#266 – Finding Hope in Uncertainty: Zoila Ortiz on her Battle with Breast Cancer and Resilience in the Face of Adversity - Spun Today with Tony Ortiz

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Yeah, we got the results. We have my chart, and we read it, but we
didn't understand. Yeah, we didn't. It was in the, you know, medical
jargon, so we started googling, which we didn't do. Yeah. Which is
googling, which we didn't get any answers anyways.
I don't. We didn't get any clear answers, but it did seem like it was
cancerous. Mm hmm. Which was scary, obviously.

(00:22):
And we had to wait until the holidays were
overdeveloped. And I kept on messaging
the oncologist, like, oh, can you just call me? Just tell me the
result, because I can't wait until, like,
the following week or whatever. Yeah. But she was.
She was like, no, I want to see you. I was like, okay, that's not

(00:44):
a good sign. Yeah.

(01:04):
What's up? What's up, folks? What's going on? Welcome to the Spun Today podcast,
the only podcast that is anchored in writing but unlimited in
scope. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and I appreciate you listening.
This is episode 266 of the Sponsor Day
podcast. And in this episode, my lovely wife
Zoila, joins us once again. She's a sponsorialum. She's been

(01:26):
on the podcast in the past, this time, unfortunately, on a sadder
note than usual, but a hopeful one at the same time.
I've alluded to the contents of this episode during
prior episodes, where I've said that there's a reason why
I've been re releasing more episodes than normal this year,
like, putting out the throwback episodes. But I didn't really want to get into

(01:48):
the details of it all until and when this
episode came to fruition. So earlier this year,
actually towards the tail end of last year, as we'll get into
during the episode, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. So this
entire episode is essentially documenting and reliving
all the moments from initial testing and

(02:09):
diagnosis. What led up to it, a couple surgeries that she had to
have, toughing through chemotherapy, and the
eventual light at the end of the tunnel. All heavy topics,
but I promise you, it's more of a hopeful episode than a
sad, depressing one. In short, they caught the cancer super, super
early, and she's successfully gone through all the protocols

(02:32):
that she's had to go through yet to go through twelve chemo sessions.
When we recorded this, it was actually, she was done with her 10th, so she
had two more to go since then. She completed those two like a champ, and
next week, actually has her final and
reconstruction surgery. And thereafter, it's just a matter of regular
visits. With her doctors, her oncologist, just to stay on top of things.

(02:53):
But the expectation, obviously, is that she won't have to deal with any of this
again. And I want to highlight here, right in the intro, because my
goal for this episode, aside from documenting it for our family
and our children to listen to in the future when they're old enough to understand
what their mom went through, is to spread awareness
and also to give folks that may be going through a similar

(03:15):
situation hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
They can definitely get through something like this. But I want to highlight
mainly, and we get into it throughout the episode, but a few
minutes into it, so I want to make sure I highlight it. Here in the
intro as well, is the BRCA gene
testing, which is what essentially saved my wife's life. So I

(03:37):
was peripherally aware of what this was because my wife had
done the BRCA gene test and told me about it, I think something like ten
years ago or something like that, nine or ten years ago. And what it is,
is a gene test. And my understanding is that it's normally given
to women or folks that. And I think
women specifically, actually, although don't quote me on that, that have a

(03:59):
family history of cancer, mainly like breast cancer, ovarian
cancer. And my wife's mom passed of ovarian
cancer many years ago. So a doctor had her and her
sisters do this BRCA gene test way back then. And the
idea is that it tells you and gives you percentages of, if you're
predisposed to developing cancer and fairly accurately,

(04:21):
it can predict this, and it gives you percentages of how
likely you are to develop ovarian cancer or breast cancer.
And I believe pancreatic cancer as well, or if you're not predisposed, if
you don't have the gene for it. Now, back when they did the test, I
want to say, like, which is a really, really important point that I want to.
That I want to make here. Back when they did the test ten years ago,

(04:43):
they were all negative for it in my mind. And I mentioned this in the
episode, I figured, you know, your genes are your DNA, or, like, I
think of DNA when I think of genes, right? And I figure, like, whatever you're
born with is what you have for life. Like, it never changes. And
that may be the case, however, the. And I'm not sure if
that's the case or not, by the way, but the point is that the

(05:03):
testing that we have, the science that we have to test different genes and different
gene expressions or whatever it is. The BRCA test is doing
changes over time, it gets more. More sophisticated, more advanced.
So now when she did the BRCA gene test, she did test
positive. So I say that to say, mainly, if you've ever done the BRCA
gene test and you already know what it is and it's been years, do another

(05:24):
one because you never know. So she was negative, like ten years ago,
thought it was something that she never had to worry about, but she didn't have
the results or something like that. So the doctors had her
do another one. And we'll get into the reasoning why during the
episode. But essentially, this one came back positive and she had a very, very high
chance of developing ovarian cancer. 60% chance,

(05:45):
I believe it was, and like a 40%
chance of developing breast cancer. And that led us into the surgeries,
one of the surgeries that she did. And then during the follow ups that
they put her on every three to six months for, like, breast imaging just to
make sure nothing's going on, she passed her mammal and
sonogram. That didn't pick up anything. Which is another thing I'd like to highlight.

(06:07):
You know, definitely, ladies out there, do your mammograms on a routine
basis. You know, book your appointments around your birthday. That's a good way to remember,
like, your physical, your mammals and you, you know, whatever you got to do. But
also, that didn't pick up anything. But because of that
BrCA gene test, they also sent her to do an MRI, and then that is
what picked up the cancer. Had she not done that and just waited, another year

(06:29):
would have been growing and spreading inside of her with no detection, essentially. So, yeah,
I just definitely, definitely want to highlight the importance of doing that
BrCA gene testing. B r A C A. I'll see if I could link to
something related to it in the episode notes for folks to check
out the. And again, in the episode, we're going to get into more details about
it, but I wanted to make sure that folks hear that from the very

(06:50):
beginning of this episode. Then just want to mention a few other things before we
jump in that were not covered in the episode. But first and
foremost, a huge, huge, huge
thank you to all our family and friends
for the outpouring of support, our co workers on both
sides. You know how they say it takes a village to raise a kid? It

(07:11):
definitely takes a village when families going through
tough times like these. From my mom, who's always been a rock in every
situation, always there, who last year went through her own cancer scare,
breast cancer as well, but had a very, very rare
type zero, they. Called it, because it was a completely.
Encapsulated something or another. I forget the medical terminology

(07:33):
for it, but it was completely encapsulated type zero
breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, a couple rounds of radiation,
and the entire time was just like, that wasn't cancer.
To my brother and sister in law. Always there to take the kids
for. A few hours while I helped Soyla deal with things.

