The Anti Cancer Life

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! The holiday season is upon us!

Back in 2019, my big cancer surgery was on Halloween and my chemo started the first week of December. I spent Christmas cutting my hair and New Year's in the hospital. For me, the holidays were tough because I was trying my hardest to eat well, and support my body and my immune system -- but was surrounded by alcohol, cookies, sweets, and let’s face it, not exactly foods. But on the flip side, life is short, and we want to have just as much fun as everyone else, while also supporting our bodies in this fight against cancer (or in this “healing” from cancer, however you like to frame your cancer experience).

These are the three tips my ONCOLOGIST gave me, and I like to pass them on as much as possible :)

*Limit Added Sugar (note the word “added”, eating whole fruit is okay)!
*Cut Alcohol (really, it’s so harsh on your body, esp if you’re in active treatment)
*Limit / Cut Processed Food (think snack food, but also food like processed meats)

Of course, it’s easier said than done. I listed some tricks on the second slide to help you accomplish that goal. As for holiday traditions you can’t miss here are some additional tricks:

~Load up on Bussel's sprouts and Sweet Potatoes (two holiday foods that are ANTICANCER)
~Add BIG SALADS to every holiday meal, start with that!
~Swap sugar for monk fruit & stevia in holiday baked goods
~Swap regular pancakes for PROTEIN packed w/ fresh blueberries
~Replace alcohol with “hop teas” or alcohol-free (or 0.5% ABV) beers. I’ll tag some companies that have great options! ( )
~Create mocktails with sparkling water, cranberry, and fresh ginger!

Happy eating!

10/30/2023

Had an incredible opportunity to attend the gala this weekend (apologies for not posting, the month of October has been insanely busy with cancer scans & events). But I am so in love with the work Make-A-Wish does (I’m in the process of onboarding as a volunteer to grant wishes). As someone who went through a very serious illness (cancer) I know how powerful hope, joy & laughter can be. Seeing the resilience of these kids is awe-inspiring & I’m so thankful we got to see a little bit of the magic. 💜🙏✨

10/10/2023

It's month so I'd love to tell the story of . I first heard this story reading the book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer." I've condensed it here & listed sources at the end. It's a real triumph for the labor of scientists but also the passion and push of patients and advocates who demanded to get this drug into the hands of women who needed it.

***
In 1987, researchers at UCLA (Dennis Slamon et al) made a discovery: The HER2 gene (named after Human EGFR receptor 2, identified in 1984) was amplified in 30% of breast cancer cases.

The HER2 gene instructs cells in the body to form receptors (HER2) on their surface that send signals telling them to grow and divide. A normal cell might have 20,000 HER2 receptors, but a breast cancer cell might have 2 million. That’s “over-expression”

The researchers probed further & studied actual human breast tissue (rather than cell lines) and found that women w/ the amplified Her2 gene had much poorer prognosis rates, hypothesizing Her2 might play a role in driving the tumor.

Scientists have found oncogenes or protein targets before, but creating a drug to ACT on them is the difficult part.

In other words, we know *this thing* drives cancer, but how do we stop it? And if you stop it in a cancer cell, does it stop it in all cells, thus creating too much harm for the patient.

But HER2 was a slightly different target because it drives a cell receptor, i.e. it’s on the surface of the cell (accessible) and could be targeted by a monoclonal antibody (man-made immune system proteins designed to interact w/ a specific target).

Genentech, a small biotech startup that had never developed a successful cancer drug, started the search for a monoclonal antibody to target HER2.

But the project died before it could start. It was too expensive. To get approval they needed large-scale clinical trials (on a very complex drug that may not work).

But the researchers kept PUSHING & eventually the “no” became a “yes”.

Swipe through to learn how the drug developed & how Breast Cancer patients fought for its use.

09/30/2023

The story of cancer is told through scars. Six inches across my abdomen. 3 dots, permanent tattoos, to guide the radiation. Gold seeds buried deep inside. A power port across from my heart. A small poke, to catch the bone marrow. A biopsy incision, gone months later (that one’s just a scare). The hair, once blonde, now dark – a little curly. A little grey. Cancer leaves so many marks, most of them you can’t see. The missing parts. The scar tissue. The broken bone marrow. The tears. It’s hard to feel “beautiful” through any of it. 

