Latest / Life Rescue with Lisa Dwoskin / Healing Beyond Breast Cancer: Hope, Survivorship & Living Your Best Life
Transcript
- Lisa Dwoskin: Hey guys, welcome back to Life Rescue Podcast. I'm so excited to be here today. We have an amazing guest, an amazing topic. And remember, if this resonates with you, I want you to like it, share it, comment on it. And also please don't forget if you are going through something and you need help, you need guidance, you want to share your story, or you have a question or a comment. Reach out to me at seven five four two two two four four one three. I want to hear from all of you. Thank you all for joining. And our special guest today is her name. I'm going to call her Cindy, although her birth name or her real name is Asanda. And I'm gonna have her tell that story. But welcome. Asanda Cindy. Thank you. It's so good to be here. Thank you so much, Lisa, for having me on. ⁓ thank you. So let's jump right into your name. Tell us a story about how you went from, am I saying it right? ⁓ Asanda to Cindy. That's an interesting story. Yes. ⁓ I was born Asanda Papali, and I was born ⁓ in New York City at Physicians Hospital. And it's an Italian name. And my grandmother and my mother named me. My father got to the hospital too late. He wanted to name me Barbara. But it turned out that my name is Asanda. And and honestly, I don't know how they got Cindy, but growing up that's what they called me. So I am Cindy and then Asanda Papali. Now what is Asanda, the word stand for? Does it have a it's actually it's supposedly a name of a saint in Italy? ⁓ I love that. I yeah, I I heard you say it was Italian, but a saint, wow. Yeah, a saint I am not. Yeah. From what I saw on your Instagram and what we're about to talk about, I think you are. You probably are, you just don't know it. Thank you. Well, not a saint as far as a perfect person, but a saint where you're a voice to help others heal. I've been called an angel many times. ⁓ I love that. So Italy is my favorite place in the world. And I actually got married in Portofino, Italy. Have you been there? no, I have not been yet. I have not been there. ⁓ it's beautiful. And then we went all through ⁓ Florence and Rome, all over Italy. I would love to live there. And I have a joke real quick. So I tell everybody I got married in this beautiful, extravagant wedding in Italy. Portofino on top of the mountain and I get divorced in South Florida. ⁓ fuck. Everyone's like, ⁓ well that's nice. No, but it it's fine. It's fine. Father of my kids, we're friends now. And I want to take my my new family now, which I'm very happy with, to Italy next year. That's our plan. ⁓ that's that's lovely. My ⁓ dad was ⁓ in Messina and my mom is from Naples. ⁓ wow Yeah, you look Italian. Italian food, red wine, if I could live off of that, I'd be the happiest woman in the world. ⁓ okay. Okay. Right. Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about you. So we have a mutual friend, Dr. Carmen Kalfa, which is my personal beautiful soul sister. We're like two souls from one seed. We're so much alike. I just had dinner with her last week. I absolutely love her. We do a lot with the University of Miami. So tell us about your story. How'd you meet her? What have you been through? I want to hear everything. Well, I was diagnosed with breast cancer ⁓ in July 2000 and I actually worked at University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center for 27 years. So I absolutely I was there at the facility and when I was diagnosed and ⁓ I had a bilateral mastectomy. followed by taking ⁓ a medication called Samoxifen for five years. My mom was on that. She's a breast cancer survivor as well. ⁓ Thank God. And everything is good? Yep, everything's good, thank goodness. I'm just ⁓ Moving something down. Okay, go ahead. Sorry. No, that's okay. Don't worry about it. And ⁓ well, Dr. Carmen Kalfa is my medical oncologist and I ⁓ see her like once a year. I just do ⁓ follow ups because even though I'm twenty seven years out, I still believe in going once a year for a complete checkup. A lot of people will say to me, ⁓ you're cured, you don't have to go. I don't I don't do that. I go once a year for my follow up and my blood work and Just to be proactive. Yeah. So my mom was diagnosed when she was, I believe, sixty-three. She's eighty now. And it was she had a lumpectomy and then it went into her lymph nodes. So she had chemo radiation, but she's like what almost 20 years cancer free. But when all that happened through the years, she's had a lot of heart issues and other issues. And I know that. Tamoxifin, that drug she was on, really like did a lot of negative things to her. So it is everyone has a different story. So when you had it, did you go through all the chemical radiation and I I had a stage one multifocal invasive tumor. ⁓ I was offered ⁓ the CMF medication back twenty-seven years ago. Don't forget technology today is amazing for breast cancer. Yeah. ⁓ so I was offered that and I declined it and decided to take the tamoxifen. So the tamoxifen for me, I did not have any the only thing happened to me with side effect was I went from hot to cold. I would actually put a sweater on, take a sweater off, put a sweater on, take a sweater off. So those were my symptoms. ⁓ and I I don't know if it's because I had a complete hysterectomy. I didn't have any ovaries, I didn't have anything inside of me. I was complete, you know. No reproductive or anything organs. I don't know why, but for me I just went from hot to cold. Probably because you got pushed into menopause. Yes. And those are symptoms normal menopausal women have. If they removed your uterus, your cervix, all your hormones. That's probably it. It could have been. ⁓ I'm also a clinical trial baby. My mom took the drug DES ⁓ to prevent miscarriage. It was a drug to prevent miscarriages. And so that's why I'm here today, because she took that medication. ⁓ I'm all for clinical trials. In fact, I'm writing a book with Sylvester Cancer Center Physicians on clinical trials specifically. ⁓ wow on all trials, for all trials from breast to colon to glioblastomas to lymphomas, ⁓ to pancreatic. So this book will be a benefit for so many people. ⁓ give people hope because clinical trials to me, like I'm here as a proof as a baby that my mom took the drug DES. ⁓ I do believe in clinical trials. So with me, back to the tamoxifen, that was the side effect that I had. I just went from hot to cold. Now I do know a lot of people who their hair started thinning, their fingernails started getting very brittle. ⁓ everyone is different. ⁓ do I recommend the drug? I don't have any problem saying yes. And there are so many other medications that they can take. So if you do take it and you get a reaction, you can take another medication. So I you know, that's something that I encourage if you are diagnosed and they do recommend treatment, please, yes, do it. I love what you said about the book that you're writing because it's so unbelievably beautiful how the universe brings people together in the divine timing of things. So I my closest friend Very, very close friend. Her husband had been diagnosed three years ago with throat cancer, HPV virus, which is not as common in men as women in women. Well, I'm finding out it is more than I thought. Anyway, long story short, he had throat cancer. He went through three different rounds of chemo. He's now stage four. It's really bad. It's very sad. But We sent him to ⁓ because my dad's a big donor at ⁓ and we know everyone over there and all our doctors are there. And there was a clinical trial that he could have taken, but he's so tired and hurting and gave up hope. This just happened recently that he chose not to do it. And I was so upset calling my best friend, like you have to force him to do it and To make a long story short, her family has decided to honor his decision. But you know, when I had dinner with Carmen last week, I shared it with her and she said the number one reason why people decline towards the end is because they're depressed and they give up hope. But if they can somehow get through that and have the hope and get on antidepressants or whatever and do the clinical trial They might be able to live and it frustrates me so much. But I it's not my husband's significant other. But I told my significant other if it was him, I would almost force him against his will. I I would would want to save his life. So it's a very touchy subject. So is that what your book is about? Like giving people hope? There are there are there's a total of there's a total like twenty five positions in the book, and my story will be in there as a Breast cancer survivor and a clinical trial baby, as well as my father who was on clinical trial at UN for pancreatic cancer. Right now he is? No, he was this is back in 1990. ⁓ wow. So that's what I'm trying to really get across to people that the technology today in medicine is outrageous. It's so amazing. ⁓ a lot of people, ⁓ the book will have ⁓ a lot of information on the trial along with a patient. Who will be actually ⁓ sharing their story on the trial. ⁓ we are going to ⁓ working Dr. Carmen Kaltha will be contributing on breast cancer clinical trial, ⁓ as well as many other physicians that I know at Sylvester, because working there, I still keep in touch with some of them. so, but having said that, back to clinical trials, I really feel that a clinical trial is really ⁓ important. It's scary. You know, it's easy for us to say because we don't we're not on it. You know, but when people say clinical trial, they think it's doom and gloom. And that's not true. Look at the drug Herseptin. Look at what Herseptin has done. I had a friend on it for fourteen years. She was on Herseptin and it saved her life, you know. And that was put out by Dr. Saliman. Yeah, I don't know if you saw the movie, ⁓ with ⁓ it was on Lifetime, and It was an amazing movie and I think it was Estee Lauder that had funded his ⁓ clinical trial for His Septin. ⁓ and now look where it is today. Yeah. So No, I love that. That's beautiful. So tell me about ⁓ you wrote three books. Is that what I did? So what are the other two on? ⁓ actually the first book I wrote was back in two thousand and six and it was released in two thousand and seven called The Empty Cup Runeth Over. And that is a book that had ⁓ a bunch of young women under the age of thirty share their stories on breast cancer. And we also had one one t one very c ⁓ inspirational story of a young girl, I think she was diagnosed in her twenty four, Chrissy Lash, and she put her her mother let me ⁓ permitted me to put her journal. 