(07:53):
To Soyla's sisters, same thing. Come over here, cook for
us. To my aunts and uncles and cousins, just
like, constantly calling, checking in, sending gifts,
my coworkers as well, which, honestly, and I'd be remiss
if I didn't. If I didn't mention this. I never even thought of this as
a thing, but of course, it is one. Like, in, you know,

(08:14):
hindsight is 2020, but, like, my coworker sent a, like, a very
generous Grubhub gift card, and they sent, like,
gifts for the kids to, like, distract them, like, toys and stuff like that. And
the sentiment behind the gift card is like, listen, you guys are going through all
of this, and, you know, if this could alleviate having to figure
out, like, what you guys are gonna order for or have for food and cooking

(08:36):
and stuff like that, then, you know, that's what it's for.
And it was so clutch. It was something that I would never even think of
or hadn't before, but came in definitely so handy. So thank you
very much to each one of them, cousins as well, that send gifts, other friends
that send gift. Cards for other food places. It's truly, truly a
blessing to have each and every one of them in our lives and really appreciate

(08:57):
their support. So thank you. Thank you, thank you. And it's
also not lost on me how fragile this type of situation
is and how it could have gone left. These things are unpredictable. These
situations are. And early detection is absolutely
the strongest tool we know of to fight against something like
this. It's not lost on me that a month ago,

(09:19):
June 30, my uncle passed away. Rest in peace. To
Miki from cancer as well. He had a battle with it over five
years ago, a different type of cancer, lymphoma at
the time, and then it came back in the form
of leukemia before even
beginning to be able to do chemo. This time

(09:41):
around, he contracted a virus, E. Coli, because his
immune system was so weak, and it was too weak to even start the chemo.
And unfortunately, he passed. And I say that again, just to highlight
the unpredictable nature of these types of
situations and I, the importance of early detection and also
appreciating what we have when we have it. Health definitely is

(10:02):
wealth, as corny and cheesy as that sounds. Oh, and something that I thought was
a great touch that we didn't mention during the episode is
that while Soyla's getting chemos, her
chemo sessions, you know. It'S like a long day. The process essentially is
like, you go in like at 708:00 in the morning, you get blood drawn. Then
you go upstairs, go see the oncologist

(10:24):
to review those blood results, to see how your levels are doing, you know, how
your body is doing to the chemo. Because if you get depleted enough, they have
to do like blood transfusions and to pretty much, you know, check in on how
you've been over the past week since your prior chemo session. Then after that,
then you go upstairs to get a few hours of chemo. When you're there
in the floor where you're getting the chemo infusions, the people are

(10:45):
so nice, all the staff, all the, they're
like energetic, happy, not grumpy
medical type staff folks. It's like they,
personality must be a requirement to work there
is, in my opinion, because everybody was so
super sweet and nice and helpful. And they get you

(11:07):
warm blankets that they have this machine that warms up blankets. They
have snacks, waters, sodas, coffees,
pretzels, cookies, the whole nine something that was great that they had
was a massage therapist that would come each time we
were there and do massages. You
know, you could get your arms massaged, some nice creams and

(11:29):
lavender oils or whatever it is that they use.
And you could choose like a back and neck massage or
legs. And Soyla would always do her arms. I just thought that was such a
like dope touch. And she, you know, it was really comforting and she really
enjoyed it. And they definitely do do the, you know, like ringing the bell at
the end when you finish all twelve chemo sessions and it's like

(11:51):
a really emotional moment. Everybody, you know, like all the nursing
staff and stuff like that just like surround her and she
reads off of a little post that they have there and
rings the bell. You know, everybody's like crying and hugging. It
was so super sweet, super emotional, very, very nice. And I'll
see, actually if Soyla's okay with it, I'll post it to the

(12:14):
webpage for this episode, which would be sponsored.com
podcast forward slash 266. And I
plan to post a couple other pics. Like for example, the cold
cap therapy that we speak about in this episode. Like I'll show you
guys like with. The machine and what the cap looks like and stuff like that.
If you guys want to go check that out on the website. That was super

(12:35):
cool and helped Soyla keep
the majority of her hair. And it's something that we didn't know even
existed before going through this process. It's called the cold cap therapy.
Highly, highly recommend. It doesn't work on everyone. Thankfully, it did work with her,
but I think it's definitely worth a shot. And lastly, I'd
say that I'll also link in the episode notes to

(12:57):
a prior episode, one of the prior episodes that Soyla
did here on the Spun today podcast, speaking all about
Ms multiple sclerosis, which she has. We did that
episode years ago. Just her experiences with dealing with that.
Yet another thing that she's gone through, which is why I always tell her that
she's the toughest girl I know. And I just want to thank my

(13:18):
lovely wife once again. Thank you babe, for coming on the
podcast. I really appreciate it. I really appreciate you
and I know other folks will as well, so thank
you. And with that, folks just want to tell you guys about a very
quick way that you can help support this show if you so choose, and then
we'll jump right into the episode.

(13:39):
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(14:00):
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(14:23):
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(14:44):
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(15:05):
babe, so this year was a rough
one for us and for the family and especially for you
from the very beginning of the year, which I wanted you to help me
clarify because I remember it being around Christmas time or New
Year's, but definitely around that area. You were diagnosed with
breast cancer. Thankfully it was detected early

(15:28):
and we are going to get into how a bit
later. Currently, as of the recording of this episode, you
are two sessions away from finishing your chemo
treatments and we definitely gonna get into all that
stuff. But first, I wanted to thank you for coming on once
again. And also I wanted to have this

(15:50):
conversation because I think it's important for a couple reasons.
One, for other folks that may be going through a similar situation
to gain knowledge or from your experiences
and just generally like strength and hope on like how to get through
and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel which I think
we both see now and also gain

(16:11):
the knowledge of the gene test that detected this to begin
with. Which again, we're going to speak about. And I don't want to
say most importantly or equally as importantly for our kids when they're old enough
to really understand what's going on, I want them to have
this to listen back on and just
know what their mom went through and what a hero you've been throughout this whole

(16:33):
thing. Cause you really have been. Thank you.
So thanks for coming on the sponsor day podcast. Thank you for having me.
I feel so special.
Yeah, it feels like the dominican Joe Rogan
experience. I know. So, yeah. So Philadelphia, where
it's gotten fuzzy for me, if you remember. I remember it being around

(16:57):
Christmas time. Yeah, it was Christmas time when you were initially
diagnosed. But let's go actually, let's go back a step to
like, everything really started when you were thinking about doing
the hysterectomy, right? So we had
decided, well, I had decided that I wanted to have the surgery
to not have children because we had

(17:19):
decided two was enough, which is. Definitely,
definitely a good cut off for me because I know even
way back you always kind of wanted more like three or four. I wanted
one or two. I wanted three. Not three or four. I wanted one or
two. But then after actually having the two kids, I think you kind of, like,
walked back the three to two, maybe three. Even

(17:41):
now I still want another one, but, you know,
the situation is so. Well, thankfully, I decided not
to. Yeah. Cause that would have been a problem. The
future. Yeah, true, because nothing would have been detected. All right, so let's go
back. So you decide to get the surgery to not have kids anymore.
So I went to

(18:03):
gynecologist, and they referred me to
somebody to have the surgery done. I
forgot her name. Doctor Sho. She was really
great. So I went to see her at. NYU Langone, by
the way, which. NyU Langone, which is where both our kids were born. And
they have been absolutely amazing. Like, with every single

(18:25):
procedure, everything that you've had done, which we're gonna touch on
throughout this episode, and they've been absolutely
awesome. All the doctors, the staff, the facilities itself.
Definitely high praises. Yeah. So I went
for a visit just to speak about it and to see what my plans were
and when I could have it done. And during the

(18:48):
consultation, she said to. Since I had a
history of cancer, of family
history, would you add on. Your mother's side, who had ovarian cancer?
My mother had ovarian cancer. My grandmother. My
maternal grandmother had breast cancer,
and my maternal

(19:10):
aunt also had breast cancer.
So it was an extensive family line,
you know, and my mother's side that
had cancer or had, you know, passed in regards to
cancer. So I had.
She recommended to do the BRCA

(19:32):
test. Which is the gene.
Yeah, it, like, tests you for
if you have a mutation in the gene and if
you're prone to have cancer. Right. And I had
done it before, but it was ten years ago,
and I was negative then, but she recommended me to do it

