equipped with a nostalgia-worthy light fragrance inspiring thoughts of indulgent comfort, this product is perfect for softening any edges left in winter’s wake. Presentationperfect and refillable glass packaging belies the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability and generational beauty.

AVAILABLE AT KJAERWEIS.COM, $135

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Cancer Wellness

THE ORGANIC PHARMACY PURIFYING SEAWEED CLAY MASK

“Mask-ne” and winter-wrought skin have a new heroine. This rich clay mask is a treat for the senses with notes of earthy sage, relaxing lavender and clarifying eucalyptus to detoxify and re-balance the skin. Heralded for its brightening, tightening and toning effect, the silky texture goes on smooth and does not cake or crack as it dries. Plus, I always love it when the first ingredient in a product is aloe.

AVAILABLE AT THEORGANICPHARMACY.COM, $70

KARMA ORGANIC SPA SOYBEAN OIL AND LAVENDER NAIL POLISH REMOVER

In lieu of being haunted by the pungent scent and toxic composition of acetone, opt for this lavender-laced, soy-based nail polish remover.

Gentle on the nails, nail beds and nose, this concentrated formula goes a long way. Even better, it’s non-toxic, vegan and cruelty free.

AVAILABLE AT KARMAORGANICSPA.COM, $12.00

HOURGLASS VEIL MINERAL PRIMER

The sateen texture of this primer plus its antioxidant properties and SPF 15 makes it an ideal place to begin your makeup routine. Perfect for sensitive skin, the lightweight formula fills in fine lines, reduces inflammation and leaves the skin looking quenched and responsive. Use under your foundation or alone as an everyday pollution barrier between your skin and external environment.

AVAILABLE AT HOURGLASSCOSMETICS.COM, $20

CHRISTMAS MORNING NAIL POLISH

Time to say goodbye to your summer nail polish hues and dive into a festive cold-weather palette. Whether you are tucked in and surrounded by the pungent aroma of evergreen boughs or keeping it hot in a tropical haven, this color is bound to keep your spirits high and lets your hands do the talking.

Celebrity nail technician Nausil Zheer founded the Karma brand with the idea of creating non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free polishes free of the “big three”— toluene, formaldehyde and DBP. AVAILABLE AT KARMAORGANICSPA.COM, $9.99

Cancer Wellness

33

Complementary Medicine 36 JUST THE ESSENTIALS 39 THE MASKS WE WEAR 40 CALLING ON CALM

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Cancer Wellness

Cancer Wellness

35

Ju s t the Essentials Essential oils’ booming popularity has led to questionable claims on what these products can do for cancer.

But some experts say the “Hey hun!” hoopla of MLMs shouldn’t completely deter you from considering aromatherapy as supplementary treatment.

BY ALYSSE DALESSANDRO SANTIAGO

E

ssential oils have a bad reputation. The term

“snake oil salesman” dates back to 1897 and

remains a popular lexicon today for slick and shady business practitioners. Think of your high school classmate who sends you a message on social media with a Young Living essential oils offer after you share your cancer diagnosis. The message is intrusive at best and evidence of a modern day “snake oil salesman” at worst.

Some essential oil companies make baseless claims that essential oils can cure, treat or reduce the symptoms of some major health conditions including ADHD, autism, diabetes, endometriosis, epilepsy, PTSD and, yes, even cancer. With the chronic and persistent nature of many of these conditions, the people living with such illnesses may be looking for anything to alleviate symptoms. There’s a need and a demand for what essential oils claim to do but not the science to fully back up the depth of these claims.

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Cancer Wellness

Essential oils’ notoriety in the multi-level market In addition to scientific research, organizations ing (MLM) space even inspired podcasters Jane Marie like the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and Dann Gallucci to look further into the entire well(NAHA) provide a level of regulation in the responsible ness space for the second season of their popular podcast, use of essential oils. Both NAHA and the Alliance of “The Dream.” Jane Marie started the podcast to take an International Aromatherapists have a set of educational in-depth look at the MLM industry. Multi-level marketing standards for aromatherapy practitioners. Most imporschemes require their predominantly female workforce tantly, as with any health treatment, it’s critical for practito buy their own inventory and move up the ladder by tioners to manage patient expectations. recruiting more people to work under them with prom “I think it’s important to set the ground foundation ises of rewards like a pink Cadillac. The reality, however, on what to expect and not to expect from essential oils according to a Vox interview with Marie, is that more than when it comes to cancer and cancer treatment,” says Tyler 95 percent of MLM sellers lose money.

Hagan, NAHA’s midwest district director for Indiana and Across the season’s 10 episodes, Marie and Gallucci community manager for the company Plant Therapy. “As share the alarming lack of FDA regulation in the wellmuch as we’d like there to be an easy, natural cure for ness space, which includes essential oils. According to the cancer, essential oils are not that and should not be used National Cancer Institute, aromatherapy does not require to cure anything. Instead, essential oils should be used FDA approval and aromatherapy practitioners are not to support the body emotionally and physically as necesrequired to have a license to practice. This leaves room for sary with intent and purpose. This will provide an overall interpretation and opens the door for multi-level marketbetter aromatherapy experience.” ing companies to tout false claims of cure-all essential oils.

Hagan and Kahoot suggest using essential oils with Truth in Advertising, a nonprofit, frequently reports a personal nasal inhaler. Kahoot’s product, Aeroscents, on the deceptive practices of MLMs. A 2016 Truth in uses surgical foam to hold the oil inside a sachet. Once you Advertising independent investigation found that 97 squeeze the sachet, the recommended dosage is released. percent of nutritional supplement comKahoot describes inhalers as the safest panies belonging to the Direct Selling use of essential oils, noting that all of Association (DSA) sell their products with their studies focus on the use of essential There’s a need and illegal health claims. Among this group oil inhalers. While Kahoot wouldn’t give a demand for what are multi-level marketing brands such the exact formula of Aeroscena’s secret essential oils claim to blend of essential oil inhalers, Hagan as doTerra, which has made claims that essential oils cure cancer. recommends lavender and bergamot for do but not the science emotional Spoiler alert: essential oils cannot cure support. For an upset stomach, to fully back up the Hagan says peppermint and spearmint cancer. But that doesn’t mean essential oils and aromatherapy are not valid and useful depth of these claims. could provide some relief. He further as a supplementary treatment for cancer suggests coupling the use of essential oils symptoms. Legitimate practitioners and with deep breathing exercises. businesses like Aeroscena now work against shady MLM

Individuals should be suspicious of any company claims to show the actual scientific efficacy of essential oils. saying one should directly ingest essential oils and to be

Nearly 10 years ago, Mark Kahoot and Dr. Michael cautious with direct application to the skin. All essential Roizen, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic, oil companies are not created equally. There’s a complexfounded Aeroscena on the principle of data showing that ity to understanding how essential oils function that MLM essential oils work in some capacity. They also recognized companies tend to breeze right past. First-time users have that essential oils needed an image makeover—backed by to be aware of potential reactions that they can have with research and development—to elevate its status to the high other medications and treatments. quality standards of other parts of the healthcare industry.

“While essential oils can be extremely helpful for fam “Essential oils and aromatherapy’s reputation [have] ilies and individuals undergoing some type of cancer treatbeen ruined by multi-level marketing companies like ment, they can also be equally dangerous,” warns Hagan.

Young Living and doTerra,” says Aeroscena CEO Kahoot.

“Before beginning any aromatherapy practice, it’s import“We try to rehabilitate the reputation. We do clinical ant to work directly with your oncology team to determine trials and we let the institution that agrees to do the trial, whether or not the chosen essential oils and their intended conduct the trial. We are hands-off. If it fails, it fails. If it purpose are safe [...] and in some cases, [essential oils] can succeeds, it succeeds.” actually protect [rather than destroy] cancer cells [during]

In 2018, Aeroscena conducted a five-month study treatment, which would be counterproductive.” with the Moffitt Cancer Center to test the effectiveness Like always, it’s important to consider the source of of aromatherapy on infusion patients with anxiety and your information. Your classmate trying to meet her Young nausea. The study found that using aromatherapy resulted Living monthly quota is likely not an oncologist and did in a 50 percent reduction average of nausea and anxiety. not attend a NAHA-certified institution. She stands to This research aligns with a 2007 study published in gain more financially from your essential oil ignorance the Journal of Oncology on the correlation between aroand subsequent purchase than you will achieve in safe matherapy massage and the reduction of anxiety among healing. Consult your oncologist directly for a recommencancer patients. This study found that while aromatherapy dation or check with NAHA’s directory of aromatherapists did not provide long-term reduction of anxiety symptoms, to find a reputable practitioner. it did offer relief for up to two weeks.

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Cancer might be tough. But we are tougher.

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We are leaders in advancing breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine. This research saves lives.

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We’re growing accustomed to donning physical face masks for good reason, but the less literal ones we carry may end up restricting our truest – and best – selves.

BY LIZ TUCKWELL

“ Tear off your mask. Your face is glorious.” - Rumi

W

e are currently living in an unprecedented time, experiencing a global health crisis which asks us to wear masks to protect our health and the health of those around us.

Ironically, it is something most of us are already familiar with, whether we realize it or not. Literally wearing a mask has a direct metaphorical cousin—we also wear masks to protect the vulnerable parts of ourselves. These masks are personality archetypes we take on to distract from the truest and, often, most insecure parts of ourselves. Our emotional masks hide our insecurities about our perceived value in the world and a fear of not being good enough.

I remember when I created my first mask. I was an awkward nine-year-old girl and often felt like I didn’t fit in. One day, something unexpected happened: I made my friends laugh. I remember thinking that I had finally figured out a way to fit in. I was going to be “the funny one.”

The mask archetypes we wear directly pair with the vulnerability we are trying to hide. Some examples include: THE COMIC Humor is a brilliant way to deflect the spotlight away from yourself. We use this mask to avoid conflict or allowing anyone to get too close, while covering up underlying pain or sadness.

THE CONTROLLER We have all met people who feel they must control every single element of a situation, including all of the people within it. This exertion of control is a masking technique used to cover feelings of powerlessness in their world.

THE PEOPLE-PLEASER An easy way to avoid conflict is to simply agree with those around you to gain their approval. This mask hides a sincere ability to self-validate.

At some point, masks begin to pile up and become burdensome. We miss out on the gift of being uncomfortable, vulnerable and uniquely ourselves until we take the masks off. With our masks off, we create real connections with others and allow ourselves to experience the full spectrum of our lives. By removing our masks, we truly show up as ourselves in our own lives and invite a myriad of possibilities for our lives to grow.

We must face our insecurities and find a way to heal them. Our insecurities develop because they are the places we can grow within us. They are the garden of our potential. Life would be meaningless if there were no growth. We acquire these little seeds of insecurities and, with them, are gifted an opportunity to turn them into superpowers and strengths. Yet, if we consistently try to hide who we are underneath a mask, we suppress our ability to truly become the best versions of ourselves.

Ready to remove your mask and begin seeing your potential strengths? Try this exercise: Examine your life and choices during the past month. Can you see whether you wore masks in any of those situations? If so, write out a three-column list. In the first column, write the personality you brought to the experience (the mask you wore). In the second column, write the insecurity you were hiding. In the third column, write the reverse of the insecurity and label it as a superpower-in-training.

What gift is waiting for you? Likely, the version of you that you are meant to become. Once you begin to show the world who you really are, you light a torch for others to do the same – to walk mask-free down their own path in the delight of their authenticity.

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Ca ll i ng on Cal m

With growing research on its merit for active cancer warriors, guided imagery offers a good excuse to stretch your mental muscles while reaping physical and emotional benefits.

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

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or a moment, envision your pain or exhaustion or anxiety as a tangible object – a boulder, for example, that’s taken up residency on your shoulders, making it difficult to simply live each day comfortably. Picture that burdensome stone being lifted off of your body and embrace the enveloping of freedom and relief that follows, welcoming the ability to finally breathe easily again. Even after the moment ends, you are capable of carrying that liberating energy into the rest of your day. This is the potential impact of using guided imagery techniques.

Also called imagery or visualization, guided imagery is the meditative practice of calling on mental images—through all five senses—to invoke relaxation. The practice aims to improve emotional and physical health around a particular area of concern by imagining a desired outcome. It operates under the belief of a mind-body connection wherein the power of thought has the ability to influence one’s bodily health.