'Cause she had passed away, I think, several years after. Well and ⁓ you know, I don't know the they always say the younger you're diagnosed, the you know, the higher risk you are. Right. So, you know, ⁓ but ⁓ but her story was in that book. So and then I started lecturing ⁓ in public speaking in public high schools and colleges and some private c schools. ⁓ and I started talking about my journey there and it just toggled from The Empty Cup runneth over to Miami Breast Cancer Experts, which was the second book. And then this the third book was Experts in Pink. and ⁓ but now the fourth book I'm doing with Sylvester, we haven't had a title named yet, but we will. We we have some flying around. We just don't, you know, this is all new yet. So ⁓ when that happens, of course, I hope to come back on to share with you and everyone. The book of Ritter can get it. That would be lovely. Now, when you get up in front of a group of people, women mainly women, right? ⁓ no. ⁓ I spoke at Columbus High School and they were all boys. ⁓ okay. So what is your message that you give when you're up speaking with people? well, I speak to people and I I I always have hope. I always talk about hope. you know, when you're diagnosed and a lot of times they're young, you know, the high school kids and you don't want to scare them, but you do want to give them facts. And with today's technology, as I mentioned earlier, the treatments for breast cancer is amazing. ⁓ and it does save lives. ⁓ and I always encourage them ⁓ to be proactive, especially, you know, examining their bodies, their breasts. ⁓ And some people, young people don't like to touch their bodies, which is normal. I was that way when I was young too. But I try to explain to them that, you know, it's okay to touch your breasts in the shower. It's okay. Same thing for men, you know, ⁓ for the boys there too. And we got a lot of good feedback. And I had this one young young boy here, I think he was in eleventh grade, and he was the cutest. And he says, ⁓ no, I check all the time because my mom is a survivor. ⁓ and he goes, I don't care. I'm in the shower, he says, and I'll check everything, even under my arm. And he was like very dramatic, but he was so sweet and he actually encouraged everybody there, which I was really happy he did that. That's cute. So when when you're talking with these people, men and women, and you are giving them hope, but give me some like little tidbits of how can If you're talking to me, how would you give me more hope or share with me? Is it more your story, what you've been through, that would give me hope, or are there tools that you give to people? There's a lot of tools. Yeah, there's a lot. And also the mind controls the body. So I do believe in meditation. I do believe in surrounding yourself with positive people. And also I believe in being proactive, self-examinations. ⁓ I wanted to bring up also that my ⁓ I sit on the board to the Pink Luminous Advocacy Project. A friend of mine, the CEO and founder, Marilyn Dance, she ⁓ developed a device to detect early breast abnormalities. ⁓ it provides women with a way to monitor and become familiar with their breasts. ⁓ and it's a lead light that actually will illuminate inside your breast. So if there's anything abnormal, it'll light up, it'll look like a dark. mass colors. ⁓ wow. and ⁓ it's amazing. The device is amazing. ⁓ we are working with FDA on that. And ⁓ the good thing about this is that ⁓ it doesn't take the place of a mammogram. We don't want to mislead anyone. It doesn't take the place of a mammogram but it can actually be something you can use daily yourself at home or weekly. And it'll if there's anything that would prompt you to go ahead and reach out to your doctor and say, hey, listen, this is what I'm seeing here. I would like to have either an ultrasound, an MRI, a manogram. But ⁓ and it especially in the young. This way this tool can be distributed to a lot of the young women. No, that's beautiful. So twenty nine years ago is when you got diagnosed? Twenty seven. Twenty seven. So before that, I'm gonna ask you a two part question. Before that, what were you doing in your life? That's the first question. And the second question is because of what you went through, it led you on this path where you are now to helping others to know, be aware, to check themselves. So do you feel like it was divine intervention that brought you from point A to point B? ⁓ yes. Absolutely. Abs and still it's still it's still guiding me towards people that I am involved with and helping. ⁓ when I was before I was diagnosed, I was carefree. Didn't watch my diet. just didn't worry about anything. I didn't even do self-breast exams, even though my mother had breast cancer and my aunt had breast cancer. ⁓ and I and I worked at the Sylvester. I just didn't I didn't relate it to myself, you know. and I got my mammograms every year and That one year in July of 2000, it was one week after my birthday in July. My birthday is July 6th, and July 13th is when I had an abnormal mammogram. I had calcifications and my breasts were very dense. So that makes it hard. So Dr. Bernard Bieber, who actually is in my first book, he did a chapter on mammograms and he called it Squeeze If You Love Me. That was the title of his chapter. And he had since passed, but I today in my heart I always will remember him because he found my breast cancer. And how he found it was I would see I would get them done yearly at Sylvester and he would just pop up my mammograms yearly. And then that's when he spotted it. I had a multifocal. So it was 1.5 by 0.7 by 0.5. So there were two tiny ones behind my breast cancer tumor. ⁓ And ⁓ you know, he came out and told me, he said, we need to do an ultrasound now. So I knew, but I knew, you know, you know when you know, you just know. You have that that gut feeling. So ⁓ after that I just went with the motions. It was like wild because I said, okay, what do we do next? Okay, what do we do next? Okay, what do we do next? And it was I didn't even have time to even like get scared or get warned. I just said, I want to do it now, now, now, now, now. So we went from the yelk sound to the stereotactic biopsy to the left mastectomy, because that's where the cancer was. I chose to have my right breast removed because I didn't want to go through the whole thing of worrying is it going to recur back in the other breast? So because of unclear. Yeah, my family history prompted me to do that. Yes, that's smart. Yeah. So we did the bilateral massectomy. ⁓ and then followed by that, ⁓ I sat back and I this was in July 2000. I didn't write my first book till five years later. What happened was I started talking to people and ⁓ I was lecturing at the psychology department in the health class, and it was like a group of sixty women, and all of a sudden one girl said to me, You were doing so great explaining everything. Why don't you write a book? And that's how that's how they that's how the empty cup rent over toggled into writing a book. And I got ⁓ there was about 14 women, ⁓ all young girls under the age of thirty with breast cancer. And I got the I got those women from p from doctors that had patients that permitted me. They they would present it and say, Hey, look at this girl's writing a book. She's a survivor. Would you be interested in sharing your story? And I swear every single one of them said yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. ⁓ I love that. So yeah, it was it was a great it was a great time and we did a lot of filming. I was on channel six twice, ⁓ talking about my experience and the book. Channel six has been wonderful. You know, I love channel six. Yeah. ⁓ and ⁓ they interviewed me there and ⁓ we talked about the book and then I did a signing at Books and Books. ⁓ I love books and books. Yes, and call Gables. Something Rich Kaplan. Mitch Kaplan, I've met him a couple of times. He's awesome. Every time I call him, I tell him, Look, I'm writing another book. We're gonna do a sign in. He goes, Okay, when you're when you're ready, call Yeah, me too. I've written a couple of books and I'm ⁓ I must read them. ⁓ must have yeah, I must read them. I have to read them. But you know what I love most about you? Then I have a really important question. And believe it or not, we're almost over with this podcast. It goes so fast. But what I love about you is you took one of the hardest points of your life, the most trial, tribulations, what you went through with breast cancer, and you turned it into one of the most beautiful points of your life to start writing books, sharing your story, being a voice. That's what the show is all about. Life rescue, rescuing people's lives that are doom and gloom, they're depressed, they're sad, they're lost of a loved one. They have disease, whatever it is. And I love that. So let's talk a minute about How you found the strengths within to turn it around and to help guide others. So answer that one and then I have a very important question to end. I I love helping people and I even love helping animals. I'll see a stray kitten or a cat. I'm taking food out and I'm feeding them. So I I just like to get through to people that there's always hope. And it's so hard to see hope when you're depressed, when you're scared. when you're diagnosed with cancer, the word cancer, you know, they always say cancer sucks. You know, that's the big thing. And it does. ⁓ but if you surround yourself with that