Basic Black; 2817; Surviving Cancer

You You You Up Next on basic black Meet three people who are restoring their lives after coping with

cancer Hear how early detection as well as a positive attitude became part of the healing process Where my strength came it came from above Up next on basic black You Good evening everyone, I'm Darren Duarte tonight a unique edition of basic black For most of us whenever our health or the health of our loved ones is threatened Nothing else seems to matter Tonight, we're meeting three people who've been forced to face cancer head -on Now with complete candor and honesty, they're sharing their stories with us

And I think you'll find each one of them very special Clare Prince Diaz was diagnosed last year with lymphoma a disease that completely turned her world around My reality and it's setting in Collided like you wouldn't believe I just sat and said to myself Am I gonna die? And all of a sudden I'm getting myself together physically mentally starting to really take better care of myself eating Well, you know really doing things for me for the first time in my life. I'm not taking care Anybody I'm taking care of me. I'm really excited about me for the first time in a long time You know, I've always liked me, but now I'm in love with me Hey, you know, it's just like wow now. Why is this happening right now? Is this a test and if it is a test, I'm gonna pass it This is going to be the one test I want to pass because I'm gonna take care of business and do what I need to do for myself and continue to love me

and continue to work hard and Not let cancer control me, but we need to start controlling it About a year and a half prior to this happening to me It's just like out of the blue for no apparent reason. I started challenging myself like okay I'm gonna change the way I eat. I was so out of shape. I was overweight. I wasn't taking care of I was eating whatever I felt like and I mean me and Kentucky fried chicken and McDonald's and Wendy's We were companions and I didn't think much of it all of a sudden I don't want to do that anymore and it just really made a difference and I think Somewhere along the road that in a power knew something was coming down and that I had to get my life together It was a couple of months into chemotherapy where I finally really realized I have cancer and Maybe I'll make it. Maybe I won't What do I do? There was so many questions and no matter how much I read I still had more questions My doctor who

if I had it to do all over again, I would have been more vigilant and picking a good doctor She's not helpful. She hadn't been helpful The nurse was as bad as as the doctor They weren't supportive at all if I had any complaints It was always like oh, we just thought you were gonna be like our star our champion with no complaints And I'm thinking the nerve of these people. How did they treat me like this? I Asked my primary care physician about Recommending me to some new doctors. I really needed someone that cared, you know would be more caring and Explain things better. So she took gave me a couple of people, but she says I think you're gonna like dr. Vance And I say yeah, yeah, he's a man. I said I don't care. You could have three heads as long as he you know treats me good When I asked this man to explain Two and a half hours. He took with me to explain Felicula lymphoma is is a kind of of tumor of immune cells Lymphomas

are tumors that arise out of lymphocytes which are normal cells in our body that help fight infection Felicula lymphoma is in this instance a kind of low -grade lymphoma That's a that's a tumor composed of very mature looking cells that are very slow -growing and often Don't cause any symptoms. I've maybe I don't have signs where I'm Looked like I'm gonna die or that I'm really sick and I did very well with chemo I had had my chemo on Thursdays just in case so I could take Friday Saturday and Sunday and recover And I didn't need to I did very well did better than even I had expected I and that was mainly because my acupuncturist Chinese medicine Natalia my sweetheart my guru Got me through this without her and my friends. I wouldn't have made it Hi, Clare. How are you doing? want to lie back so we can I've known Clare for many

years we treated her with Chinese herbs and we treated her using magnets rather than needles because the problem is that needles Cause punctures and the punctures can get infected if the immune system is suppressed as with the chemo So how much are you sleeping you think? I am not treating her cancer. I am Treating her general energy so that the outcome can be as positive as possible You know some people after chemo. It's so sick. They are so sick that they can't do anything They have to stay home some people during the whole chemo out of work I was very fortunate that my body fought and I was in good shape and I could still go to work That amazed even me So when the process of chemotherapy was over for Clare Which suppresses the immune system then she was no longer at risk for Infection from the needles and that's when

we switched from Magnets to needles which are a little more potent than the magnets. I Medicine but because of her incredible spirit and determination and I've learned quite a lot from Knowing her through this process It had to be that spirit moving me because I had no Reason I know I was unhealthy, but that was never a reason for me to go and take care of myself. I Eat very little to no red meat now. I don't even eat that much Poultry I eat more fish than I ever have and I really go meatless a couple of week days a week. I Walk a lot because that that walking gives me time to myself totally it makes me think clearer It makes me work through problems better

I Learned how to use the word know something that I never thought I could do but it's something that you have to do to take Care of yourself and I keep in touch with people I care about more than I ever have and those are like trips to Europe Every day just talking to my friends I'm in remission right now. I've been in remission. It's going into To Kind of going into the third month. Let's say two months at this point and I'm real thrilled about it I went for a check -up the other day with my arm doctor She is feeling lumps again and you know, we're not gonna get all panic -stricken over it yet It could just be a reaction as the chemo is leaving the system It could be that it's recurring again because that's what happens with this type of cancer But whatever it is, I'm gonna fight it very Commonly in a younger patient and even in the situation when it comes back a second second time So the first time people have been seen and they receive medicines and it goes down

It comes back again. We give some medicines to make it go down We would we would consider an autologous bone marrow transplant and that was specifically why I saw her in the office She had had wondered about bone marrow transplant and what we call first remission That's the first time that the the lymphoma has gone into a place that we can't detect it But typically we do that in second remission because so often people go a long period of time years and years Before ever needing to consider chemotherapy again one of the my options are if it does come back as I'd have to have a bone marrow transplant and Doesn't sound good to me, you know, every way it's been explained doesn't excite me in the least So I don't know if I take that route because it isn't a guarantee. It's still experimental There are some exciting new therapies and I think you know that people with this disorder have a lot of hope and should have a Lot of hope it's towards the the future and

and that means people right now with this disease and not Not ten years from now what I want people to really really learn from the experiences is is that Don't take things for granted care about yourself Check things if they seem even far -fetched to you haven't checked out. Just don't go along with oh, okay. I feel this little lump It's nothing Mustard good people around you make sure that the health care that you're getting is what you want not what you somebody else wants for you Really really get in touch with yourself Don't look at cancer is the end because it isn't it could be you're beginning it really good As you can see Gloré's positive attitude and physical fitness are vital to her well -being

Now Curtis Thompson is our next profile He realizes the importance of regular physical checkups Curtis says it may have saved his life The fact that I was able to commune with my father -in -heaven and I Had to do this every night at the same time there I would be on my knees talking just like I'm talking to you and Sometimes an hour 45 minutes and I would just talk to him and Explaining to him my fears about this condition and I feel that you will bring me through this With that I was fine At 72 Curtis

Thompson has overcome many things in his life the most recent a frightening battle with prostate cancer a leading killer of men Thompson remembers his first symptoms. I was working here. I was at work And a sense of lethargy came over me. I Felt no pain, but very weak And it was a feeling that I'd never quite experienced before So with that I walked off the job immediately and went directly to my doctor my primary care physician So when I went in he sent me to the lab and they took maybe a dozen ampoules of blood And he said if there's nothing wrong, he says I will send you my usual letter whenever you have an exam stating what needs to be corrected and you know so at that point he says I Was setting up every once I went home and

I was setting up my son's Stereo system coming up from the basement the phone rang and it was my primary care physician At that time he said to me I suggest you make an immediate appointment with dr. Altho's and This is his specialty mr. Thompson was referred by one of the By his internist at Mass General Hospital for an elevated PSA and a normal rectal exam He is a black patient in his late 60s His PSA was almost twice normal I Did an ultrasound as well as a biopsy in the face of a normal rectal exam and found out that he had cancer in one side of his prostate Hi Chris, sir. Good is here when you get a chance although stunned about his condition Thompson confronted the illness head -on

He set out on a crusade to discover as much as he could about the disease He learned prostate cancer is usually a slow -growing disease But sometimes can be lethal with no way to tell for sure at first There are a variety of treatments, but none are totally effective All have serious side effects like impotence or lack of bladder control needless to say I Was a basket case for several months I had to have an interview with the radiation people and Finally, I didn't like what they had to say Stating that it was a 50 -50 as opposed to surgery in Talking to Dr. Al thousand It's 95 % So I opted to go with surgery because he was in good health other than for his cancer He had several options

for treatment his Referring physician said he had at least a 15 to 20 year life expectancy beyond his age and therefore the Treatment should be looked at on a long term rather than a short term basis this was discovered in July or August and I finally went for the surgery November the 6th of 1996 and So one night. I'm I'm at home and I'm watching television, but I'm not really watching television And It seemed as though the spirit came to me and said to me why don't you go and talk to God? and with that Shut off the television got up

and went to my knees by my bedside And it became a ritual every night at the same time I had to do this. I Just had to do this Thompson discovered his own treatment a prescription that included a newfound relationship with God and a strong belief in the power of prayer After deciding on surgery Thompson says he put his fate in God's hands He feared no more Where my strength came it came from above To the point when I did go into the opera I was prepped to go into the operating room Chris my son Went with me and I'm all ready to go into the operating room And I'm cracking jokes with him Because you see I was at peace with myself. I Was comfortable And I went into that operation and came out and I said to myself

I woke up and I says gee I'm still here They haven't done anything, but I soon found out that someone had evaded my body This is a picture of the urinary system with the kidneys up here and the bladder here and The prostate starts at the end of the bladder and Courses out just to the base of the penis. This is all under the skin and under the pubic bone The function of the prostate which is right here. It looks like a walnut Is to provide fluid for the sperm? It makes about 95 percent of all the fluid and the remaining five percent is the sperm from the testicle It has no other function Reproductively other than that During sexual activity, this is where most of the

fluid comes from during ejaculation When you talk to a patient about these very important quality of life issues You have to point out to them that it's the quantity of life in my opinion that comes first There's no quality without quantity And if you're able to make the patient free of his cancer For the best period of time that you can do then you can adjust to the side effects Fortunately, I'm back to work Because it's so important to to be active and to keep busy I Would say what it is Taught me to do is to try to encourage younger men to seek This Counseling and so far as having their prostate checked

At a very early age The age of 40 once it's found And in plenty of time all of the prostate problems can be cured Now the important thing to remember about prostate cancer is early detection The difference between getting to the doctor on time may mean life or death Now this next story is one that's very close to my heart It's a profile of one of the most amazing women. know 22 years ago. My aunt Fanny was diagnosed with a disease called multiple myeloma This is a malignancy of the bone marrow now. She's still alive today and her recovery is nothing short of a miracle I Said Lord I am ready if this is what you're

determining for me that you would rather take me to be with you I said I'm ready But if there's something that you have a plan that I can help others are there's a work You want me to do this is what I would like to be healed for well when I first saw her she was very sick She was complaining of a lot of pain And the x -ray show that all her bones were very thin and some of them had collapsed She was bedridden and she had no energy. She was really quite ill well, I was having very severe pains in my back and Was excruciating pains at times and then also I had a shotness of breath and was very fatigued and Also, my legs Quite a bit of the time Fanny Terino was bedridden in 1976 for more than a year her sickness Well, no one really had a clue But she believed her faith in God and the love from her family would see her through Finally a month spent in the New

Bedford Hospital did help to unravel this mysterious disease But there were still questions left unanswered. So I went in for different types of tests and they did discover that I had a lot of fractures and But they didn't know exactly what was The root cause of it and why this was happening With all the pain that was in my aunt's legs and in her back She still managed to get enough strength to make it to church on one particular Sunday And she came here to the Baptist Church of all nations and with the help of my uncle She was able to walk and kneel at this altar Here she asked God for some direction because doctors didn't know what was wrong with her. I Just prayed and asked a lot. said, I know you know just where I could get some help I'm just asking you to show me what to do and the next day. I did get a call from one of the local doctors and

