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By Sandra Coopersmith
Characteristics Writer
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy doing other projects." – John Lennon, "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"
Anyone missing through a life-changing experience like cancer can relate to that word. I can certainly. Following my diagnosis of breast cancer in 1991, I immediately asked for help at the American Cancer Society (cancer.org, 1-800-227-2345) and will always be grateful for the valuable resources they offered, all at no cost to me: a Reach to Recovery Volunteer who offered peer support, treatment rides and group therapy for newly diagnosed women with a breast cancer.
The following year, I became a volunteer and took part in many fundraising events, including the Baldwin Hills Relay For Life last year, which included Culver participants. City, Ladera Heights, View Park, Windsor Hills, Crenshaw, Leimert Park and South Los Angeles. It takes place at the athletic field Yvonne B. Burke at Windsor Hills.
I raise funds for the Relay every two years and make a personal donation each year. Since it was an intermediate year, I always planned to attend to help at the Luminaria booth and gather material for this story. In recent weeks, I have attended several meetings of the event management team and I have been impressed by the dedication and efforts of those present. I was excited and looking forward to going there! Saturday, June 23, I could not come fast enough for me
And then, just before the Relay, I fell with what I thought was a case of stomach flu. On Saturday morning, the intense pain led me to the emergency, where I spent the day undergoing a barrage of tests and learned that I had a mass by my right ovary that presses against the bladder. This is not good, and at the time of publication, I will have seen a surgeon gynecologist oncologist so that the surgery can be scheduled for July
Ok, back to Relay.
From what I learned from various sources Madeline Wilson, co-chair of the event, extremely dedicated, very helpful and always on track – whose purpose in life is apparently to understand how to clone itself – this year's Relay was a joyous and inspiring event. "It was raining, it was windy, it was hot and it was cold," Madeline told me, "but nobody seemed to care!"
It does not surprise me, because Saturday was a very busy day, with the planned activities running like clockwork. They included yoga, zumba, dance, comedy, health talks, music, singing, and so on. There was a raffle for a barbecue, courtesy of Home Depot. Breakfast was sponsored by Dulan's on Crenshaw, lunch by the Puerto Nuevo restaurant and Benny's Tacos, and dinner by Sorrento Italian Market. The ever-popular Yogurtland made an appearance. And Madeline shared the wonderful news that the event has generated a new high of over $ 68,000 with checks always coming!
Survival-President Stephanie Beverly-Smith's presentation, which she was kind enough to share with me. to her inner strength as she had to face a battery of challenges.
In 2008 at age 42, at a meeting at work, she suffered an aortic aneurysm, fell to the floor unable to speak and woke up four weeks later to the USI at Cedars-Sinai.
"As a result of this emergency surgery, I suffered organ failure, heart and kidney failure, nerve damage and temporary paralysis of my right extremities". But she quickly added that she had benefited from excellent physical and rehabilitation care at Cedars-Sinai and that she had finally recovered from paralysis even though she had remained with certain conditions.
As if that was not enough, she was preparing to go back to work to find a big ball in her right breast during the shower.
She quickly contacted her gynecologist who organized a mammogram, an ultrasound and a biopsy during this week. She was diagnosed with two cancers in her womb. She first had two lumpectomies but eventually had a mastectomy. Two sentinel lymph nodes were removed but found negative.
Stephanie had an immediate rebuild after her systemic therapy, which included Taxotere, Cytoxan, and Herceptin, and continued with the Herceptin adjuvant for six months. She experienced all the typical side effects of chemotherapy: neuropathy, general illness, baldness, fatigue, forgetfulness, very low white blood cell count and red blood cell count.
Until it is presented to Women Of Color ("WOC") Survivors talk about their feelings, their triumphs, their questions, their struggles and their faith. She did not realize how many of her psychosocial needs were not taken into account.
"I had gone to other cancer support groups in West Los Angeles and El Segundo and they were very encouraging and informative, but I was the only person of color in a piece of 15 to 20 people each time. " I said. "There are tacit cultural differences, the way we live a unique society.
"When I attended my first WCC support group, I felt like I had to be exactly what I needed to be," Stephanie said. cultural edition or interpretation in progress. This fact has allowed me to express the emotional fragility that I have experienced, and these emotions have so overwhelmed me that I have not even realized how much depression, how much it has been, and how much I have felt. anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder I actually experienced until I heard others describe these same feelings.
She remembered days early in her cancer journey when she "was crying and could not stop crying. And there were days when I could not see the positive in something around me. I was going through an existential crisis, and since there is still a lot of stigma around mental illness in our community, I did not want to accept what I was feeling. We are currently working on projects that will allow women to get the care they need to take care of their mental health and return to a productive life, fulfilling the purpose that God has given them.
Do not pray enough, your faith is not strong enough? Stephanie added:
She explained that some of their work involves how to reduce stress, lower cortisol levels, and change statistics that only have 12 percent of African Americans seeking psychological counseling versus 40 percent of the dominant culture. They are also studying the role that faith plays in supporting mental health in their community and how to better equip denominational resources to meet the needs of the community.
"Being a breast cancer advocate has opened my eyes to the disparities in access to care, treatment and health, to the point that I am determined to advocate for change in my life. community and I hope the country, "said Stephanie.In my opinion, equity through minimum standards in universal health care is one of the answers."
I could not Finish this article without sharing the story of Patricia Wright Chappelle, having met her at Relay For Life last year She is Director of the Survivors Committee and is the founder of PinkMonkeys Unite, a faith-based group About six years ago, she described two distinct pathways of breast cancer, a total of 18 months of chemotherapy, and a bilateral mastectomy
. I was going to die, I turned to alcohol and drugs, bad relationships … anything but God, "said Patricia," but by the grace and love of God I became sober and I realized that God had [TRADUCTION] "As I was ashamed of it". to take the conventional path of group therapy because of addiction, there might have been others who felt the same, "said Patricia. "I knew that we had to create a group. who welcomed the freedom to speak of all that was a challenge to embrace the miracle of cancer, an atmosphere free from judgment and criticism, free to talk about the intensity of the fight against other diseases, habits, domestic violence and anger. All these other questions [that] that we called "monkeys" could be an obstacle to the most important victory of our lives … survive cancer and find the warrior inside.
What began as a group for women "We are now reaching many men, women and children by offering spiritual support, a 24-hour prayer line, visits to the Hospital and monthly group meetings, "explains Patricia.
"Our mascot, a stuffed monkey, represents the" monkey on your back. "The colored ribbons that represent each cancer are the corresponding color of the monkey.We started our program" Bring a smile to a child "by sending these monkeys to children, they return images with their monkeys, some even use them on their poles IV to lighten the burden of this trip called cancer.
"For six years, PinkMonkeys Unite supports the American Cancer Society in raising funds for this team. "
They are currently building a strong board of directors, having recently joined Dr. Juana Gatson, a researcher at the Cancer Research and Training Division of the University of Ottawa. 39 Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, their survivor meetings are held twice a month at the Westmont Counseling Center in south central Los Angeles, and they also offer a closed group on Facebook
My thanks go to photographer Bobby Green and the dedicated and proactive women like Madeline, Stephanie and Patricia whom I considered a privilege to call, true heroes in this grueling battle.
If I had to reinstate the fray, I have other warriors for support.
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