My Christmas Wish List. May Love & Cancer Cures Be Under My Tree
by Lizzy Smith
December 24, 2014
Dear Santa,
I know my children have bamboozled you with their wants. But so far, I've been silent. I've been a very good girl this past year. I've worked hard, survived a lot, and have tried to be really nice to everyone around me. What I want most is for the world to be a better place. That seems like a broad request, but I've narrowed it down to just eight things I want, most of them not costing a thing.
1. A cure for cancer
Cancer kills and destroys everything in its path, except the spirit of us resilient survivors. I ask that the medical community continues making progress towards finding better treatments and cures. And I pray even harder that cancer warriors participate in clinical trials, because that's the only way progress is ever made.
2. Early cancer screenings to increase
When it comes to cancer, early detection is key. It gives us our best odds of beating it and surviving. As such, this past year, I've had full on cancer screenings and I want others to do the same. I lead by example and this year, I got...
-A mammogram. It's an easy exam and painless. If one is over 40 or has a history of breast cancer, she should talk to her doctor but I highly recommend getting one.
-A pap smear and exam
-A colonoscopy. I'm not yet 50 and I don't have a family history of colon cancer, but since I beat the odds by getting multiple myeloma, I figured that I can't be too cautious. Plus my friend, Mandy, died of colon cancer just six months ago at the age of 44. Her advice was to get a colonoscopy. So I did. I gotta say, it was easy-peasy. The worst part was the prep-- 24 hours of swallowing laxatives and drinking icky stuff. For the exam itself, they give me a little IV cocktail, I took a nap, and when I woke, it was over. Painless.
-A skin cancer screening. Every inch of my body was examined for any worrisome signs.
-A complete blood work panel to review for any signs of trouble.
So far, all clear! I want everyone to heed my advice to get cancer screenings, age appropriate, and be aware of changes to her body.
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