Just as negative or anxious thoughts have shown to cause harmful consequences toward physical wellbeing (such as high blood pressure, chronic stress and a weaker immune system), positive and relaxing thoughts encourage the body to stay strong and be at ease. The last thing anyone wants is to make their body weaker when it needs to be strong, and practices like guided imagery can help you cope better with overwhelming and draining ruminations while in treatment. It can even boost your immune system.

Variations of guided imagery have been around for centuries, with origins as a healing tool used by ancient Greeks and Tibetans. Fast forward through time to the 1980s, when the practice became Westernized and began to take shape as the guided imagery techniques that we’re now familiar with.

This is when health professionals started to establish support for guided imagery as an effective tool in pain management for chronic pain, cancer and other illnesses. Advocation of the practice led to the publishing of materials that explored the positive mental and physical benefits of guided imagery.

Today, resources in the therapy sphere like GoodTherapy herald the practice as an established approach in complementary and alternative medicine that is backed by studies proving its worth when used in the therapeutic process. According to the Rogel Cancer Center, “in many instances even 10 minutes of imagery can reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, and heighten short-term immune cell activity” as well as “considerably reduce morphine use [after surgery].”

In 2015, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal published a study on the effects that relaxation with guided imagery has on the physical and mental wellbeing of active breast cancer patients. Half of the 65 participants received relaxation with guided imagery training before chemotherapy with the instructions to continue the training at home for seven days, 20 minutes a day, after chemotherapy.

That group showed notable decreases in insomnia, physical pain, anxiety and depression compared to the group that did not receive guided imagery training, and the test concluded that “one week of relaxation with guided imagery can significantly improve” such symptoms.

Breast cancer warriors aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the practice. Lara Krawchuk, a clinical social worker and therapist based in Pennsylvania, specializes in oncology and has been using guided imagery with cancer warriors of all types for 25 years. She says it has proved

useful in supporting patients’ recovery from surgery, and that patients who practice guided imagery before and after a procedure tend to need fewer pain medications.

Beyond physical benefits, Krawchuk praises its effects on a warrior’s mental and emotional wellbeing, too. “It can also lower anxiety by offering a safe refuge inside oneself through challenging times of life,” she says. “This can be very empowering to patients forced into very vulnerable states by acute or chronic illness.”

Guided imagery can be done in a therapy setting or alone, but Krawchuk and other resources recommend starting out with a professional. “Guided imagery with a therapist is very powerful because of the processing that can be done during and after imagery,” Krawchuk says. “Insights gleaned from imagery can be really life-altering, and a therapist can help keep a client facing deep wounds safe if images bring forth powerful emotion.” A professional can also offer you verbal guidance throughout the process, which may be easier than following a script on your own initially, and the instruction ensures that individuals get the most value out of the practice.

Guided imagery is designed to impact both body and mind. As you create mental images through sight, sound, touch, smell and/or taste, your body should begin relaxing with controlled, slow breathing and eased muscles. The entire exercise only takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and when used with a professional is considered part of a regular treatment session, so there typically won’t be a separate bill, according to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

For cancer warriors specifically, guided imagery is often centered on relieving one’s physical pain from illness or procedures and emotional or mental distress. A therapist may encourage you to picture a place or idea that is peaceful to you while engaging all your senses in various ways. They may also have you envision your pain or anxieties as a tangible object that is physically affecting you, then instruct you to conjure up a counter object that can take the distress away.

Ann Harper, a nurse and teacher who was diagnosed in 2013 with aggressive thyroid cancer that metastasized in 2015, practices guided imagery while awaiting further treatment. In doing so, she has found the mind to be very powerful. “I pictured little machine guns traveling through my body and blowing up all the cancer cells,” she says, describing her approach. “It felt very gratifying to do this and I believe it helped.” Harper says another effective approach is to imagine a scenario in the future where you are cancer free as the desired outcome. Having a goal encourages your body to stay motivated and fight.

Practicing guided imagery alone is not recommended for those who may be emotionally vulnerable or experiencing dysregulation from trauma or deep grief. For those who feel safe to engage in guided imagery on their own, Krawchuk recommends the library of self-administered programs at healthjourneys.com, created by renowned social worker Belleruth Naparstek who is considered an innovator in the specialty.

YouTube is an additional option for those seeking accessible and free scripts. You can also find further resources on guided imagery at various cancer centers’ websites, like Dana Farber.

While guided imagery cannot cure cancer, it can help warriors feel invigorated and optimistic while preparing their immune system to take on the next steps in medical treatment. “I would recommend guided imagery to anyone who has cancer,” Harper says. “My philosophy is, ‘If it doesn’t hurt and might help, why not?’”

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44 GOING THE EXTRA MILE 47 THE FUTURE OF FUNDING 50 MANO A MANO

Photo by courtesy NOCC Illinois

Around Town

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Even during a pandemic, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition continues its longstanding tradition of fostering a community of warriors while spreading early awareness of one of the deadliest types of cancer.

Photo provided by NOCC Illinois

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

T

he National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) offhand.” NOCC volunteers take the time to speak with has come a long way since its grassroots beginpeople, ensuring they understand the information and nings in 1991, but it hasn’t lost its boots-on-theits importance. They also provide accessible educational ground approach when raising awareness of materials, whether it’s at small outings, large-scale events ovarian cancer in communities across the country. or online.

After its formation by ovarian cancer advocates and Such community events make up another one of the survivors in Boca Raton, Fla., the NOCC was incorpoNOCC’s four pillars. With the COVID-19 virus, the NOCC rated as the country’s first national organization providing has had to improvise like most other organizations. Every awareness and education about ovarian cancer just four year, each chapter has its signature event and a secondary years later in 1995. event, and the 2020 pandemic has caused all chapters to Since then, the 501(c)(3) group has expanded to 16 lose those in-person gatherings. But the NOCC refused to chapters nationwide. It has designated September as let down their community of advocates and survivors.

“National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month” and fought to “That’s our life,” Young begins. “We plan and plan to increase government funding for ovarian cancer research cancel – “ from $10 million to $20 million per year. The organiza “And then plan some more,” Cord finishes. tion has many awards under its belt as well in recognition NOCC chapters came together virtually on Sept. 26 of various other charitable and educational efforts. Even for the organization’s Together in Teal National Broadcast with this long list of impressive achievements, though, the Celebration, aptly titled “No Boundaries,” in order to nonprofit aims to not forget its community roots. sustain the communal essence that is so vital to the non “Even though we’ve been around for over 25 years, profit’s work. Participants were encouraged to kick off the we’re still very grassroots in many day with an activity of their choosing ways,” says Karen Young, one of the (a run, a stroll, a bike ride) and then two chapter managers for Illinois.

According to the American gather virtually with family, friends “We’re still building upon small starts.” and supporters for the broadcast.

Cancer Society, a woman’s Sandra (“Sandy”) Cord, the other The next event the NOCC Illinois chapter manager, echoes this hopes to hold in April 2021 is a sur5-year survival rate for sentiment. “We are very hands-on event, “Rejuvenate.” Partnering ovarian cancer is extremely vivor with educating our community and with Cancer Treatment Centers of helping our survivors,” she says. “We high (>90 percent) when the America, the event will feature a preshave survivors helping other survitigious panel of doctors talking about disease is detected early on PARP vors, and it’s a very personal touch.” inhibitors – drugs that have and has remained localized. shown to stop cancerous cells from

While Young and Cord have not specifically experienced ovarian repairing chemotherapy damage cancer firsthand, Young aided in while sparing healthy cells. The third caregiving throughout her mother’s experience with colon and fourth pillars of the NOCC are quality of life and cancer – which shares a link with ovarian cancer through research, which will be combined in this event. the presence of an inherited mutation in certain genes

“We’ll have breakout sessions, yoga, meditation,” that increases the familial risk of ovarian cancer – and resYoung says. “But we want that panel so doctors can engage onated with cancer organizations through that experience. women in the conversation.” According to Young, because As for Cord, she is a 14-year breast cancer survivor. Her there is no early detection test and there hasn’t been major close friend battled ovarian cancer and is actually the one advancement in treatment over the past couple of decades who introduced her to the NOCC. for ovarian cancer, maintenance therapies are the best “It really hit home for me,” Cord says. “I’m all about thing out there right now. They can extend a woman’s life early awareness.” and improve the quality of it. The NOCC not only wants Early awareness is one of the NOCC’s four pillars, and women to know this is a legitimate option in treatment but it’s an important one. Ovarian cancer is not a common also hopes to offer a safe space for women to share quesdisease, but it is the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers tions and concerns. and often referred to as the “silent killer” due to minimal “We really do go the extra mile to be there for [surpronounced symptoms in the early stages compounded vivors],” says Young. “This is such a devastating disease, with lack of screening tests. According to the American […] and being able to see some bright light at the end of Cancer Society, a woman’s 5-year survival rate for ovarian the tunnel – we’re really like a family weathering through cancer is extremely high (>90 percent) when the disease everything together.” is detected early on and has remained localized. That rate drops to less than 50 percent when the cancer has metastasized. According to the NOCC, nearly 70 percent of women are diagnosed in advanced stages, making early awareness all the more urgent.

“We have 150 volunteers throughout the year that help us raise awareness in one way or another,” says Cord.

“We talk to people one-on-one in communities. If someone tells you, ‘This is important because…,’ it makes a bigger To learn more about the NOCC’s initiatives, events and resources, impression than just hearing about [ovarian cancer] visit ovarian.org.

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THE FUTURE OF FUNDING The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many things, including funding for cancer research. Now, nonprofits are adapting to a changing financial landscape with novel approaches to fundraising.

BY MAURA KELLER

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or many nonprofits, the state of charitable giving was gone virtual. In May, they hosted a virtual advocacy day. They fairly strong going into the COVID-19 pandemic. But also are hosting a virtual Race for the Cure on October 24. as millions of people found themselves unemployed

“These virtual events will ensure that the necessary this spring and summer, their proverbial purse dollars needed to continue Komen’s lifesaving breast health strings also tightened, significantly reducing their charitaprograms are secured,” Bailey says. “We will continue to ble activities. As a result, many charities—especially those in encourage people to donate to nonprofit organizations as our the medical research field—now face dramatically reduced missions are more important than ever. We know that not research budgets. What does this mean for the future of everyone has the ability to give at the level they historically cancer research initiatives and progress? did; however, we are encouraging everyone to give what they Dr. Tiosha Bailey, executive director of Komen Chicago, can—no amount is too small.” says that within the nonprofit sector—where dollars raised work to support cancer research—there is a growing concern FUTURE STEPS OF CAUTION about research funding shrinking at a time when clinical As an organization, Susan G. Komen has also bolstered its trials and general research are needed more than ever. efforts in health education for providers and patients because “Cancer remains one of the deadliest diseases worldwide the pandemic has created some confusion about when to and is the second leading cause of death in the US,” Bailey seek clinical care and stoked fears among the breast cancer says. “Research helps develop more effective treatments and community. also helps us understand how to prevent cancer as well as “At this time, [Komen Chicago] urges everyone to take diagnose it earlier.” care of their health by scheduling routine screenings and pre While the COVID-19 virus has certainly impacted fundventive care,” Bailey says. raising and programming efforts in the fight against cancer,

This past spring, ACS Cancer Advocacy Network’s Michael Ziener, executive director at the American Cancer Survivors View Initiative conducted a survey in which half Society of Illinois (ACS), says cancer itself hasn’t stopped. of participants said their care or treatment were affected by And neither will the American Cancer Society. “We must COVID-19 in some way. This included delays or cancellations continue our mission, and we plan to serve those who need us in treatment, postponement of preventative screenings, and the most: our cancer patients,” Ziener increased financial burdens. says.