positive person, the person that believes in God, the person that believes in faith, the pace patient person that believes in in that there's always a solution. There really is. And my brother was that way. He passed away of colon cancer at a young age of 50. He always had a solution. Whenever something went wrong, he'd always solve it for me. I miss him so much. He was Michael was he worked at Doe DiMaggio at in Hollywood at the hospital. But he always had a solution, you know? And he was always right. That's the other thing. That's the other thing. He was always right. But I always want to encourage people, be positive. Yeah. It's so hard. It's It's hard. It's hard, but I love what you just said because Being positive, seeing the glass half full and not half empty. Knowing that for every hardship there's something beautiful that could come out of it. And the other thing that you just said is so important for you viewers that are watching us right now, have someone in your life that can help you. Don't isolate yourself because like she just said, her brother was there to help uplift her and give her the strength. Everyone needs someone. And when you're depressed and you're sad and you isolate yourself, that's the worst thing we can do. Yeah. A lot of people, there are some people that don't like to ask for help. Or there's a lot of people that go, ⁓ I have cancer. I'm not gonna tell anybody. I don't want anybody to know. Yeah. You know, sadly. It's really sad. People, you need a tribe of people. Yeah. It takes a village, they say, right? That's right. Yes, exactly. So the last question I have, very important for me, and I know you're going to agree with me, I'm ninety percent sure. Besides the treatment of the cancers, the chemo, the radiation, how important is the survivorship programs of breath work, exercise, yoga, diet, mindset, music therapy, sound therapy, art therapy. All of the beautiful modalities that University of Miami, Baptists, all the hospitals offer. How important on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most important, are those survivorship programs related to the healing of a cancer patient? There are eleven. I'm gonna go beyond ten. Eleven. 11. These programs, these programs are amazing. In fact, when in one of my books in the Miami Breast Cancer Expert, we have a music therapy chapter in there. ⁓ And it's amazing. Just to do arts and crafts and just to all these things with people, yoga, meditative exercise, the endorphins that just from exercising alone and being around people that are doing the same thing you are. And you'd be surprised when you open up and talk to people how they're saying, Really? Tell me, tell me about your story, you know, what happened. And they want to know. Believe it or not, people do want to know. ⁓ especially when you're in a group of meditation group or a ⁓ arts and crafts group or in a gym class, a salsa class, whatever. Do something that's fun. And it's ⁓ it's hard. I know we're talking and it's easy for us to talk about it, but you actually have to do it. And again, I'm back to that. person that one person or several person that is positive. They have be around people that are positive. Don't be around somebody that go, ⁓ my God, you have cancer. ⁓ my God. And then some people they don't they isolate themselves. They don't want to be friends with them anymore. That's another issue that I've seen ⁓ in the young. Wow the older ones might be, you know, the generational, you know, it's different. ⁓ some some more we're more different than the young. The young people will say, you know, I'm not telling anybody I'm mad, I'm angry, I'm gonna die, I'm not gonna have children, I'm not gonna get married. That's another thing, getting married and not having your real breasts. ⁓ that's another, that's another show. Yeah, that's all you're right. No, I understand. I love the saying, your vibe attracts your tribe. So surround yourself with people who are raising. I'm always like this, dance around, jump up and down, spin around. Raising your energetic vibe attracts your tribe and everything you're saying is what I stand for and believe in. You said something very important. The mind-body connection is everything. Because if your body is suffering from a disease and your mind is not at ease, that creates the disease, you know, the disconnect of ease and peace and love is Creating the disease. If you break up the word D I S, E A S E, Disease, it's a disconnect of peace, love, light, which causes disease. Because you know, dis-ease. If you don't have ease in your life, you're constantly stressed, your cortisol cortisol levels are going up. You're not sleeping, you're causing disease in your life. So Dr. Wayne Dyer always talked about that. ⁓ I love him. I met him in person. Yeah, me too, many times. See, we have so much in common. And I love what you also said about the survivorship programs. Do you know that at University of Miami, and this is what my father in our Dewaskin Foundation is trying to do? That's why I'm meeting with Carmen so much. There's a hundred thousand cancer patients at University of Miami Sylvester Hospital. Only thirty percent of them are utilizing those those survivorship programs and most And why is that? I wonder why that is. They're they're they have it there, but I don't think enough people are being personally ⁓ invited to go and like what I wanna do, and this is what I'm trying to do, I don't know if we can do it. I want those 70% of people personally invite why aren't yeah, invite them. I want to do Zoom. I want to do seminars, webinars. Get like get them excited like what you're doing to reach out because those 70% are either isolating themselves, they don't have enough knowledge, they're depressed, they're not reaching out to those survivorship programs. Let's do it. I'll do it. If we can get even 30 more percent Then it would be sixty forty instead of thirty seventy. So that's what I'm working on. And I think you and I met for a higher purpose because I would love to have you be part of it as well. I ⁓ so there. And Dr. Carmen Kaufa, I love her to death. She is she's amazing. She's amazing. So amazing. When it talked about an angel. Yeah, I'm gonna have her on the podcast, but she's so busy saving lives, it's hard to get her ⁓ my gosh, yes. Are you kidding? Yeah, I know that well. Same thing when she wrote out when she wrote her chapter in ⁓ experts in pink. But she came, she was at the book signing. We had like over 200 people. It was new. It was great. And we had our two friends that I'm sure you might know already, ⁓ from one ⁓ one point five light fm, Julie. They were our moderators. Yes, they she's my bestie too. You know, I'm always talking to her or texting her. Yeah. She is everyone's bestie. So we're gonna wrap this up, but I want to just have you first of all, I wanna thank you. You're a beautiful soul, beautiful spirit. I see your light around you. You're doing wonderful things, you're helping people, you're helping yourself, and I'm so grateful that you're okay and well. And you'll do beautiful things for the second half of your life to help others. But I I would love for you to end with whatever are viewers and audience, a way to give them hope, to close this out on a beautiful positive note. Whatever you wanna say, go for it. And also how people can reach out to you. Sure. ⁓ always, you know, I'm a firm believer in God and I believe we all come together for a reason. It's so important to believe in yourself, you are special. Okay. And surround yourself with those people that are loving, caring. ⁓ don't be afraid to talk and reach out. There's a lot of people that won't reach out, you know, they they clam in, but there's always hope. With the technology that they have today and in 10 more years, forget it. Woof, more technology with cures and and medical treatments. But always always think in your head, I can do this. Always say you can do this. Never say I can't. I don't like that word. I can't. Can't means won't. Okay? Yeah. So always have that in your mind and reach out to people. You'd be surprised how many people will turn around and help. You'd be surprised. And how can people reach out to you? You have your Instagram, you want to share it? Sure. I have my Instagram. I'm Cindy Papali. I have LinkedIn, which I communicate with a lot of people there. ⁓ Facebook I'm on Facebook like everybody ⁓ and I am on ⁓ I don't use Twitter that much but LinkedIn Facebook and Instagram are the they can reach out to me there and it's under they can DM DM and it's under Cindy Cindy yep Cindy Popali P A P A L E and a lot of people will say to me are you related to Vince Popaly? Yes he is my cousin former Philadelphia football player and the amazing movie invincible You have to go see that movie. That movie is amazing. ⁓ played by Mark Wahlberg. It's family friends. So yes, I love that. All right. Well, thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Lisa, thank you so much. This is really actually very healing for me too. Yeah. I haven't talked about this in a while. I really haven't. I have to get, you know, I'm gonna get back into doing that. And I told you we didn't have to rehearse anything. It's unscrewed. I know, no, right? Like we're having coffee. We're just here to be utilized as a voice to help others with healing. So thank you all for joining. And if you resonate with this podcast, please like it, share it, comment on it. And don't forget, call me at 754 222 4413. It's my Google Voice phone number for this podcast. Share your story with me. Leave a comment. Let us know what you think about this. And have a beautiful day. And I'm going to end with this that Cindy said. You have to love yourself, believe in yourself, because the most important thing everyone needs to know is you are enough. And I'm going to leave it with that. So have a beautiful day. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you so much. What a pleasure. We'll talk soon again. Okay. And thank you all. And we will see you next time. Bye. Bye.