(19:55):
again just because she didn't have the results. And I didn't have it
either, since it was in Massachusetts and I
no longer have the information of my doctors or anything. So I
was like, sure, I'll do it again, just so she could have the
results. But I was, you know, carefree
because. I was negative before. Yeah, before. So I was like, okay, let's just

(20:17):
do it. And we didn't even know to factor
in. But an interesting point is that the, like,
at least for me, the way I thought about, like, genes, it's like, the genes
that you have, other genes that you have. That's it. Which might be the case.
I'm not a doctor or scientist or whatever, but the
tools and the technology to detect change

(20:38):
and evolve over time. So even though you were negative back then.
The technology and, you know, gene
identifying, you know, tests that they have now
are more sophisticated and able to detect
more, which they weren't before. And then that's
why it. If you want to continue with the results that you got from

(21:00):
that. So it was negative back then. So I was
like, oh, thank God. Back then. I was
like, thank God it's negative. The thing is, if you are
positive in the BRCA gene test,
you have to make a decision, because that means that you have a percentage, a
higher percentage of getting cancer and dying

(21:22):
from it if it's a high percentage. So. And
they specify what type of cancer. It's usually, like, breast. Right? Breast
or ovarian and or pancreatic. Pancreatic
cancer. So I was negative for
all of the back then.
So I did the. It's a blood test,

(21:44):
and they ask you questions like, what was the age that
each of the family members died and when were they
diagnosed with the cancer? So I filled
that out, and I did the blood work, and
they told me it would take, like, two weeks. I scheduled
the. I forgot the name of the surgery. When

(22:06):
you don't want to have a. Kids, it was like the tube tying
or the fallopian something. It wasn't like the full hysterectomy, right?
No, no. I mean, they don't do full hysterectomy unless you
have to. They always, you know, push that off.
Okay. Unless it's necessary. But it was like one of the other one. Cause I
know there's. They could, like, burn off the ovaries or tie the

(22:29):
fallopian tubes or now they. They just burn
it or cut it off. It was like one of those that you had scheduled.
They don't tie tubes anymore. They don't do that. Okay. Because
it wasn't really effective. Effective. And
they could just untie themselves, I guess. Mm hmm.
And you're, like, fully sterilized.

(22:50):
Sterilized that you call. No, well, whatever. That
you. You're fixed. I don't have any more kids. Yeah, you're
fixed. So that was the case. So you had made the
appointment for that while you were still waiting on the surgery? I hadn't made the
appointment yet for. To have the surgery done.
And, like, midway, the doctor called me with the results. She

(23:12):
did tell me that I was positive for the BRCA gene
one. And she sent me over the results.
So she said, unfortunately, you have to cancel the
surgery, and now you have to make a decision what you're
going to do if you're going to remove the
ovaries. That was one option. Just remove the

(23:34):
ovaries. It was just the bRCA one or bRCA one and
two? No, it was only one. The BRCA one.
The BRCA two. I don't know what it is. I really didn't look
into it. But it's another type of gene.
Based on the, like, the BRCA one results.
The. Our understanding is that the

(23:57):
likelihood of getting a type of
cancer, and I think they give you percentages,
is a lot higher. So then because of
those results, you have the ability to do preventative
surgeries or treatments and so
forth, in general. Yeah. So

(24:20):
I waited for the results to arrive in the mail. And
the ovarian cancer, the percentage of me
getting that type of cancer was
60%, which is huge. Yeah.
And for breast cancer, was 40%,
which is also huge. It is very big. You have, like,

(24:42):
a coin flip of a chance of getting either and
even more, which is scary as shit. I remember.
I mean, it was scary because I knew that I had to make the decision,
like, what I'm gonna do, because. Then it changes the plans
for, like, the procedures that you already had scheduled to have.
Because now it's not just about, you know, not having children anymore,

(25:06):
it's about not getting cancer. Not getting cancer,
yeah, exactly. So then that
changed the. That plan of, like, the surgery, the type of surgery
that you're gonna have there. Right. Well, it made it easy for me
because I wanted to have the hysterectomy anyways, but I
wasn't approved for it because they don't approve you unless

(25:28):
it's a. There's a reason for. Medical reason. But
I was like, whatever, I'm gonna take out my ovaries. So why would I stay
with my uterus and get my period every month?
Still dealing with that silver, silver lining up for nothing. No
periods. I was like, really? And I still have to deal
with periods even though I don't need it anymore,

(25:50):
just because of the hormones or whatever, you know?
Yeah. It was so annoying. Well, women, we
understand. We don't want no more periods.
It was pointless. So that was kind of a plus. So, yeah, it kind
of made that decision a little easier because of the fact that you
already were down to not have kids anymore. So

(26:12):
this cancer scare of, you know, somebody telling you, hey, if you don't do something,
there's a 60% chance that you're gonna get ovarian cancer, but if. You
remove, you have a total hysterectomy. A total hysterectomy. Remove
everything. Very low percentage. It's like a minimal, like
4% chance or something like that. I think I remember. But it's like
the lining of your. It's like the lining of the uterus or

(26:34):
uterus or like that area. Like, they can't say 100% exactly,
because they can't. So it goes from 60 to
four, which is, you know, a no brainer in that case.
The only bad thing, if I did have a
hysterectomy, I will go into menopause full
blown, and I still haven't received any

(26:57):
bad symptoms yet. But because I'm on
hormone patches, right. So I regulate the
symptoms. Right. So, like, the hormone patches kind of replace.
I guess my rudimentary understanding is that it replaces
or tries to supplement for the hormones that your uterus is
not and ovaries are not producing anymore. And that wards off,

(27:20):
like, the menopause. Heat, hot flashes and stuff. Night sweats.
Yeah. All that fun stuff. No more sexual
urges and stuff like that. So it's a lot of
things that we don't know unless we're in that world.
And I found out, like, okay, so I'm
gonna go into menopause. I was like, okay, that's fine. It's not a

(27:43):
big deal, but until you're in there, you don't know
what's going on. Exactly. All right, so then
you did the hysterectomy. So then I decided then we had, like,
a telehealth with a surgeon,
and she explained, like, I could take out the
uterus and the ovaries, or I could just take

(28:07):
out the ovaries. And what the plus and the minuses was
both things. There was one
scenario where you take off. I forget which one, and it
still produces estrogen or progesterone or something like that. So
then you don't have to get on the patch, but
then if you take everything out, you get on the patch, the hormone patch, which

(28:29):
increases the risk of getting breast cancer.
It's like a weird thing. You get one thing, and then it increases the chances
for you to get breast cancer anyway. Right, exactly. So,
like, we were like, let's just take everything out.
And that's what I wanted in the beginning anyways. It's
just that now I have a reason, you know? Like, why risk

(28:51):
it? Yeah. It made it better to have it less liable to
have cancer. Right. At all. It made a much more clear
decision. Mm hmm. So then I scheduled the
hysterectomy, and that was the first surgery I had ever
done. I've never been on a surgery
beside. Well, yeah, the childbirth and stuff like that, but that's not really. Oh,

(29:13):
that's not surgery. Yeah, true. It's not like you got. Yeah,
I'm thinking, like, medical procedure, but, yeah, you're right. So
it's scary. I was nervous. Yeah. Cause you don't know what you're gonna feel. You
don't know if you're gonna feel anything. Well, it should. That's the fear that you're
gonna feel. That you're gonna wake up in the middle of it. You're gonna wake
up in the middle of the surgery, or you're gonna feel something. You don't know

(29:34):
how you're gonna recover. You don't know what you're gonna feel afterwards. Those
are like, the fears. Yeah. The scary surgery.
Unknown. Yeah, well, you don't know. So then I
scheduled it. The surgery after I cried, like, after
the doctor told me all the results. In the beginning,
I did cry. I didn't. Like, she was like, I'm so

(29:56):
sorry. And I didn't understand. Like, I
hadn't grasped that. That means that you have to
decide if you're gonna get a hysterectomy, which wasn't
a, you know, like, a big thing. But she, as a
doctor, knows that it is a big thing. Yeah.
Especially, like, if you haven't had kids or anything.