As reopening occurs across the globe “We know that not everyone without a vaccine in place, ACS remains

However, as Ziener explains, the pandemic has put the American Cancer has the ability to give at the mindful of everyone’s safety and comfort Society’s annual research efforts and level. This means large-scale events like level they historically did; fundraising goals in a critical light. indoor galas and outdoor events will not “ACS is forecasting a $200 million however, we are encouraging be feasible for quite some time. drop in revenue from $724 million as “We must be agile and transition to everyone to give what they digital innovations like virtual fundraisof 2020-Q1,” says Ziener. “Naturally, if current trends continue, our lead- can—no amount is too small.” ers, mobile fundraising apps, livestream ership team has indicated we might channels and compelling social media have to temporarily cut research funds campaigns to engage our audiences and in half. This creates a cancer research funding crisis. Our maintain mission support,” Ziener says. In March, the idea cancer researchers still need funds for treatment and prevenseemed new and daunting, although Ziener now believes tion studies. To attack cancer from every angle and help find everyone understands that these tools and technology are a life-saving answers, ACS’s research efforts must continue to solid part of our lives. be robust. We simply cannot afford to reduce our lab investi “It’s through these platforms that we ensure public gations in strength or power.” health charities are successful in delivering their mission,” he

As the pandemic has slowed down economic activity, says. “To recover, we must get the urgent message out there many cancer patients are also worried about access to affordthat every dollar counts whether we are together physically or able care. “And then there’s limited access to onsite labs by together in spirit. Our recovery and ability to fund research researchers, staff and administration,” Ziener says. “Some depends on our communities’ steadfast commitment to picresearch is [being done] remotely, which has been an adjustturing a world free from cancer even amid a pandemic.” ment and a challenge. And again, if the pandemic continues

And while the current pandemic is wreaking havoc to affect our fundraising revenue, we may have to cut research within the nonprofit sector and impacting vital medical funding by 50 percent.” research programs, the ACS says cancer death rates dropped Similar to many other nonprofits, Susan G. Komen has 29 percent between 1991 and 2016. also seen an overall decline in contributions. In an effort to That said, experts say we must be relentless in the pursuit address immediate needs in the community and offset the to continue this positive trend when looking to the future in a decline in revenue, the organization also created a COVID-19 post-COVID era.

Action Fund to support the growing need for breast health “We will take the necessary steps and do whatever it takes services. to make sure the ACS can continue to fund research and pro “It is crucial that organizations get creative and continue grams that affect our cancer patient’s survival rates,” Ziener to innovate during this time,” Bailey says. “We are meeting says. “There has never been a moment in history when our people where they are at—at home.” cancer patients need us now more than ever.”

As a result, Komen Chicago has made the decision to reschedule three of its largest fundraisers, and two have since 48

Cancer Wellness

Mesothelioma Statistics • Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos.

• There are two main types of mesothelioma, Pleural Mesothelioma which grows on the lining of the lungs and peritoneal mesothelioma which grows on the lining of the stomach • Mesothelioma diagnosis usually does not occur until 20 – 50yrs after asbestos exposure. Symptoms often occur after the cancer has already spread.

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Call us at 866-730-6479

Mano a Mano, Con Poder Northern Illinois organization Mano a Mano is empowering and educating Latinos to improve colorectal cancer screening rates and awareness among immigrants.

BY NATALIE CRAIG

T

wenty years ago, Mano a Mano started as a tiny social media content to ensure it reached its entire commuresource center for immigrants in Illinois’ Round nity. After members attended education sessions, they were Lake Park community. It has since evolved mailed reminder postcards with colorectal cancer screening into an organization—with community sites in guidelines, grocery gift cards and local market vouchers to Mundelein, Highland Park and Wauconda, Illinois—that also assist them during the COVID-19 pandemic. helps more than 4,500 Latinx people by providing access As Mano a Mano’s initial work for the “80% in Every to health resources and services, educational classes, Community” campaign came to a close, the coronavirus workshops and immigration legal services. Mano a Mano’s pandemic had spread rapidly, leaving Chicagoland’s Latinx main focuses are on collaboration and community buildpopulation with the highest number of confirmed COVIDing, education, excellence, equality of opportunity, stew19 cases out of any other minority group, according to the ardship and respect for human dignity. Its four key proIllinois Department of Public Health. But Mano a Mano grams—Healthy Families, Engaged Citizens, Productive mobilized quickly to further support its community.

Parents and Successful Children—provide the foundation

“We launched a covert emergency relief program for executing its goals. called ‘Tanda,’” Martinez says. “We have been able to And when it comes to fostering better health among reach $500,000 in donated funds, and this isn’t someLatinx families, Mano a Mano has made it a goal to thing that our community has to pay back.” increase colorectal cancer screening rates by 80 percent Tanda is a Latin American term for a group of friends or over the next five to six years. Colorectal cancer is just one family that gather money and lend it, which is exactly what of many health issues affecting Latinx people disproporMano a Mano has done. “Tanda” started helping Latinx famtionately. While colorectal cancer is 99 percent preventilies that are of mixed immigration status in April because able, it has a high morbidity rate for Latinos as it accounts their income was often deeply impacted by the pandemic. for 11 percent of the demographic’s cancer deaths, accordCaseworkers screened families to find out how they were ing to the American Cancer Society (ACS). For immiimpacted and then provided them with gift cards for grogrants who may lack access to basic health resources, early ceries and any prescription medications. Utilizing weekly detection screenings can mean the difference between Facebook live videos, Mano a Mano is educating its combeating cancer through successful treatment or death. munity on local COVID-19 pandemic resources and testing

In 2018, ACS predicted that sites that are free of charge. more than 14,000 Latinx people Looking forward, Mano a Mano While colorectal cancer is 99 would be affected by colorectal and ACS plan to continue their percent preventable, it has a cancer. That same year, Mano a partnership to launch similar iniMano, in partnership with ACS, high morbidity rate for Latinos tiatives around early cancer screenjoined the nationwide colorectal ings and detection to help break as it accounts for 11 percent of cancer disparities among minoricancer campaign, “80% in Every Community.” This initiative comes the demographic’s cancer deaths. ties. “It’s been a lot of learning as from the National Colorectal we go and adjusting,” says Martinez, Cancer Roundtable to boost col“but we have been really fortunate orectal cancer screenings rates to 80 percent nationally. to be able to keep serving our community in all of these

According to Astrid Martinez, program manager of different ways, from cancer screening to COVID-19.” healthy families and successful children at Mano a Mano, the Latinx immigrant community doesn’t visit the doctor because they don’t have health insurance or resources to guide them.

“We could have all the resources for people, but if it’s not in their language or culturally-relevant to them, it’s not going to make a difference,” Martinez says. “We needed to customize this topic to help our community understand the importance of going to the doctor. We want to show them where they can go if they don’t have health insurance and where to get financial assistance for exams.”

Mano a Mano was able to bridge this gap thanks to the trust it has built with its community, which has allowed them to reach and assist immigrants in familiar and comforting ways, says Emmanuel Zambrano, health systems manager of state and primary care systems at the ACS. And that relationship is what made it possible for the organization to educate thousands of members of the Round Lake Park Latinx community on colorectal cancer prevention.

“That trust is also important for us when identifying a partner like Mano a Mano that is going to help us bring our mission into that community to drive impact and save more lives,” Zambrano says.

The organization hosted culturally-targeted educational To learn more about or get involved with Mano a Mano, visit: group and one-on-one sessions and created compelling mamfrc.org.

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entertainment

54 THE LOUDEST VOICES 61 FIGHTING HER ‘INHERITANCE’ 64 SAYING YES TO LIFE 68 THE DIVINITY OF DETERMINATION

The Loudest Voices Whether it’s through news briefs, weather forecasts or traffic reports, journalists play an important role in the way we plan our day. These six Chicago women journalists take that influence one step further when it comes to cancer.

BY TAYLOR NOVAK PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH BELL AND KATRINA WITTKAMP

For Tracy Butler photos: Artist at Mighty Artist Productions Inc. Laura Weathersby Head of Public Relations and Social Media at The Morton Arboretum Tari Marshall

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ews personalities, whether on screen or on paper, obtain a certain level of familiarity within our daily routine. We flip on the morning news while rushing to get ready and come to associate Zoraida Sambolin’s overnight recap with burning our tongue on the first sip from a “Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee” mug. Or perhaps it’s a duality of Tracy Butler’s bright, chipper weather forecasts and scarfing down a piece of avocado toast. Sometimes it’s Roz Varon’s informative traffic reports coupled with bundling into our tundra-proof winter gear smorgasbord while groaning because the Jane Byrne Interchange still isn’t completed.

Maybe we sardine pack into a CTA train car and miraculously scroll through the latest “Candid Candace” column with the few inches of space that can be utilized to briefly feel a little more glamorous. After a long day in the office, we might read a “Making A Difference” feature by LeeAnn Trotter to regain faith in humanity or stream “The Whitney Reynolds Show” while partaking in our nightly skincare ritual for some food for thought before bed.

Whatever your individual routine and whoever you tend to gravitate toward, local journalists have a knack at becoming household staples. We rely on them to inform us, educate us and entertain us as we go about our day.

And, over time, we grow to trust them like we’d trust a good friend. For these six women, that unique form of reliance hasn’t gone unnoticed. Some of them are warriors and others are supporters, but their goal is all the same — use their voice for the cancer community.

Cancer Wellness is thrilled to introduce “The Loudest Voices,” highlighting some of the strongest and most distinct journalistic voices in the Chicagoland area who have made it a point to put cancer advocacy at the forefront.

The women spotlighted here go above and beyond in metaphorically sitting their fellow woman down and not only telling us to take care of ourselves, but also offering a reminder that even in the midst of very hard moments, life is still something worth celebrating.

Whitney Reynolds

Whitney Reynolds hopes the cancer advocacy work she’s doing now means that future cancer advocacy work won’t be needed. While the Emmy-nominated “The Whitney Reynolds Show” on PBS and the iHeart radio segment “Whitney’s Women” aren’t solely cancer-focused, the topic tends to resurface time and time again because it’s become so prosaic in people’s lives. Reynolds wants her platforms to be safe spaces when discussing tough topics. Fueled by the impact that cancer has had on people in her life and a personal scare of her own, Reynolds has found her voice in the cancer community through working with organizations like Bear Necessities and featuring cancer warriors, doctors and other prominent figures in the fight on her media outlets.

She urges others to do the same. “We have to all have a voice in it,” Reynolds says. “If you haven’t developed your voice for cancer, you need to find it. I challenge everyone out there to find their voice for the person in their life who has been impacted.”

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Zoraida Sambolin

I n 2013, when Angelina Jolie was receiving criticism for her supposed “glorification” of the preventative double mastectomy she underwent, television journalist Zoraida Sambolin found an opportunity to talk about her own mastectomy experience after a recent breast cancer diagnosis.

She knew there was nothing glamorous about deciding to have such a procedure. “I was at CNN at the time and [Jolie’s] Op Ed piece [in The New York Times] became one of our lead stories,” recalls Sambolin. “My desire to set the record straight about some criticism being hurled her way led to my disclosure.” After overcoming the hurdle of telling viewers about her diagnosis, Sambolin discovered talking about it felt empowering. Now an NBC-5 Chicago anchor, Sambolin is a Susan G. Komen spokesperson for the Latinx community and considers herself an advocate for other cancer warriors who may not have the love, support and acceptance needed to fight their battle.

“We have our reasons for being and I think this is one of mine,” says Sambolin. “I’ve learned that getting up every morning and sharing a smile means a lot to a woman who is sitting at home struggling with this disease because she can see there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Candace Jordan

Even before her husband Chuck’s colon cancer diagnosis in September of 2013, Candace Jordan made it a point to highlight the nonprofits that are moving mountains in the cancer world. “Of all the fabulous health and welfare nonprofits, cancer research is right at the top of the list for me,” she says. The Chicago socialite and former Playboy Bunny has featured local organizations and events like Tickled Pink, Bear Necessities and A Silver Lining in her Chicago Tribune column “Candid Candace” and website of the same moniker. She never shies away from lending a helping hand however she can — volunteering time, money and a voice to the city’s nonprofits doing great work. The supporters and warriors that make up these organizations have left their mark on Jordan, and she is constantly giving back to the people she admires, while picking up awards and honors for her charitable efforts along the way. “You don’t have to be a multimillionaire to be helpful,” she says. “The people who run these organizations are passionate, dedicated, strong — with all the things I do, I try to do my part and be helpful in whatever way I’m able.”

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LeeAnn Trotter

LeeAnn Trotter feels like she was put on earth to be an advocate for the cancer community. The NBC-5 Chicago entertainment reporter lost her mother from metastatic breast cancer at an early age. While she says she initially shied away from cancer advocacy work, she soon realized that she had a place in the community through her platform.

