Cinco Vidas

It’s one of the hardest things to face, but if you have a loved one with terminal cancer, you may be wondering what to expect. How will you know when the end is near? What can you do about the symptoms your loved one will experience?

Someone who is close to death will go through some normal changes both physically and mentally. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help the person feel more comfortable. For example, she may lose interest in food and fluids, with little intake for days. If this happens, don’t try to force her to eat or drink—near the end of life, some dehydration is normal, and is more comfortable for the dying person. However, her mouth will probably be dry, so you can offer ice chips from a spoon, or sips of water from a straw. Apply lubricant (toxin-free moisturizer) on the lips to prevent chapping, and keep a humidifier going in the room. (more…)

She called you with the news. She may have been crying. Your girlfriend—that dear person you’ve shared so much with—has cancer. You desperately want to help, but what do you do?

Sometimes we can feel terribly helpless when it comes to friends with cancer. When I had cancer at 16 years old, most of my friends had no idea what to do or say. It’s almost easier when it’s a family member, as we feel we have “permission” to do anything we can think of to help. It’s different with a friend. How can we be sure what she will see as helpful, and what she will feel as intrusive? (more…)

Professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University Randy Pausch, who died of pancreatic cancer July 25, 2008, first wrote his bestselling book, The Last Lecture, as a how-to manual for his three children. He also went on to create videos for each of them, in the hopes of passing on some of his wisdom and love, though the oldest was only five years old when Randy died. (more…)

How do you do it? How can you ever tell your child that you may not always be there for him or her?

If you’re facing terminal cancer, you already have a lot on your mind. You have to deal with your own emotions on the issue, and make preparations for your family.

But when it comes to children, the choices are so much more difficult. We want to protect them from pain, and so many times, we may think that hiding the truth is best. However, according to Lisa Barkely, clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in the United Kingdom, children tend to sense the truth anyway, and hiding it from them can increase their fear. (more…)

I remember when my father passed away. It felt like a big, gaping hole had opened up in my heart that would never be filled. I walked around in disbelief for awhile, going through the motions of life, but not really feeling present, like I was in some other world between the here and there. And then suddenly, sometimes out of the blue, I’d start crying uncontrollably, not knowing if I could go on without him.

Dealing with loss is one of the hardest things we have to do as human beings. The three things that helped me were my faith, my other loved ones, and taking action to remember my father in many positive ways—this blog is one of them.

Everyone grieves differently, but we wanted to gather some thoughts that may help you through. One thing you must not do is turn away from your own life. I firmly believe that we’re all here for a reason, so if you’re feeling that life isn’t worth it without your loved one, I urge you to reconsider. You’ve still got things to do, and your loved one would want you to live out your life the best way you can. (more…)

You’ve done everything you could to help. You’ve been positive, supportive, an advocate, errand-runner, meal cooker, hand holder, medical researcher—you name it, you’ve done it, all in the hopes that your hard work, along with the courage and strength of your loved one, would get you both through it all to emerge in a better place sometime in the future.

And then she says something about dying.

Your mouth goes dry, your eyes shift. You don’t want to talk about this. You don’t even want to think about it. But your loved one is looking at you with soulful eyes. What do you do?

“I did need to talk about the possibility of my death,” says survivor Phyllis Johnson. “I found no comfort from all the people who told me about how their aunt Minnie had lived for 20 years since her mastectomy. Aunt Minnie might be alive, but my friends Catherine and Marian weren’t.” (more…)

If you have a loved one with cancer, you may automatically (or by choice) be placed in the role of advocate. If so, what can you do to be sure he/she gets the best treatments and care?

Your loved one will probably be going through all types of emotions and physical hardships, making your help invaluable as he/she fights to recover. We’ve gathered a few tips here to help make your journey a little easier to navigate. Try not to be overwhelmed as you review this list. Remember to take things one step at a time, and to do your best to continue to exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. Maintaining your  own health is equally as important during this difficult time.
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Cinco Vidas – a lifestyle brand of products and services – is working on groundbreaking projects to make life better for cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers, and we need your help.

You can participate by being part of a focus group, taking a survey, or sharing your story through a personal interview. It will mean a lot to others who are now, or may one day be sharing the journey of cancer.

Write to info@cincovidas.com and tell us if you’re a fighter, survivor or caregiver (or combination of these), your phone number, and what state/province you live in. Don’t worry- we won’t release your information to anyone else. (more…)

Guys, if a woman you love has breast cancer and you’re feeling lost and alone, there’s help. We know most of the books and support materials out there are targeted toward women, with good reason. However, male caregivers face their own challenges, and now, author, editor at “U.S. News and World Report”, and caregiver Marc Silver has written a book just for them. It’s called, Breast Cancer Husband: How to Help Your Wife (and Yourself) During Diagnosis, Treatment, and Beyond.

In 2001, Marc’s wife, Marsha, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like most people, he didn’t know what to do. He looked for resources that would help, but found nothing that spoke to the unique perspective of a male caregiver. So he decided to write his own book. According to “Publisher’s Weekly,” Marc helps men weed through the confusion and anxiety of breast cancer with practical tips on what to do and what not to do, gives examples of how to best help a loved one, explains different types of treatments, and even explores ways for finding intimacy after mastectomy. (more…)

Britta Aragon and her father, Javier.

I pride myself on being a positive person. After surviving cancer myself, I felt I had experienced firsthand the power of believing you can, and you will get well. I did it, and later, when my father was diagnosed, I watched him do it not once, but five times. His strength and optimism stay with me to this day, and fuel all my efforts for Cinco Vidas and all the cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers that we touch.

However, despite my father’s triumphs, after the fifth recurrence of the cancer, there came a time when I knew that even with all his positive energy, my father was not going to survive. I’m not sure how you come to know this. It’s not just what the doctors say, or what the test results show. After a certain time of fighting battles—some you win, but some you lose—you see that the body is breaking down, and like a machine with too many broken parts, there’s just no fixing it anymore, despite the strength of the heart that lives inside. (more…)