It doesn’t matter who you are, cancer has or will touch your life, either personally or someone you know.
During the past 10 years it has affected five of my neighbors, one of which had it for over 30 years, battling it with everything she has in her. You would never have known it because she never mentioned it.
Honestly, I didn’t know she had it until she was ill for a time and her sister-in-law came to help her when she was getting weak.
She lived her life at home with strength that I have to admire, especially now, years after her death. Her sense of living life to the fullest has taught me not to dwell on what’s going wrong in my life. In the end, cherishing each of those you love everyday is what matters most.
There are so many different cancers out there, but the one thing they all have in common is that if detected early enough, chance of survival is greater. I just recently purchased a book on living with cancer, and it was purchased twice—one for a friend and the other for me. I figured it would be good for me to know what my friend was going through, to better prepare myself on what she really had to deal with.
For the past 10 years, I have received a mammogram annually. That was thanks to my family physician’s mother and sister who both had breast cancer. Ever since then I have done so. No one wants to hear they have cancer. The process is the same as any grief news you would receive. For one, the shock hits like a knife, prompting you to feel like you’re going to vomit.
Next is denial, that perhaps the doctor made a mistake. Two or three confirmations in addition to your doctor’s aren’t uncommon for most patients to get for themselves. It gives them reassurance that the diagnosis is not a mistake. In addition, it never hurts to find out as much about your disease as you can because it will assist you with options for treatments that your doctor has in store for you. If you’re not satisfied with what your doctor is explaining, ask for brochures so that you can research the information on your own.
Lastly is acceptance. Every patient may or may not have a good prognosis on the survival rate, but should get to this state since it is an important one to continue on with their treatment.
The most important thing to know in the whole process is that you are not alone if you are diagnosed with cancer. There are cancer support groups that will assist. Your doctor and his team of assistants are there to guide you through every step of the way too. I even found websites that provide free anonymous blog pages for patients who want to write about their experiences, rather than give the daily grind to their friends or family. Beware though, for the information you read in this forum should still be checked out with your own doctor.
There are also cancer support fundraisers out there, one of which will be coming to Los Alamitos this year from July 31 to Aug. 1 at Oak Middle School. It’s called Relay for Life and its inception began with people right here in the community.
Information about how to form a team or become involved in Relay For Life is available at:
www.relayforlife.org/losalamitossealbeachca.
Enea Ostrich is a longtime resident of Seal Beach’s College Park East neighborhood.
