Mission 4 Monday # 2

Peggy, from Mission4Monday, is asking us to take on a mission each week. Last week I took on Autism because October is Autism Month in Canada. Well, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this week my mission is to tell you about my Aunt May.

In 2005, Aunt May was diagnosed with breast cancer. She followed her doctor's orders, had a partial masectomy and went back for all of her regular checkups. She was told she was cancer free and there was no need to worry. She was just to come back for her regular checkups.

In January 2007, Aunt May began having excruitiating pain in her left leg. She asked the doctor about it several times and he told her she had sciatica. She was suffering terribly and there seemed to be no end in sight. Now Aunt May doesn't complain unless something is extremely wrong. She has been frail all of her life and at the age of 75, she has learned to live with whatever life hands out. She was born with a rare blood condition and has been in and out of hospital her entire life.

In April 2007, Aunt May was walking into the kitchen when the phone rang. She turned to go back to answer it and her leg broke as she turned. No warning except for the pain. When she got to the hospital, they admitted her, took x-rays and told her she had bone cancer and it had completly eaten away her left hip.

For the next 5 months, Aunt May was in hospital. She underwent radiation and surgery to rebuild her left hip. The surgeon had to actually build it from scratch with rods and wire. No chemo was given at this time because they said with her rare blood condition, it would kill her.

In April 2008, they found that the cancer had moved into Aunt May's spine and brain. They told her they were going to give her chemo. She was frightened and didn't really want to take the chance that it might kill her. Without the chemo the prognosis was 2 weeks to live. With it...possibly 2 months. Now, 6 months later, Aunt May is still with us, but is suffering with pain constantly. She doesn't complain much and is still getting around. She tires easily, which is to be expected.

My Mission 4 Monday is to let women know that doctors aren't always right. After all, Aunt May's family doctor diagnosed bone cancer as sciatica until it was very advanced.

Women have been brought up to never question doctors and this is wrong. We are all responsible for our own bodies. If your doctor is not doing his/her best for you, get a second opinion. It could mean the difference between discomfort and debilitating pain or even life and death. So take up the challenge and spread the word. You may save a life.

I wish all of my friends and readers a wonderful week filled with all the joys of autumn. ~Blessings, Mary~

October in Canada

October is a beautiful month in Canada. All of the trees don their beautiful autumn gowns and bright splashes of red, orange, yellow and brown look marvelous on a backdrop of evergreens.

A lot goes on in Canada during October. It is Autism Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Women's History Month. I will be touching on all of these subjects during October.

Best of all, Thanksgiving is celebrated in Canada during the month of October. It is a time to give thanks for the harvest, for the love of family and friends and for all other blessings received during the year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday after Christmas. This year it will be celebrated on October 13th, which is my friend Pea's birthday.

The above graphic is public domain. Feel free to take a copy if you wish.

Have a great day and enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances of the season. ~Blessings, Mary~

Important Message for Women

I was watching the news on Saturday night when an important message was broadcast. It seems that researchers at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital have done a study on Vitamin D and breast cancer. The results of the study were released last Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers found that women who had low blood levels of Vitamin D when diagnosed with breast cancer did not have a good prognosis and were at greater risk for a more serious form of cancer.

Dr. Pamela Goodwin, a clinician scientist at Mount Sinai stated, Women who had low levels of Vitamin D tended to have more aggressive tumors than women who had high levels of Vitamin D. The women who had dificient levels had almost doubled risk of metastasis and dying.

Dr. Goodwin recommends that women who have breast cancer take a Vitamin D supplement that is recommended for optimum bone health - between 600 and 800 IU (International Units) daily.

Dr. Goodwin also specified that women of color have lower levels of Vitamin D in their blood because the pigment in their skin doesn't allow them to absorb as much sunlight. She suggests having your doctor order a simple blood test to determine the level of Vitamin D in your blood. Ideally your Vitamin D blood levels should be between 80 and 120 nanomoles per liter of blood.

A number of studies have been conducted and they suggest Vitamin D may possibly help prevent breast and colorectal cancer, according to Dr. Stephen Chia, an oncologist who practices at British Columbia's Cancer Agency. However, Dr. Chia advises that more research is necessary.

There are few foods that contain Vitamin D. One is egg yolks and in Canada, cereals are fortified with Vitamin D. The best natural source of Vitamin D is sunlight. However, those of us that live in a four season climate do not get enough exposure to sunlight. Therefore we need to take a Vitamin D supplement.

In 2007, the Canadian Cancer Society recommended a daily dose of 1,000 IU of Vitamin D to keep the body in optimum health. Vitamin D can also fight depression from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which causes fatigue and depression.

Ladies, please see your doctor and have him/her order a blood test to see if your Vitamin D levels are what they should be. If not, be sure to take a Vitamin D supplement daily.

Please pass this information on to all the women in your life. We need to continue the fight against breast cancer. ~Blessings, Mary~