Cinco Vidas

I'm so grateful for my husband!

Watching the “Hope for Haiti” broadcast Friday, January 22nd, I couldn’t help but realize how very blessed I am—how blessed we all are to have food, clean water, shelter, and our loved ones around us. Sometimes it takes tragedies like these for us to realize that all the little things we worry about, complain about, and stress about aren’t really that important. We have what we need. And so much more.

Did you know that after September 11, 2001, researchers noted a surge in feelings of gratitude? Such feelings help us better manage the negative effects of stress. In fact, gratefulness can do a lot for our health. Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, reports in his book on several studies that he and his colleagues have conducted at the University of California at Davis. (more…)

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…)

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…)

What is “Miracle Fruit,” you ask? I read this article and just had to share with you all about the promising buzz for cancer patients and reviving taste buds during chemotherapy.

I remember my father complaining about “the metal taste” in his mouth and how he couldn’t taste anything. I know when I’ve had a severe flu and couldn’t taste my food, it was very disappointing to eat anything. Many patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation experience this same sensation over and over again. This was also one of the reasons my dad lost a lot of weight, since he had no desire to eat. Everything tasted the same. When patients don’t eat as well or enough, sometimes it can interfere with their treatment, even make it less effective. (more…)

My friend Ann and I enjoying the event.

It’s been a long but very fulfilling week for me! I was down in Boynton Beach, Florida for a great cancer fundraiser on St. Patrick’s Day called “St. Baldrick’s.” As their tagline says, “Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids Cancer” is exactly what went on at this event. Numerous men (and a few women) shaved their heads in solidarity with children fighting cancer, requesting donations of support from friends and family. (more…)

My mom and I in Paris 2008 (I have my long, brown hair back!)

When I went through chemotherapy at age 16, my doctor assured me my hair was going to fall out. I was devastated! Right then and there was when my obsession with my hair started.

Hair loss typically begins 2–3 weeks after chemotherapy starts. My long, brown hair—which I took for granted (and loved)—started to rapidly thin. I got it cut short (for the first time ever!), because the doctor told me it would be easier for the hair to come out in short strands than in longer locks. I still remember feeling like I was losing a part of myself. (more…)

From left to right: My brother, Javier Jr.; my mother, Brigitta; me; and my late father, Javier.

 Full Disclosure: Up until a couple of months ago, I didn’t even know what a blog really was, but here I am- finally!  I am very excited to share my life (as a cancer fighter, survivor and caregiver), my vision and dreams, and all the projects we have lined up for Cinco Vidas.  As many of you know, I am the founder of CINCO VIDAS INC. Cinco Vidas is a lifestyle brand of products and services that focuses on enhancing the way we live with cancer and ultimately, survive it.

Why the name, “Cinco Vidas?” It means “five lives” in Spanish. Since my heritage is Mexican, the Spanish had a particularly meaningful ring. My father gracsiously fought cancer for 7 years before he passed away on August 7, 2007. Five times my father went into remission, and five times he renewed his commitment to life before he passed. Cinco Vidas exists in his honor. (click on the about page to learn more).

This blog is the first Cinco Vidas project to come into existence.  Through the words written here,  I hope to communicate the ways my father and I lived through our cancer, learned from it and survived it. Articles on nutrition, medical studies, holistic therapies, beauty care, personal growth, stress and coping, fitness, skincare, and more will be available for reading and comment. I will write about all the things  important to me like toxins in skincare as well as topics not easily addressed about the disease. Feel free to browse  these pages to learn more about Cinco Vidas, our experts and our cancer partners.

My hope is that the fighter, survivor and caregiver use the Cinco Vidas Blog to find information, share experiences and gather encouragement from the published stories.  I welcome all your comments and stories. I want to thank my husband Husayn, my brother Javier Jr., my mother Brigitta,  my friends, family and the Cinco Vidas team for supporting me through this journey!!

Love, Strength and Survival,

Britta