Lady clinic had determined that I could come in and they would like to do some tests on me one of the women doctors Examined me and took blood work and after that she referred me to Dr. Steinberg gave me a bone marrow test and from this he was able to determine that I had Multiple my alone well the average prognosis People live about three years There's some variability there are some people who have a very aggressive form of the disease and only live a few months And there are some people who live longer than the average But my first reaction was this was a very nice lady and it's too bad. She got this bad disease Fanny was admitted to Deaconess Hospital in Boston this time Glued to another hospital bed in the same year. She would stay more than a month Daily readings of the Bible helped pass the time You'd never think

why me? Why am I experiencing this? Well, I did rather question why this would happen at this time but because I knew the Bible and had studied the Bible and I Understood that sometimes we do have these type of things that happen in our lives Illness does come Trials and I felt this was a time that I was experiencing something like that Well her reaction Was very a really a much calmer reaction than most people would have If you told me I had multiple myeloma. I would get very upset But she was a very religious woman and she saw everything as part of God's plan I don't usually tell people how long they're gonna live unless I sense they want to know and What I do tell patients though is that I? Can't tell anyone with multiple myeloma that they're going to be cured because a cure of this disease is

very very rare You mean there's no cure or or well Maybe one in ten thousand or more It's so unusual that I don't think I could really tell a patient. They had a reasonable chance of being cured What was going through your mind as you're listening to this doctor tell you about your illness? Well, I had expected because of the pain and the discomfort I had expected that it would be probably something along this line But I was so fortunate I had been reading the Bible the night before and that's when I came across that scripture So the day before the doctor was to come into the hospital room to give you your diagnosis You found this verse in the Bible that said Trust in the Lord with all thine heart lean not to your own understanding And all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path And I always read the Bible, but the next verse caught my attention It said you shall have marrow for your bones And this was before the

doctor explained my condition and so because I put my confidence in God and I Thought I would see just what the doctor said. I just felt God was going to do something for me You were led to a verse that said thou shall have marrow to the bone Exactly what you needed. Yes that day before Amazing that must have given you some confidence. Yes, it did because I had studied the scriptures and also a godly mother I had a godly mother who had brought us up literally we cut our teeth on the Bible and so I Accepted this as a word from the Lord because God does speak to us through the scriptures and I felt that he was telling me that he was going to take care of everything The extraordinary thing about her case is not that she got better Because many of our patients with multiple myeloma get better The extraordinary thing was

that the disease never came back. fact Sometime in the 1980s I said to myself, you know, I better be sure that she really has this disease So I got her bone marrow slides out and I had a very good pathologist who had never seen her slides before Look at it and I said tell me what this is and he said this is multiple myeloma. No question about it 22 years after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma the combination of my aunt's faith a lot with modern medicine Helped give her a future that most people thought she would never have Today she still shares that faith. Could I pray with you at this time? all right Gracious Heavenly Father we just I just felt that the Lord Gave me an opportunity to live so that I could reach out and touch otherwise able to call Lord into Would you call her recovery a miracle? If you're asking me whether a person with multiple myeloma

Who lives 22 years And is still well without any evidence of the disease if you ask me is that a miracle? As much as a physician can authorize a miracle I'd say yes, that's miraculous Do you have a message for folks who find themselves stricken with cancer? Well, I know we must have faith and trust God, but I must say there are times I have prayed and That person has died God is sovereign and we don't know why he doesn't heal everyone I really don't know but I do encourage them because if you have faith and you trust God even though you're going through this experience of cancer Whatever your illness, whatever your problem is it helps to have faith and to trust God because I feel as if this life is a preparation for eternity and for the next life Fannie's doctor tells us that as far as the

medical records go she's lived the longest I Hope tonight's show has been informative for you For all of us here at Basie Black, I'm Darren Duarte. Have a good night everybody You