Cancer … Dread Hearing Even the Word!

How many times have I heard someone has cancer? It didn’t matter which cancer it was since all cancers were equally dreaded by me. I read details and the latest research about the cancer I had last heard about and always encouraged the person with the cancer to do the same, get a second opinion and to seek support.

During a recent bicycle ride, I stopped at the Cancer Survivors’ Park at Spanish Landing Park East in San Diego! I actually felt comforted reading every sign posted along the park’s pathway. No photo could capture the look of the park; more importantly though I wanted to share its information. Below is a snippet of what I read at each sign post.

  1. Cancer results from wildly dividing cells and while this happens 6 times a day within each of us, our immune system usually kills them. When we do not have a strong immune system, cancer happens, yet it is not the largest killer of women… it is heart disease.
  2. Make up your mind to fight the disease … commit to do all that you need to do.
  3. Knowledge is power … so read all about the disease.
  4. Find a qualified physician who believes you can be successfully treated. Get a second opinion too. This is your body, your life, so do everything you can.
  5. Eat well, exercise and maintain a healthy immune system. Think of yourself.
  6. Maintain a positive outlook with whatever method you wish: visual imagery, meditation, nature’s god, relaxation and/or prayer. Positive mental health is important.
  7. Do not look back and say, “I wish I had done…” Do all these things now so you have the best result… life.

As I read this information, I actually felt comforted knowing friends who currently have cancer are doing these important steps. While I try to maintain phone contact with them, maybe I am adding a positive moment to their day.

I also wonder, especially after reading “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race” by Walter Isaacson, if there will be a cancer-free world some day. The gene editing research may lead to such medical advances. In the meantime, support each other how best we can … with or without cancer. Life is precious and death is permanent. Let’s do all we can to live a healthy life!

In Honor of My Mom & Others!

In helping make the world a better place and with changes happening due to Covid-19, I decided to participate in the Mothers’ Day Movement (MDM) founded by a small group of women. You might have read the book Half The Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, about the oppression of women and girls in developing countries. It is a sad yet excellent read. The bottomline is when we support women, the lives of children and their communities improve.

Mothers’ Day Movement researches what small charities in education, health care and other areas are helping women around the world in positive ways. Beneficiaries of donations are improving the lives of women in fields of women’s health, infant and maternal mortality, clean water and human trafficking, plus other areas with plenty of work still to do. Now MDM’s 10th beneficiary is Circle of Health International (COHI), a humanitarian organization equipping medical teams with medical supplies, medicines and training to serve the communities in which they are working.

In honor of my Mom, my sisters who are mothers too, and all of the mothers of the world, I am donating to this cause so they can bring life-changing funds to women and their families in need. If you are interested, donations can be made at mdm.cohintl.org

Thanks Mom for all you have done for me in my lifetime. This donation is being made in honor of you! Love you!

Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms in the world!