(30:17):
Like, for me, in that point, I already had my
kids, but she's like, what if it's a big deal
for you, you know? Yeah, right, right. So she doesn't know my
situation or whatever. Yeah, true. And then I was like, oh, man.
So now I have to decide what I'm gonna do. And also,
since I was gonna be on the hormone patch to not get

(30:39):
symptoms for the menopause, it increases the
chance, the chances of breast cancer with the hormone
patch. So that was a big thing, too. Because you're
already at 40% risk based on, like, the genes and
tests. Yeah. And then the patches could increase that.
Exactly. And it does say on the patches, like,

(31:01):
your increased risk of risk
of breast cancer. Okay, great. It's like
you're curing one thing to get another. It's like
you're playing whack a mole with fucking cancer. Yeah,
it's like scary stuff. So after. After you did
do the surgery, how'd you. How did it feel, that first surgery,

(31:23):
the hysterectomy? I was. I didn't feel any pain.
That was the best nap. It's like you. They.
You have to walk to the surgery table and they tell you to lie
down and they tell you like take deep
breaths. You know, take deep breaths. And I'm like breathing and I'm
looking at the light like that light in Grey's anatomy and all those

(31:46):
shows or. And the dentist, you know, that big light.
Yeah, they have that. It's a huge light in front of you
and they tell you to take deep breaths and they gonna give. They were gonna
give me something to calm me down and that's all.
Like after that I. I woke up. Then you got that Michael Jackson
Napdev. Yeah, and then I woke up and you were there

(32:09):
and telling me that it took like 3 hours. Right, I remember,
but it was. It was a minute. Yeah. And I couldn't, I couldn't
like I saw blurry and that. I have like
the hugest urge to pee.
Oh, yeah, I remember that was like the thing. But I didn't feel any
pain like in the surgery site or

(32:31):
whatever, you know, I didn't feel anything. It felt like
nothing. Like I had nothing done. But I had to pee a
lot and I had to get up and
go pee. And you were kind of like sore and stuff, so I
wasn't sore. It's just, you know, like when you're
laying down for a long time and then getting up again, it's like you gotta

(32:53):
take your time, like getting up. But it wasn't that like I had
pain or anything. And I remember they actually came, they had to
measure your bladder with like a sonogram thing, machine or
something to see how much you're emptying and if you're emptying your bladder completely
and stuff like that. They did that a few times and. Yeah, I do remember
that. I forgot about that. I also had a sling.

(33:16):
Yes. Added because
of my Ms. Cause I also have Ms, which,
by. The way, we did an episode about years ago when Soyla
broke down, having Ms, being diagnosed with MS, living with it.
Let's add another. And it was. Yeah, it was. That's why I
always say you're the strongest girl I know. All the shit that you've been through

(33:38):
and continue to go through gracefully. But for folks
interested, I will link to that episode, that specific episode
related to MS, which is multiple sclerosis. In the episode notes, if
anybody wants to go ahead and check it out. But because you had Ms, you
decided to get the sling pee thing because it helps with.
Yeah. And my bladder with not. Not having to pee all the time. Oh my

(34:00):
God. Because I always had like an urge to pee.
Incontinence. I had incontinence so when I
went to see the doctor that was gonna do the surgery for
the hysterectomy, I told her
that if it's okay if I wore a pad,
because, you know, I had incontinence. So every little thing made me

(34:22):
pee. Mm hmm. Like, I used to leak, by the
way. In other words,
I used to leak. So she said, I'm just gonna refer you to
a urologist. Just go see them, and they could do the
sling at the sling. That they could refer
you to a urologist to get the sling. Yeah. The surgeon, she said, I could

(34:45):
refer you to the, like, a urologist, and they could just do the
surgery at the sling. On the day of the
surgery of the hysterectomy. And I went for one
visit, she said, you know, cough to see if you
leak for a row. And I did. It was always an issue.
I always had the urgency to pee, and I couldn't

(35:06):
hold my urine that long. It's like a symptom from
miss. And it had gotten better. Like,
after I had my second child, it got
way better, but it was still a problem, you know?
And so I had it done on the day of the
hysterectomy, too, and it

(35:28):
really did help because they were. Pretty much like, bama porochai that we're in there
already. We could just, while doing the hysterectomy, the other urologist can come
in, put the sling in, you know, whatever. And
I was gonna be under anyway, so might as well kill two birds.
Yeah. That time to do that. Yeah. So I
believe that's why I felt, like, the urgency to pee. But I'm not

(35:51):
sure. Maybe it's just because of the surgery. Yeah, probably just, like, general
soreness and inside, you know? But, like,
after the surgery, I
had to pee, like, every 2 seconds. Like, every 2
seconds. Like, I used to go to the bed. I used to
pee, go to the bed. And then, like, a minute later, I had to call

(36:13):
the nurse. The nurse take me back, and they measure the
pee. And then I used to go back to the bed, and I
had to. I was like, oh, my God, I feel so bad for the nurse.
And then she had to come, like, every 2 seconds. And they even give you
a bedpan, I think. No, they didn't give me anything. I had
to go to the bathroom, and it was, like, so

(36:33):
annoying. I spent the whole night like that. Yeah. And then they.
With a sonogram uterus thing,
like a bladder monitor. Bladder
scan thing. Yeah. They used to see if it was empty or not.
And, you know, eventually I got okay,
but I stayed overnight that night. Yeah, yeah. So they

(36:56):
could test my bladder. And then
next day you're out and came home.
Then recovery was really good. I
felt like sometimes I used to feel pain. I used to take Tylenol,
and I didn't want to take no opiates.
It was more of that because I was, you know, I've seen so many

(37:18):
documentaries. We had recently watched dopesick
and, like, that other. I know. So I was
like, no, no, no. I don't want my life to change that way. It's
okay. Like, I'll take tylenol and ibuprofen or
whatever. They gave me, like, a muscle relaxer. Yeah.
And I recover pretty well. I didn't feel any pain,

(37:40):
nothing severe. And then. So
when was that? That was, like, in the July. July of last year. Last
year. So then fast forward.
The next thing that happens is either.
So after the. The hysterectomy, I was
seeing an oncologist because of the

(38:02):
breast cancer gene. Right. Which is the BRCA one that we
mentioned earlier. Yeah. So I had to,
like, constantly, like, every three months, go see the
oncologist, um, just so she could monitor my breast
and do the, like, the touch breast
test and also, like, schedule the

(38:26):
mammograms, the ultrasounds and the mrIs.
Right. Because they said that they would interchange. One. One time you do a
mammogram, three or six months later, you do the MRI,
then the mammogram, then MRI like that. Something like that. To always
monitor my breast and that. To make sure
there's nothing weird going on. Right. Because of the higher percentage

(38:48):
of breast cancer risk. So
that's pretty much what I was doing since
July, when I had the surgery until December.
And you did a mammogram and it was fine. I did the mammogram,
ultrasound. It was fine. Then the next visit, the
six months later, or whatever it was, was the

(39:10):
three months. It was every three months was the MRI.
Then I had the MRI scheduled. Yeah. And I went for the
MRI, and. That'S where they picked up. That's when they picked up the
mammal. And the sonogram did not pick up. And
that brings us to around Christmas time. And then they send you for the biopsy.
Yeah. Right. They said that they saw something really small.

