Commentary - Overcoming a life-ending disease: Cancer

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Aki Summers
  • Field Operating Base - Korea
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Over the years, eating habits have provoked scientific groups to study the nutritional value of food with regard to prevention of cancer as well as heart disease. My focus and attention to each of you is relaying the importance of the disease of cancer. My personal experience in relation to cancer plays a very crucial role in the substantiating facts below about cancer.

I was diagnosed with Stage I Cancer on Jan. 3, 2011, at the age of 35. I had no family history of this disease or any symptoms. Never have I smoked or drank alcoholic beverages. One would think the odds were low with my history, but the truth is one in three persons will get some form of cancer during their lifetime.

This is why I am sharing my very personal story with you. As we celebrate to inform many of Breast Cancer Awareness this month, we should also look at what we can do in possibly preventing this disease from affecting our families.

It was a characinoid tumor and had grown in a matter of approximately five to seven years to the size of a small golf ball in my small intestines. Thankfully, it was successfully removed in February 2011 and I am still very thankful to my doctor at the 121st Medical Hospital at Army Garrison Yongsan, Republic of Korea.

Its removal was a bid to prevent a future reoccurrence of the tumor and subsequent spreading. I had to undergo a complete lifestyle change, especially with my diet. Given the slight improvement on the Chromagratin A blood test, my healthy eating habits have contributed greatly toward living and being healthier.

Officials say cancer emanates from an uncontrolled growth of cells, which eventually destroy the genes. The spread of the tumor is facilitated by the presence of blood or lymph nodes throughout the body. Given the high prevalence rate of cancer, various scientific studies have delved into the study of identifying the very person who is at risk of being infected with cancer.

After many hours of arduous research, I am in a position of evaluating the real cause of cancer in my life. The fact that I have never smoked and cancer does not run in my family eliminates the hereditary factors as well as the presence of foreign bodies from smoke in relation to cancer in my life.

Some nutritionists are of the view that proper eating habits revolve around taking foods that serve the role of improving the health status as opposed to shedding weight. Therefore, consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended because they contain photochemicals, which play a key role in eliminating toxins emanating from consumption of inorganic foods as well as refined oils we consume in our day-to-day life.

High protein foods, on the other hand, are discouraged because they facilitate the growth of tumors if consumed in amounts above the required. Therefore, much emphasis should be put on consuming cruciferous vegetables, as they are rich in sulforaphane as well as isothiocyanates chemicals, which play a crucial role in prevention of cancer.

Tomatoes, peaches, grapefruits, watermelon, and papaya should also be consumed in abundance, since the lycopene chemical found in them plays a crucial role in preventing oxidative damage, thus reducing the chances of being infected with cancer.

More so, even though much has not been credited to grapes, onions, and apples, they contribute greatly in decreasing chances of being infected with cancer as well as heart disease, since they are rich in a photochemical known as flavanoids.

Remember the old saying we used to hear over and over again from our parents and grandparents growing up? "You are what you eat." Well that is true in some sense.

For instance and as an example, everyone needs to incorporate sugar in their diet; however, the type of sugar my family and I consume should only come from organic sugar or healthy sweeteners, since refined sugar attracts the growth of tumors. This new lifestyle change now makes me more aware of what my family and I must eat to stay healthy and most importantly for me to stay in remission.

Given the current policy of providing information concerning nutritional value and the amount of calories in meals, one key question still remains: How much effort do you put in verifying the nutritional value of chemicals within diverse fruits and vegetables with regard to control of cancer? What can each of you do to further educate yourselves on the disease that continues to increase in numbers amongst us?

Educate yourselves. Ensure you are eating a proper healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, getting a good night's rest, and exercising at least three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes. Healthy eating and positive life style changes are key to possibly preventing cancer from striking you or a loved one.

[Editors note: This spring, shortly after being diagnosed, Summers started a cancer support page on Facebook in hopes of getting and sharing information with others so that it may make a difference in someone's life. It can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAG-Yongsan-Cancer-Support-Group/129830697031047.]