I haven’t shared many photos of me going through cancer on this page. I started these channels nearly 2.5 years after my diagnosis, treatment was over, my hair not so bald. I wanted to heal before I could share what I had learned. The fear in the back of my head saying “what if you didn’t learn anything at all. What if you can’t help anyone?”

So, when asked for posts about self-care for cancer patients, I thought, yes, now is the time. When I look at these photos I’m not sure who I see. At the time I didn’t feel beautiful, but looking back I realize it was there all along. The beauty of someone refusing to give up. When I’m feeling down (which I am quite often) … I remind myself that this body is strong. This body has been cut open, poisened, radiated, and still manages to get up in the morning. Manages to surf, snowboard, hike, dance, and walk. Maybe not as fast now. Maybe not as gracefully. But it’s still here. Carrying these scars like a fu***ng champion. That’s my self care. Reminding myself that it’s okay to have a “new normal”. It’s okay to not “be the same” and it’s pretty damn cool to say you have GOLD SEEDS in your vagina. 

💜🏄‍♀️🌟🙏🏂

09/27/2023

How can I even begin to describe my surf 🏄‍♀️ trip with ? It takes me a while to make friends in-person sometimes, I'm an introvert-extrovert. Shy as my real self, totally fine performing on a stage. But something about FD makes you feel right at home and quickly -- the common thread being the one none of us asked for, CANCER.

I needed this trip. I needed to connect with other cancer patients IRL. I needed a space to talk about how scary it is to get diagnosed and how debilitating treatment can be. But also a place to laugh & giggle late at night. To make bracelets and surf our hearts out. To regress to the youth that many of us lost.

Most of us went through treatment and COVID at the same time. Or felt the effects of it. It's been an isolating journey, to say the least. If you haven't had cancer, sometimes it's hard to understand. Being in a room full of AYA (adolescent and young adult cancer survivors) was life-changing.

Many of us had different cancers -- breast, lung, lymphoma, neuroendocrine (me), cervical, the list goes on. Different stages and different treatments. But we all understood what each of us went through. And we were offered the space to talk about our hardships in a totally chill, fun, friendly space. We didn't have to share publicly. We each found moments ... in the water, in a van ride, a hot tub, on the couch crafting, maybe at dinner ... places to speak about what we wanted to, how we wanted to. By day 5 I felt so close to this magical, wonderful group of people. I was inspired by their strength, tenacity, and fu***ng badass surf skills. AND YES WE CAN USE OUR CANCER CARDS FOR LIFE BC WE EARNED THEM ;)

Leaving was sad. For a brief moment, the world was a place full of people who understand exactly how I feel. Cancer doesn't end when treatment ends and I'm so grateful for every person on this trip.

If you're a young adult (15-39) look into signing up ASAP. You won't regret it. (also special thanks to the volunteers, chefs, medic, and leaders who were without a doubt INCREDIBLE).

09/26/2023

Each year in America 90,000 young adults (age 15 to 39) will be diagnosed with cancer. While a “young” cancer diagnosis is still considered rare, the numbers are increasing at alarming rates. Over the past four decades, cancer in this cohort has risen by 30%. Yet, the long-term survival of AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) patients is understudied and underserved, as are the Quality of Life issues these patients face after harsh treatments that may come with side effects 20, 30, or 40 years later.
For AYA patients, 5 or 10-year survival isn’t the goal, they may be hoping to live half a century or more … so why aren’t we doing more to support them?

Each year in America 90,000 young adults (age 15 to 39) will be diagnosed with cancer. While a “young” cancer diagnosis is still considered…

09/26/2023

Each year in America 90,000 young adults (age 15 to 39) will be diagnosed w/ cancer. While a “young” diagnosis is still considered rare, the numbers are increasing at alarming rates.

Over the past four decades, cancer in this cohort has risen by 30%. Yet, the long-term survival of AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) patients is understudied and underserved, as are the Quality of Life issues these patients face after harsh treatments that may come with side effects 20, 30, or 40 years later.

For AYA patients, 5 or 10-year survival isn’t the goal, they may be hoping to live half a century or more … so why aren’t we doing more to support them?