“I learned that through my work, I could share stories of people who were doing great things — people who, despite their diagnosis, were going out and educating people and giving back to the community,” she says. Trotter works on many of the stories featured in NBC-5’s “Making A Difference” segment in order to share uplifting tales of perseverance, compassion and the power of community. She also works with Chicago nonprofits like Susan G. Komen Chicago. “I want to help uplift the people who are going through tough times,” says Trotter. “I feel like I’m kind of a messenger of good news, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that.”

Tracy Butler

ABC-7 Chicago veteran meteorologist Tracy Butler admits she thought she was too busy to get her yearly mammogram.

Cancer doesn’t run in her family and she was feeling healthy, so it wasn’t on her radar. She was also juggling a full-time job and two children. But after three years of putting it off, she went in for a mammogram and left with a breast cancer diagnosis. Now, she uses her platform to urge women to get screened. “We put these things off because we think, ‘It’s not going to happen to me,’” says Butler. “You can’t do it. You have got to put yourself first [...] Please take care of yourselves.” Butler also participates in events like Cal’s Angels’ annual golfing fundraiser for pediatric cancer, and she’s even taken to the catwalk alongside other warriors and supporters in A Silver Lining Foundation’s fashion show, which left a great impact on her. “[Cancer] was a club that I never quite frankly wanted to be in,” she says. “But it was such an amazing group of women that I felt so fortunate to be amongst who just lifted each other up.”

Roz Varon

When Roz Varon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2006, she couldn’t imagine a future where she wouldn’t be thinking about cancer every day. But almost 15 years and a second breast cancer diagnosis later, the ABC-7 Chicago traffic anchor is cancer free. “It’s always there,” she says. “It’s not me — it’s a part of me, right? But it doesn’t make up who I am.” Yet Varon still prioritizes sharing her story and engaging in advocacy work with organizations like Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. She makes sure to be active on social media for other warriors or supporters too. “It’s good to be out there and meet people and talk and share stories,” she says. “I make myself as available as possible.” And because Varon had successful and relatively smooth management of her cancer after making the decision to receive a second opinion, she encourages others to be their own biggest supporter most of all. “You need to be your own best advocate when it comes to you,” she says.

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the thriver

JULIE BRUMM AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

I t was kind of like a blur, from diagnosis to treatment.

It was all a blur.

It was going to be a routine hysterectomy. My doctors, they didn’t have any clue. They biopsied my uterus, my cervix, my ovaries, and everything was presumed fine. So when they went to do the hysterectomy, assuming I had a cyst or a fibroid, and found in fact there was a tumor, everybody was shocked. I had vaginal cancer, which less than 1 percent of the population even gets. He didn’t even know how to treat it because nobody gets it.

You think rare and you immediately think death sentence. I asked, “Is it treatable?” He looked at me and said, “Oh, no, it’s curable.” So I always kept that in my mind. They wouldn’t tell me it’s curable if it isn’t curable.

Once I had my PET scan and my MRI, they realized it was in my bladder, so there was talk of a very major surgery, removing my bladder, removing part of my vagina. I had all of my treatment done at Rush [University Medical Center]. They pushed me to get a second opinion, which I did. They collaborated with doctors at UIC and then I spent three days at Mayo Clinic. That’s when everybody agreed the right treatment was chemo and radiation, not surgery, because surgery would have been invasive. I never thought I would have been excited to hear chemo and radiation were my options.

I was in [for] six weeks of chemo and radiation, but I had to do it together. My dad was going through chemo at the same time, so it was really, really hard. I have two kids, one in college and one in high school. I wanted so badly to keep things normal for them, as normal as I could. But now, my kids tell me how far from normal I was and how I was so out of it. As a parent, that kills you.

That’s not what I wanted at all.

After treatment, I was relieved it was over and looking forward to getting my life back, but I hadn’t realized it’s never going to be the same. I didn’t realize how many things I would struggle with afterward. Just because it’s over doesn’t mean I’m over it. Right after I finished, my dad passed away from cancer as well. I won, but he didn’t. Why is that fair?

Photo by John Khuu

Just because it’s over doesn’t mean I’m over it.

To hear more from Julie, visit cancerwellness.com

I do feel so much better than I did a year ago, so I can only imagine how I’ll feel a year from now. I love my life and the people in it. I’m grateful I’m here to see it. Even the pandemic, I’m glad I got to see it. I didn’t go through a year of hell with cancer just to get taken out by the coronavirus.

I’m not gonna let that happen. That’s always the joke.

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Fighting Her ‘I nheritance’ By trusting her gut, Alejandra Campoverdi took genetic likelihood into her own hands and remained steadfast in her approach to breast cancer even when her support network didn’t fully understand. She hopes to inspire other women to do the same through her new PBS Documentary, “Inheritance.”

BY BRITT JULIOUS

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Photos provided by Alejandra Campoverdi

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lejandra Campoverdi always trusted her intuition. in her family that even her uncle battled the disease.

The first White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Campoverdi herself opted for a double mastectomy, a deciMedia and current women’s health advocate says sion she says was met with some trepidation from members of her intuition had never steered her wrong. And her family, despite their long history of breast cancer diagnowhen it came to her health, her intuition unfortunately told ses. In the beginning, she says, she hadn’t told anyone in her her breast cancer was just around the corner. Her suspicions family that she decided to get the double mastectomy for fear were not random. With a long family history of breast cancer, of getting swayed out of her decision.

Campoverdi was determined to take her future into her own “I think people in my family still didn’t completely underhands. But what came next was even surprising to her. stand the way that hereditary cancer worked and that was “Breast cancer’s been constant in my family’s life for genone of the reasons why I made this film,” says Campoverdi. erations, so even when I was a child, that was something I was Physicians say hereditary cancer strikes about 10 years very aware of,” she says. Campoverdi’s great grandmother younger for each generation. Everyone in her family had difand grandmother died of breast cancer. When she was in her ferent experiences with breast cancer but no one had done a 20s, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and survived. preventative procedure. “My own inner voice was telling me, Later, two of her aunts were diagnosed when Campoverdi ‘You need to do this. You need to do this now,’” she says. “I was in her 30s. “I was always very aware that there was likely wanted to explain the rationale behind my decision.” some sort of family connection, but I never

The documentary tracked her journey, thought I’d know for sure what that was,” says including her decision to get a bronze cast of “I always felt— Campoverdi. “I was told by many doctors that her torso prior to the double mastectomy and I was likely high risk.” whether that was the surgery itself. A few days after her surgery, And while her doctors may have told her doctors tested her tissue and discovered intuition, whether Campoverdi she was high risk, Campoverdi credits her already had stage 0 breast cancer. intuition for pushing her forward. “Intuition that was putting two “The first thing out of my mouth when the was a huge part of this journey for me. Kind of told me I was positive was, ‘I know,’” she and two together— doctor following my gut at every step and listening to recalls. “And when I received the call from my that I was going my gut,” she recalls. doctor letting me know that I had actually had In 2013, Campoverdi heard a news report to develop breast breast cancer, as shocking as it was, it was someabout the BRCA gene mutation. “A lightbulb thing I had already accepted would come to be a went off and I thought, ‘Well, maybe this is cancer at some point part of my reality. That’s why I did what I did.” what was going on,’” she says. After requesting

Campoverdi also says she felt simultaneously in my life.” a test from her doctor, she received the news— devastated and relieved by the news. She anticshe was positive for the BRCA gene mutation. ipated breast cancer in the future, not the present. But learn “I always felt—whether that was intuition, whether that ing of her diagnosis also made her feel even more sure of her was putting two and two together—that I was going to develop decisions to be proactive—rather than reactive—with her breast cancer at some point in my life,” Campoverdi says. “So health. when I found out I was BRCA positive—which, it was devas Her family was shocked. Campoverdi was the first person tating—I [also] wasn’t completely shocked.” in her family to get diagnosed with cancer in her 30s. Before Based on her doctor’s recommendation, she continued to her, everyone was diagnosed in their 60s. “I remember my do surveillance for a few years and was told to aim for a prevenmother telling me afterward that when I chose to do [the tative surgery 10 years before the age at which her mother had double mastectomy], she thought I was too young and she developed breast cancer. was not sure she agreed with my decision, but she didn’t want

Campoverdi’s experiences inspired her to explore to tell me because she knew I had really made up my mind, the genetic connections between breast cancer and other which I had,” she says. “And then when she found out the cancer types. In 2017, she was awarded the inaugural YLC news, she burst out crying and told me, ‘I’m so glad you did Distinguished Advocacy Award from Penn Medicine’s Basser what you did.’”

Center for BRCA for her advocacy around BRCA-related Since learning of her cancer, two women in Campoverdi’s cancers. A year later, Campoverdi further explored the issue family have undergone preventative surgeries and had their when production began on her documentary, “Inheritance.” ovaries removed. And almost everyone in her family now has Created in collaboration with director Jonathan Silvers been tested for BRCA. “Our family’s experience with breast (whose wife tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation and cancer and cancer in general has really changed generationunderwent a prophylactic double mastectomy and bilateral ally,” she says. oophorectomy), “Inheritance” follows three women of color—

Campoverdi also hopes documenting her experience Lilith Costa, Bonnie Feuerman and Campoverdi—as they in “Inheritance” will help other women feel secure in their navigate their personal journeys with hereditary cancer. Of choices. “My wish is for [the film’s] message of empowercourse, not every subject was as proactive as Campoverdi. ment amidst stacked odds to inspire hope,” Campoverdi says.

In the documentary, for example, Feuerman refuses to get “There are always moments of light and grace, even in the most genetic testing even though her mother died of metastatic painful periods of our lives.” breast cancer in her early 40s and her sister tested BRCA In the years since, Campoverdi has launched LATINX positive nearly a decade before. On the opposite end of the & BRCA, a partnership with Penn Medicine’s Basser Center spectrum, Costa undergoes a debilitating 12-hour surgery to for BRCA. The awareness campaign is the first of its kind tarremove her breasts, fallopian tubes and ovaries after testing geting Latinos and provides Spanish-language educational positive for a genetic mutation. Breast cancer was so prevalent materials. She also created the Well Woman Coalition, an 62

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initiative empowering women of color to have agency over their own health and healing through awareness, education and advocacy. Most recently, Campoverdi launched “Pod is a Woman” with Johanna Maska, former White House Director of Press Advance and Darienne Page, former White House Director of Veterans Outreach. On the show, the three lead a weekly discussion on politics and pop culture, looking at the 2020 race and beyond. The podcast’s first guest was Dr. Jill Biden.

Always frank and open about her experiences, Campoverdi hopes her honesty will help other women become advocates for their own health.

“Many of us don’t grow up around the idea of preventive health, particularly in immigrant families like my own. You go to the doctor when you’re sick and that’s about it. I have

seen the devastation that this approach to one’s health can cause, both in my family and in my community. And it’s only compounded when it comes to the early detection of breast cancer,” she says. “It’s critical that we change the narrative on women’s health to one of empowerment and prevention that is culturally informed and relevant. We are and will always be our own best health advocates.”

“Inheritance” is available to stream on PBS. To learn more about the Well Woman Coalition, visit wellwomancoalition.com. Pod is a Woman is now available on all podcast platforms.

Saying Yes to Life Television personality and bridal shop owner Lori Allen had it all, including two successful TV shows, a strong marriage and loving children. But it took a breast cancer diagnosis for her to finally care for the most important thing of all—herself.

BY BRITT JULIOUS

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Photos provided by Kathryn Pasche at Two PR

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ori Allen’s story is not unlike a lot of women’s.

Prioritizing herself—her wellness, her self-care, her health—came second to the needs of her family and business. And like many other women, Allen also delayed her routine checkups. On the outside, there was nothing in Allen’s life to suggest that she wasn’t as healthy as ever. She still tried to exercise (although not as regularly as she would have liked) and she ate as healthily as she could.

But as many cancer warriors and thrivers have come to learn through their own experiences, a perception of health is not the same thing as actual health. And for Allen, who owns the bridal shop Bridals by Lori and is best known for shows like “Say Yes to the Dress,” her perception of her own health was a far cry from the underlying reality of her body.

In 2012, Allen was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was her diagnosis that finally taught her to prioritize her own health. Now, Allen hopes to share what she’s learned (along with a host of other lessons) in her new book, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to Age with Elegance and Class While Never Losing Your Beauty and Sass,” out now.

