The author of this book, Odile Fernandez, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 32. She refused to accept the diagnosis and began collecting all the information about this disease. After conducting thorough research, the author discovered that seemingly obvious things related to nutrition and lifestyle, when used correctly, help to successfully cope with cancer. Having started to eat right, while continuing to undergo the third course of chemotherapy, the author was happy to discover that the disease had subsided. Successes encouraged Odile to continue his research further, as a result of which this detailed guide was born, not only explaining the nature of this disease, but also containing other advice for those who are sick or want to avoid this dangerous disease.
Preface to the Russian edition
You have cancer
My name is Odile, I am thirty-two years old, I am a family doctor and the mother of a three-year-old child. I have a husband and loving parents. I am economically secure. There is a permanent job. Everything seems to be fine, I'm quite happy. But suddenly something incomprehensible happens, and life changes. This is what I want to tell you about.
The summer of 2010 has arrived, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, I begin to feel tired, irritable and depressed. I feel like something is wrong in my body. As a doctor, I suspect I have cancer; I don’t know yet whether it’s gynecology or the stomach, but somewhere it started. Something abnormal is growing inside. Autumn has come, and I find out the real reason for feeling unwell. I feel the lower abdomen and discover a tumor. So, I was not mistaken: cancer. Usually it is not diagnosed immediately - the person does not feel it or touch himself. But when you are a doctor and are in contact with patients, you develop the so-called “clinical eye,” a very useful thing for diagnosis. She helps, just by looking at the patient, to guess what is wrong with him. In ancient times, healers developed this ability in themselves in order to diagnose a disease without tests. Today, a doctor’s work is facilitated by CT, ultrasound, MRI, mammography and other methods. To make a correct diagnosis, a doctor had to have the right eye, sensitive ear and hands. Now, although we do not have such keen powers of observation, we still retain our clinical eye to some extent. This eye also serves for self-diagnosis: this is exactly my case. I examined myself and saw that things were bad. All symptoms pointed to cancer.
After palpating my own abdomen, I turned to my colleagues to find out the exact diagnosis. At first the scan showed a large but benign tumor; A few days later the surgeons said something different. It was about ovarian cancer. A few weeks later, surgery was performed and metastases were discovered in the lung, sacrum and vagina. The prognosis is not good; the chance of survival, judging by the statistics, is very low. For a month I felt like life was leaving me. I felt that death was near. Time to say good-bye. She began to distance herself from her son. In November I realize that I won’t live to see Christmas. I won’t see how my son rejoices at gifts. I ask my parents, sister and husband to take care of the baby and tell him about me. I’m preparing a video with farewell words and an album with photographs for my son, where we are together and we feel good: the child should know how his mother loved him. I feel the end is near, death is on my heels. I cry constantly, I’m terribly afraid, I’m completely depressed. I lost all hope and plunged into depression. I asked the oncologists to be frank with me and said that I didn’t want to suffer anymore. I prefer not to undergo treatment, but to die peacefully. I suggest they don't use chemotherapy if they think it won't help me. I don’t want to prolong the agony, because the ending is inevitable. Doctors are persuading you to take the course: they have seen cures in more severe cases. They promise that if the treatment is not effective, they will warn me and I can refuse it.
What made me change, replace despair with an unbridled thirst for life? For now, I can not say it. I only know that suddenly I wanted to live with terrible force, to grasp even a small hope, to defeat the disease, to trust my body and medicine.
One of the reasons, of course, is the son. A child is the most important thing for any mother. From the moment of his birth, your life and his are inextricably linked. A mother's love is endless and unconditional. A mother is capable of anything for the sake of the happiness and well-being of her children. Even being in a hopeless state, I understood that I could not leave him, that I had to accompany him through life. Children oblige us to cling to life; So my three-year-old child made me stop despairing and find the desire to live.
Having received the news about my illness, having heard the terrible word CANCER once and again, I realized: I need to digest it and accept it. It was after I accepted this serious illness and realized that I could die that I was reborn. I had already completely gotten used to the thought of death, but something stirred inside me, a wave of positive energy swept over me, and I decided to do everything possible to heal. Knowing full well that I could lose the battle, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to treatment. I’m used to putting all my strength, all my passion into realizing my plans, and this time I had no intention of backing down. I told myself that I had to completely trust chemotherapy and rid my body of the disease.
IMPORTANT! Basically, I prescribed myself for treatment: delicious food, love and peace of mind. The rest was prescribed by other doctors.
The first course of chemotherapy began on November 17, 2010, and from that day I changed my diet, began to exercise, tried some natural therapy options that helped me gain mental peace, began to meditate and began to take more active treatment.
I felt that the metastases that were palpable were shrinking and disappearing, and this was in just a few weeks. Incredible, just a few weeks! I am not lying. There are witnesses who saw metastases. I know this is not entirely common, there are few such cases, I don’t want you to get the impression that if you do as I do, recovery is guaranteed. But with proper nutrition, exercise and a good mental attitude, you will overcome the disease faster; The main thing is not to sit on a chair and wait for what will happen next.
When I started chemotherapy, every time I went to the oncologist, I said that I was already cured: I had set myself up so hard. The oncologist gave in to my insistence and did the appropriate test. It was in January 2011, the test showed the disappearance of metastases: the cancer was gone from my life. Just as before, when I felt that I was sick, now I realized that I had recovered. A miracle happened. According to oncologists, it was a miracle.
What cancer prescriptions did I have? This is exactly what I want to talk about in this book. What nutrition, what methods helped me recover, despite advanced stage ovarian cancer.
I don't know if what helped me will help you. But I think my example will have a positive impact on the treatment process. Everyone has their own experience with such a disease. I tell you about my case, hoping that it will benefit you.
The ending of this disease is not always happy when we encounter it; The shadow of death is present in our head, but we must try to push it out and enjoy every moment that a wonderful life offers us. To be, to rejoice here and now, without thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow you never know whether you will have cancer or not. CARPE DIEM, “seize the moment,” said the young members of the Dead Poets Society club. There is only one thing that is certain in this life: we are all going to die. Death is inevitable, everything else is in question. The only thing that separates a cancer patient from the rest is the knowledge that cancer may come soon. Even an exceptionally healthy person can be crushed by a car. We don’t know when our life will end, so we need to appreciate every moment, live every minute, live fully and consciously.
Socrates expressed a thought that I really like: “There is only one good - knowledge. There is only one evil - ignorance." It is advisable that, after reading the book, you know what cancer is, what causes it and what you can do to prevent and treat it.
When you have information, it is easier to make informed decisions about your lifestyle and lifestyle, because you know why you are doing it.
Some people, having finished reading the book, will think that nothing written will be useful to them, others will understand that something will be useful, and still others will take on board all the experience of others.
IMPORTANT! What exactly you decide to do is not important: it is your business. The main thing is that the decision is based on knowledge, not ignorance.
In the hospital, patients often ask the oncologist or nurse whether they can beat cancer and what is the best way to eat. The usual answer is: “Do nothing, eat whatever you want.” They told me the same thing, but I refused to believe that nothing could be done. And to find out how to make chemotherapy more effective and thereby help the body, I immersed myself in the latest scientific publications related to this topic. And voila, there are many simple and accessible things for us.
IMPORTANT! It's not true that nothing can be done. You need to do: look for information, ask questions, act, because you are sick, not the doctors.
And no, you can’t eat whatever you want, first you need to find out which foods contribute to the appearance of cancer, and which ones prevent and treat.
My colleagues, some due to lack of time, others due to lack of knowledge, abandon their patients, entrusting their fate to chemotherapists, radiologists or surgeons. These methods have proven to be effective; The oncologist will certainly prescribe the optimal course for you. But you, too, must be an active participant in your treatment and help your body with all your might.
Science has proven that, in addition to official or allopathic methods of treating and preventing cancer, there are others. I'll show you what they are. We will only talk about treatment on a scientific basis; I don’t want to be a charlatan and give you vain hopes. But if it helped me, why won’t it help you too?
I want to accompany you on the path to recovery and tell you what I did to cure cancer, besides chemotherapy and surgery.
Two years after treatment, I feel full of vitality and the desire to receive even small pleasures. I want you to enjoy life too, even if you are sick now and see everything in black.
Since February 2011, I began sharing knowledge about the importance of healthy and nutritious nutrition for cancer treatment, telling how negative emotions can make us sick, and positive ones can contribute to recovery. For this purpose, I started a blog. com. At first, I simply wrote down recipes for anti-cancer nutrition so as not to forget, then I accumulated a lot of information related not only to natural nutrition, but also to treatment. In October 2011, I realized that disseminating information only through a blog was not enough, and I began giving lectures at courses in my hometown of Granada, and then throughout Spain. My only goal is to help people suffering from cancer. Now I decided to collect all the material in a book so that anyone who wants can use the information. This book is a gesture of love for people, a desire to give you what is important to me: the experience and knowledge acquired from the moment I heard the word “cancer.” I spent many hours collecting information, perhaps taking time away from my family, but I don’t want the knowledge I gained to go to waste. I offer you something that would have been useful to me when I had cancer.
This book was written by a woman and mother who suffered a terrible illness, cried and suffered greatly when she heard the diagnosis, but was able to overcome the misfortune, grow and learn a lot. There are currently a large number of books on anti-cancer nutrition on the market; as a rule, they are written by oncologists and nutritionists who have not personally experienced the disease. This does not mean at all that their books are worse - perhaps even better. But theoretical knowledge is one thing, and another thing is to experience it in your own skin. To know and understand something completely, you need to experience it yourself.
I hope the information is helpful and helps many who, like me, have been overwhelmed by a cancer diagnosis. For those who do not have cancer, I wish you health and understanding that a disease is easier to prevent than to cure. This is how medicine should be: preventive, not curative. In many cases, medicine does not cure, but only relieves symptoms. In the case of cancer, this happens often. Doctors take action when the fire (cancer) has already begun. They work like firefighters who douse a fire with water, not thinking either that in places where fire safety measures have been taken, the fire does not flare up, or that it may break out again.
Before cancer, I was a regular doctor on the staff of the Andalusian Health Service. Like many family doctors, she differed from specialists. She was more of an “interlocutor” than a formal physician. I loved sitting and listening to patients and learning about their fears and concerns. I played the role of confessor. Support and understanding heal more than pills. Many patients do not need medication, they need to speak out. If one day my oncologist colleagues invite me to talk, I will ask them to listen more to their patients, support them and show kindness. I will tell them that when you have cancer, you die of fear and expect a friendly pat on the back, that they will not leave you in trouble, that they will be there when you need it, that you are not number 18, but Odile Fernandez . It is difficult to reach oncologists, but I will reach them.
In this book I will talk a lot about natural cancer treatment, but especially about nutrition. Food is responsible for a third of cancers, so imagine how important it is in preventing and treating this disease. We must not forget about emotions and physical exercises.
You are ready? Then let's begin.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29, I already knew something about life. For example, that cancer is, of course, a complex and insidious disease, but it can be treated quite successfully. And if it works for many people, it will definitely work for me too. Because who, if not me - a young mother of two children (motivation - one!), an energetic optimist (positive attitude - two!), delving into details and capable of organizing quality treatment (common sense - three!) - can cope with this?
I had experience working in various projects and a rough idea of how to act. We set a goal, set a deadline, work hard - and at the end we get a beautiful and successful project codenamed “I beat cancer!”
The world actively supported me. It was as if he had woken up after a long period of oblivion and finally admitted: cancer really can be defeated. Loud success stories began to be heard from everywhere - stars told in interviews how they fought and won, the Instagram feed was overgrown with hashtags #I woncancer, #cancerfool. I absorbed these stories so eagerly that there was no doubt - of course I could. Now I will undergo a course of chemotherapy, then surgery, radiation - and that’s it. And that same life will begin - in the rays of the well-deserved glory of the winner, with bonuses in the form of knowing the true happiness of being here and now. I will no longer care about trifles and quarrels, I will gain a strong and lasting understanding of the value of the moment... This will all happen immediately as soon as I win, but for now I have to grit my teeth and fight.
I used to think that people either die from cancer or win. It was unclear where I ended up
I missed the deadline by a few weeks. Before the final operation, with which my new happy life was supposed to begin, I was diagnosed with a relapse.
Then, for the first time after the diagnosis, I seriously and for a long time fell into the abyss of despair and misunderstanding.
I was prescribed a new course of chemotherapy, then another, and another... Soon I lost count, completely burned my veins, installed a port for administering “chemo,” shaved off my slightly grown hair and realized that this was probably going to last for a long time. And after a couple more years, liters of medications and several unsuccessful operations, I finally realized: not for long. Forever.
I used to think that people either die from cancer or win. It was unclear where I ended up. I was still alive - I was still raising children, I was happy to tears when my short hair turned into a convincing bob, I continued to work as much as I could. But I never won - the disease either timidly hid from the new therapy, then, after sitting in the shadows and gaining strength, it went on the offensive again.
It so happened that in this difficult period of treatment for cancer, which they prefer to quickly forget about, I now had to place my whole life.
“You will win!”, “You are strong!” - friends write to me on social networks. And if something goes wrong, they will write: “She fought to the last, but the disease turned out to be stronger.” This is the best case scenario. At worst - this happens if a person consciously chooses to spend his last days with loved ones, and not torturing himself with useless therapy in the hospital - they will definitely add that “she, unfortunately, gave up.”
But what exactly is beating cancer? From a physiological point of view, a long-term remission, when control examinations did not reveal symptoms of the disease, can be considered a victory. In the case when remission lasts more than five years, we can talk about a complete cure, although doctors prefer not to use this formulation: it is impossible to predict whether a relapse will occur and in what time frame. It depends on various factors - type of tumor, form of cancer, stage, age, treatment regimen, condition of the body. The right attitude and desire to live - these factors also work in conjunction with others.
In fact, victory over cancer is the result of a successful coincidence of circumstances, when the maximum number of key factors lined up in an even and strong chain. You may desperately want to live, but we cannot influence the location and aggressiveness of the tumor, your own age, or the response of tumor cells to therapy. It is impossible to lose or win when it is not about the game at all.
Victory over cancer is too relative to be put on a pedestal. I'd rather put life itself there
Over the years of treatment, I have seen different patients. Believe me, there is no pattern. Those who left were bright, strong, courageous, who did not give up for a moment. They also wrote about them later that “they could not win,” but this is not true. I saw it with my own eyes. They won every day when they laughed at some simple things through pain and tears. They won when, on the eve of an important examination, they chatted with friends, cuddled the children, ate deliciously, and watched a great movie. They won when, through the realization that the advantage was on the side of the disease, they found the strength to move forward.
Because there are things that we cannot change. The only thing we can do is change our attitude towards them.
And let the world around us continue to believe in superheroes and wait for the final battle between good and evil, we will no longer allow ourselves to be fooled. This eternal thirst for a miracle, loud applause after a successful death trick distracts us from the main thing - ourselves and our “today”. If we stay there, in the noisy crowd, from which we hear: “Everything will be fine!”, “You will definitely win!”, we risk again believing that the meaning is in this illusory victory, some special day X, when we With our heads held high, we will announce to the world that we have won the war.
But that day may never come. Victory over cancer is too relative to be put on a pedestal. I would prefer to put life itself there - albeit with cancer, even without loud slogans, but the real one, the one that does not have to be written off in the name of announcing the result.
A person who has cancer is forced to fight. Sometimes he gives up, cries, gets tired - he is alive and it’s hard for him
It's time to change the attitude towards cancer - stop making a hero out of it. We are learning to live with it, and this is a sufficient argument to declare a truce. I believe that someday we won’t have to fight at all, we will be able to tame him, but for now... There are us, our children, our lives - weeks, months, years. So why devalue them, aren’t they in themselves an unconditional victory?
A person who has cancer is forced to fight. Sometimes he gives up, cries, gets tired - he is alive and it’s hard for him. He needs tremendous support; it is important for him that people around him understand his condition and respect him. In my opinion, this is much more important than blind faith in miraculous healing. So maybe you should think about your comments? And instead of empty words about “you will definitely win, I have no doubt!” write something honest: “I’m nearby, I’m thinking about you, if you need my help, I’ll help”?
And this will be the best proof of involvement and understanding of someone else’s difficult situation. Then all this will finally stop looking like a boxing match, the outcome of which the audience is eagerly awaiting. Hand over your tickets, we don’t need a full house, we just want to live as long as is measured, and not break our faces until they bleed, so that we can be called winners. Because we have already won - when we realized that our uniqueness today is too good to sacrifice it for the sake of a ghostly tomorrow.
about the author
That was a long time ago. When not only was there no trace of magnetic resonance therapy, there were no computers or mobile phones. And let’s keep silent about the Internet altogether.
But cancerous tumors, like 290 million years ago, as well as today, affected many people. And although the number of victims of tumors was inferior to diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the fear of cancer is incomparable. And so it happened - in all countries, including Russia - the patient and his relatives were certainly informed about a heart attack or stroke, but a cancer diagnosis was accompanied by an unwritten taboo. Why? Is a cancer diagnosis tantamount to a death sentence? Therefore, doctors often do not inform the patient about the diagnosis, and the decision to talk or not talk about the diagnosis is left to relatives.
Let me return, however, to those times when there was no Internet and mobile phones. On the eve of his 69th birthday, this was 1972, my father began to suffer from abdominal pain. We visited specialists, clinics, conducted tests on him, took endless x-rays. In vain. But another X-ray at Moscow’s First City Hospital showed extensive cancer of the stomach and part of the esophagus. Operation. The entire stomach and part of the esophagus were removed. And then an amazing phenomenon manifested itself, which is present, perhaps, only among cancer patients. He knows that he is in the oncology clinic, he knows that he has had an operation for cancer. Often chemotherapy and radiation treatment are also included. But despite everything, the patient, somewhere in the subconscious, does not believe in the diagnosis. My father, who managed to simply escape from the intensive care ward in which he was placed after the operation, justified his action: “Everyone there has cancer. But I have polyps. Why should I lie with them?”
I am not my father! - they gave me an extract from the medical history, which indicated what kind of cancer, what kind of surgery was performed, and recommendations. And across the entire certificate, in bold red felt-tip pen, there is a resolution: “Do not hand over!” I hid this verdict in my closet so that my father would not see or find out. And here is another paradox. In our family, it’s not customary to look into other people’s closets. But the father not only looked in, but also found this very certificate among the linen. It would seem that everything became clear. He shouted, "I have cancer. I know." But somewhere, again, in the subconscious I didn’t believe it. I went to work. He stubbornly ignored the elevator and walked up to the 6th floor. I fried my own potatoes in lard. After such a meal, pain began to torment. Then he sat down to oatmeal porridge and pureed soups. When they once again reprimanded him, saying that he couldn’t eat fried food after such an operation, he was indignant: “I love it.” “But you have to limit yourself - after all, you want to live.” Answered: “So? No!”
My father lived to be 83 years old. I stopped working at 80. I didn’t forget to visit the hairdresser’s salon, where I got my hair cut and pedicured by “my masters.” He did not deny himself a glass of vodka or cognac and continued to smoke. Sometimes I could confidentially tell my interlocutor: “You know, I have cancer. See how thin I have lost, all the suits are too big.” He stubbornly refused to put on a new suit - it was a kind of coquetry: to demonstrate that he had “lost so much weight because of cancer.”
Time has changed. The numbers of cancer patients, diagnostic possibilities, and treatment results are different now. But, as before, there is no recipe anywhere in the world on how to act when a tumor is detected. Yes, there is a tendency to inform the patient about the diagnosis. Moscow's chief oncologist Anatoly Makhson believes that a cancer diagnosis should not cause fear, that it should be perceived as any other. But, as with any disease, ethical issues do not fade into the background. And if we're talking about cancer...
What kind of person is sick? Which person is his close relative or friend? Will he panic? Optimist? How will you react to a cancer diagnosis? Is a white lie appropriate? But this lie can, as it were, disarm the patient and his loved ones. How to be? There is no universal recipe.
Recently, the world was shocked by the story of Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. For preventive purposes, knowing about the possibility of developing cancer, she decided to remove both mammary glands and intends to remove her ovaries in the near future. In the West, public people often advertise their cancer diagnosis in order to dispel fear of this disease. Deputy Director of the Russian Oncology Center named after. Blokhin, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Mamed Aliyev says this: “Cancer is, of course, not a sore throat, but it is not a final sentence either.” A cancer diagnosis should not weigh heavily on a person. Life must go on.
While preparing these notes, I called a wonderful actress, a successful woman in all respects. A month ago we saw each other at an event. She was, as always, elegant and the center of attention. About 15 years ago, she had a gland removed due to breast cancer. They did plastic surgery. But the actress categorically refused to talk about this topic in the newspaper. She told me a very important, in my opinion, phrase: “I don’t have any diagnosis!” And this is also a position. A position to be reckoned with.
Moscow's chief oncologist believes: a cancer diagnosis should not cause fear, it should be perceived as any other
Not everyone who was asked to talk about how they live with a cancer diagnosis agreed to talk about this sensitive topic. They said: “Yes, so much has already been said about this on the Internet.”
Looking at Alexander Buinov, it’s hard to believe that he underwent serious surgery to remove a prostate tumor. He usually laughs off questions from journalists. Everyone would like such a charge of optimism!
Some, who asked not to give their last names, said something like this: “I have no right to capitulate to a terrible disease!” The tricky thing about cancer is that it can come back. Torment again. And that’s why it’s so important not to capitulate.
Daria Dontsova has recently been perceived not only as a famous writer, but also as a person who defeated cancer. Having spoken in detail about her illness and how she overcame it, she became a symbol of the will to live and faith in salvation. Dontsova repeats that cancer is not a death sentence, and demonstrates by personal example the correctness of these words. Literally inspires everyone: you just need to get treatment and do it on time. In one of her interviews, she said6 “I’m talking about my cure not for the sake of PR, but so that people believe: you can be cured. And they behave sensibly. Is it really so difficult for a woman to go and be examined by a mammologist once every six months? I didn’t do that, that’s why I got to this point.” Stage 4 cancer. I want others not to repeat my mistake."
Writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya, at the presentation of her book “Sacred Trash,” which included an essay dedicated to her fight against cancer, said that cancer is a disease for which she was prepared, that it is like the New Year: you know that it will come, and you meet him. “This problem did not fall on me unexpectedly. I come from a “cancer” family: almost everyone, with very few exceptions, died from cancer. I was internally prepared for the moment when they would tell me this. Every person finds himself in a situation when he understands: life could end tomorrow and that he must live this piece of life with dignity.”
Oncological diseases and salvation from them are a problem among problems. Worldwide. And in Russia it is even more acute because the amazing Russian mentality with its eternal “maybe it will blow through” intervenes in the situation. I can’t remember how many times it has been said and written that after 40 years an annual visit to a urologist is mandatory. The chief urologist of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Pushkar, constantly repeats this. I am convinced that most of those over 40 will not remember the last time they visited a urologist. Especially men.
But to be completely honest, part of the blame lies with the health service. What stops people from visiting a doctor is the inability to easily receive qualified advice and effective help. And the further you get from Moscow, the more such problems there are.
Each patient has his own situation, which cannot be ignored. And another problem: there is no trust in the doctor. They turn to him when they really need to. And the qualifications of specialists are sometimes such that cancer is missed. That’s why there are so many advanced stages of the disease. There are so many bitter confessions from cancer patients that they regularly visited doctors, but the tumor was discovered only at the 4th stage. How to explain this? However, there is no need to explain - measures need to be taken.
Why did you decide to start a conversation about whether or not to inform the patient and his family about the cancer diagnosis? Why is it so important that public people began to talk about him openly more often? Yes, all for one reason: please take care of yourself! Of course, health is a special, very intimate area of life. Not everyone is able to “make public” failures in it. And if this concerns prostate diseases in men or uterine or ovarian cancer in women, even more so. Urologists and gynecologists are constantly faced with the fact that even the people closest to their patients do not know about the suffering of a husband, wife, mother, father. Often they ask the doctor not to tell family members about the true diagnosis. What should a doctor do? Tricky question? Does a doctor also have to be a psychologist? Necessarily. But it is even more important that the entire medical care system works for the patient, to protect his health. Unfortunately, we cannot boast of this.
Case in point. My friend has dual citizenship - Russian and Canadian. In Canada, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They quickly examined me in an outpatient clinic and set the day and time for the operation. The patient arrived early that day at the clinic. And at one o'clock in the afternoon she was operated on. She still doesn't know who it is. The mammary gland was removed. The next day I was discharged. We watched at home for some time: a nurse came, the attending physician called. No complications. This was 8 years ago. 3 years before the operation, she buried her husband. And soon after the operation she got married. Happy in my new marriage. Goes to the pool, travels. But at a certain time she must be checked at the clinic where she was operated on. You can't miss it. The assistance system does not tolerate violations.
As a medical observer, I am often asked: which clinic to go to, which doctor to see? All for the same reason: there is no trust in the health service. The situation when the patient does not even know who performed the operation is simply nonsense for us. And even more so if we are talking about oncology.
And one more thing, which is also not customary to talk about out loud. Sometimes treating a cancer patient ruins both him and his loved ones. After all, it costs from 30 thousand to tens of millions of rubles. Depends on the stage of the disease. A patient who has an early stage tumor usually only needs to be operated on and recover. In such situations, 40-50, well, 70 thousand rubles are enough. It’s a different matter when it’s at an advanced stage. When, in addition to surgery, it is necessary to use radiation and chemotherapy. There is endless spending here.
Most patients can receive qualified care. But then it begins: in general, expensive drugs do not cure, but prolong life. It cannot be said that if the patient does not receive this drug, he will die. And if he gets it, he will get better. There are pathologies that can be cured. For example, uterine chorionepithelioma. Previously, 95% of women died from this malignant tumor. Now medications cure 98%. Moreover, after such treatment they can give birth. But this is a very rare disease. And if we take mass diseases, then everything basically depends on the stage, here we are talking about prolonging life. And this extension, especially when it concerns children, is very expensive.
Our health care, and not only ours, is not able to bear such a burden of costs. That’s why it’s so important that public people not only speak out loud about their cancer, but also become actors, creators of various charitable foundations that help cancer institutions and specific patients. The oncology service cannot do without charity. Unfortunately, it is impossible to provide treatment at the modern level without the help of philanthropists, only with public money.
It's not scary to die someday. It's scary to die right now. Previously, it was believed that cancer was incurable, that it did not need to be treated at all. Today, says the director of the Oncology Center. Blokhin Mikhail Davydov, 60% are cured. What about 40%?
There are constant reports of new anti-cancer drugs. Of the million proposed, it would be good if one goes into clinical practice - cancer cells are so insidious. Whoever creates a cure for cancer should have a golden monument erected. But will we live to see the moment when an anti-cancer vaccine appears?
Only numbers
Around the world, 10 million patients are diagnosed with cancer every year, i.e. 27,000 people per day.
In our country, 2.5 million people are on cancer registries.
Over the past 10 years, the increase in cancer cases has been 15%.
Singer Alexander Medvedev (Shura), journalist Masha Gessen, TV presenter Yuri Nikolaev, ex-soloist of the group “Na-na” Vladimir Levkin, actor Emmanuil Vitorgan, soloist of the ensemble “Golden Ring” Nadezhda Kadysheva, rocker Svetlana Surganova, singer also recovered from cancer Aida Vedishcheva, star of the film “Seven Brides of Corporal Zbruev”, actor Semyon Morozov, figure skating coach Elena Chaikovskaya, tennis player Alisa Kleybanova and thousands of other less famous people. So once again: cancer can be cured!
The most common cancers we see are lung and stomach cancer.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world: more than 1 million cases are registered annually. In the Russian Federation, the number of diagnosed cancer cases is steadily growing. The most common locations of tumors: trachea, bronchi, lungs (13.3%), skin (12.5%, including melanoma), stomach (10.2%), breast (10.1%). The risk of developing cancer before the age of 75 in Russia for women is 19.8%, for men - 27.5%. If we take the same risk up to 60 years of age, then it is noticeably lower - 8.2% for both sexes.
Meanwhile
Every year on February 4th World Cancer Day is celebrated. The purpose of this international day is to raise awareness of cancer as one of the most terrible diseases of modern civilization, drawing attention to the prevention, detection and treatment of this disease. After all, it is known that the occurrence of 43% of cancers could be prevented with the help of such healthy behavior standards as: preventing access to smoking, combating this phenomenon; physical activity, balanced, healthy food; vaccination against viruses that cause liver and cervical cancer; avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun and solariums.
A terrible tumor is not something that people want to tell others about. Unfortunately, our society has acquired such a terrifying stereotype that it is generally impossible to cure cancer, and people who have already been diagnosed with it will simply die in 2-3 years. But everyone should understand that cancer is not a death sentence. It is not uncommon for an ordinary person to die because cancer was not treated in time, but now the stage is so advanced that nothing can be done. At the same time, the people around him (friends, relatives, neighbors, acquaintances, etc.) watch him suffer, and this does not always last for some short months. It also happened that patients with advanced stages of cancer lived for several years. At the same time, every day they became worse and worse, the doctors said that 2-3 months was their limit. But they didn't give up, they tried to fight. And they managed to resist this disease, because in fact, they could live no more than six months, but they extended their lives, although, of course, they suffered a lot. But if they had immediately consulted a doctor, even at the first signs of illness, they might have been on our list called “People who have defeated cancer.” They could get rid of the disease, as the heroes of this article did, which you will learn about a little later.
Often people who have overcome cancer are those who immediately went to the hospital. These are those who discovered that they had a terrible disease, from which a large number of people have already died, even in its very early stages. But it is during this period that it is easiest to suppress a tumor in the body. Such people do not disclose information that they managed to defeat cancer, but it is simply impossible not to tell their family and friends about such a great achievement.
People who have overcome cancer
Some very famous people in the entertainment industry are also diagnosed with cancer. While an ordinary person will not want to disclose his illness, the world will learn about a celebrity’s tumor almost instantly. Apparently the walls really have ears. No one is immune from such a terrible disease; preventative measures simply do not exist. However, doctors never cease to convince people that cancer is not a death sentence. Anyone who really wants to and has the incentive to live can overcome this disease.
There are actually a lot of stars that have overcome the tumor. Those who overcome cancer are strong in spirit. We must respect those people who not only got rid of the disease, but also told their story to a huge number of ordinary residents. Now we will talk in more detail about celebrities, we will learn the stories of our pop stars who have overcome cancer, beloved by many singers, actors and writers.
Robert DeNiro
Robert De Niro was 60 years old when he learned that he had cancer. In mid-2003, the man, as usual, went for a preventive examination, since he always monitored his health very closely. The tumor had not yet developed, so the doctors did not doubt their predictions one bit and confidently declared that everything would be fine, that there was no danger to life. Doctors gave only the most optimistic forecasts, because the operation awaiting the man ahead was not very difficult.
Robert De Niro had a prostatectomy. This operation is one of the most radical in surgery, and the doctors performed it successfully. A 60-year-old man underwent the procedure, which is only performed on people with terrifying growths on the male prostate.
The recovery process itself was quite active, quickly and without any complications that could lead not only to the famous actor, but also, of course, to death. More than 12 years have passed since Robert de Niro overcame his illness, and the hero continues to act in films. Over such a decent period of time, viewers saw this actor in more than 25 films, where he played leading and supporting roles. Now Robert de Niro boldly declares that there is life after cancer.
Darya Dontsova
A very famous writer of detective stories, which, by the way, remain popular even though more than 10 years have passed since their publication, can also claim that she is very familiar with cancer. For the first time in her life, she encountered this disgusting disease a long time ago, more than 10 years ago. In 1998, Daria found out that she had cancer, but this was not the worst news for the writer, because a little later the doctors told her that she had the last (fourth) stage of cancer. This proved the words of one of the doctors: “No more than 3 months left...”
It is precisely because Daria finally overcame the fourth stage of the disease that people have been asking for many years how Dontsova beat cancer. The terrible breast tumor simply made the woman afraid... Afraid that she would die. At this time, Daria could not only think about her fatal illness, because at that time she already had several children, as well as an elderly mother who needed to be looked after, and, in the end, ordinary pets who also needed care. Because of this, Dontsova simply could not die; she began to fight, realizing that her path would not be the easiest. The woman coped with terrible cancer, she overcame it, and what helped her in this was that she started writing books. She found her favorite pastime - a hobby that she lives on to this day.
Angelina Jolie
This young and attractive girl has experienced a lot: more than 5 years ago (in 2007), Angelina Jolie forever parted with her beloved mother, whose name was Marcheline Bertrand. The actress's mother died of ovarian cancer. This disease came to the woman at the age of 57, when she was no longer physically able to overcome its causes. One of the most beautiful girls in Hollywood, Jolie, was very worried about the death of her mother, but it was too late to do anything. After the funeral, the famous lady thought about whether it was possible to defeat cancer at all?
But a few years ago, the Hollywood star told the public that she had undergone a very difficult operation - a mastectomy. When the lady was tested again (after the surgery was performed), the doctors informed her that her risk of the disease had decreased by more than 80%. Let us remember that previously the probability that Jolie would get cancer was almost 90%, that is, there was almost no chance of “bypassing” the disease.
Yuri Nikolaev
In mid-2007, the famous TV presenter in Russia, as well as the man who became the founder of the famous and beloved competition in all Slavic countries called “Morning Star,” learned the terrible news that he had cancer. Moreover, it was almost impossible to defeat.
This man didn’t even think about giving up; he fought the growing tumor for more than two years. After Yuri learned about his terrible fatal disease, as he himself says, the world instantly turned into something terrible. It was as if something colorful and bright had turned into gray-black.
The disease began to progress, time was short, but the man did not give up and continued to fight desperately. Yuri Nikolaev believed in God, he was not going to let cancer ruin his plans for the future. And he won, he overcame this disgusting disease. Now the TV presenter is absolutely healthy and does not need medical care, which could not be said then. Unlike other stars, Nikolaev does not trust European medicine, so he was treated in Moscow.
Kylie Minogue
This very famous young pop diva went on tour throughout Europe in 2005, where, in fact, she learned that she had a terrible, fatal disease - breast cancer. According to the girl, when the doctor told her that the ground simply began to disappear from under her feet. The girl instantly came to terms with her illness; she thought that she was already dying, but, thank God, she was wrong. The day after Kylie learned of her diagnosis, the girl canceled all subsequent planned trips and concerts, apologizing to her fans who had already purchased tickets to the show. Naturally, the lady had to tell the whole world: she was sick, she was terminally ill. They supported the pop star, wished her good luck, and most importantly, health. The girl, in turn, promised that she would defeat cancer and return to the big stage to delight her fans. In the end, she kept her promise. She overcame breast cancer and returned to the stage.
First, the girl underwent a long operation to remove part of the mammary gland, and then endured several courses of radio and chemotherapy, after which, in fact, she returned to her work, informing everyone that she had gotten rid of a fatal illness.
Vladimir Pozner
Back in 1993, Vladimir Pozner, a famous correspondent from the Russian Federation, learned that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Medical workers convinced the man that in his particular case the disease did not pose any health hazard, since the cancer was detected at a very early stage. Therefore, we can say that Vladimir was lucky, because he did not need to undergo a course of expensive and painfully long chemotherapy. However, for some reason, the doctors urgently asked the journalist to agree to immediate surgery to remove the tumor.
A big role in Vladimir’s speedy recovery was played by his loved ones, who always tried to be there. The Posner family behaved as if everything was in perfect order, as if nothing had happened, and no one had heard of the disease at all. And what did Posner get in the end? Some people don’t know how to beat cancer, while others simply don’t think about it. But some people have to overcome a terrible disease, doing it in every possible way. And Posner was able to defeat cancer!
And for more than twenty years, Vladimir Pozner has been living peacefully. But he still undergoes examinations, because he understands that health is the main thing!
Charlotte Lewis
Charlotte was a young and charming girl at the time she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Looking at her, it was difficult to say that she was suffering from a terrible disease, which often leads to death. When the doctor first saw the actress with her previous diagnosis, he was surprised, because the lady looked very good. Therefore, the doctor decided that this was some kind of mistake, but still carried out an examination and tests.
Lung cancer is the disease that Charlotte defeated. More than thirty years have passed since getting rid of the terrible disease. But at one time she was not afraid to refuse chemotherapy. And this was, as we see, the right decision.
Lance Armstrong
This man can easily be called a legend because he is a seven-time winner of the famous competition in France called the Tour de France. Lance is one of those individuals who beat cancer, despite the fact that doctors did not give them a chance at all. Doctors diagnosed testicular cancer when the disease had already reached its final stage, which proved that there was simply no chance of winning.
Then, in 1996, the man gave his written consent to the use of a new, very risky method of treating genital cancer, which could easily lead to a variety of troubles and side effects. True, which, in fact, is inherent in a professional athlete, only helped Lance Armstrong win the most important victory in his life - the victory over cancer. Lance is the man who knows firsthand how to beat cancer.
Joseph Kobzon
The Russian pop singer also once overcame cancer, however, the treatment for such an elderly man did not go as smoothly as, of course, we would like. Exactly 10 years ago, in 2005, he learned that he was terminally ill. The doctors insisted on an immediate operation, so Kobzon himself went to Germany, where, in fact, he had the malignant tumor removed. But everything turned out to be much more complicated, because the surgical intervention, performed for good, entailed a number of completely different problems with the artist’s health. After the operation, the man’s immunity was so weakened that he could be infected by anything. It should also be noted that after treatment of the tumor, or rather, its removal, Joseph Kobzon developed a small blood clot in his lungs, and inflammation of the kidney tissue also occurred. Four years later, Kobzon underwent another operation. To this day, the famous Russian artist continues to undergo treatment, and so far, despite his age, he has managed to overcome the disease.
Laima Vaikule
The terrible disease has not spared one of the most famous Russian singers, Laima Vaikule. More than twenty years ago, in 1991, in the United States of America, doctors diagnosed the girl: This is, as you know, a very insidious disease that could easily lead to the death of the singer. Since the pathology was discovered by American doctors very late, Laima Vaikule simply had no chance of survival. The singer herself regarded this disease as something important, something more. She is sure that God thus gave her a small impetus to rethink the purpose of her life once and for all. A long and intensive treatment of the tumor followed, but Vaikule still beat the cancer, immediately after which she returned to her creative activity.
The floor goes to our expert, surgeon-oncologist, doctor of medical sciences, professor Vyacheslav Egorov .
Anyone diagnosed with a malignant tumor needs to take five life-saving steps.
Step one.
Find out and write down an accurate diagnosis, and then collect all the information about your disease: full name and stage of the disease; type, grade of malignancy and location of the tumor; the meaning of all medical terms related to diagnosis and treatment; results of blood tests, tumor microscopy, examinations - ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET.
Step two.
Gather all the information about treatment options for your tumor type and stage.
Namely about:
- What is included in the “gold standard” of her chemotherapy and surgical treatment?
- How effective are modern methods of treating your disease and have new ones appeared, and are they currently undergoing clinical trials in our country?
Step three.
Look for a “second opinion”. Be sure to consult with another doctor you trust.
To make the doctor’s opinion objective, provide him with all the information about your illness. After studying the recommendations of both specialists, you will be able to evaluate the treatment method proposed to you more carefully.
Step four.
Choose (if possible) a medical facility where treatment is provided in strict accordance with international recommendations.
If there are clinical trials of new drugs for the treatment of your tumor type, try to take part in them.
If you need surgery, choose your surgeon carefully! Surgeries for cancerous tumors are usually complex and lengthy - they often involve complete or partial removal of any organs (for example, the pancreas or stomach), as well as lymph nodes. The result of surgery depends on the doctor's experience in this field.
Step five.
Stay positive!
Do what makes you happy: watch good films and plays, play different games, walk in beautiful places, draw, sing songs, go to the cinema and stadiums, learn what you have long dreamed of learning... An activity that will lift your spirits, there will definitely be one! Fight for yourself! Knowledge, optimism, the will to win and the support of loved ones are the right path to recovery.
By the way
There is a chance to recover even at stage IV cancer. An example of this is the story of the American Richard Bloch. In 1978, he was informed: you have the last stage of lung cancer, you have three months to live. The patient and his relatives began to fight with all their might... Two years later, not even traces of a malignant tumor were found in Bloch’s body. After his recovery, Richard and his wife Annette dedicated themselves to saving cancer patients and founded a foundation to help patients with cancer. When Richard passed away in 2004 (not because of cancer, but because of heart failure), Annette took over the foundation. In the USA, in the city of Minneapolis, there is a park that was once created by Annette and Richard. As you walk along it, you can read survival instructions for patients diagnosed with cancer. They were compiled by Richard Bloch himself based on his own experience of defeating a terrible disease.
Another American Lance Armstrong He won the most famous cycling race on the planet - the Tour de France - 7 times. No one has yet been able to repeat this record. In 1996, the athlete, who was only 25 years old, was diagnosed with testicular cancer, with metastases to the lungs, abdominal cavity and brain. There was a 20% chance of life. The patient underwent several operations, decided to test a new chemotherapy method on himself and... recovered. And then he created the Lance Armstrong Foundation to help those with cancer and returned to sports. A little later, Lance won the first of seven victories in the world's main cycling races.
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