Stepping Stones For Survival

1. Take water and juice with you when you leave the house. You may be gone longer than you think.
2. If you are in radiation treatment, wear protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat in the sun or indirect light.
3. Wear sunglasses that protect against ultraviolet rays.
4. For an outdoor picnic, take lightweight chairs for comfort.
5. Walk at an indoor track or at the mall to prevent sun burn and exhaustion.
6. Swim in an indoor pool if yours provides no shade.
7. Avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day.
8. Enjoy a fresh fruit salad after dinner instead of a rich dessert.
9. Make juice popsicles.
10. Have a watermelon party or go pick blueberries, organic ones if possible.

Copyright © June 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

“I have pancreatic cancer, Yvonne.”

“The tests showed that?” Tears streamed down my face. “Oh, dear God.” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t cry on the phone.

“I’ll have surgery to remove the tumor.”

I struggled to concentrate on what she said next. I remembered her bout with breast cancer eight years ago. She went through radiation but didn’t need chemotherapy. Now this.

I attempted to get more information even though I wanted to curl up on the floor and sob. “Where will you have surgery?”

“Sentara Norfolk Hospital.”

Arleta has been my friend and spiritual mentor for years. We met when she and her husband were missionaries in Puerto Rico, and I lived in military housing. They moved to California. I left for California a year later. What a joyous reunion.

Three years later, they transferred to Virginia Beach. God knew I needed their friendship and a spiritual mother. How wonderful when he brought me to Virginia one year later.

I hated the news from her doctor. What a brutal reminder that life is fragile.

“God loves you, and I do too.” Even though I’m a cancer survivor, I grappled for words.

Inside, I felt fearful and angry. Arleta and Bob served as missionaries in Haiti for fifteen years and in the Dominican Republic for fifteen years. Now in their 80s, they traveled yearly to France for a month to minister to the churches there. Arleta still taught Sunday school. God, this isn’t fair. They’ve served you all their lives. Please have mercy on her. Her husband and grown children need her. I do too.

“I’ll pray for you,” I told her.

“Thank you, honey. I knew I could count on you.”

“I love you and will pray for you and your family.”

After I hung up, I prayed through tears for them. O God, please don’t take her from us.

Copyright © June 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

May includes more than Mother’s Day. It’s also the time to remind women of all ages to check their breasts regularly. Following guidelines in the USA, women ages 18-39 need to do a breast self-exam monthly and go to a healthcare provider every three years for a breast exam. Women in this age group should also go for a pap test and pelvic exam yearly.

Women age 40 and over should follow the program above and also get a yearly mammogram. You may want to include an ultrasound since not all breast cancers show up on a mammogram.

Women age 50 and over should get a stool blood test yearly and a sigmoidoscopy every five years or a colonoscopy every five to ten years.

Individual health and family medical history affect screening guidelines. Doctors may advise women with a family history of breast cancer to have a base-line mammogram at an earlier age than 40. Be sure to talk to your doctor and obtain all the information you can from your primary care physician, your library, and online.

Take care of yourself. You have only one life to lead. Get the most out of it.

Copyright © May 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

Over ninety per cent of cancer patients experience fatigue as a side effect of treatment. If you are in cancer treatment, listen to your body. When you’re tired, you may need a nap or more sleep at night. I took a nap daily when I went through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. I also slept nine to eleven hours at night.

Exercise reduces anxiety, depression, nausea, and the symptoms of fatigue. I couldn’t do aerobics as before, but I walked for half an hour each day. You can swim or do something else to suit your interests. Maybe a friend will exercise with you. That would be more fun and would provide accountability.

A diet of fast food will deplete your energy. Eat a balanced diet and get nutritional counseling from your treatment center, support group, or online.

Cancer itself, as well as the treatment, causes fatigue. After each chemotherapy treatment, I felt drained for a week. During the thirty-three rounds of radiation, I took two naps each day. You may not require as much rest as I did, but be sensitive to your body’s needs.

Anxiety and stress cause additional tiredness. A diagnosis of cancer will make the most stoic of us tense. Talk about these feelings with family, friends, or your cancer support group. If you like to write, express these emotions in your journal.

Be your own best friend and take care of yourself. If you don’t, who will?

Copyright © May 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

April is Humor Month. Cancer patients can use a dose of humor to get through treatment and check-ups. We can choose to cry day and night, living in fear or anger, or we can find something to laugh about, even in treatment. I’m not saying I never cried or felt scared or angry, because I did, but my focus was on hope and humor.

When I received a diagnosis of cancer in 2001, many people stressed the importance of having a positive attitude and laughing. They told me humor and laughter strengthen the immune system and relax the body. So I watched comedies on television and rented them from the local video/DVD store. My younger brother sent me humorous cards that would make me laugh. I read joke books and the cartoons in the newspaper.