(39:33):
I went back, like, for. After the MRI, I went back for
ultrasound, that they go specifically to the. Spot where they
got a targeted area. And they told me they saw something really
small, but I should have a. Biopsy done to the
area, and that's around Christmas time. So then we go to
get the biopsy. Yeah, I remember that day in like four

(39:54):
sales. And then biopsy is
one thing as a whole, you know, other
ballgame that. Was like a painful thing. It wasn't
painful. I think I was more scared
than it was really painful because they do numb you
in the area, but, like, it's like a

(40:15):
machine that's. With pressure. It's
like. I don't know, it's like a needle and they like, let it go
and it hits you like it's like a puncture.
They puncture the area or the. Whatever it is.
And they do it like five times. That's
how they let go. Pop. That's how they pull back the tissue or something

(40:38):
to test. Yeah. And it wasn't painful or
anything, but. It was like a weird sensation. Yeah, it was a
little painful afterwards, but I just put ice and it was
okay. Yeah, but I think the nerves, like, not
knowing what. What it was gonna be like. Right. That
definitely adds to it. Like, okay. Yeah, like, you

(41:00):
don't know anything. Like, okay. Plus the whole, is this
cancerous or not at that point. And we
were. It was around the holiday, so people were off. I remember
it being literally right, like a day or two before New Year's. I think it
was between New Year's and Christmas, like, around that time, like having to wait. Yeah.
So we had to wait even extra for the results. Cuz, you know, it was

(41:22):
a holiday. It was a holiday. People weren't working.
And then we get the results.
We have to go in, right? We. I think we got the results. We read
it. Yeah, we got the results. We have my chart and.
And we read it, but we didn't understand. Yeah, we didn't. It was in the,
you know, medical jargon. So we started googling,

(41:45):
which is googling, which we didn't get any answers
anyways. I don't. We didn't get any clear answers, but it did
seem like it was cancerous. Mm hmm. Which was scary,
obviously. And we had to wait until
the holidays were over. And I kept
on messaging the oncologist, like, oh, can you just call me?

(42:07):
Just tell me the result. Cause I can't wait until,
like, the following week or whatever. Yeah, until. But
she was like, no, I want to see you. I was like, okay, that's not
a good sign. Yeah. So then we go in and.
Oh, and the radiologist called us, the one that did the.
And she did that. Did the biopsy. Yeah, she called like the day after.

(42:30):
And she did tell us that, you know, that they did see
something and it does seem cancerous, but like, they
don't know specifically, like at what stage or what we could
do, like what type of treatment. They don't have the details.
So I did know afterwards and to. Speak to your oncologist
and stuff like that and follow like the usual protocol.

(42:52):
So then I had the appointment with the oncologist
and she did tell me that I had
breast cancer. Type negative, stage
no, stage one a. Stage one a, which is the,
like, smallest, you know, the one a, if I
remember correctly. It's like inside. It's referring to the sides of it. So it's

(43:15):
like one 2 is
considered one a or something like that. And
I'll try to find something to link to the episode notes, if anybody's
interested. Triple negative. And it was triple negative,
which is an aggressive type of breast cancer,
which basically means that it's triple negative to

(43:39):
hormones, like the three hormones, which plays into what
types of treatment they can give you.
Because if it was positive for estrogen or whatever, one
of the hormones, they could give you some sort of cancer drug that's,
you don't know, estrogen induced or something, or attaches to it somehow.
Like, I have no idea how that, like, mechanism works. But

(44:01):
basically, because it's triple negative, that means no other medications
except for chemo they explained would
be feasible, would be the only option.
And then also making the decision
of surgery if removing one side,
moving both, like what you wanted to do, you're already at this increased

(44:23):
risk. It's triple negative. We caught it early,
thankfully, which they said was, was best case
scenario. But you did have to make that decision, right, of
what you wanted to do in terms of surgery. Both. Yeah, both breasts
or just one where the cancer was. Right.
And she said you could just remove the

(44:44):
breast with the cancer, but there's a
possibility that you could get it on the other breast. And then we be
right back to the same situation. That's a no brainer.
Why. And I'm gonna go through the surgery anyway, so I might as
well just do it. Just do it. And
I was like, oh, can I keep my nipples?

(45:07):
The chances too, right? To keep the
nipples. And the, and that's, that's the plastic surgeon.
So we're still at the, like, oncologist. Yeah, there was an
oncologist too. Okay, okay. I don't remember that part.
Oh, no, no, no. It was the plastic surgeon. Yeah, yeah. But we
had the, the appointment when, when I got the diagnosis. Then I had to see

(45:29):
the plastic surgeon. Surgeon that was gonna do the
surgery, and the plastic
surgeon, which was gonna. Do the, like, two separate appointments.
So there was one doctor that does the mastectomy, and the other
one does, like, the reconstruction. Right,
right. So obviously scary news, but

(45:50):
so many things. Like, okay, you have cancer. Yeah.
Okay. And you. You could remove
one, or you could remove both breasts,
or you could keep your nipples, but your
increased chance that you're gonna get the cancer back.
Right. So it's, like, so many decisions to make. Right.

(46:11):
Right there. Obviously, life changing
decisions, either. Which way do you decide to go with it? Which is easy.
Like, do you wanna get cancer or do you not wanna get
cancer? That, in a weird way, helps simplify, like,
all those decisions. It's like, increase the chances of me not getting
cancer and developing cancer. What I wanted to say, before I forget is

(46:33):
that some women choose, famously, Angelina Jolie
did this. Choose to get a
mastectomy when they test positive for that BRCA one
gene, even if they have not developed breast cancer, which is. Thank
you for bringing that up, because I was gonna have the mastectomy done,
but I was. Wait. I was contemplating doing it when my

(46:55):
son was out of school in the summer.
So they told me that I had to keep doing mris and
mammograms and ultrasounds every three months
to monitor my breast and to see that there was
nothing weird going on. So I only did it
once, the mammogram and the

(47:17):
MRI and that before I got. My
God. Yeah, that's true. I was eventually gonna do the double
mastectomy just to prevent. To prevent it, but that
this sped up the time. Allow me to get to that
point. So tell me, how was the mastectomy surgery to
you, and how was it different from the

(47:38):
hysterectomy after you made the decision to. In terms of, like,
pain? Actually, before you tell me that, I'm remembering the.
This surgery for the mastectomy was also kind of like a two in one.
So after, like you said, we met the oncologist, met the
surgeon, then we go to the plastic surgeon, which is going to
focus on the reconstruction after everything, after the

(47:59):
fact. And they all tell us a bit about their pieces of the
procedure. But with the mastectomy, it was, you know, main
goal to get the cancer out, which I remember, you
know, waiting in the waiting room, because that's like, they also test the lymph nodes
there to see if there's, like, any spread to the cancer at all.
And it's where we would find out if obviously,

(48:22):
like, I've heard horror stories from back in the day. I was actually recently speaking
to my mom when one of my
uncles. Yeah, one of my uncles on my dad's side
when he had surgery for cancer. This was when I was a little kid. So
years ago, he came here from doctor. He
got. He got operated on. He went back then he had to come back and

(48:42):
get it, like another surgery. And then when they opened him up to do the
surgery, they see there that it's spread everywhere and there's nothing they can
do, which is crazy. That that's how I guess maybe
technology differences, that's how they were able to detect. But whatever that was always.
That was like part of a fear in me that, you know, they realized something
that they couldn't pick up with the testing and stuff like that. So while I'm

(49:03):
waiting in the waiting room. So it's really like an Olivia
when. After the surgery, I get the call, everything went well. And
then, actually, I bumped into the doctor when she was leaving,
and she tells me that everything went well. She didn't
see anything weird. They got everything out, and I. So no worries there. And that
you were doing good and stuff like that. Yeah. The day after. The day before

(49:25):
the surgery, I had to go into
the hospital. They had to inject a
liquid into my nipple. Oh, shit. Yeah. So
they could. The day of the surgery, it's
like a luminous type, a
radioactive type of liquidity that.

