Category: Cancer

Doyce Eileen (Watson) Waters: Breast Cancer Survivor – Cancer Sucks

My Mom and myself

The above picture is the last photo I have of my mom and I together. It was taken on May 30, 2010, during my daughter’s graduation/birthday celebration.

This month, October, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Why might you ask that I place my mom’s picture on a post and then proceed to talk about Breast Cancer? Well, let me tell you. Even though my mom is no longer here on this Earth, she was a Breast Cancer Survivor. My mom suffered from two (2) bouts of Breast Cancer. She received chemotherapy and radiation treatments both times. She endured a mastectomy after she was diagnosed the second time with Breast Cancer. She was strong, yet she leaned on Her Lord and Savior to give her the strength to endure and overcome her affliction.

Doyce Eileen (Watson) Waters [10-11-1931/0118-2019] through the years… From her younger days in Ohio, to her time picking strawberries down in Florida, and traveling across to San Diego, California.

Her high school picture, with my dad, and the last photo with myself.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. This year’s theme is Together We RISE. This year, The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. proclaims to RISE to ensure every woman has access to the screenings she needs and the support she deserves. When we RISE, we Rally in Screening Everyone. It is raising voices to spread the word about the importance of breast cancer screening and support. You may or may not know someone who has been affected by breast cancer, however, it is important for everyone to be screened for breast cancer. No one is immune to Breast Cancer. One day you, a loved one, or a close friend may be affected by breast cancer. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s one person every two minutes in the U.S. In 2022, it is estimated that nearly 44,000 people in the U.S. will die from breast cancer. When you or a loved one is diagnosed with breast cancer there is a real fear that it might possibly travel to other parts of the body. Diagnosed in the early stages, it is possible to go on and live a cancer-free live.

However, that is not the case for all who experience breast cancer. For some, the disease is metastatic at the time of diagnosis or later recurs. When breast cancer recurs at a distant location, for example to the bones, liver, lungs, and brain, it is no longer curable. My mom went through treatments for Breast Cancer twice. for several years she was presumed to be cancer-free. Being cancer-free was didn’t last for her. She developed skin cancer, having them surgically removed. A few years later she once again developed cancer. This time in her liver and bones. Upon this last diagnosis, she chose not to go through anymore cancer treatments. No more chemotherapy, no more radiation treatments. She felt her time was approaching and did not desire to go through that suffering again. She had previously watched my dad go through cancer treatments and later die from bone cancer. Her suffering ended on January 18, 2018, when she passed from this life into eternity with her loving Heavenly Father.

Now men, I know you probably think this does not apply to you. Although risks are higher for women, men are not immune to breast cancer. It is possible for men to develop breast cancer. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in men. So please get screened and develop a routine of self-breast examinations.

In memory of my mom. God Bless. Thank you! I appreciate y’all,

World Cancer Awareness: CANCER SUCKS

All Cancer Sucks – http://www.tilvalhallaproject.com

The prompt I’m answering today is: What is a cause you’re passionate about and why? If you haven’t figured it out from my title, I’ll simply state that one of the causes I am passionate about is Cancer. This being World Cancer Awareness Month I believe it is appropriate for me to discuss it now. World Cancer Day was February 4th.

World Cancer Day – February 4th

Most of us have heard about or been affected by Cancer, either personally or known a friend or family member that has or is affected by the disease. What is cancer? According to cancer.gov, Cancer is a disease caused when cells divide uncontrollably and spread into surrounding tissues. It is caused by changes to DNA. Most of the changes occur in sections of DNA known as genes are referred to as genetic changes.

What some cancer cells look like.

There are many different types of cancers which effect various organs of the body. The type of cancer that is discuss and commercialized the most is Breast cancer. However, there are quite a number of other types of cancers ranging from prostate cancer to bone cancer, to liver cancer, and the list could go on and on. Cancer affects people of all ages and races worldwide.

Cancer is a deadly disease. Research continues throughout the world and yet it still exists with no end in sight of it ever going away. I wish all cancers could be cured. That would be miraculous. The deadliest types of cancers are Lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate. For survival, early diagnosis is best. Some of the risk factors you can control and some you cannot. The risk factors that you cannot control are family history and genetics. Risk factors that you can manage are environmental and behavioral triggers.

Enough about what cancer is and what factors influence whether you are likely to develop cancer. Instead, let’s talk about what cancer patients want and need as they progress through their journey. Does everyone with cancer have the same needs or desires? Usually, their main concern is not the cancer itself. It is more about how their cancer will impact their ability to maintain a job, will they still be able to pay their bills. When considering treatment options, they worry about what possible side effects they could develop. Cancer patients care needs to address their psychosocial needs, which include emotional and practical concerns. Some of those concerns involve financial assistance, transportation obstacles, and anxiety issues. Concerns can be as diverse as racial and ethnicity. We all desire to be of one race, but in actuality, we are all different and are needs and concerns are not all the same. Other concerns are about how their diagnosis of cancer will affect their families. Will it put a hardship on their finances? Will their lives be emotionally uprooted? Cancer does not just affect the patient alone. It affects their whole family.

Caring hands

Family members can be extremely supportive, but they can also feel worried, angry, or even afraid. Daily routines will change and the whole family will be impacted by them. Whether a family member needs to take time off work to drive you to work, or perhaps another member needs to take over or help with cooking or other chores that become difficult for you to do. The cost of cancer treatments can put a strain on the family. If the cancer patient cannot work, other members of the family may need to pick up the slack. When others have to take over some of the items that you normally took care of it might make you feel less independent and cause you to have stress or anxiety.

Friends and other family members may desire to help. Allow them to assist you in some way. It might be difficult for you to do, but it will allow them to feel better. They truly want to be supportive in tangible ways. Let them know that you can still do things for yourself but appreciate some assistance and their prayers. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It takes a lot of strength and courage to admit and accept help.

Why I am passionate about cancer awareness? Even though I have not developed the disease personally. I have been affected by it. I have last family members and friends to cancer. I lost both of my parents to cancer, as well as other family members. I have lost close friends and neighbors to cancer. The genetic risks exist for me. I have no idea if someday I might develop some form of cancer or not. However, having both parents die from cancer, it is a possibility. So yes, I think cancer sucks.

My mom 2 days before she passed.
My (ex)husband, my children’s father. June 2018.
HOPE for a cure

God bless. Pray for those around you affected by cancer. Be a friend. Offer a ride, a meal, or just be there for them. Hope that one day a cure will be found for all cancers.