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Mary Camacho loses colon to cancer, but not zest for life
healthcheck
Mary Camacho no longer has a colon after being diagnosed with colon cancer back in September 1997. When the cancer was diagnosed her tumor and the extent to which it had spread was severe, Mary was at Stage 4, leaving her no choice but to have a radical bowel resection that required the majority of her colon removed to just a few inches in length connecting her stomach up to her throat.
She explained, "It being the size of a softball size which is pretty much big about this shape that took up a lot of my organs and contaminated areas so I don't have much of an intestine or put it this way I just have an attachment. The intestines are gone so what ever my intake is it's got to be soft so I can make a smooth movement."
Today Mary is in a malignant stage. Unfortunately, the average length of survival for people with malignant melanoma is fewer than eight months, fewer than 10% are still alive five years after their diagnosis. Mary's beaten those odds and lives a productive life however changes in the way she eats, exercises and handles stress are important elements to her recovery process. Typically a meal includes lots of fiber rich foods in small but frequent quantities. "I eat a lot of vegetables and Metamucil, a lot of fluids a lot of soup and bouillon is basically one of them," she said.
Even before the cancer Mary had always been fit. Being in the military staying trim and strong are all part of the program to advance to the next level in her job. And after her diagnosis and treatment she continues to incorporate exercise in her daily routine this time not for her job but for her life. "I make sure I take my one hour walk where as before I run two miles, I just take one hour walk and not only that it reduces the stress level but it also makes me feel good about myself when I exert some sweats out cause I know that's not good sweats to retain in your body," she said.
There are no exact causes for colon cancer but you can empower yourself and take some preventative actions to lower your risks from dying from it. If you have any symptoms of colorectal cancer, go to a doctor, if you're older than 50, get screened for it, if you're not eating well start, if you're overweight lose weight, be active and exercise, and get a genetic test done if colon cancer runs in your family. In addition Mary says be aware of your body and have yourself checked for any problems that may occur and if you can't do it for yourself then do it for the people you love.
"I would give good advice to all people for while their well being to be aware that whenever you feel anything in your body irregardless whether just your stomach, your head, or whatever that to take it seriously and go see a doctor never procrastinate," she said.
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