Allen’s diagnosis came at a particularly difficult time. book, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to Age with Elegance “I think a lot of women do what I did. I put my health on and Class While Never Losing Your Beauty and Sass,” the backburner,” she recalls. “As we get busier and busier, released this July. Her cancer experience, she says, was a have children, we put everything above our own personal test of faith. How do you feel about this? Are you going to self. We just do it all the time.” cave in and let this overtake your life? What are you going

Luckily, her doctor’s office was persistent. After to do about this? For Allen, what she did, as she says, was receiving a yearly reminder in the mail to get a mammo“get [her] mind right.” gram, Allen threw it aside, claiming she had no time to “Even if the diagnosis is bad, you can say yes to this schedule one this year. At the time, she was filming two next chapter or thing that’s happening to you and turn it shows for TLC, “Say Yes for the Dress: Atlanta” and “Say into something positive,” begins Allen. “Do I want to say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids.” [it was] good here? No, because I never wish breast cancer “Life takes over our health and we [aren’t] stopping on anybody. I hate it. But can I turn it into something to look inward. We let these crazy little things that are more positive? Yes, I can.” not as important take over that appointment for that mam It’s the kind of philosophy that can apply to many sitmogram,” she says. But her physician’s office continued uations in one’s life, not just cancer, Allen says. The book pursuing her by phone until she finally squeezed in an was an opportunity for Allen to continue to share that appointment at the last minute. During the appointment, message. “I want these women to stop and embrace their she paid extra for a 3D mammogram, a cost she says lives and embrace themselves and embrace what’s next in “saved” her life. The mammogram caught what she could their lives,” she says. not feel on the outside of her body.

It’s the sort of lesson Allen herself had to learn. Years Allen later went home and was told she needed to return after her cancer diagnosis and treatment, Allen says for a biopsy. Allen had found lumps and gotten biopsies in embracing herself has become a top priority. “Getting to the past, so she was not too worried. “I’m worried about [my this point of feeling good now took awhile,” Allen recalls. husband]. I’m thinking about the store. I’m thinking about “You’ve got to be kind and patient with yourself. And I a million other things,” she recalls. However, unlike past found that very hard. It wasn’t an overnight thing.” Being experiences, this new biopsy hurt. kind to herself involved a mix of self Days later, on the same day her husband— “Even if the diagnosis care practices, from daily devotionals who had a carcinoid tumor on his intestine— readings to clean eating to exercise. All is bad, you can say yes in was scheduled for surgery, Allen received the all, it took her about a year and a half devastating news. “I got the call and before to this next chapter or to start looking and feeling like “Lori” [my doctor] said anything, I knew,” Allen and that slow process of healing thing that’s happening again, recalls. “Because why else would he be calling is one she doesn’t take for granted. to you and turn it into “I take time for Lori. That taught me at 7:05 a.m.?”

Her doctor said she needed to see a me to take time for Lori, because Lori something positive.” surgeon and, in a strange coincidence, was one of these ladies that put herself recommended the same one operating on her husband. on the backburner, put her family first, put her business “I remember feeling like a spinning top. My world was first. Everybody came before Lori came. And after breast turned upside down. Like everybody that gets that cancer cancer, I don’t feel guilty at all for taking time for myself,” diagnosis, you can’t breathe, you can’t focus,” she says. she says. “You realize that if you don’t have your health

Her breast cancer journey, like most people’s, was and your spiritual well being and your family, that’s what more challenging than she imagined. And like the origyou need to live and to survive. It took me going through inal diagnosis itself, life continued to throw curveballs all of that to appreciate everything I had surrounding me. at her. Her original treatment, for example, included a All the other stuff I thought was important wasn’t.” lumpectomy and radiation in her right breast. But in the “Say Yes to What’s Next” is geared toward women days and weeks after her lumpectomy, she “didn’t feel at like Lori, women who may be on the brink of a burnout, peace.” Two weeks later, she learned she still had atypical women who don’t always put themselves first, women for cells in her left breast. Allen weighed her options. Did she whom health and wellness have stopped being a priority. want to have another lumpectomy and live in fear forever, In writing to them, Lori is frank and open, using her realor did she want to try and find peace somewhere. Although life experiences through the lens of honesty and humor to the men in her life wanted her to get another lumpectomy motivate others to live their best lives. because they did not want to see her in pain, her children

“I want us to start reclaiming ourselves. I’m not asked her to get a double mastectomy. “We want you here, saying quit your job tomorrow, but I’m saying stop and not your breasts,” Allen recalls them saying to her. take some time for you,” says Allen. “I want women to walk She opted for the double mastectomy, and although away from it feeling inspired. That’s my whole goal here, to the recovery—which included physical therapy—was motivate women in this next phase or next chapter of our rough, Allen also says it taught her how strong she is. “You lives, to embrace it and to move forward in our passions.” have to figure out what you want to do for your body,” she

says. “I’m not any exception. I just realized how tough I “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to Age with Elegance and Class am inside, how determined I am to get better and I have a While Never Losing Your Beauty and Sass” is available for purlot to live for. You’ve got to fight this.” chase at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or through your local Years later, Allen is cancer-free and she credits her bookstore. New episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” breast cancer journey with inspiring her to write her new appear on TLC. Cancer Wellness

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Lori Allen, center, with her family.

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The Divinity of Determination

Gospel house music prodigy Dana Divine has a reputation for being the life of the party, so it’s no surprise that she brought that same upbeat energy to her cancer journey.

BY SHERYL NANCE-NASH

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hether you’re having an intimate gathering or proved quite the soldier. “I’d just completed my sophoa big bash, you’ll want Dana Divine on your more CD project months before my diagnosis, and found guest list. that my own music would be my source of strength during

“If there are only two or three people the journey,” she recalls. “The CD is titled ‘Lifeline!’ Go present, once Dana arrives, it’s officially a celebration. She figure.” Divine went back to work four weeks after surgery. is the life of the party,” says Rishal Stanciel, her ride-or-die “When I think back, I must have just needed to keep my for more than 30 years. How else could one define Divine? life as normal as possible. I did not want my children to see In many ways, her list of accomplishments is long. me looking sad and crying. I would put on a wig, and some Divine is a musician, record producer, independent label eyelashes like I was having a show or performance,” she says. owner, gospel radio and television show host, wife, mother “However, years after treatment, a photo of a woman popped of three, community engagement manager and breast up on my computer and my family was like, ‘Who is she?’” cancer survivor. It’s a mouthful, but her list of accomplish It was her—bald, eyebrow-less, and minus 25 pounds. ments only scratches the surface of Divine’s story.

Unrecognizable. “She was a trooper. Dana didn’t slow down,” Divine is a Chicagoan who can’t sit still. Not even says Stanciel, who lives in Atlanta. Stanciel spent some time when cancer called her name in 2009. with Divine during her ordeal. They went to the track near While Divine is known for her energy, gospel music Divine’s home and walked or ran together. She admires came first. Growing up, she was always in the choir at Divine’s determination. “She pushed herself physically and school. Professionally, her roots were in the 1990s house was adamant about juicing and eating well. She was doing music scene. While studying abroad at the University of everything she could to help her healing,” says Stanciel.

Sussex in Brighton in 1985, Divine began writing songs, Four weeks after surgery, Divine returned to making doing studio work and singing and touring with a band. music. “As a radio personality and recording artist, I was Divine’s love of house music grew after returning to able to channel my cancer experience into introspective the states, morphing into her own brand of gospel house music and creativity,” Divine says. “Writing music is my music. Twenty years ago, she shook the gospel world by cre‘happy space,’ where I get lost for hours and hours. I will ating the Gospel Slide, a Christian line dance. never tire of weaving melodies and words “It was a little controversial, as it wasn’t like a into music.” praise dance. It wasn’t well received at first, “Nothing is the same Divine is now cancer free. Reflecting but over time the church came up to speed,” her cancer experience, Divine’s advice for after cancer. You on says Divine. As a musician, her classic hits other women is to “Pay attention to everyinclude Basstoy’s “Turn It Up” (on which learn to navigate the thing. Get a checkup.” She is surprised at she is a featured vocalist) and the solo single new normal. I just the number of women over 40 who haven’t “Brighter Days.” “Runnin’,” another Basstoy had a mammogram. “It’s important to get kept going.” track she is featured on, was even included your mammogram every year. With cancer, on Sony’s PlayStation 2 music soundtrack things change rapidly. If you’re getting your and became one of Nokia’s first ringtones. This year she mammogram every year and something has changed, at released “If Your Love is True” with Soulbridge. least it hasn’t been more than a year,” says Divine.

Divine’s can-do, no-limits attitude is the way she’s always Divine, 52, has had no recurrence of cancer since lived. And it came in handy when she was first diagnosed with 2009, but memories linger of “making lemonade out of breast cancer more than a decade ago at age 41. While shaving, lemons,” says Divine. “Nothing is the same after cancer.

Divine discovered a small lump under her right armpit. She You learn to navigate the new normal. I just kept going. had also noticed that there was a weird odor from her armpit I’m proud of the fact I’m a survivor. I learned a lot about that no amount of washing could make go away. myself.”

“I dismissed the lump, but did call to schedule my Divine’s experience birthed a new ministry of doing annual appointment with my OB-GYN,” she says. “He her part for breast cancer awareness. She has participated did not notice the pea-sized knot during my visit. He did, in fundraising for breast cancer through walks and events however, order an ultrasound so that I would not worry. It for organizations like Peer Plus, Sisters Working It Out, was during the ultrasound that the lump was found.” and the Tatisa C. Joiner Foundation. Today, you’ll find

Time stopped after receiving her diagnosis. “I Divine working as the community engagement manager remember feeling a slow, hot sweat forming at the crown for Equal Hope, a nonprofit organization that strives to of my head traveling to the bottom of my feet as she said, eliminate the health disparities in Illinois for women with ‘We found cancer,’” recalls Divine, who had stage I breast breast and other cancers. And despite her busy schedule, cancer in the left breast and IIA on the right. “I really she still makes time for her music. don’t remember much of anything else she said.”

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has inter For treatment, Divine opted for a double mastectomy. rupted the entertainment world. But Divine is utilizing It wasn’t until after her surgery that the mysterious odor isolation for her art. “While Zoom invites you into the went away. She also had chemotherapy. “I was only nauroom, the audience experience is sorely missing,” she says. seous after my initial chemo appointment. I exercised a lot “We feed off of the energy of the audience. I can’t wait until during my treatment, with the intention of either sweating society gets back to ‘live’ music. In the meantime, all the it out (releasing toxins through my pores) or peeing it out extra time spent inside, and away from the world, has (drinking plenty of water). I did very well through chemo,” inspired me tremendously musically and spiritually.” she says.

It was a tough time, but the undefeatable Divine Cancer Wellness

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Innovations and Research 72 ME, MYSELF AND MEDICINE

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Me, Myself and Medicine Dr. Nita Lee, an OB-GYN at the University of Chicago, says the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her team to embrace a more patient-forward approach to tackling cancer.

Photo by Sarah Bell

BY BRITT JULIOUS

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n a world where profits are often prioritized over Although these new initiatives provide opportunities patients, Dr. Nita Lee works to do just the oppofor already-weak patients to stay at home rather than put site. As an oncological OB-GYN at the University of themselves at risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus, Chicago, Lee approaches her medical practice with they also highlight other problems that make accessing profound levels of empathy, finding the holes in the system health care and resources difficult. that prevent patients from receiving the best care possi “I think that this is something that we knew would ble. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown to millions of come about, but I think seeing it can be very important people across the country, the social, economic and racial to see,” Lee says. “I think as providers, we’ve been very disparities among the general population have made the excited about being able to do telehealth and offer a referdifference between surviving and thriving or succumbral to some of our cancer advocacy organizations who may ing to illness. Now, through the work of the University as have switched to programming like an online Zoom class well as her own in-office initiatives, Lee hopes to take the or yoga, even psychiatry support or psychology support. lessons and protocols she has learned and bring them into But I think we see the stark difference in who our patients the general cancer world. may be able to access because they have access to decent As an OB-GYN oncologist, Lee treats women who are Wi-Fi or some type of smartphone or tablet or computer at diagnosed with ovarian, uterus, cervical and other gynehome.“ cological cancers. Her work is a combination of surgery Telehealth is great if you have the tools to access it. and chemotherapy or other medical treatments. But Lee But if you do not, which some people don’t, its benefits does not consider herself or her clinic to have stunted relaare useless and you will still need to risk exposure to come tionships with her patients. Lee approaches her medical into the hospital for treatments, labs or other appointwork from a holistic standpoint, meaning she sees a broad ments. Additionally, even when some patients have access range of patients – not just those seeking a diagnosis or to these forms of technology, they may not know how to active treatment – and follows through with their cancer use it or they feel intimidated by using some of the popular experience into sustained survivorship. programs. This digital divide, as Lee says, is where other

But like many other physicians physicians and oncologists must focus across the country, Lee had to pivot their energy in the future. “I think it’s “I think we’ve sort of the scope of her work as the COVID-19 really important for patients so we don’t pandemic began to ravage the country. adjusted so much in some see this continued gap between who gets Surprisingly, the pandemic provided a ways that we often forget a lot of great support when they are going number of opportunities for Lee and through cancer and who doesn’t get a lot of what a drastic change great her clinic to connect with patients who support when they are going through this was to our patients cancer,” she says. might have been more inaccessible in the before times.

To address some of these issues, Lee’s who are in treatment or “I think that we really had to take team has created instructional guides even after treatment.” to teach people how to use the tools that each individual patient and really look through what it is that they needed or they have but may not have utilized in the didn’t need or could be delayed or couldn’t be delayed,” past. When feasible, they have been able to give tools to she says. Lee says she created giant Excel spreadsheets people as well. Additionally, Lee’s team and the University of every single one of her patients so her staff could be has pivoted some of their programming to virtual events. detailed about their previous forms of treatment and People can join by video or just call in if that is easier and determine what would be the most appropriate next steps. talk to their doctors as well as talk to experts in the field “The level of detail we ended up putting in with each about their particular type of cancer. The key, she says, is decision we made determined if they could wait a month continuing to personalize the treatments for each individor get labs at home, so it was very personalized and it ual patient so their needs are routinely addressed and they was always, obviously, different for patients who were in do not continue to fall through the cracks. chemotherapy and newly diagnosed versus patients who “I will say that I think we’ve sort of adjusted so much were in a surveillance pattern,” she recalls. Triaging this in some ways that we often forget what a drastic change and personalizing their work made all the difference. As this was to our patients who are in treatment or even doctors, by utilizing every resource available, Lee’s team after treatment,” she says. “We’ve had patients with both was able to connect with patients on a more comprehenextremes I think really personalizing it, and thinking of sive level. your own cancer team in terms of how they can support all Some of their work was simple, such as conducting those different aspects someone needs, like nutrition and telehealth appointments through video or phone calls. physical activity and access to technology—all of those But for patients that were on active treatment, Lee’s team kinds of things are really important right now.” became much more creative to, for example, keep patients from having to take another trip to the hospital to do labs. “I can send lab work to their homes,” Lee begins.

“Someone can come to their house, draw their blood and the blood work is actually in the computer system by the end of the day, which is really quite amazing. And that really prevents one extra visit of somebody having to park and come up to the elevator and interact.“ Cancer Wellness

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Life Unfiltered

Popular fashion, travel and lifestyle blogger Ceta Walters was ready to embark on her next phase of life when cancer came knocking. But despite it all, her diagnosis hasn’t kept her from sharing her wisdom with the world.

Photos provided by Ceta Walters

BY BRITT JULIOUS

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n 2019, the hardest thing I had to deal with to disappear and go away and just be done with my blog,” in my life was asking for a divorce,” says Ceta she says. But a constant tug in her gut told her she had to Walters. “And it has since turned into divorce, share her diagnosis. “I want to be authentic and true to breast cancer, a pandemic and homeschooling.” myself, so I can’t share my life and not share my life,” she A lot has changed for Walters. Prior to her recalls. “Then it became, well, how am I going to share?” cancer diagnosis, Walters was best known for her popular Remembering the statistic that women in the United blog and Instagram account, Clark and Stone. On both States have a 1 in 8 lifetime chance of being diagnosed platforms, Walters shares the ins and outs of her life and with breast cancer, Walters gathered seven of her friends love of fashion, travel and motherhood, all with a unique for a photo shoot. Her caption? “I’m number 1.” flair. Glimpses into her picture-perfect life has amassed “It still just hurts to say that because I don’t want to more than 70,000 followers on Instagram alone, but learnbe that special,” she says. “And now I have breast cancer ing to share the highs was a lot easier than sharing the lows. on my plate, but then I just kept saying to myself, I have to After asking her husband for a divorce, Walters was ready remember why I started the blog, which was to empower to embark on her new life as a single mother of two boys. women to live their best lives.”

“I went through that phase of being embarrassed that Through sharing her diagnosis and her treatment process, I was no longer wearing a wedding band on my ring finger.

Walters has kept her audience informed while also helping I had removed the shame of preparing to be herself feel less alone. “I’m so thankful for my a divorced mom of two boys,” she says. “I friends—my close friends, my distant friends, “I felt like I was was so comfortable in my skin in that space the acquaintances I’ve made throughout this that I was excited for what my new normal process—because I’m not alone,” she says. “I finally living my was going to look like. [But] I had no clue have this sisterhood that I never would have authentic self, what was coming my way.” expected to have.” unapologetically.

Walters felt insincere after joining the

Meeting breast cancer survivors, thrivers board for the Lynn Sage Cancer Research and previvors has opened Walters up to the And now this? Like possibilities of what her life can be like. In the Foundation, an organization that supports no, this is not a part months since her diagnosis, she also settled into breast cancer awareness and research. “My grandmother and my best friend passed her “new normal,” which included rest during of my plan.” away from breast cancer, so it has affected the first 10 days of her strong chemo cocktail, me personally, but I didn’t want it to affect then a mix of working out and time with friends. me personally,” she says.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has put a damper on While preparing to collect handbags for the organizathings. “COVID has placed such a dark cloud on me having tion’s annual luncheon, Walters realized she hadn’t had a some control of this experience because it stripped everything mammogram. “In my mind, it had only been a year, [but] it away that I had created as my new normal,” she says. had actually been three years,” she recalls. At that moment, The first “hiccup,” as she says, was homeschooling for she decided to do a breast self-exam and found a lump. “My her two boys. “I wasn’t expecting it to be for the rest of the heart kind of sank,” she says. “I tried to talk myself out of school year,” she says. She also wasn’t prepared for the it. Like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t a lump.’ I felt the other side like, delay in her treatment. Walters’ last chemotherapy treat‘Oh, I have dense breasts.’” But Walters also remembered ment was scheduled for March 23, after which she would that 10 months before her wedding, her doctors also found receive a double mastectomy. Although Walters only had a lump. Well before the age of 40, she had her first mammobreast cancer in her right breast, she opted for the double gram and ultrasound. Later, she was told to get a mammomastectomy after being inspired by a friend who was gram every two years because she was at a higher risk. diagnosed just two weeks before her. That friend chose a She called the doctor the next day, got an appointdouble mastectomy and doctors later found cancer in her ment the following day, and was told to get another mamleft breast, although it hadn’t shown up yet in her scans. mogram and ultrasound. Walters delayed the exams “My oncologist told me that typically, your surgery is for a vacation and her tests were scheduled for after the four to six weeks after your last chemo session, but because luncheon, on Halloween. It was the luncheon’s keynote of COVID-19, hospitals were no longer allowing elective speaker that finally made the situation real for Walters. surgeries,” she says. “My double mastectomy was now con “The water works just started coming. Everyone at my sidered an elective surgery because I only had it in the right table was looking at me like I was crazy,” Walters recalls. “Here [breast] and I just thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”

I was keeping this secret and crying because I [knew] in this Like many cancer warriors, Walters says her time now moment, this lump is breast cancer. It’s like my spirit told me.” is a matter of waiting and keeping the faith. Her friends On November 4, her intuition was confirmed—she check in on her and even facilitate socially-distanced had stage III invasive ductal carcinoma. dance parties to Drake outside the gate of her home. “My

“It felt like someone punched me in the face with friends constantly remind me that I’m not alone,” she says. a brick,” Walters says. “I felt like I was finally living my The pandemic may have taken away the sense of control she authentic self, unapologetically. And now this? Like no, was slowly gaining through her “new normal,” but it has not lessthis is not a part of my plan.” ened her spirit. “Cancer gave me three gifts: gratitude, love and com As a blogger, Walters was used to sharing the intimate munity,” Walters says. “As opposed to harping on the little things details of her life with her readers. But nothing prepared which would have driven me nuts in the past, who has time to conher for what it was like to have cancer. Was she willing stantly complain and gripe about the little things instead of apprecito share that part of herself, too? Walters wasn’t, at least ating the little things? I’ve learned to be grateful for every little thing, not initially. “I just kind of accepted it and I just wanted because it could all be taken away at any moment.”

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Ceta Walters, pictured at home

L eaving a M ark

Tattooing is no longer just a way to express yourself. Paramedical tattoo artists like Elsa Milani are rethinking ink as a means to help cancer thrivers love their bodies.

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here is no handbook for how to navigate life up. Radiation, for example, may make it difficult for the post-treatment for breast cancer thrivers, so many work to take the first time. “It is a tattoo, so they should are left to research and investigate resources, be good for five plus years before they need to come in for communities and health treatments on their own. a touch-up,” she says. Like any tattoo, it will fade and the One such treatment, permanent makeup, continues to color will change over time. quickly rise as a supplemental service for life post-mastec Making her services affordable is important to Milani. tomy. And Elsa Milani of Flawless Permanent Makeup by Compared to her other permanent makeup offerings like Elsa Milani is one of the best in the business. brows or lips, areola and scar camouflage is heavily dis Permanent makeup is a form of tattooing. Most people counted. “I’m not just catering to the upper class,” she who get permanent makeup focus on areas like the eyesays. “I want to be able to help all women who have sufbrows (known as microblading), eyelids or lips. But more fered from breast cancer and need to have those areas and more people are using the service as a means of restored.” addressing scarring. That certainly was the case for Milani.

If one can still not afford Milani’s services, she has Milani has been in the beauty industry since high also partnered with Sharsheret (featured in issue 4). The school when she earned her cosmetologist license. Back organization, a Jewish breast cancer nonprofit, works with then, she largely stuck to hair and cosmetic makeup. It the thriver’s medical insurer to pay whatever costs are not wasn’t until a personal tragedy that Milani made the covered. The procedures are also heavily discounted for switch. the organization so the organization can afford it. “I’m After getting attacked by a dog, Milani had two reconnot really making much, but it’s important to me to give structive surgeries on her face that left her with scarring back.” Milani also offers three free areola treatments every and an asymmetrical lip line. She pursued permanent October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and free scar makeup to fix her scarring, receiving scar camouflage camouflage treatments monthly throughout the year. and lip tattooing. “I looked like myself again,” Milani says.

But more than anything, what is most important to “That’s what inspired me to get out of cosmetic makeup Milani is making her customers feel good. As someone and hair and learn permanent makeup. What happened who intimately knows the life-changing benefits of permato me inspired me to learn the craft.” nent cosmetics, she aims to bring that She made the switch eight years same sense of relief and confidence to As someone who intimately people ago, learning “everything,” includeverywhere. “I just want them knows the life-changing ing lips, eyes, brows, and later, scar to feel good. I just want them to feel camouflage, scalp pigmentation for confident again when they look in benefits of permanent people losing their hair and 3D areola the mirror when they’re naked,” she cosmetics, Milani aims to says. “I just want them to feel like their work. She was also inspired by seeing her grandmother, who had peritoneal old self and be proud of the journey bring that same sense of cancer, pass away. they’ve gone through.” After all, they relief and confidence to Milani currently has three certifwere warriors, now thrivers, with the icates in areola tattooing and two in “battle wounds” to show for it. people everywhere. scar camouflage, and she currently

“I can’t imagine being sick, also trains others in permanent makeup and scar camlosing your hair and losing your breasts, that part of you ouflage. Through shops in Chicago and New York City, taken from you,” Milani says. “So to be able to give that Milani has made a name for herself through her paramedback to someone is very rewarding.” ical tattooing.