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with a rare & aggressive cancer at 34, high-grade small cell , stage 3C, which sports a 7% to 10% survival rate.

In order to have a snowball’s chance in hell at making it out alive I had to undergo a radical hysterectomy, months of chemotherapy (cisplatin/etoposide), weeks of concurrent radiation, and brachytherapy (+ CAM treatments). If I get the privilege of living, all these harsh treatments have long-term consequences.

Pre-mature surgical menopause includes an increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis as well as depression and loss of sexual function. The chemo, radiation, and other cancer drugs (like Growth-Colony-stimulating factors, G-CSFs) increase my risk of secondary cancers down the line, including Acute Myeloid Leukemia. One recent study utilizing SEER data reported that AYA cancer survivors have a higher risk of death due to infection, cardiovascular disease, and renal disease.

Indeed, studies that look at Overall Survival of AYA patients are a little bleak. A study by MD Anderson found that the 25-year survival of AYA patients is much lower than the general population, alluding to the very long-term risks of cancer treatment.

READ MORE👉 LINK IN BIO

I cover what can be done, what insurance should cover, & how to mitigate side effects.

04/26/2023

One thing I missed when giving up sugar … ICE CREAM.

To be honest, during chemo there were a *couple of times* I broke down and had mint ice cream because it made me feel better and is hard. But I got really strict in early 2020 and pretty much gave it up completely (except maybe 1 or 2 times per year).

Enter, the NINJA CREAMI. I just bought one & started crafting healthier ice cream recipes. This thing is MAGIC. I created this Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream made with plant milk & greek yogurt. Please note it’s not dairy-free. It has yogurt & 1 tbsp of organic half-and-half, though you could probably cut the creamer if you want.

I was shocked at how delicious this recipe was and it’s made with very healthy ingredients. No added sugar (I used monk fruit instead). It has 33g of protein and ~450 calories in the PINT (remember these nutrition facts are for the entire pint!). This will be my new go-to dessert :)

Do you have a Ninja Creami? Do you want more ice cream recipes? Lmk! Maybe I’ll try to give one away :)

04/14/2023

I lost another friend this week to cancer, specifically the exact same I had – small cell . This woman was a fighter, I can’t express in words how hard she fought.

Cancer is devastating & scary. The further I get from cancer the more I, try to block out the fear I had. I don’t want to go back to that dark place. But I think it’s helpful for people who are currently fighting cancer to know they are not alone, these thoughts are normal. This is tough S**t. This blog post was called “I don’t fear dying, I fear missing out.” Follow the and thank you for reading.

“I think about death a lot, as in my own. I think every cancer patient at one point or another wonders, “Is this going to kill me?” It doesn’t matter if your prognosis rate is 10% or 90%, there’s always the “what if?”. But the more I think about death it dawns on me that it’s not actual death I fear — it’s missing out on life.

Experiencing itself is not scary to me. I do not fear the moment I take my last breath — though I do fear a long and painful death — I fear the knowledge that I won’t be there to love my husband into his 30s, to hug my mom, I won’t know what kind of person my niece grows up to be, I won’t see how far my incredible friends go in their lives, and I’ll never get to go see Switzerland after all. It’s all the living that I would miss out on that I fear the most.

After all, if I were to die I would want my husband to go on to live a and wonderful life — but that inevitably means finding a new love, with a new woman, and even having kids. I envision future holidays without me. A tear shed, a moment of silence and then life must move on.

This thought of the world moving on without me, brings me immense pain. In fact, I’ve had to push these dark visions out of my mind because at some point it’s simply masochistic to dwell on horrific hypotheticals. But these are the fears that come along with cancer. At least for me they are. I am not done living yet — I’m only 35."

03/04/2023

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer or you’re eating to recover from treatment, it’s essential to give your body nutrient-dense foods. We’re talking garlic, greens, cruciferous vegetables, beans, fiber, antioxidants, and more. One trick is to make a giant SMOOTHIE every day, or chop up a giant SALAD, and now I’d like to add making a GIANT SOUP!!!

This soup takes ~20 minutes, it’s nutritious, delicious, and easy.