Mark Lowry, Chonda Pierce, and Dennis Swanberg are three of my favorite comedians. While going through cancer treatment, I played their tapes or videos many times not only to laugh but also to avoid feeling sorry for myself. We all have our favorite comedians and can make use of their programs or DVDs to remind us to see the funny side of life.

A cancer patient had a mastectomy and said, “Well, I got that off my chest.” I still laugh every time I remember her positive and humorous outlook on her surgery.

Seven years in remission, I continue to look for the humor in life. I don’t ever want to stop doing that.

Happy Humor Month!

Copyright © March 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

In 2005, with a book proposal for a cancer devotional and my manuscript, I flew to Colorado for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference at the YMCA at Estes Park. As I traveled cross-country, I felt both nervous and excited. I hoped an editor would want my book proposal. What joy awaited me. The conference location offered a breathtaking view of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. The elk captivated me. They came to the window of my room and walked the grounds of the YMCA as if they were also participants at the conference. The room rates and food were reasonable and the food plentiful and delicious.

Marlene Bagnull, the director of the conference, insisted I needed to attend the conference. She was right. I met authors from all over the USA and editors from numerous publishing houses. I met precious friends with whom I still correspond.

Cec Murphey, the co-author of 90 Minutes in Heaven, introduced me to Wayne Holmes. Wayne accepted my article, “It’s Part of Life,” for his book compilation, The Embrace of a Father, Bethany House 2006. So I became a contributing author.

I talked with Gary Wilde from The Quiet Hour, and he sent me a contract to write seven more devotions for that quarterly which appeared in March 2007.

I had one-fifteen minute appointment with Bill Petersen from Revell, and he liked my book proposal and manuscript. He asked me to write a ten-page introduction for the book and then send him the entire package. May 1, 2007, Revell published my book, Hope for the Journey through Cancer.

It’s not too late to register for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Go to Marlene Bagnull’s website at www.writehisanswer.com and click on the link for the Colorado conference. Mention that you read about the conference on my blog, and you can register at the early-bird price until March 31, 2008.

Contact me through my website, and let me know how God blesses you at the conference.

Copyright © March 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

1. Send a Valentine’s Day or an e-mail greeting card to the cancer patient.
2. Include in the card a list with reasons why you love or appreciate the person.
3. Clean the house for the one struggling with cancer and leave surprise notes of love and encouragement in each room.
4. Decorate the home with red and white balloons or tissue hearts.
5. Take the decorations down after a few days.
6. Give the cancer patient a teddy bear or other stuffed animal with a red heart or bow.
7. Take a meal in a disposable dish that includes red potatoes, a salad with red pepper and cherry tomatoes, and strawberry or cherry juice.
8. Set the table or food tray with Valentine’s Day paper plates, cups, napkins, and red or white plastic cutlery.
9. Give the cancer patient a vase of red and white daisies, a single red rose, or a basket of red apples, red seedless grapes, and red pears.
10. Purchase a Valentine’s Day mug and place a box of Cinnamon Apple Spice herbal tea or a bag of the person’s favorite coffee in it.

You need not do all ten tips. Select the ones you know will uplift and encourage the cancer patient.

Copyright © February 2008 by Yvonne Ortega

1. Accept the fact that you can’t do as much as you’ve done in the past.
2. Purchase food trays from your favorite deli, so you can participate in Christmas get-togethers without hours in the kitchen.
3. Send your Christmas greetings to as many as possible via e-mail to minimize time and energy.
4. Buy a two or three-foot pre-decorated Christmas tree. After Christmas, if you have room, put a sheet over the tree and store it, as is, in your closet.
5. Decline invitations when you need to rest or recover from treatment.  
6. Listen to Christmas music that will soothe your heart and soul.
7. Take cookies from the bakery to a Christmas cookie exchange.
8. Nap in the afternoon before you join the carolers in the evening.
9. Eat seasonal treats in moderation.
10. Start and end each day with prayer and read the Christmas story in different versions of the Bible.

Copyright © December 2007 by Yvonne Ortega

I will give away one signed copy of my book, Hope for the Journey through Cancer and a Starbuck’s gift certificate for $10. Lysa TerKeurst will draw the lucky winner’s name on 12/23/07. Go to her blog at www.lysaterkeurst.com to enter the drawing. Because of prohibitive foreign postage, my Christmas Give Away is only for those with a USA address. Once you are on Lysa’s blog, read through the first post. At the end of it, you will see her signature and below that a number and the word, “comments.” Please click on “comments.” A box will appear on your screen. You do not have to read all the comments there to participate in the drawing unless you want to. At the top of the box, click on “Jump to comment form.” You will then see a space to leave your comment. Click on “Anonymous” but be sure to include your name within your comment for the drawing. Then click on “Publish your comment.” It is simpler than it sounds, and you will see that once you go to “Jump to comment form.” Lysa will post the winner on Monday, December 24, 2007. God bless you, and Merry Christmas.