网曝门事件

After a routine mammogram in early 2021, K膩ne`ohe resident Joleen Cordeiro, affectionately known as 鈥淎unty Jo,鈥� was given a diagnosis she never wanted to hear: She had stage 2 breast cancer, meaning cancer cells had moved from a small tumor in her breast to a nearby lymph node. 

鈥淢y mom and sister both had breast cancer. My mom died in her 80s after her cancer recurred as bone cancer, and my sister died in her 60s when hers advanced to her ovaries and uterus,鈥� Cordeiro recalls. 鈥淲hen I heard the word 鈥榗ancer,鈥� my first thought was death. All I could think about was dying, leaving my family.鈥� 

But Cordeiro is a fighter. Determined not to let the situation get the best of her, she worked with her expert care team 鈥� made up of primary care provider Boram 鈥淪unny鈥� Lee, MD, surgeon , and medical oncologist 鈥� to plot a course of action to conquer her cancer. 

Further Reading: What is my Risk for Breast Cancer? 

A flexible treatment plan 

Cordeiro鈥檚 treatment started with several courses of chemotherapy. Because she has type 2 diabetes and chemotherapy drugs can affect the condition, her providers took special care to adjust dosage levels until they found what worked best for her. 

鈥淒r. Jacqueline Lee became my quarterback, guiding me through the whole process,鈥� Cordeiro says. 鈥淒r. Loui and his staff have a load of expertise, too. Everyone communicated well, and when I needed more support, there were specialists and services right there at 网曝门事件 Health Castle to help.鈥� 

After chemotherapy, Cordeiro had surgery to remove the small tumor and three lymph nodes. She also underwent radiation therapy on the remaining tissue in case any cancer was left. Cordeiro and her care team then opted for immunotherapy, a type of treatment that helps the immune system in its natural process of fighting cancer cells. 

Connected community 

Cordeiro spent a year undergoing treatment, with eight hours at each appointment. In that time, she built a bond with the staff and patients she met at the 网曝门事件 Health Castle infusion center. The center offers IV and injection treatments, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, for people on their cancer journeys. 

鈥淕oing through treatment is hard 鈥� your hair is falling out, you鈥檙e nauseated, you鈥檙e losing eyelashes, and you feel tired all the time. And we talked about it all. They would say, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 what foods to avoid鈥� or 鈥楾ry these false eyelashes,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淭he infusion center became a place where you could share experiences. Having that sense of community with the nurses and other patients was so comforting.鈥� 

Escape to nature 

Despite her positive outlook, Cordeiro experienced dark days throughout her treatment. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in therapy, you鈥檙e dealing with thoughts of death and dying, you feel lonely, and you鈥檙e stuck at home all the time. It was really hard,鈥� she says. 

Her husband, Bert, knew he needed to get her out of the house and brighten her days. The classic car enthusiast would start up their 1934 Ford Roadster, 鈥淏lue Darling,鈥� prop up Cordeiro with her pillows and take her for rides. 鈥淲e鈥檇 go for these beautiful drives 鈥� mountains to the left, the ocean to the right 鈥� and it just felt so good to get out of the house,鈥� she says. 

On top of her regular nature drives, Cordeiro took up card making, a hobby that suddenly had a purpose. 鈥淚 started supplying cards to nursing homes, veterans hospitals, cancer foundations,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 whip up about 200 cards a week now. I call them my 鈥榬ays of hope.鈥欌�� 

Looking ahead 

After a year and a half of treatment, Cordeiro says she is 鈥渧ery much still in the process of fighting cancer. We鈥檙e doing these treatments to reduce the chance of having to ask, 鈥楧id we get it all? Did we do all we could?鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淪oon, it will get to the point where I can just turn around, look forward and keep living.鈥� 

Further Reading: Breast Cancer Screening: What You Need To Know