(49:47):
The day of the surgery, they put another liquid in
after I'm under. So it depends. It, like, tells
you which lymph node they have to remove
by that liquid. It's like the weirdest thing, but it's nuts.
That was like a whole nother thing. Yeah. I was
scared. It didn't hurt at all. I think I was just scared of

(50:10):
what it will feel. Like. The unknown always is always the thing. Because
it was like my first surgery. Like, not my first surgery, but
my first injection into my nipple. Like
what? So I didn't know what I was gonna feel.
It wasn't painful at all. I didn't feel anything. So that was one
thing. Yeah, that was like a side thing. That's a

(50:33):
whole procedure in itself. So I survived that. Then you have the
mastectomy. We were already told that after, you know. So they remove
everything. Then the plastic surgeon and her team come
in and they put
something in you called expanders,
as well as drains, which are literally. It's

(50:55):
exactly how it sounds. Like plastic tubes sticking out of
her with, like, pumps, pump looking things at the
end. You know what it looks like? It looks like when you go to the
doctor and you do pressure cuff. The pressure cuff? Yeah, like the
blood pressure test. And they squeeze that little bulb. It's like that. It's like a
tube sticking out of both her breasts

(51:15):
that wrap around her breasts, and it's draining,
like, liquid and blood from post surgery. And
they put that as well as the expanders in you, because
after the fact, then you come home and. Which was, I
think this was like, a tougher recovery, definitely. Then. Then the hysterectomy, because
part of it is draining those

(51:39):
drainers, or whatever they're called. Draining them and then putting them into little cups
to measure how many cc's and writing them down and doing
that for a week. It was supposed to be, but it took you, I think,
like, two weeks because they want the. The fluid to go
down or the amount of fluid that your body is expelling to go down
enough to a certain point to take the drains out. And

(52:01):
it took you a little longer than originally
expected. Yeah, that was a whole. Whole thing. How did you
feel, though, like, during that time, that transition from getting the mastectomy,
getting the expanders put in, which the point of the
expanders is, you know, they cut a lot of skin, they stitch everything up,
tighten everything completely flat. Completely flat. That had to feel

(52:23):
weird as a woman. I mean, it was weird when I saw
it because it's like a new thing to see. Used
to seeing your body. Yeah. And I said bye to my. Yeah, me
too. Bye. I'm not gonna
see you anymore. Yeah, and bye to my nipples, too.
Yeah. That's a whole nother thing. You know, you have to get used

(52:45):
to the new. Yeah. The new. New
chapter, the new self. It wasn't, like, really
painful. It wasn't that painful. I mean,
I was very consistent in my medication, like, to.
And stop taking it, but it wasn't really, like something
that I couldn't take or stand.

(53:06):
Yeah. So it wasn't really that painful. I mean, it was
uncomfortable to be with drains. Yeah. Cause you couldn't
shower fully. I had to take, like, you had to sit down. Four
baths. Yeah. I helped you
shower stuff. Sponge baths. Yeah. Doing the drinking. You had to sit
down during, like, baths and stuff like that. But it

(53:28):
wasn't really, like, painful that I couldn't take.
Just more uncomfortable than anything else. Yeah. And
then the. So then eventually, after a couple weeks, the
drains come out. We go for another visit. Drains come out. Which they
literally just, like, pull them out. So you feel them sliding around your boob
and coming out the tubes. They literally, like, just push it.

(53:50):
And that feels really weird. Yeah. And
it's uncomfortable. It's not painful. It's just like a weird sensation
again. Yeah. You feel the tube
sliding off, but you're numb.
You're a little bit numb from the surgery, so.
And you do feel a lot of numbness. Yeah. Like, around the

(54:13):
area around the breasts. Yeah. Because part of the, you
know, getting rid of the cancer is then removing. One of the
symptoms, too. You feel, like, really numb. Yeah,
a lot. You have, like, some nerve endings around there and stuff like that. Cause
if not, then your skin could die. But it's very minimal.
And it's not minimal. What do you mean? I. Like, I feel it

(54:34):
around, like, my breast is numb. Like, my armpits are
numb by the breasts on. Yeah. Like, and around
my breast is numb? Yeah. Like, completely. You don't feel nothing at all? Like,
I feel a little bit, you know, like, very mild. Yeah.
Yeah. But you know what the most uncomfortable thing is? When
you're itchy, like, you feel the itch,

(54:56):
but when you scratch, it doesn't relieve. Oh, it
shouldn't, but you still feel. Itchy and you're, like, scratching.
It's the weirdest thing. That is weird. And it's very uncomfortable.
But that makes sense. It makes sense, but it is weird. Yeah.
So then they. So at the plastic surgeon, they remove
the drains and they also do something with the

(55:19):
purpose of the expanders that are there are to
expand the skin, the skin tissue on
the breast to the point where, you know, little by little, you have
to go multiple times to multiple visits. You go in, they literally just inject
you to expand them. Hence the name expanders.
And the point is to expand your skin to the

(55:42):
point of wherever you want it to be for when you
get the reconstruction surgery. Yeah, when you get the implants. The
implants. I mean, there's a lot of options. You could just go flat
if you want to. If you don't want to go through the surgeries or just
go, like, small also. But
I wanted, like a normal. Well, normal for me. Yeah. Like where you

(56:04):
were. Like, where I was before now. So this
is after. After all the surgery, after the drains come out, then we
have to go into the phase of chemotherapy, which is a
whole thing in itself, obviously, every. Everybody who
hears chemo, especially myself, it's like a scary
thing. Imagine furby. Yeah. I have to go through

(56:27):
it. That's what I want to ask you about how is it from.
Because they gave us the plan from the beginning, right? Which
is, you know, the mastectomy. Go see the plastic surgeon. You're
gonna need twelve rounds of chemo as a, as a prevent,
as a preventative measure. So like we knew the game plan,
but to me, from my perspective, it's like, all right, let's get past the first

(56:49):
goal. Then we'll, we'll look at the next thing, whatever the next thing is. Then
we'll focus on that. Then we'll focus on that. So now we're in the phase
of focusing on chemo. That's how I just like in turn
processed everything. How was it for you, as again,
being the one, like you said, to actually have to go through all the
surgeries and then the chemo. And how has that experience been

(57:09):
now that you've had the ten sessions of the twelve sessions with chemo?
Well, when we went to get the diagnosis,
they did tell us that we have to, that I had to
do twelve chemos. It's like two
weeks and then one week off. Two weeks on, one week
off. So we'd go every week. So one week is of two

(57:30):
medicines. Two different types of chemo. Yeah. And
the second week or the week after is
one medicine, one of the. Those same medicines, those same chemos.
And then the following week is the best week because you have a week off.
Yeah. And then the best thing ever. Right. And then the
week after that, then you go back to the two chemos, then the week after

(57:52):
that, the one. And it's like that until you finish the
twelve sessions and the process
itself. Well, actually, let me go back. So how did you feel
knowing that you had to take chemo? And I guess like
more emotionally, I feel like you would think about your mom who went through
that and passed. How do you feel, you

(58:15):
know, having to take that on? Well, I know you want me to tell you,
like, oh my God, I felt like, like a whole thing, you know? But tell
me how you felt. Really? Like, I really didn't think about it that
much. I think that's how I went through it.
Like, okay, I'm just gonna do it. And the good thing is
that I'm used to getting infusions,

(58:37):
right? Because of the Ms. That's the treatment that I
take. I take an infusion every six months. So
that prepared me. Look, okay, I have to go to
this thing every week instead of every six
months to get an infusion. Like not thinking about it, I think
that's how I went. Right. Which is. Which is admirable in a way,

(59:00):
because as me, which is why we balance each other out. Well, because I
overthink. Right now, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know
I have to wash the car, and I'm contemplating if after this, I'm gonna go
wash the car and then get the kids or get the kids and take them
to wash the car. And, like, depending on, like. And I'm, like, I, like, overthink
every single thing. So it's.