I’ve been making this soup for a while but recently added an step at the end which took the flavor into the stratosphere (in my opinion). Avgolemono is a greek soup with egg + lemon that gives it a thicker, more savory broth (if you don’t want to do the egg step, you can skip it).

While I’m a plant-based eater, this soup is *not* vegan (but it can easily be vegan or vegetarian by replacing the bone broth with vegetable stock). I make it several times a week. These measurements are not precise, I like to toss things in, taste, and re-toss. So, play around with vegetables you like cooking & that you want to eat! But definitely don’t miss the GARLIC. I’m immunocompromised from cancer treatment, I try to eat garlic every day and this soup has a ton.

This recipe contains over 70g of protein, lots of greens (bok choy), and cruciferous veggies (kale, broccoli). It is LOADED with anti-cancer goodness (garlic, lemon, herbs, beans).

Hope you enjoy it!

Use the for the detailed recipe on my blog.

03/02/2023

Let’s talk about Cancer Rates in Women.

As it stands, the three most common cancers in women are BREAST, LUNG & COLON. I think this is interesting because when we think of cancer rates in women we usually think breast (of course) followed by cervical, uterine, and ovarian.

Smoking causes the most lung cancer. Indeed, lung cancer diagnoses have risen a startling 84% among women over the past 42 years – yet approximately 20% of women diagnosed with lung cancer today are lifelong non-smokers (risk factors are 2nd hand smoke, air quality, and asbestos).

Diagnoses of colorectal cancer continue to increase among adults younger than 50 (for men and women), but colon cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer in women behind Breast and Lung.

These three cancers in particular may have preventable risk factors like smoking (lung), drinking (breast & colon), excess body weight, diets low in fruits/vegetables, diets high in red / processed meat (breast & colon), and lack of physical activity.

There are also disparities in our healthcare system that women face in order to get a diagnosis, which is especially true of black women who may be diagnosed at later stages and have lower survival rates (due to inadequate care).

*The 5-year relative survival rate for uterine corpus cancer is 84% for White women but only 63% for Black women.
*Black women have 41% higher breast cancer death rates than White women despite similar incidence rates.
*From 2014 to 2018 the overall cancer death rate (per 100,000 population) was highest among Black persons.

PREVENTION IS KEY:

There are steps you can take to mitigate your cancer risk —> adopt a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables & fiber, avoid carcinogens like alcohol & to***co, increase physical activity, get screened (mammograms, colonoscopy, pap smears, etc), and PUSH your doctor to pay attention to your symptoms/order tests especially if you’re in an at-risk population.

02/24/2023

BIG NEWS! Johns Hopkins just released data on their PHASE I clinical trial examining the SAFETY of IV mistletoe as a cancer therapy.

This is BIG because we are LACKING clinical trials that look at complementary and integrative therapies in this county.

(yes, that poisonous holiday plant) has been used for centuries for its healing properties, but it’s also been used for decades in Europe as a line of cancer therapy – it’s thought to stimulate the immune response, possibly reduce tumor burden and improve quality of life. Johns Hopkins is leading the charge on clinical trials with mistletoe (in conjunction with BelieveBig.org)

Here’s what you need to know.

~Phase I trial of IV mistletoe on 22 patients.
~Administered 3x per week; max tolerated dose 600mg
~Stable disease was observed in five patients who had 1-6 prior therapies
~Reductions in baseline target lesions were observed in three patients who had 2-6 prior therapies
~The disease control rate (percentage of complete/partial response and stable disease) was 23.8%
~The median stable disease was 15 weeks
~The median Quality of Life increased from 79.7 at week 1 to 93 at week 4

I did mistletoe injections post-chemotherapy for six months (3x per week), scaling up from 1 mg to 100 mg. This study looked at a max tolerated dose of 600 mg intravenously.

While ~15-week-stable disease may not seem like a win, the study recruited 21 relapsed/refractory metastatic solid tumor patients (many who had done 1 to 6 prior therapies that failed them).

With Phase II and Phase III trials, we can look closer at efficacy. And imagine giving this to patients during the first line of therapy – prior to metastatic disease or relapse!

Have you asked your dr about mistletoe? Even if you can’t do IV, injections can be mailed to your house.