Thrivers interested in the procedure must be in remission and off of chemotherapy for at least 12 months. They’ll also need doctor’s permission ensuring that they’re okay and their immune system is stronger. Then, they’ll attend a free consultation with Milani, who will go over the size and color. Milani then draws the areola and nipples, measuring everything for accuracy. Once the thriver approves, the procedure is booked for a later date.

During the procedure, Milani numbs the area topically, re-measures everything based on the discussions during the initial consultation and custom blends the colors to recreate the areola. Creating a custom appearance is key, Milani says, to making the finished tattoo realistic. “It’s all about shading it properly and highlighting it properly to give it that 3D illusion,” she says. “You have to touch it to not know it’s real.” Most thrivers choose to get both areola tattooing and scar camouflage as mastectomy surgery often leaves white scarring on people’s bodies.

Sessions last about two to three hours and thrivers To learn more about Elsa Milani or to book her services, visit should return six weeks after their initial treatment to see flawlesspermanentmakeupbyelsa.com. To learn more about how the tattooing has healed and if they need a free touch Sharsheret, visit sharsheret.org.

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The Ins and Outs of Telehealth Telehealth has been around for decades but is being utilized now more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. We dive into the specifics to ensure you’re best prepared for your next virtual house call.

BY ERIKA R. WHITEHEAD

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ince the 1960s, telehealth has been an essential component of military and space technology development. Over time, the technology became more accessible to health care professionals as a useful tool to provide global patient care. As technology has evolved exponentially over the years, so too have improvements in telehealth. Today, patients have access to a range of services including virtual appointments, video-conferencing, transmission of image and video reports, home delivery lab testing and more.

Although the terms telehealth and telemedicine 84

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are used interchangeably, telemedicine falls under the larger umbrella of telehealth. According to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, telehealth services support overall patient care, administrative activities and health education; specifically, telemedicine provides personalized clinical care and support to patients.

From providing efficient post-operative care procedures to offering therapy sessions, telehealth opens the door for doctors, patients and administrative staff to meet halfway, ensuring that everyone is still connected and receiving personalized treatment when necessary. Here are the top five things you should know about telehealth.

1. REDUCES RISK OF PATIENT EXPOSURE TO COVID-19 To flatten the curve of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths, many health care professionals across the nation are discouraging patients from coming into hospitals or clinics, except in cases of emergency. For Dr. Rachel Buchsbaum, director of the Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Tufts Medical Center, relying on telehealth services can help bridge this developing gap in care.

“Telehealth services allow patients and health care providers to maintain contact and communication that can be critical to managing health issues in a safe way in settings when patients can’t physically come in, or don’t want to come in, to see their providers,” Buchsbaum says.

For millions of people in the United States, contracting the novel coronavirus is not their only health concern.

For patients with pre-existing conditions, receiving care and consultations from the security of home can make the difference between life and death due to exposure.

2. MORE CONVENIENT WAY TO RECEIVE CARE Receiving medical care from home means one less trip to the clinic or hospital. Although COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders are lifting in many states across the country, the public is still advised to exercise caution and remain at home as much as possible. Telehealth services like e-visits and video conference calls can help to replace the need to leave home.

For Laura Greco, a 45-year-old former law partner from Wilton, New York, battling her stage IV lung cancer diagnosis is her priority. Greco has undergone three brain surgeries to eliminate radiation necrosis, hydrocephalus and tumor growth between November 2019 and March 2020. She has relied on telehealth to receive care during the pandemic.

“Having faced near imminent death in November 2019, I do not really fear getting [COVID-19],” Greco admits. “While it might kill me, lung cancer is a much bigger threat than coronavirus. However, I am concerned, with justification, that in this time of scarce resources, I will not be given the appropriate medical care because of my terminal diagnosis.”

Thankfully, Greco has been able to take advantage of telehealth services to make virtual appointments with her doctors who are further away.

“I have had telemedicine appointments with my oncologists who are located in Boston and in Albany, and a palliative care center in Boston,” Greco says. “Honestly, telemedicine provides a much more convenient process for me, since even my ‘local’ oncologist is about an hour away. Plus, there is no risk of exposure.”

3. RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE WAY TO RECEIVE TREATMENT Although telemedicine involves a diverse network of advanced telecommunications technology, this does not mean it’ll strain your wallet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services have amended some of their policies to provide temporary and emergency access to telehealth services under the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

“The U.S. has been thinking about and experimenting with telemedicine for a while,” says Kristen Cox Santiago, Senior Director of Public Policy Initiatives for LUNGevity.

“Our current situation has forced us into using it, and I think there will be lessons learned, both good and bad.

It’s important for policymakers to listen to feedback from patients and caregivers during this time to better understand their experiences and what is or is not working from their perspectives.”

Under these new provisions, patients can expect to be partially or fully reimbursed for some of the telehealth services they use. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance providers to learn more. For patients covered

by Medicare and Medicaid, a detailed list of telehealth services payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found online.

4. EASY TO USE

Many of us utilize a form of telehealth with familiar gadgets like Fitbits, and Apple and Samsung Galaxy watches. These easy-to-use devices and corresponding mobile or computer apps are a part of the telehealth industry. Telehealth does not have to be complicated—as long as you or a loved one has access to a computer, tablet or phone, a virtual appointment is pretty easy to facilitate.

“I have used both telephone calls and FaceTime to visit my patients,” says Dr. Muaiad Kittenah, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at Loyola University Medical Center. “It is interesting; it makes me feel like I am visiting patients at their homes as they get to speak or FaceTime with me from their home office, kitchen table or living room couch. It provides me with an opportunity to get to know patients on a different, personal level.”

Although it may take a bit of adjusting, it is important to remember that everyone is figuring out the details along with you. You are not alone. For Kittenah, a basic exam was made possible during a Facetime call when his patient used his phone camera to show him a rash on his body. Beyond rashes, doctors can conduct physical and neurological exams.

5. EXPECTED TO IMPROVE WITH TIME Although telehealth is here to stay, there is still room for improvement. Patients and doctors need the education, tools and accessibility to rely on telehealth regularly. For mesothelioma patients like Mavis Nye, the founder of the Mavis Nye Foundation in the United Kingdom, her challenge has been keeping in touch with her doctors and receiving care.

Nye’s last treatment took place over two months ago.

During this time, she has been relying solely on phone calls with her doctors. Nye has not been able to take advantage of some of the face-to-face benefits of telehealth services. The goal of improving access to telehealth is to ensure that patients like Nye are still able to receive necessary care. Although telehealth will not replace the need for in-person medical appointments, it can certainly help patients who need care in between these appointments.

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Paying the Toll Financial toxicity impacts cancer warriors more than any other group. Luckily, some organizations are making sure that receiving quality treatment doesn’t come at the price of personal financial ruin.

BY TAYLOR NOVAK

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hen someone receives a cancer diagnosis, the newfound worry often spans beyond a prognosis. The stress of choosing the right treatment, paying bills and being strong can become overwhelming and affect the quality of care and life of a cancer warrior.

They may be forced to choose between potentially life-saving treatment and making rent, buying groceries or paying for their child’s education. While many nonprofits in the cancer sphere have traditionally focused on funding to put toward research, awareness or medical bills, organizations and programs geared toward covering everyday expenses offer a light in the dark so warriors can focus wholeheartedly on healing.

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Financial toxicity, or financial distress, is an issue that plagues warriors facing cancer more than any other disease. Cancer is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat in the United States and care costs for warriors continue to rise, even when insured.

Insured cancer warriors typically have to pay higher premiums, and copayments, deductibles and coinsurance can add up quickly when receiving ongoing, expensive treatment. A Journal of Clinical Oncology study showed average out-of-pocket expenses for cancer care, including premiums, can be more than $5000 per year.

When combined with extra costs like transportation to know if they’re going to lose income. I thought, ‘Someone appointments or lodging during treatment, out-of-pocket has to do something.’” medical expenses can leave even the most economical warrior MacDonald approached the social worker where she approaching financial disaster in no time. With many warwas receiving treatment, but her previous year’s income riors unable to work during active treatment, a family’s income disqualified her from receiving any financial assistance (and insurance coverage) may become low to non-existent. even though she was now unemployed. After this encounter,

A Journal of the National Cancer Institute study she had what she describes as an epiphany—if she couldn’t found that “patient time costs” – the time warriors spend receive help, then maybe she was supposed to give it. receiving care rather than engaging in other activities, “I rescued my house from foreclosure,” MacDonald such as working – range from hundreds to thousands of says, describing the early months of formulating The Pink dollars per year and affect younger patients at higher rates Fund. “I traded in my vehicle. My credit report tanked. It than their older counterparts. These accumulated hardwas just this perfect storm of financial challenges. But I ships may end up lasting years beyond a NED status in the believed I could do this thing.” form of looming debt or tanked credit scores.

She designed an application and a friend donated a There’s also evidence that this financial stress can impact website. The Detroit Free Press covered her story for an article. a warrior’s quality of life as severely as physical toxicity might.

By May of 2007, The Pink Fund was up and running with A December 2019 examination on financial hardship of cancer enough money to begin making bill payments for recipients. warriors published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology saw

As of mid-2020, The Pink Fund has paid out $4.3 that “several cross-sectional and cohort studies have reported million in bills to breast cancer warriors’ creditors. Warriors that financial hardship is associated with worse health-related interested in applying must be in active treatment, and the quality of life and less satisfaction with care.” funding is determined by the percentage of loss of income A diagnosis is exhausting enough without a financial compared to overall household income. “Every single person calamity that affects your care options and choices. Luckily, who qualifies according to our guidelines and provides there are organizations aiming to lessen everyday financial supporting documentation [tax returns, bank statements, burdens for active warriors so that they diagnosis, income, etc.] will get funded can focus more on fighting cancer than to some extent,” says MacDonald. “We When combined with extra have helped somebody from every demofighting collection agencies.

Molly MacDonald runs one such costs like transportation to graphic in this country, even men.” nonprofit. The Pink Fund, founded

With the COVID-19 virus, these appointments or lodging resources have become immensely in 2006 by MacDonald, provides 90-day non-medical funding for cost of during treatment, out-of-pocket valuable for warriors. The results from living expenses (housing, transportaa June 2020 survey conducted by The medical expenses can leave Pink tion, utilities and insurance) to breast Fund show that the pandemic has cancer warriors in active treatment. even the most economical exacerbated the effects of financial toxMacDonald came up with the concept for active cancer warriors. warrior approaching financial icity after experiencing her own financial Out of the 350 active breast cancer disaster in no time. hardships while in treatment. warriors surveyed, an alarming one In 2005, MacDonald was diagnosed hundred percent were unable to work with early-stage breast cancer while transitioning jobs and and did not have clearance from their doctors to work coming out of an unpleasant divorce process. The diagnoduring the pandemic. Moreover, 78 percent were consis was unlikely to take her life, but, as she puts it, it could cerned about the financial consequences of not working take her livelihood. Due to her diagnosis, her new job and what impact the loss of income would have on their fell through and she was suddenly without an income to treatment plan. This increased demand for financial provide for herself and her children. Eventually she entered support means nonprofits funding costs for active warthe state known as “cancer-related financial toxicity.” riors are more important than ever.

On the verge of financial collapse with a foreclosed The Pink Fund focuses on financial relief of everyday home and a soon-to-be repossessed vehicle, MacDonald cost-of-living expenses for breast cancer warriors, but other started thinking back to the women she had met during organizations exist for those who may have a different diagtreatment who were undergoing even longer, more toxic nosis. Grassroots nonprofit Cancer Cartel funds costs like treatment than she was. Finances were a big topic of gas, mortgages and groceries to any active cancer warrior. concern, and MacDonald recalls the women weighing their The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can help warriors with options to get through treatment with their head above leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma pay for gas and parking financial waters. The possibilities the women discussed through its Patient Aid Program, and the American Cancer included dipping into their retirement funds, putting their Society’s Hope Lodge program provides families with a home on the market and taking their children out of college. free place to stay during cancer treatment. Family Reach “There were just a lot of things they were juggling can assist active warriors in areas like mortgage or rent, to determine how to adhere to the treatment plan, not utilities and childcare alongside financial planning. go broke and not make major changes in their life,” MacDonald says. “This stress, the financial stress, means For more information and resources, visit Cancer Financial patients are making potentially life-altering treatment Assistance Coalition, a group of national organizations providing decisions around the cost of care. When a patient is told financial help to warriors, online. Their searchable database is what their treatment protocol is going to be, they want to available at cancerfac.org.

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cancer & the environment

91 THE CANCER-CLIMATE CONUNDRUM

Did you know that asbestos exposure can lead to lung cancer?

Asbestos exposure is directly responsible for 20% of lung cancer tumors.

According to the Mayo Clinic, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. One in 16 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.

We take lung cancer cases caused by asbestos.

Call us at 866-730-6479.

The CancerClimate Conundrum By now, we are well aware of the destruction that climate change can inflict upon our planet. But what about its detrimental effects on cancer risk, survival and the ability to get the care you need?

BY CATHERINE EVES

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n 1938, British engineer Guy Callendar first sugsimilarly affected areas. The Tohoku study references gested that the rise in global temperatures was a result another from Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, of human activity. Fellow scientists dismissed this which found the average time between screenings to theory, believing humans couldn’t possibly impact cervical cancer diagnosis in the aftermath of Hurricane something as colossal as the climate. It wasn’t until the late Katrina was significantly longer than it was pre-disaster 1980s that the public was first made aware of the hazards — 7.7 years compared with 4.2 years. The stage of cervical of climate change, but even today, there are still those who cancer diagnosis was higher after the hurricane, as well. deny the scientific fact that climate change is a very real Not only do natural disasters reduce the rate of potenthreat (including the president of the United States). tially life-saving cancer screenings, but they may also cause

Climate change can be seen in rising temperatures abnormal menstrual cycles, pelvic inflammation and genital and increased natural disasters, hotter summers and colder tract infections, all factors that raise the risk of cancer. Stress winters, worsening droughts and fires — but this only is also a risk factor. “Psychological stress is believed to exhibit speaks to environmental effects. A host of other less-conspicimmunosuppressive effects through the inhibition of several uous outcomes threaten life as we know it: global pandemics lymphocyte functions,” the Tohoku study states, noting that (like the one caused by the COVID-19 virus), skyrocketing stress can directly promote the development of tumors. rates of clinical depression, the extinction of up to 1 million Of course, those already in treatment for cancer will plant and animal species, and, perhaps most concerning to also be negatively impacted by natural disasters. The CA readers of this magazine, increased rates of cancer. report also refers to the aftermath of 2018’s Hurricane CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a Maria, which shuttered a factory in Not only do natural Puerto Rico that produces the majority journal from the American Cancer Society (ACS), published a first-of-its-kind commensmall-volume intravenous fluid bags disasters reduce the of tary in May 2020 about the impact of climate for most of the U.S. “This led to national rate of potentially change on cancer prevention and care. shortages of intravenous fluids and difficulAccording to the report, climate change ties with intravenous medication adminislife-saving cancer most explicitly affects cancer risk due to tration in many cancer treatment facilities,” screenings, but they the report says. Which begs the question the increase in the number and severity of extreme weather events, like hurricanes and — in the wake of a natural disaster, if the may also cause wildfires. The effects of extreme weather clinic is still standing, are the necessary lead to increased exposure to cancer-caus- abnormal menstrual materials going to be available? ing carcinogens, while the destruction of cycles, pelvic inflam- A 2017 report in the journal BMC infrastructure affects access to clinics and looked at breast cancer patients in mation and genital Cancer clinicians’ ability to administer treatment. the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 earthquake.

The CA report examines specific events tract infections, all The research focused on patient delay like Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas breast cancer patients in Fukushima, factors that raise the in on Aug. 25, 2017. Harvey caused unprecspecifically, and found the disaster led to risk of cancer. edented precipitation, “which human-infive times more risk of patient delay than duced climate change made 3.5 times more observed before the disaster. This increase likely to occur,” the report says. Customary to heavy rainfall, in risk continued in the years following. Extreme weather chemical plants, oil refineries and Superfund sites released events like a hurricane provide opportunities to assess an incredible amount of carcinogens into the Houston how “rapidly-changing social contexts may impact patient community. The hurricane caused 103 deaths in the direct delay, as they can simultaneously disintegrate social conaftermath, but the number of deaths from cancer due to air nections of victims and access to medical institutions, pollution in the years to come will be virtually incalculable. while exposing disaster victims to high levels of stress.”

But climate change isn’t just a direct cause of higher It’s not surprising that natural disasters affect how cancer rates—it also inhibits cancer screening. Regular cancer patients receive treatment, but it is devastating checkups and screenings are imperative to catching cancer how such disasters result in higher rates of death within before it becomes advanced. Advanced cancer is more diffispecific communities. The ACS report nods to this: “As cult and expensive to treat, and less likely to be treatable. climate change is altering the frequency, intensity, and A March 2020 study from Japan’s Tohoku University behavior of extreme weather events, it is exacerbating examined one natural disaster’s effect on cancer screenthe vulnerability of communities to natural disasters by ing — the first to investigate how disasters affect women’s making it harder to prepare and respond to increasingly health, in particular. The study compared cervical cancer unpredictable and severe weather.” screening rates in Miyagi Prefecture before and after the Cancer has always disproportionately affected vulnerGreat East Japan Earthquake, which hit Japan in March able groups. In the case of extreme weather, communi2011. The study found that cervical cancer screening rates ties in the path of destruction will experience increased dropped by at least 3 percent in the tested areas. This percancer rates, but these same disparities are seen outside centage was greater in coastal cities, presumably because of natural disasters, too. Low-income communities have these cities experienced more extensive damage due to the disproportionately high rates of cancer and cancer mordisaster. In Onagawa, for example, cervical cancer screentality. And due to centuries of systemic racism, these ing dropped by 7 percent after the disaster. low-income communities are overwhelmingly non-white.

The study investigated a phenomenon called “patient Ongoing research from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a delay,” a well-known problem for cancer treatment in nonprofit focusing on national public health, breaks down

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poverty rates by race and ethnic group. Only 9 percent of Americans experiencing poverty (as defined by the U.S. government) are white. The top two population groups experiencing poverty in the U.S. are Black (22 percent) and American Indian/Alaska Native (24 percent).

These horrific disparities in cancer prevention and care are mirrored in the context of climate change. According to an April 2010 report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), “Poverty generally makes people more vulnerable to many of the health effects of climate change, largely due to inadequate access to health care.” Additionally, “for such populations, the effects of climate change such as temperature and weather extremes, disruptions in access to public services including health care and food assistance programs, and increased stress are all magnified by their preexisting conditions or situations.”

New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, one of the country’s leading cancer care facilities, took measures to make itself “more resilient to the threats of extreme weather and climate change” in the wake of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, and other cancer care facilities have followed suit.

While these actions may help mitigate the negative effects of climate change for some, facilities within vulnerable communities might not be able to carry out the same measures.

According to a 2016 assessment distributed by Sloan Kettering, 81 percent of the center’s patients were white, despite the same assessment noting that Black men have the highest rates of cancer incidence, and are also more likely to die from cancer than any other race/ethnic group. This correlates with a July 2020 New York Times story about the coronavirus pandemic that said coronavirus patients at some community hospitals in New York City were “three times more likely to die than patients in the wealthiest parts of the city.”

While hurricanes and global pandemics ravage public health, they are not the only threat. As with hurricane seasons, wildfire seasons are worsening as well. As summers get hotter and longer, wildfire seasons are extending beyond the usual parameters, with larger and more frequent fires.

As reported in Cancer Wellness issue 4 (“After the Fire”), wildfires release toxins and degrade air quality long after the blaze stops burning. Hazardous particulates caused by the fires can travel great distances, causing higher rates of heart and lung damage, immune problems, and cancer, sometimes regardless of a community’s proximity to the fire itself.

Air quality is governed by a “complex atmospheric chemistry,” according to the NIEHS, which is primarily modulated by heat, humidity, U.V. radiation and other factors. Climate change interrupts the entropy of nature which drastically reduces the quality of the air we breathe.

Wildfires release toxic chemicals from the destruction of man-made property — the burning of things like cars and refrigerators releases toxins into the air, but wildfires are also known to release asbestos from bedrock of older homes, along with fungi and other natural allergens.

Natural or not, the burning leads to devastating air pollution and—sometimes decades down the line—cancer.

Worsening wildfires also increase the destruction of natural habitats. According to the NIEHS report, “Changes in temperature can extend or reorient habitats such that organisms are introduced to new geographic areas or life cycles are altered.” As organisms adapt to a new way of life due to increased temperatures or extreme

weather events, increase in pesticide use will naturally follow. In addition to more toxic chemicals in our water, food and air, this also leads to an increase in waterborne diseases as well as diseases that are transferred from animals to humans, according to the NIEHS. Sound familiar? Never has humanity been so familiar with a “zoonotic” disease until the emergence of the COVID-19 virus, which has caused an ongoing pandemic.

An interview with Dr. Aaron Bernstein published on Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health website further connects the destruction of natural habitats to worsening public health outcomes. According to Bernstein, the director of Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, as the planet warms, more animals migrate to the poles, and therefore come in contact with species they normally wouldn’t. “That creates an opportunity for pathogens to get into new hosts,” Bernstein says. “Historically, we have grown as a species in partnership with the plants and animals we live with. So, when we change the rules of the game by drastically changing the climate and life on earth, we have to expect that it will affect our health.”

The coronavirus pandemic is one extreme example, but as these extreme examples become more and more commonplace, so too does the loss of human life. And it is the communities that are most vulnerable experiencing the brunt of these effects. It is imperative that we take actions now to reduce the negative health impacts of climate change. “The separation of health and environmental policy is a d ​ angerous delusion,” Bernstein says. “Our health entirely depends on the climate and the other organisms we share the planet with.”

The effects of climate change don’t have to plague future generations, but time is running out. “Actions to combat climate change and lessen our use of fossil fuels could prevent cancers and improve cancer outcomes,” says the CA report. How we reduce cancer occurrence is how we slow climate change: better diets, cleaner air and more responsibility taken by those in charge to protect and support the communities that are most vulnerable. To put it simply — to help one of us is to help all of us.

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the supporter

DANIELLE MITCHELL AS TOLD TO BRITT JULIOUS

To purchase a copy of the coloring book, visit cancerwellness.com 94

Cancer Wellness

I have a brand called Average Black Girl where we are a marketing resource for small-to-medium sized businesses. The consulting space is what led me to take on a six month contract with the hair company Thank God It’s Natural (TGIN). I spent a lot of time with the owner of the company, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

One of the things I noticed was the amount of time cancer patients spend by themselves. As you’re going through treatment day in and day out, there is a lot of waiting: waiting to respond to the treatment, waiting for the doctor’s appointment. Being alone is something that I think has an effect on your psyche. We really don’t touch on that.

I decided to create an adult coloring book for breast cancer patients. A lot of the time, we think we only have to create something if it’s our own demographic or something that we personally are involved in or affected by. In reality, that’s not the case. You can start there, but if you see a need, if you see a hole, it’s on you to fix it.

Different women are represented throughout the book. The cover has a woman and her hair is being wrapped. It was important for me that there was no hair on the cover. I want [people] to see themselves as soon as they pick up the book.

There are women with children, older women, younger women. There are women of African American descent, East Asian descent, Caucasian women. We also have a man because I know breast cancer is not only for women. The goal is for people to see themselves within the book.

It’s priced at 11 dollars and 11 cents. It’s thought of as love. 11:11 is your lucky number, or angel number. I want people to know that there was thought put into the entire book, even the pricing. For me, everything I do is with intention.

Being alone is something that I think has an effect on your psyche. We really don’t touch on that.

Since it launched, I have sent copies to North Carolina, to Toronto, to Berkeley. I’ve been asked to do more and definitely will in the later part of the year for other specific cancers. Regardless of where you’re at, where your mind is or what kind kind of support system you have, I’m thinking of you. Hopefully, this can help make the journey just a little lighter.

Photo by John Khuu

Back in October 2019 is [when] I really got to spend time with the breast cancer community.

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This year, we were able to raise over $10,000 for mesothelioma research and treatment through the Mesothelioma Race for Justice 5K! Proceeds went to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.

We want to thank all of our participants, volunteers, and sponsors for making the virtual Mesothelioma Race for Justice 5K a huge success!

We hope to see you next year!

V O G E L Z A N G L AW

A DVO C AT E S F O R M E S OT H E L I M O N A V I C T I M S

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