Cinco Vidas

Five-time cancer survivor and author Donald Wilhelm is the first to admit that finding “happiness” while battling cancer is a bit difficult. However, he definitely advocates positive thinking.

“You have a choice,” he says. “You can be negative, or you can be positive, make some changes, and make the most of it. My question to people is, why would you choose negativity?”

Diagnosed in 2000 with Hodgkins 4A, Donald has gone through a long journey of cancer treatments. Total up the chemo he’s had and you’re talking over 24 month’s worth. His journey has been a series of remissions followed by recurrences, more chemo, remission, recurrence, chemo, rinse, and repeat. To say the least, it’s been grueling. (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…)

“People who have fought cancer and won may expect to go back to their ordinary lives. But life after cancer can be anything but ordinary.”

So writes John Casey for WebMD. If you’re a cancer survivor, you probably know exactly what he’s talking about. Surviving cancer was your main goal for months, maybe years. Now, maybe it’s in remission, or the doctor has given you a clean bill of health. Suddenly that battle you were using all your resources to fight is gone from your life. And strangely enough, you feel the gap.

“Once you finish treatment, says Susan Nessim, author of Can Survive: Reclaiming Your Life After Cancer, “people start moving away from you because they assume you’re fine now. But it’s not that easy. Many of us are not prepared for the fact that everything isn’t going to be the same.” (more…)

It’s been only a short while now since Patrick Swayze, actor and dancer, lost his battle to pancreatic cancer and passed away, leaving behind his beautiful wife and an inspirational love story that lasted over 30 years.

“She’s a tough woman,” says Bill Rotco, co-creator of Swayze’s final project, the A&E series The Beast, “but she’s lost her best friend.”¹

It’s one of the hardest things to hear, that a loved one may soon no longer be with us. But when the doctors have done all they can do, the disease is taking over the body, and death seems more of a blessing than a thief, what are we to do? (more…)

“My name is Bob, I’m 53 years old and just recently diagnosed with a grade 4 GBM.”

“I was diagnosed yesterday,” says anne99, “still in shock. Usual things flying through my head why me, what have I done wrong.”

“Hi,” says mirrie, “I’m 40 years old and I was told last Thursday that I had breast cancer, and have spent the last weekend in a blur!”

It reads like the beginning of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. People of all ages standing up to say, “My name is so-and-so. It’s happened to me. Can anyone help?” (more…)

We know your first chemo treatment can be a scary experience, to say the least, so we gathered some information to help you. Treatments vary, but these are some basics you can expect. Knowledge makes us strong, so take what you can use, breathe deep, and remember—you can do this.

Note: Since chemotherapy is usually given through infusions, that’s what we’ll talk about here. Keep in mind that there are other types of treatment, including chemotherapy creams, drugs given in certain areas of the body, pills, shots, and more. Check with your doctor for more information. (more…)