100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (85 page)

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

HEALTH TIP #84

Friends Can Truly Be Lifesavers

W
hen I was going through chemo, friends I didn’t even know came out

of the woodwork to help. I remember one particular night my energy

tank was on empty and my two young daughters, ages ten and twelve, had

just gotten home from school. Not wanting to give them spaghetti for dinner

again,
I searched for something quick and easy to make. I was just unscrew-

ing the jar of peanut butter, when there was a knock at the door

and my friend was standing there with a casserole.

“You’re a lifesaver!” I said. She came in, and,

while the kids ate we talked, laughed, and shared.

I didn’t realize that this friendship was
literally

saving my life.

Socialization
is the fancy term scientists use

for friendships, family, and people you talk to,

whether it’s face to face, on the phone, or online.

That interpersonal connection and human interac-

tion has physical benefits that go far beyond telling you

if “those pants make you look fat.” Sharing feelings, hearing others’ feelings,

and helping one another with life’s triumphs and tribulations can alter cer-

tain chemicals in your body that have to do with stress and immunity.

Stanford University School of Medicine has an entire section devoted

to these topics. The Stanford Center on Stress and Health is a research center

devoted to studying the effects of stress and support on the mind and body.

Directed by Dr. David Spiegel, the center has conducted pages of research

on the effect of “socialization” as it relates to immunity in general, and can-

cer specifically.

It is widely accepted that mental stress has a negative effect on health

and immunity. Stress can increase the risk of many illnesses like heart dis-

ease and cancer. When conducting experiments to measure stress, some-

times the hormone cortisol is measured. Cortisol is a hormone that is

secreted when our mind perceives stress. It readies us for that “fight-or-

Perk #84: Cancer Can Trump Pretty Much Anything

359

flight” thing. But chronic stress keeps those levels high and increases the

risk of chronic illness.

Dr. Spiegel and his team compared the cortisol levels of women with

breast cancer and measured that against their quality and quantity of social

supports. Those with better social support (aka friends) had lower cortisol

levels. Another study’s conclusion states:

It is reasonable to hypothesize that supportive social relationships may

buffer the effects of cancer-related stress on immunity, and thereby facil-

itate the recovery of immune mechanisms that may be important for can-

cer resistance.

In other words, it’s not a stretch to think that the relationship you have

with your friends, and just being with others, is changing your body’s chem-

istry. This helps increase your immunity, which in turn may keep cancer away.

While hugs have their own benefits, a physical body need not be present.

It has been shown that Internet support chat groups and interactive

blogging sites have the same positive effects on immunity as sitting

down and having tea with your buddies face to face. (Just make sure

You really can

you’re getting up every two hours from the computer to do some

get by with a

walking and stretching, as sitting poses it’s own health risks even if

little help from

you exercise regularly.)

your friends.

Consider this a prescription to “socialize.” Go out with friends,

visit with neighbors, and spend time with family. You may want to think

about joining a volunteer organization or club to meet new people. Listed

below are some great socialization networking sites and forums:

●
Imerman Angels (www.ImermanAngels.org). They will match you with a

cancer survivor that has the same cancer as you; any cancer, any age.

Sometimes it helps to have a friend that knows what you’re going

through.

●
Cancer Survivors Network and chat room (http://csn.cancer.org).

●
Cancer Chat Canada (http://cancerchatcanada.ca).

Perk #85

Cancer Made Me Feel Like

the Six Million Dollar Man

I
f you are old enough to remember the TV program
The Six Million Dollar

Man,
you will probably recall the line: “Better than he was before: Better,

Stronger, Faster.” When I consider some of the changes that cancer brought

into my life, I sometimes feel like the Six Million Dollar Man.

Better:
I am definitely better than I was before cancer, in many ways. I

take much better care of my body. I have learned to better cope with stress.

I have also come to realize what is really important in life, and I no longer

sweat the small stuff. Most important, I have learned to love and approve

of myself just as I am. While I would never want to relive my cancer expe-

rience (and I would never wish it on anyone!), I can honestly say that it

made a better person of me.

Stronger:
Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill you makes

you stronger.” There is nothing like a spar with cancer to prove to yourself

how strong you really are. Years ago, if someone had told me that at age

forty-four I would be divorced, have a child with autism, and be facing can-

cer, I would have doubted my ability to survive. Not only did I survive my

battle, but I experienced some of the most joyful moments of my life while

doing so. Cancer may have weakened my body, but my spirit has never been

stronger.

Faster:
Who am I trying to kid? I’m not actually faster than I was before,

but I am more committed to my running practice. My goal is not to win

any races, but to make exercise an important part of my survival plan. As

long as I am consistent with my plan, slow and steady will win the race!

So here I am, fresh from the battle with cancer and still bearing my battle

scars, but feeling like six million bucks (well, at least six hundred bucks).

After my breast reconstruction I will also be sporting better boobs than I’ve

had in a long time. Better, stronger, faster AND
bionic
boobs; now that is

one of the “perkiest” perks of having cancer.

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Perk #85: Cancer Made Me Feel Like the Six Million Dollar Man

361

Take time to consider the ways that cancer

may have made a better person out of you.

HEALTH TIP #85

Better, Stronger Bones

B
ones are important. Without them we’d all be jellyfish. Age, chemo, and

other cancer treatments can deplete the estrogen in our bodies, which

turns off the bone-making factory and puts us at risk for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is the thinning and weakening of bone tissue.

Your body’s ability to build and maintain strong bones is a very com-

plex, involved process and one that can be affected by a number of things.

For women, chemo induced–menopause is one. Estrogen is a key compo-

nent in making and maintaining bone. Without estrogen, your “bone-making

mechanism” slows down and you end up with “low-density” or “porous”

bones. How “porous” your bones are, along with other factors like family

history of fractures, smoking history, steroid use, and others,

determines your risk of a bone fracture in the future.

We all have to do something to prevent bone loss. Even if you

don’t have hormone-induced menopause, you’re not getting any

younger, honey.

During teenaged years, your diet and lifestyle determine

how much bone mass you build. By the time you reach your

late teens, 90 percent of your bone mass is established. In

adulthood, the trick is to keep what you’ve got and strengthen

it. (If you have teenagers, make sure they’re getting their rec-

ommended daily allowance, 1,300 mg, of calcium and 600 mg

of vitamin D to prevent problems for them in their later years.)

Calcium is important in maintaining bone health as it is one

of the main components of bone, but we also need it in our blood.

If there is not enough calcium in the blood, it might “borrow”

some calcium from the bones, thus weakening them. If you have

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

a sufficient amount of calcium in your blood, there won’t be as much bone