(59:20):
It's. It's an interesting balance that we have
that just why we. We work well together, I feel.
But. And I don't overthink things at all.
I don't. Like, I think that's the. The way I
managed to get through things. Mm hmm. Because if I pay
mine to it, then I'll get depressed. And. And I

(59:42):
like why myself in that. Position, you
know, that definitely wouldn't help, which would be normal and expected,
even. So. Which is why it's even more. And with my
mom, like, I really didn't go with her to get treatment or
anything, so I didn't know, like. What she went through
with the child. What she went through. Like, I. What? Like, I saw her, like,

(01:00:04):
going through it, like, afterwards, like, after the chemos that she used to go
home and. And all that, but my mom also blocked
that from. Blocked me from seeing all those things, so I really
didn't know what she went through. Right.
So, in a way, that helped, too, because I didn't know
anything. It was still, like, unknown. And you felt prepared, like you

(01:00:26):
said, because it was like, I get these
infusions, which is literally an iv medication
for mass every six months. Now I'm just gonna go get more
infusions, a different type of medication. And you, like, used
to, like, the. At least the process of it, the physical process of it. Before
getting the chemo, though, something I just remembered was the port

(01:00:47):
surgery. So for the chemo, you either had the
option of, you know, getting. Getting the chemo in your arm, but they. They
recommended getting a port because you were gonna have so many sessions. And the chemo
medication is strong and could, like, fuck with your veins and,
like, really break it down and stuff. So a
poor is literally, like, a device that they put into your chest.

(01:01:09):
Area or your arm or your arm.
Okay. I didn't know they could do it in arm, but for you, they put
it in the chest area, where you literally have, like,
this device in there that's connected to the vein already. And then
they seal you up aortic. Vein or something like that.
So. And which makes it

(01:01:29):
easier to, like, you have that device in you this entire
time. So every time we go to get
the chemo, it's in the morning. First stop is
blood work. Like, we wake up, like, at six something in the morning
point, usually, like, around 737 45, get
blood work, then go upstairs and see the doctor, the

(01:01:51):
oncologist, discuss your blood work, how everything is looking, how you're
feeling, and all that good stuff. And then from there, then go get
the chemo, which they use that same port to give you the chemo
medications from. And I remember
the port surgery itself, the port surgery, which was another.
Another side procedure thing. That

(01:02:14):
definitely adds up. It was an outpatient, same day thing. But when
you went to get the first drawing of blood,
it hurt like crazy. You got nauseous.
You were almost gonna throw up. No, but let's talk about the surgery. Or the
surgery itself. Go ahead. Because the surgery was like the. Not the
surgery itself, but recovery. It was really

(01:02:36):
painful. From the port? From the port. Because
it's like you could feel it, like something strange in your
body. And since I had
the. I was uncomfortable with the expanders, because the
expanders are not very comfortable either. True.
Like, your skin stretching, and you feel something hard. It feels like you have a

(01:02:57):
rock, your chest. Chest, or a balloon.
Something foreign inside your body,
in your breast area, and it feels really strange. So
you're adding something strange to your body again by
adding a port. And the recovery was not
easy. It was painful, and you

(01:03:19):
had to use it for the chemo. To be able to get the chemo.
Yeah. So, like, it's recovering. Like a surgery is recovering,
and you also have to use it. Right. You know, so it's
like, oh, my God. Which made it even worse. And then we got some
good tips from the doctor of
nurse. The nurse. The nurse, too, to put, like,

(01:03:42):
lidocaine on it at, like, the cream
before going in, in the morning, so it could start numbing. And
also eat something in the morning and take the nausea medication
to. So the first time that I. That they inserted
the, like, the catheter inside the port, it's like.
Like a little square with a needle at the end, and

(01:04:04):
they just have to insert. Insert that needle to the
port, which is a round thing inside your. Your
body. You don't see it, but it's there. So I
felt like the first time that they did it, she's like, okay, I'm
gonna count to three. Insert the port,
and then count to three and put your chests out.

(01:04:26):
And I was like, okay. She said, one, two, three. And I put my chest
out, and that felt like I was being
stabbed once. And I was like, oh,
my God, like, how I'm gonna do this twelve times. Yeah. How
the heck I remember you telling me that? Because it was, like, the worst.
It's like being stabbed. That's how I felt like being

(01:04:47):
stabbed once. And, okay, go. That's nuts. Go and get
chemo. And what, right on top of that,
for your prize of getting stabbed, go get chemo. Which is crazy. Crazy,
because out of the mastectomy, the hysterectomy, like those big
surgeries, like the port surgeries, fucked with you the
most in terms of, like, pain. And I thought I was gonna be okay with

(01:05:09):
the port. I was like, okay. I thought that was like a nothing. Okay, so
then, now, oh, something we definitely have to
speak about, which was news to both of us. Anybody else that
I've mentioned it to had never heard of it before. So it's definitely
a tip for anyone going through chemo if they want
to, want to try this. But they told us,

(01:05:31):
the oncologist told us about cold cap therapy,
and what it is, essentially, is a
helmet looking device that you put on,
and it gets attached to a machine that
pretty much freezes your scalp, freezes your head. Not literally
frozen, although it feels, like, literally frozen to you,

(01:05:53):
but it, you know, I don't know if it's hydrogen or whatever it is. It
gets super, super, super cold. Like, ice cold turns to ice. Literally, it feels
like an ice pack, like one of those ice packs in the freezer, and it
freezes your scalp. And the. The
mechanism of how it works is that you're getting chemo. It's
going through your blood. It's cycling through your body.

(01:06:15):
And that's why a lot of people experience hair loss and go
completely bald in a lot of cases, because the
chemo is so potent and strong, when the blood is circulating
through your scalp and through your body, it just kills the hair follicles, and it
falls off. But with the cold cap therapy, it freezes your scalp
to the point that the blood doesn't circulate there. So.

(01:06:37):
Or as much. So it's the blood with the
chemo. So it minimizes the hair loss,
which you have experienced hair loss and thinning.
But if nobody knew you were going through chemo, nobody would even notice.
No. Like, it's been. And also, it helps that you have very,
very, very thick. A lot of hair.

