CANCER SURVIVORS CELEBRAT THE HOPE OF LIFE; : HOSPITAL HOSTS PARTY ON NATIONAL DAY.Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer Debbie Allen Sommerfeld and her mom, Dorothy, giggled like two schoolgirls who shared a delicious secret. As two women who had beaten cancer, they knew how sweet life really is, even after a mastectomy mastectomy (măstĕk`təmē), surgical removal of breast tissue, usually done as treatment for breast cancer. There are many types of mastectomy. In general, the farther the cancer has spread, the more tissue is taken. - in Dorothy's case - and sterility - in Debbie's. ``We try to live each day to the fullest,'' said Debbie Sommerfeld, 35, a chest scar peeking out above the neckline neckline The line that connects the two lowest points on the intermediate declines of a head-and-shoulders chart pattern. In an inverted head-and-shoulders formation, the neckline connects the two intermediate tops. of her blouse, witness to the surgery she underwent for Hodgkin's disease Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer of the lymphatic system. First identified in 1832 in England by Thomas Hodgkin, it is a type of malignant lymphoma. Incidence peaks in young adults and the elderly. as a teen-ager. The Encino mother and daughter were among dozens of cancer patients, survivors, family members and health care professionals who gathered at Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care organization, based in Oakland, California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney R. Garfield. in Woodland Hills on Sunday for A Day of Celebration The Day of Celebration was a gathering of 45,000 Latter-Day Saint youth which took place on July 16, 2005 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . The event coincided with the 10th annual National Cancer Survivors Day, which recognizes the more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States and the efforts committed to research and treatment. At Kaiser, kids with shiny, bald pates, older men hobbling on crutches, and wigged women snacked on cookies and packed an auditorium to listen to funny anecdotes and inspirational messages. It was all about celebrating the hope of life and the power of positive thinking, even over a disease that is the country's second leading cause of death and strikes one in four people. Linda Blaustein of Calabasas mingled with other cancer patients and survivors and browsed through literature. The 49-year-old mother of three, wearing a stylish wig and straw hat, is battling ovarian cancer ovarian cancer Malignant tumour of the ovaries. Risk factors include early age of first menstruation (before age 12), late onset of menopause (after age 52), absence of pregnancy, presence of specific genetic mutations, use of fertility drugs, and personal history of breast , but she's determined to come out on top. ``I'm out there to grab the brass ring,'' Blaustein said. The event offered a way for cancer survivors not only to feel good about themselves but to look good, too - or maybe just goofy. The creative ladies from the West Valley Jewish Community Center passed out free baseball caps decorated whimsically with plastic toys, the kind that show up on kids' birthday cakes. Just the thing to cover hair loss. The caps were cute, but not for everybody. Camarillo teen-ager Kathy Hernandez wore a chic beret. She said she sank into a depression after she was diagnosed with a chest-wall tumor. She fought her way out of the funk, and now, even though she's facing a second surgery in coming weeks, the 16-year-old is looking forward to reuniting with her friends at Rio Mesa High School Rio Mesa High School is located in Oxnard, California and is within the Oxnard Union High School District. It serves the Oxnard communities of River Park, Nyeland Acres, El Rio, as well as the western portion of the city of Camarillo. in Oxnard and visiting Disney World in August. Kaiser's pediatric pediatric /pe·di·at·ric/ (pe?de-at´rik) pertaining to the health of children. pe·di·at·ric adj. Of or relating to pediatrics. oncologist, Dr. Susan Storch, treats as many as 100 children and teen-agers from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. to Bakersfield. Storch encourages patients to do the things they would normally do, as their health permits. ``The most important thing is hope and living as normal a life as possible,'' she said. But for some kids, sick is normal. Ingrid Poulin of Palmdale said that's the case with her 5-year-old daughter Sheri, who's been undergoing leukemia treatment for the past four years. The illness ``has been her whole life,'' Poulin said. But now, the little girl with freckles freckles Ephilides Brown macules, often exacerbated on sun-exposed zones of the skin surface, which disappear during the winter, and most commonly affecting the fair-skinned, especially of Celtic stock. See Macule. Cf Nevus. splashed across her nose and wearing delicate, white stud earrings will be going home for good. Sheri's just completed a final, rigorous round of chemotherapy. She's ready to find out what life will be like at home, without the weeklong hospital stays once a month. With more effective nausea-treating medications available now, Sheri's biggest complaint about the hospital wasn't the chemotherapy. That, she said, didn't even hurt. ``It was boring,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Leukemia patient Sheri Poulin, 5, meets Nicole Silagi, dressed up to entertain children, at Sunday's event. (2) Christine Dwyer, in dog costume, hands out balloon animals at Kaiser Permanente's celebration of life in Woodland Hills. Evan Yee/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion