tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75818019248109489322024-03-17T20:04:05.789-07:00mAss Kickers Foundation Group BlogThis is a group of unique bloggers sharing their insights on how to "KICK MASS." They will be sharing resources, their own personal stories, and stories of others that "KICK MASS."www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-72077786604941791122014-06-27T18:34:00.002-07:002014-06-27T18:36:04.338-07:00We are moving the blog to mAssKickers.org<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-b_CUFZgeUOAdIiDrXrhA7OSmcR7gn5XOUqlgbYoRfP4WbrqbWs0_kCsCCtzm_mGOw5ppRN6l1SR9ot7EOtBZrLlZhq8GdcWgUcUHKOPz0aXSFLjwDUdBiMIHPjqe8dPUE6X_yUiR2RP/s1600/2014+MKF+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-b_CUFZgeUOAdIiDrXrhA7OSmcR7gn5XOUqlgbYoRfP4WbrqbWs0_kCsCCtzm_mGOw5ppRN6l1SR9ot7EOtBZrLlZhq8GdcWgUcUHKOPz0aXSFLjwDUdBiMIHPjqe8dPUE6X_yUiR2RP/s1600/2014+MKF+banner.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></div>
WE ARE MOVING! TO <a href="http://www.masskickers.org/">www.masskickers.org</a><br />
<br />www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-91697798690329387972014-05-16T17:38:00.002-07:002014-05-16T17:41:32.835-07:002014 "How to Kick mAss" World Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIVCsugw1sz6sUFFLbKQAySPqXyL3Xy14dtGig4oHG44u419jmCxkSKTyw0Uksvv1Zg5LQkysWtl2fMphpOCbXuA_rlsbVrg8vSxtR7XVZFzT6LBRMFauSZN94D_PdL0YlOHZ0tuNzsnY/s1600/2014+How+To+Kick+mAss+1_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIVCsugw1sz6sUFFLbKQAySPqXyL3Xy14dtGig4oHG44u419jmCxkSKTyw0Uksvv1Zg5LQkysWtl2fMphpOCbXuA_rlsbVrg8vSxtR7XVZFzT6LBRMFauSZN94D_PdL0YlOHZ0tuNzsnY/s1600/2014+How+To+Kick+mAss+1_edited-1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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We are planning on taking a few tumor/cancer survivors to different areas of the pacific ocean to dispel the myth that “<em>cancer is a death sentence</em>.” Internationally, cancer survivorship is not as prominent as it is in the United States. Our plan is to educate the future healthcare professionals, current healthcare professionals, and patients that life after an intimidating tumor/cancer is not only possible but can also lead to changes in the stigma that cancer is a death sentence.</div>
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We firmly believe that <em>the global stigma of a tumor/cancer diagnosis as a death sentence needs to be addressed</em> and that tumor/cancer thrivers can be both <strong>a symbol and voice of hope</strong> in dispelling the myth that cancer is a death sentence.<br />
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<strong>Awaiting confirmation of the new venues in the summer/fall... details coming soon! </strong><strong>Check out what we did last year: We'll be blogging more frequently this year!</strong></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/04/last-week-mass-kickers-foundation-had.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/04/last-week-mass-kickers-foundation-had.html">Speaking in Hawaii</a></div>
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the Philippines/Japan:</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-japan-day-1.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-japan-day-1.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 1</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-day-2.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-day-2.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 2</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/thursday-japan-day-3-71813.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/thursday-japan-day-3-71813.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 3</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/friday-japan-day-4-71913.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/friday-japan-day-4-71913.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 4</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/saturday-japan-day-5-72013.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/saturday-japan-day-5-72013.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 5</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/sunday-japan-day-6-72113-brazilian.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/sunday-japan-day-6-72113-brazilian.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 6</a></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/monday-manila-day-1-72213-exploring.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/monday-manila-day-1-72213-exploring.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 1</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/tuesday-manila-day-2-72313-intramuros.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/tuesday-manila-day-2-72313-intramuros.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 2</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/wednesday-manila-day-3-72413-ateneo-de.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/wednesday-manila-day-3-72413-ateneo-de.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 3</a>*<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/thursday-manila-day-4-meeting-locals-at.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/thursday-manila-day-4-meeting-locals-at.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 4</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/friday-day-5-manilasan-pablo.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/friday-day-5-manilasan-pablo.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 5</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/saturday-manila-day-6-72613-tagaytay.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/saturday-manila-day-6-72613-tagaytay.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 6</a><br />
<a data-mce-href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-manila-day-7-72713.html" href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-manila-day-7-72713.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 7, 8</a></div>
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We could use your support in this ambitious venture! We are not familiar with other groups or organizations attempting this. Please consider a tax deductible donation to support our efforts in this mission. mAss Kickers Foundation will plan similar trips around the world! <strong> <a data-mce-href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/2014-how-to-kick-mass-educational-series/e32477" href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/2014-how-to-kick-mass-educational-series/e32477" target="_blank">Please help us spread the message of tumor/cancer "THRIVERSHIP" around the world!</a></strong></div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-13661770784435246662014-05-15T15:53:00.002-07:002014-05-15T15:56:59.498-07:00TUMORS SUCK 2014 Part 3<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DQT82X9cvgw" width="560"></iframe>www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-91743593843187317952014-05-01T18:57:00.002-07:002014-05-01T18:58:53.709-07:00OMG 2014, Las Vegas*originally published on www.ericgalvezdpt.com<br />
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This past weekend I went to my third OMG Cancer Summit for young adult survivors. I always come back from this conference physically exhausted, but emotionally recharged. We decided not to table this year in order to enjoy the conference and network on a more personal level with the attendees! I love going to this event because it is a great feeling finding people who have gone through similar experiences and understand the nuances of why you have to do things... As an 8-year young brain tumor survivor turned brain tumor thriver, I still remember how isolating it was after treatment. Meeting and hanging out with people who understand your impairments felt like finding a long lost brother or sister separated at birth! I will never forget that feeling. On Saturday, I attended a session on Genomics and Forging Partnerships with Cancer Centers. On Sunday, I attended the "First Steps to Fitness" Session and a Risk Management session. This past year I was so happy to see more brain tumor specific sessions. Unfortunately, I came in a day late and missed 2 of my brain tumor buddies, <a href="http://www.ashleymyersturner.com/" target="_blank">Ashley</a> and <a href="http://platedlife.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Catherine</a> speaking on the brain tumor panel. I'm so happy to see brain tumor issues being represented at a "cancer conference". We've come a long way!
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Don't get me wrong going to Vegas wasn't all business. There were a lot of fun events planned as well! Friday night, we saw a screening of a number of extreme sports short films presented by First Descents then hung out at the Ghostbar in the hotel. For me, I've learned that IT'S ALL ABOUT PACING YOURSELF AT THESE CONFERENCES! Saturday night, a group of 11 survivors from California went to see the <a href="http://www.jbwkz.com/prism/" target="_blank">Jabbawookeez</a> show, Prism, at the Luxor. mAss Kickers Foundation was able to secure complimentary tickets for the small group! It was really cool seeing the Jabbawookies live. I've been following them since their days on MTV's ABDC, America's Best Dance Crew. I always notice when Filipinos do some thing big. PLUS they are from San Diego... HAHAHA! After the show, we took some pictures and grabbed a bite to eat at the Luxor. It was so cool getting to know everyone there! After a pretty eventful day, we decided to just hangout at the hotel while everyone else partied the night away! Totally fine by me because I got to know the NorCal guys pretty well. You really get to know people when there isn't loud music or an artificial aura of trying to impress someone. Chill and shooting the breeze... more my style then the club scene lately.
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-24727836357584661602014-05-01T18:46:00.000-07:002014-05-01T18:46:01.462-07:00TUMORS SUCK 2014 Part 2 <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/u4_5GcOaXNc" width="560"></iframe>www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-26287366694301021512014-03-12T18:53:00.005-07:002014-03-12T18:55:45.883-07:00Tumors Suck 2014 Part 1TUMORS SUCK! 2014 PART 1<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-40811512502806260932014-01-23T16:54:00.000-08:002014-01-23T16:55:32.527-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b> Becky MacK Goes to Washington</b></div>
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Every
year, in the United States, more than one million people are diagnosed with
cancer and every year, more than 500,000 people die of cancer. That is one big ball of stunning,
unbelievable and scary to say the very least.
Those facts shouldn’t just scare you, though; they should catapult you
into action. When I was diagnosed with
Medullary thyroid cancer and learned that there was no cure for my disease,
suddenly whether or not clinical trials would be funded was important to
me. Suddenly, my priorities consisted of
things like making sure that treatments and healthcare would be available when
I needed them. The National Institute of
Health, comprehensive cancer centers and new drug developments became my
central focus. </div>
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That is why I involved myself with the American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8KXafnsUvnBjhxmsBW1yrYa5a-KqrSKeYpsQoba3v9i8ToY0OEQVN4INy2i6_JVTQDtEQo-S45W3jGYoanfXKjEe8jsZba7nFD1EybF61izlPjIUEsXcDZR71hVrYE7UM4FXoIW0mKU/s1600/CAN+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8KXafnsUvnBjhxmsBW1yrYa5a-KqrSKeYpsQoba3v9i8ToY0OEQVN4INy2i6_JVTQDtEQo-S45W3jGYoanfXKjEe8jsZba7nFD1EybF61izlPjIUEsXcDZR71hVrYE7UM4FXoIW0mKU/s1600/CAN+2.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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ACS CAN works with lawmakers to ensure that cancer
is a national priority. The organization
works every single day advocating for public policies in the United States that
are helping to put an end to cancer and cancer disparities. More
importantly to me, the organization gives me a loud, powerful and effective
voice. ACS CAN gives me knowledge in the
land of cancer legislation keeps me up to date on the latest laws that affect
cancer patients across the United States.
ACS CAN gives me options when my cancer tries to take them away.</div>
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On Tuesday, September 10<sup>th</sup>, 2013, I
joined ACS CAN’s staff and volunteers in Washington, D.C. Together, we covered our capital building in
a sea of blue ACS CAN shirts and advocated, educated and told our stories. A
total of 450 volunteers, including 256 cancer survivors attended 463 meetings
with lawmakers, demanding that cancer be seen as a national priority. I was fortunate enough to be a part of this
important lobby day and very loudly and proudly represented Florida’s 19<sup>th</sup>
Congressional district. Together, we asked for lawmakers to consider
three things:</div>
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First, we asked lawmakers to replace
funding for cancer research that was taken away when the sequestration occurred. Specifically, we asked that funding for the
National Institute of Health and the National Cancer Institute to be restored
and for continued funding for both cancer prevention and early detection at the
Center for Disease Control. I am living
with a type of cancer that does not have a complete, systemic cure and this
funding is essential for people like me because we depend heavily on cancer research
and clinical trials. Less funding means
less research, less drug development and less hope for my cure. Less funding means limited access to clinical
trials. Less funding means less lives
are saved. I will not accept that. It’s time for less cancer and more funding,
research and options. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-oYpdV4sZvXl2pQN1ye4p4J8EynYOQl6ijUIvoOUQ5rBB-tMogIwHWAdUIux7HlXGpM9vZsx7J90r-wIPwmneksdY3_4t82ajjEpKfgaUxF-9ydp_yqQV_tKJKe8lsvfKGPz3qpueio/s1600/CAN+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-oYpdV4sZvXl2pQN1ye4p4J8EynYOQl6ijUIvoOUQ5rBB-tMogIwHWAdUIux7HlXGpM9vZsx7J90r-wIPwmneksdY3_4t82ajjEpKfgaUxF-9ydp_yqQV_tKJKe8lsvfKGPz3qpueio/s1600/CAN+4.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Second, we asked lawmakers to
support legislation that encourages palliative care or quality of life,
something that has been proven to decrease healthcare costs and improve the
quality and length of life in cancer patients. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">When I met with members of Congress, I
explained to them that cancer comes with physical pain, nausea, anxiety and
emotional distress. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Palliative care
involves addressing the needs of the whole patient, not just the disease and,
while palliative care does involve things like hospice and end of life care, it
doesn’t begin there.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Medical
professionals make use of palliative care at the beginning of a patient’s diagnosis
and continue with it during treatment.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Every
cancer patient has the right to be free of pain and nausea and to have his/her
entire self treated.</span></div>
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I will never forget laying in an MRI scan for
over an hour. I was required to lie
completely still the entire time, but all I did was worry and cry. I knew that the radiologist was looking for
tumors and I panicked at the thought. I
couldn’t stay still and as I sobbed, my entire body shook. Because I was moving so much, we had to
repeat the procedure the following week.
This time, the nurse offered to give me something to calm down and rest
before the procedure began. Repeating
the procedure unnecessarily cost both me and the hospital more money. Had someone addressed my emotional needs the first
time, it not only would have saved money, it would have helped my anxiety and
saved time. That is palliative
care. Yes, we need to treat the cancer,
but we also need to consider every other aspect of a cancer patient’s
experience. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5rs7eYNoP6hedMfZSDSytD9SvoAEaa0MSID5KOOR7MbrzqvavoL3_tSU5L9Jw7vZ0MlMj9E-_VYjFiVvI2gpy2uPbaakEUR9092XISzgJEqIJNV1g39e5dyE5EvUug8WkGrnGddRSkU/s1600/CAN+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5rs7eYNoP6hedMfZSDSytD9SvoAEaa0MSID5KOOR7MbrzqvavoL3_tSU5L9Jw7vZ0MlMj9E-_VYjFiVvI2gpy2uPbaakEUR9092XISzgJEqIJNV1g39e5dyE5EvUug8WkGrnGddRSkU/s1600/CAN+1.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Finally, we requested that
Congress increase the federal cigarette tax by 94 cents.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">An increase in the federal cigarette tax has
been proven to deter youth from smoking and decrease healthcare costs.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">I recently learned that for every pack of
cigarettes a smoker purchases, it adds $10.47 to the United States
economy.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Nothing, and I mean absolutely
nothing, good comes from smoking a cigarette or using any type of tobacco
product.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span></div>
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It isn't j<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">ust research
that is going to help find cures for people like me.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">It is also the public policies that allow for
the implementation and funding of that research.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Know what’s happening in your community.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Demand that your lawmakers at the local,
state and federal levels are paying attention to their constituents, people
that are affected by this disease every single day.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Let’s hold them accountable.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">I know I will.</span></div>
Becky MacKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304233567640754288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-32241956980176749572014-01-10T09:20:00.000-08:002014-01-10T09:38:01.293-08:00Tell That Tumor Off!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_9ZnTIfB0uKAkKE60zdcd1L4K0-DwCFZVCzmC2lW8guAGuL_1pySHP39tUPWmROxmGK8x5Hw93ytRt6ysRh9rikyYz0oNSjwA9RegpgD49pY4aaBxFau4KAfLdxMaYpylboToYNoYuQi/s1600/hawk+vs+lumpy+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_9ZnTIfB0uKAkKE60zdcd1L4K0-DwCFZVCzmC2lW8guAGuL_1pySHP39tUPWmROxmGK8x5Hw93ytRt6ysRh9rikyYz0oNSjwA9RegpgD49pY4aaBxFau4KAfLdxMaYpylboToYNoYuQi/s1600/hawk+vs+lumpy+13.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a></div>
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For all you patients with tumors or loved ones of patients with tumors this is your chance to “vent”. Leave a comment. We will not edit anything, but we do have one rule: PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING RACIALLY, CULTURALLY, SEXUALLY, OR RELIGIOUSLY DEROGATORY WORDS! Remember anyone can read this. Thanks. </div>
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Sup Brain Tumor</div>
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My name is Eric. I’m a 38 year old guy originally from Michigan. We met in Sept 2005. We had a 1.2 in 100,000 chance of meeting. Because of you I haven’t been able to return to work as a Physical Therapist, go surfing, run, swim, or bike. My balance is all messed up because of you. You scared the hell out of me, my parents, my family, and my friends. “F” you. Actually, thanks for making me stronger, smarter, and more focused. You picked the wrong guy to mess with. There are a bunch of smart people doing research to fight you. It’s only a matter of time before before someone finds a cure to fight you. Your days are numbered.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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Eric AKA “Galvez”</div>
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-66020578154072183692013-12-11T18:15:00.001-08:002014-04-11T12:33:19.249-07:002013 Year in Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjFPWs7Bzw_zEJsOIAdWLgTkYltCWjjErijUstTy5YfbP86PhFTRzb053ikf1IurIc7lHa_gHd3EKoJYyJuX_rm0We0wZ91Z_dEwEYoFvVVsqJOSWPfmfRfcuoYe7URpKG-_Abm00SaXR/s1600/2013+surviving+attitude+thriving+v8_edited-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjFPWs7Bzw_zEJsOIAdWLgTkYltCWjjErijUstTy5YfbP86PhFTRzb053ikf1IurIc7lHa_gHd3EKoJYyJuX_rm0We0wZ91Z_dEwEYoFvVVsqJOSWPfmfRfcuoYe7URpKG-_Abm00SaXR/s400/2013+surviving+attitude+thriving+v8_edited-3.jpg" height="106" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc98jgttYk45BEMhiezd2gJ2FhDG9ZDW1vrofBETnW8rBbrQQnFu7H0hyphenhyphenxevUNx0pZzYgZWZrwGMbwgaG4kCcfLrX1IS6QM0wCCfyxihnf6ZrN4Y7zXTWgBAafd_y47K0MEpfw_FIRow3y/s1600/2013a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc98jgttYk45BEMhiezd2gJ2FhDG9ZDW1vrofBETnW8rBbrQQnFu7H0hyphenhyphenxevUNx0pZzYgZWZrwGMbwgaG4kCcfLrX1IS6QM0wCCfyxihnf6ZrN4Y7zXTWgBAafd_y47K0MEpfw_FIRow3y/s200/2013a.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
2013 was another exciting year for mAss Kickers Foundation! We got our first office space at the prestigious <a href="http://www.sdfoundation.org/">San Diego Foundation</a>. This was the first step in attaining credibility as a startup nonprofit. In the San Diego Foundation, we would be neighbors with <a href="http://cotaprogram.org/">CoTA (Collaborations: Teachers and Artists)</a>, <a href="http://voiceofsandiego.org/about-us/">Voice of San Diego</a>, <a href="http://pac-arts.org/">Pacific Arts Movement </a>, and other San Diego based nonprofit organizations. We made some great connections and look forward to future collaborations.<br />
<br />
2013 was also the year that we created <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152025039701747.1073741826.52097066746&type=3">mAss Kickers Sports</a>. This was the first year we had athletes pushing themselves through competition to honor the people who are in an epic “battle” for their lives and well-being. People ran, biked, swam, played soccer, and played basketball <b>to honor</b> the brave people combating these horrible diseases!<br />
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mAss Kickers Foundation attained new video equipment and created a bunch of new videos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3_a_MkQ4GXZYyFYtikdXNQ/videos?view=1%3Enew%20videos!%3C/a%3E%20%20Check%20out:%20all%20the%20interviews,%20Tumors%20Suck%20videos,%20and%20event%20videos!%20%20%20We%20have%20started%20posting%20fun%20videos%20You%20can%20see%20the%20evolution%20of%20the%20Tumors%20Suck%20Videos%20%3Ca%20href=" http:="" masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com="" p="" tumors-suck-video-vault.html="">here: </a><br />
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We were very excited to start 2013! In January, mAss Kickers Foundation was well represented at the <a href="http://www.apta.org/csm/">American Physical Therapy Association’s Annual Combined Section Meeting</a> in San Diego. We are looking forward to getting more involved with the <a href="http://www.oncologypt.org/home-page.cfm">APTA Oncology Section</a> to address physical rehabilitation for post-treatment impairments in tumor/cancer patients.<br />
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mAss Kickers Foundation had our first table at the C4YW(Cancer 4 Young Women) conference in Seattle, Washington in February. It was very interesting gaining insight on the unique issues of survivorship after breast cancer treatment. We met many <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQuxuDeE7nVW-6w5vy17X0ziWzsNadsmh">new friends</a> there and we look forward to returning in 2014!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTEwyx763ztih3M42qCsD6J2fVIoO_z_GWTk4D7I9slKBfr2lNSPruTUb3UHK5KOx_vUI6MkGSLsvi2z1vUCjAPhaKJ17bPgnPxuAtX7xhLxZL7s0TpVpfLTmCjSMl_C_olRot7tIwqHy/s1600/hawaii4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTEwyx763ztih3M42qCsD6J2fVIoO_z_GWTk4D7I9slKBfr2lNSPruTUb3UHK5KOx_vUI6MkGSLsvi2z1vUCjAPhaKJ17bPgnPxuAtX7xhLxZL7s0TpVpfLTmCjSMl_C_olRot7tIwqHy/s200/hawaii4.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
In March, mAss Kickers Foundation had the opportunity to travel to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151377097940662.1073741826.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Hawaii</a> and speak about young adult survivorship at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Social Work. Hannah Hansen, Marc Rodriguez, and Eric Galvez shared their personal stories as young adult survivors with future Social Workers and addressed questions from the students. One of the first high school mAss Kickers, Catherine Blotner, attended Cancer Treatment Center of America Blogger Summit again in Arizona. So many great connections were made there.<br />
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Later in March, we were introduced to the concept of “Integrative Medicine.” To learn more about Integrative Medicine to fight cancer, Arilda Surridge, Monika Allen, and Eric Galvez attended <a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/04/ucsd-center-for-integrative-medicine.html"> the UCSD Integrative Oncology conference. </a><br />
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In April, we had a table at the Stupid Cancer, OMG Conference for young adult cancer survivors in Las Vegas, NV. It was great reconnecting with old friends and meeting new friends who are just starting their survivorship journey. OMG is the premier gathering for education and networking for young adult survivors.<br />
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Collaboration is the KEY to winning the war on tumors/cancer. Realistically, no single person or organization will defeat these diseases. In May, we brought together scientists, patients, healthcare professionals, and advocates together to talk about how, TOGETHER, WE CAN FIGHT THESE DISEASES<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnjOTv8MkpLG0mO1UgBKMb9l96l_GqdyWEcmc7JgZuRyi-J3MEP2wxgGcqFHXLY9-jwec9UnrBI5gZF0smVTcsz2jcIJQ_82CloQCK6RITud9s1htbyRz20-zVYepJDdKvDlZ8YxsCf4j/s1600/tokyo+day+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnjOTv8MkpLG0mO1UgBKMb9l96l_GqdyWEcmc7JgZuRyi-J3MEP2wxgGcqFHXLY9-jwec9UnrBI5gZF0smVTcsz2jcIJQ_82CloQCK6RITud9s1htbyRz20-zVYepJDdKvDlZ8YxsCf4j/s200/tokyo+day+3.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
In July we continued our international travel. We visited Tokyo, Japan and met up with a few survivors in Tokyo. We then went to Manila, Philippines and gave a talk at Ateneo De Manila to future healthcare professionals and met some cancer survivors. We made many new international friends and look forward to returning some day.<br />
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-japan-day-1.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 1</a> <a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-tour-part-2-day-2.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 2</a> <a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/thursday-japan-day-3-71813.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 3</a><br />
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/friday-japan-day-4-71913.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 4</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/saturday-japan-day-5-72013.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 5</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/07/sunday-japan-day-6-72113-brazilian.html" target="_blank">Japan Day 6</a><br />
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/monday-manila-day-1-72213-exploring.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 1</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/tuesday-manila-day-2-72313-intramuros.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 2</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/wednesday-manila-day-3-72413-ateneo-de.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 3</a><br />
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/thursday-manila-day-4-meeting-locals-at.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 4</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/friday-day-5-manilasan-pablo.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 5</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/saturday-manila-day-6-72613-tagaytay.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 6</a>
<a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/sunday-manila-day-7-72713.html" target="_blank">Philippines Day 7, 8</a><br />
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We returned to the USA in August and spent a few days in Michigan for one of our signature events. Angel Bureau and Andrew Wlodyga organized the 4th Annual TUMORS SUCK PAINTBALL BENEFIT at Hell’s Survivors Paintball field in Pinckney, MI USA . The event has gotten more popular every year! We are always honored to meet new survivors at this event! It is also great seeing the die-hard paint ballers every year because their enthusiasm in the event embodies the assistance from friends and family that a “post-treatment survivor” needs to become a “post-treatment thriver.”<br />
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In October, we did <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151702753275662.1073741846.508070661&type=3">a minority bone marrow registry drive </a>for A3M at the FilAmFest cultural festival in San Diego, CA USA. We believe that it is imperative for ethnic minorities to be on the registry because life saving bone marrow matches are based on the similarities in the genetic codes of people of similar ethnic backgrounds.
Later in the month we held our annual International Tumors Suck Day: Celebration of Life in San Diego California. At this event we honored the people that stuck by us through the difficult times with toasts for family, friends, and fellow survivors. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkQQ4q4QS-8"> Check out the video</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzz66YK_xt7Z4wyYzch02deqs4n2_ykAQLWDQkAj8GFF1XEbbi1aKtAiljfWB5xFXtP5dBKUz2gz-beKoyVR7Zm6-6lCeiUB2c7CvCegnarghVSBWqOtua2WgfroBjAv7Hd7MPVpoC8M2/s1600/ts1113sdaffa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzz66YK_xt7Z4wyYzch02deqs4n2_ykAQLWDQkAj8GFF1XEbbi1aKtAiljfWB5xFXtP5dBKUz2gz-beKoyVR7Zm6-6lCeiUB2c7CvCegnarghVSBWqOtua2WgfroBjAv7Hd7MPVpoC8M2/s200/ts1113sdaffa.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
In November, we teamed up with A3M again to host <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnanKTndpgY">a minority bone marrow registry drive</a> at the Pacific Art Movement’s 2013 San Diego Asian Film Festival. Many new connections were made there, opening the door for future collaborations. Of course we had to participate in Movember/"No-shave November"... always funny seeing <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Island-of-Misfit-Mos-2013/302558636436558" target="_blank">the pictures and the nicknames</a> for the facial hair!<br />
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In December, we are moving offices again because we do too much travel to necessitate a formal office. We decided to look into renting desk space at <a href="http://3rdspace.co/">3rd Space </a> in San Diego. There are many start-ups and creative organizations there. We are looking forward to the new collaborations we create there!<br />
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We have big plans in 2014. We want to do more international travel next year to educate people about post-treatment “thrivership”… We potentially have the University of Singapore and hospitals in Vancouver Canada on the agenda. We also may return to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Please consider a tax-deductible donation so that we can fund our ambitious 2014 plans!
THE WORLD NEEDS TO LEARN THAT A TUMOR/CANCER DIAGNOSIS IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE. THEY MUST LEARN HOW TO KICK MASS!www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-30166239156797745982013-11-18T11:28:00.002-08:002013-11-26T09:18:48.691-08:00TUMORS SUCK 2013 PART 6: San Diego Asian Film Festival<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AnanKTndpgY" width="500"></iframe>www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-49628447181134815512013-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:002013-12-09T09:15:05.028-08:00Research: What it is and Three Fun Facts about It by Kayla Hutchinson, Rudy Mercado, Angelica Gutierrez, and Elizabeth Diane Cordero, Ph.D.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YEMqlKYSjMF2SAjG60JLXo8IeBFRXYEPuYxC_eddvhpiDtDARww14z1BMcVa6njqoB2PGbG-8jYozBx2xDdodVMV6qsAbkS638J1e4gdOwb8NbtGgUUsDZ9xzKd_ACEB3TglQ6sxAz6o/s1600/research.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YEMqlKYSjMF2SAjG60JLXo8IeBFRXYEPuYxC_eddvhpiDtDARww14z1BMcVa6njqoB2PGbG-8jYozBx2xDdodVMV6qsAbkS638J1e4gdOwb8NbtGgUUsDZ9xzKd_ACEB3TglQ6sxAz6o/s400/research.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Research plays
a vital role in our world, but some of us don’t know what it is exactly or
maybe have some bad impressions of it. Research—proper, scientific research,
that is—is the careful, systematic collection and analysis of information.
Admittedly, this is a pretty broad definition of what research is, but there
are a lot of different ways that research is conducted and applied. It’s a good
idea to be knowledgeable about what scientific research is comprised of,
especially because we can help improve the lives of other people and the world
around us if we make ourselves available to participate in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’re not
always aware of it, but we’re presented with statements about research findings
fairly often. For instance, television, radio, the internet, and billboards all
advertise products that claim to be effective, and the “evidence” for how
products work is usually reports made by consumers who have tried the products
and have benefited from them (for example,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>9 out of 10 people who tried Miracle Product X lost an average of 15
lbs.!!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These can technically be
considered research findings in that the advertising agencies, or the companies
they represent, set out to collect information about how/if their products work
for people and to make sense of that information in some way (such as counting
the number of people for whom the product worked). However, the findings
described by advertisements are often based on information that was collected
using less-than-careful methods, or those who are making the statements are not
held very accountable for the truth behind them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scientific
research is quite different than the research that we hear about in advertisements.
It is based on empirical (observed) findings from data (information) collected
using the scientific method. This means that researchers learn from past
studies of the phenomena they are interested in (the phenomena of interest are
called “variables” because these are things that vary or change according to
different circumstances), create hypotheses (educated guesses) based on past
research about what circumstances will affect or be affected by their
variables, and systematically measure their variables (for a more in-depth
discussion of the scientific method, visit: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-method6.htm).
The scientific method makes sure that research is done in a controlled fashion
so that the results are as unbiased as possible and so other researchers can evaluate
the process the researchers used and whether or not something can be learned
from the results of the study. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This last
part is one of the most important points of research—to be able to learn
something that can be used to help people or the world in some way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s
a lot that can be said about research. Here are some of our favorite things
about it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDWdEon0YB3nFJUvvrayiBYhxi5dyaXLBuQRYiNfAMuOuDDRnSNQG_m1QlPpNSkG6jMmh-fvi2jUvKaeCqzWvgKe42k1CjfEwvJPMX9gyh84En_d1gLLt9zIQEMCqDXYUjMuQzsbH08hZ/s1600/safety-580x580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDWdEon0YB3nFJUvvrayiBYhxi5dyaXLBuQRYiNfAMuOuDDRnSNQG_m1QlPpNSkG6jMmh-fvi2jUvKaeCqzWvgKe42k1CjfEwvJPMX9gyh84En_d1gLLt9zIQEMCqDXYUjMuQzsbH08hZ/s200/safety-580x580.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1) <b>Research is safe.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Research
is sometimes viewed as negative. You might have seen something in a movie in
which an evil scientist creates a sinister concoction that will turn human
beings into monsters. Or maybe you’ve heard in the media about some kind of
research that was done and that it harmed people or animals. Or maybe you have
a funny feeling that researchers are cold and consider the people who
participate in their studies their “guinea pigs.” In any event, people are
sometimes apprehensive about p</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">articipation in research because of all of the misconceptions they have
been exposed to. And to be honest, there have been some immoral and unethical
things done under the guise of research in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When participation in research is discussed,
people sometimes focus on extreme cases or exaggerated, often inaccurate,
horror stories. However, government agencies and r<span style="color: black;">esearchers
over the years have developed safety measures to protect participants from
harm. We have institutions that review, approve/disapprove of, and monitor what
researchers are doing. Additionally, re</span>search participants have rights
and these rights are protected throughout the research process. Most
researchers are required to provide you with a document tha<span style="color: black;">t explains the purpose of the research and describes what
you will be asked to do so that you can provide informed consent to
participate. As a participant, you have a right to know about any consequences
or side effects that might be reasonably anticipated, how much time it will
take to participate, and most importantly that you can end your participation <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at any time </i>without experiencing
penalties. Many people do not know that when participants want to stop their participation,
they can. Participants should never feel forced to continue something if they
do not want to. Also, information that you provide that has your name on it or
any other type of information that would identify you is required to be kept