(01:06:59):
Hair, exactly. And, you know, that was
just something that, you know, it elongates the whole process
because you have to do the cold therapy depending on the chemos that you're getting
for that day. But on the high level, you have to do half
hour of the cold cap therapy before you even start the medication. And then after
you finish the two chemos, if you're getting two that day,

(01:07:21):
you have to do an hour and a half of the
cold cap therapy afterwards as well. On top of
everything. And during. And during. Yeah, throughout the
whole shit. Yeah. So I was like, I
didn't think that I was gonna care. You know, I was like, it's
okay. Like, it'll grow back. Yeah. I think it's that

(01:07:43):
same mentality. Like, no, don't think about it. Like, it's okay.
It's not a big thing. And I was more on the side
of. But you were like, no, if there's a chance.
Yeah, because I'm thinking also from. But
I'm thankful that you did say that because, like,
okay, so I should care a little more. Like, you know, like,

(01:08:05):
wake up. And honestly, it has zero to do with
my. My, you know, personal
want or whatever, because I don't factor myself into
that in this situation. But it was a twofold
thing. I had a conversation with an old coworker of mine who had a
girlfriend that went through breast cancer and chemo and stuff like that. And one of

(01:08:27):
the things that stood out to me that he told me, shout out to dash
is that one of the most traumatizing things of everything that
his girl went through was losing her hair. And that he, as a guy, were
like, you know, who gives a fuck? Like, whatever. So he was kind of
like, why would that be, like, traumatizing? But
he didn't think of it as a traumatizing thing until it happened. And then

(01:08:49):
realizing when it happened, how much it affected her and she kind of had that
attitude as you. I would imagine that, you know, it is what it is
that. And then also, I was thinking of the kids and them
seeing you. I feel like if they saw you, you know, without the
hair, which, you know, obviously it's no. Under nobody's control if they're gonna
lose their hair or not. But if there's something that could prevent. It, that it

(01:09:12):
would be traumatizing for them. So if there's a chance that you could prevent it
or minimize it, as in your case,
then it's definitely worth the shot. Even. Even though it's not something
that's covered by insurance. But it's. But they could
help you financially if you apply for financial assistance.
Exactly. And it was like, even if you pay out of pocket, I think it

(01:09:34):
was like two grand or something like that. 2424 hundred and you could
apply for financial assistance. But it depends on the treatments that you have and
the type of treatment that you're getting. So it all depends on
that. Right. But definitely cold cap therapy. I recommend
it. And also, like, that icing thing. It sounds like a primitive
thing, but seems to work for multiple things. Not just the. The cold

(01:09:56):
cap, but also patients ice their
hands and their feet because they get like, tingling and
stuff. Right. You've experienced that, like, on the hands that I think you said
it felt like little ants. Like little ants.
And it is painful. I could imagine. Like, if you feel your skin crawling,
it's super uncomfortable and you can't do anything about it. But with the ice, while

(01:10:18):
you're icing it, less of the chemo goes towards your hands, you know,
same type of mechanism, less of the chemo circulates through
your hands. It's not a comfortable thing, but you have to do it, like, to
feel better. Like the cold cap, it's. In the
beginning, it didn't hurt because of my hair. It was fine.
But then when your hair starts falling out and it gets

(01:10:40):
bent, you do feel it a lot in your head.
Like the first starting or 20 minutes of it.
Like, you feel brain freeze. Like, full on brain freeze. Like,
your eyes hurt, your head hurts. So I
take Tylenol before I leave to the hospital.
So that makes it better. But it's uncomfortable. And then your

(01:11:02):
scalp goes numb because it's so cold, it just goes
numb. And then you don't feel. And then you just, like, pressing to see if
it's working. And it is. That's how Numa gets.
Like, you don't feel it at all, but the first ten minutes, 20
minutes, it's not a good thing. But definitely
the cost, the benefits. It does work.

(01:11:23):
Yeah, I do see, like, they. It does fall out.
The hair does fall out. I mean, I've lost a lot of hair. But,
like, the main part that you could cover
the balding areas, at least you could cover
that part with your hair. Yeah. So, you know, like, the
kids, they haven't seen anything scary yet.

(01:11:46):
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And now that you
are almost done, well, at least with this chemo phase of it,
because then we'll be, like, officially, officially done once you have the reconstruction surgery.
But how does it feel? But going back to the
Portland, which made a lot of difference.
Putting on the latocaine to numb the area before they entered

(01:12:09):
the port or the catheter into the port,
that did help a lot. So it's just a suggestion if you
are going through it. I mean, some people don't feel pain when they get the
catheter inside the port. So it all depends on the
person. But I did feel pain. I felt the
stabbing pain. Worse than surgery. Yep.

(01:12:32):
So. And I felt pain, like, recovering. It does get
better. Like, now I don't feel it. But you're still doing
the lidocaine and all that stuff just as a preventative. Yeah. That's an
important point. So to wrap things up, how do
you. How does it feel to almost be done with chemo? To me,
it feels, like, exciting. And to get to the end of that phase of it

(01:12:54):
and especially not to have to see you going through
that and just, like, the nausea and how
shitty you feel afterwards, which is something we didn't mention, actually.
How after? Well, after the
chemos, when I get the two medicines, the two
chemos, what I mainly feel is, like, nausea. And I

(01:13:15):
have this horrible taste in my mouth. It's not a metal taste. It's,
like, medicine. Like, full on medicine. Like, if you put
a Tylenol in your tongue and you leave it there, like, that
taste, and it's, like, triple that. It's
like, it makes you more nauseous. That taste, like, it exacerbates
the nausea. And you can't taste food. Like, nothing is enjoyable.

(01:13:38):
Food, water, drinks, everything is,
like, blah, you know, like. And exhaustion.
You feel really tired. Like, walking is
hard. Everything is harder. It feels like your body's just beating
down. Yeah. I mean, you have a lot of medicine in you, and you feel
it. You feel like you have a lot of medicine inside you. Like,

(01:14:00):
oh, my God. Yeah. How do I feel that? We're
almost done? I'm very happy, and I'm very
looking forward to the plastic
surgery, the reconstruction. I guess
that's what's pulling me through the whole thing. Like,
okay, just get through this. Get through one more. Like, I've

(01:14:21):
been counting. Okay, one more, one more, one more. Um,
to get me through this. The silver lining is a
reconstruction. Yeah, absolutely. So that's the
motivation and that I want to be done with this, too. Yeah,
absolutely. I couldn't agree more. And I'm very, very proud of you.
And again, I'll say it again. I've told you before, I said it earlier. You're

(01:14:43):
the strongest girl I know. The secret is not to think about.
Don't think about it. Try it, try it. Maybe it helps
you. You never know. Yeah,
absolutely. Well, folks,
that was. I just hope that
this helps somebody, you know, that's going

(01:15:05):
through anything. Absolutely. That was the hope for this episode. Hopefully
somebody listens to it and learn something that they didn't know
before or gains some, like we said in the beginning, some
hope, some strength to get through whatever you're going through now. If it's
something similar, and yeah, yeah, that's pretty much
it. Thanks for listening, guys. Free Palestine,

(01:15:27):
peace.
And that, folks, was episode 266 of the Spun Today
podcast. Thank each and every one of you very much for listening.
Thank you once again to my lovely wife, Zoila.
Thanks for taking the time sharing your story. I'm sure folks will get a lot
from it. And for everyone listening for links and different things

(01:15:50):
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sponsoray.com podcast Forward Slash
266, which is the webpage for this specific episode,
and please let us know what you think. Share your story within the comments,
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(01:16:11):
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(01:21:46):
I love you Aiden. I love you daddy.
I love you Grayson. I love you daddy.

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#266 – Finding Hope in Uncertainty: Zoila Ortiz on her Battle with Breast Cancer and Resilience in the Face of Adversity

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#266 – Finding Hope in Uncertainty: Zoila Ortiz on her Battle with Breast Cancer and Resilience in the Face of Adversity