private and guarded—this usually means locked up somehow, maybe in a filing
cabinet or in a password-protected database. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
might be thinking at this point, “Well, what if I’m asked to take a new drug or
try out a new treatment? If it’s new, how can the researcher know it won’t hurt
me?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes researchers are testing
out novel medications or medical procedures. That’s a good thing because
there’s potential for interventions that are even better than the ones we have
now, but it means that there are some unknown risks involved. This can be
scary, but please know that there is some sort of history of reasoning or
evidence behind the safety of a medication or procedure by the time researchers
are allowed to administer it to human beings, such as data from animal subjects
(who researchers are legally and ethically obligated to treat well) or from
closely-related substances or techniques that have been used in human beings
before. Correspondingly, researchers involved in these kinds of studies will
monitor the health of their participants, and participants are given the
opportunity to provide feedback about how and what they’re feeling. Bottom
line: Participants’ safety is of utmost importance to researchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2) <b>Research is essential.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM_ICdL0ORQ5Ako7l2MHnz_GkbYh0tTyEtNAfKChrgayo4-dOHJXfr85K1sE9wbkB5ke0h7Wnd10clGzqMD7eXbMm6pNmgoyCrDGw8izSfMMpiaGntwleayzvWZYtcMCw57Rduy0nwhgs/s1600/important.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM_ICdL0ORQ5Ako7l2MHnz_GkbYh0tTyEtNAfKChrgayo4-dOHJXfr85K1sE9wbkB5ke0h7Wnd10clGzqMD7eXbMm6pNmgoyCrDGw8izSfMMpiaGntwleayzvWZYtcMCw57Rduy0nwhgs/s200/important.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 35.4pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Research
is necessary and we need it for advancements in any type of field. How do we
know how best to support cancer patients and survivors so that they are living
their best lives? We need to conduct research, possibly ask cancer patients and
survivors to talk with us about what they need. How do we know which
medications will help us to feel better when we’re sick? We need to conduct
research, maybe ask people to participate in clinical trials for new
medications. Many of the medications that we take when we are feeling ill were
part of an investigational drug program in the past and now we take them
because researchers found that they are effective and help us feel better.
These are the advances that researchers make for our benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOXyCDiH7mcuB8c6dWWvJiFMa7eiErM_fdBjDHn5VPE0VQGqDTvOjisOuxz7C1rgfA0_gwYh4rrkecFahlDvFnSzPCOzXlXqT-k9x-sPaRhJgmTRywFrVxYHsE38Q8JUJxQhZvNI9nLHX/s1600/change-the-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOXyCDiH7mcuB8c6dWWvJiFMa7eiErM_fdBjDHn5VPE0VQGqDTvOjisOuxz7C1rgfA0_gwYh4rrkecFahlDvFnSzPCOzXlXqT-k9x-sPaRhJgmTRywFrVxYHsE38Q8JUJxQhZvNI9nLHX/s200/change-the-world.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3) <b>You can help change the world by
participating in research. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scientific
research has improved the lives of people worldwide. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The discovery of a particular
phenomenon can help efforts to provide resources that can aid in alleviating
world dilemmas or concerns. In addition, understanding what affects us can
spark the curiosity of another researcher to apply that knowledge to future
studies. What many people do not realize is that none of this would be possible
without participants. Participants truly are researchers’ partners in the
scientific process; without people providing researchers with information about
whatever it is the researchers are studying, then researchers couldn’t make
discoveries or advancements in any field of research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cancer-based
research is a field that’s always in need of participants. Cancer is a
life-changing illness that unfortunately affects many people, both directly and
indirectly. Participation in research is one more way to fight and beat cancer,
whether it’s research about medications, treatments, surgeries, or
quality-of-life issues. The information that you give to researchers can be
used to help others, and when—not if, but when—a cure is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>found, you can look back and say that you were
a part of saving the lives of the many people who might be diagnosed with
cancer in the future. Participate in research and change the world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Have we
convinced you? Here are some helpful links with more information about
research, including how to participate:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForPatientAdvocates/ParticipatinginClinicalTrials/default.htm" target="_blank">Participating in Clinical Trials</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.ciscrp.org/" target="_blank">The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.cancer.org/research/researchtopreventcancer/index" target="_blank">Cancer Prevention Research Studies</a></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkn8x2Hz4Ltie9De02h53FGhGOfB0BkAgR4eq9juZpbsYozMw4FIxQHHxtHGmv6OXTC2jzkh2v13oyC-7RksJhDwW0IJh9P4YEzlnyyUbDNUi8nWcn9B8fUWO_on9gS01pSJJYAvesPonc/s1600/100_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkn8x2Hz4Ltie9De02h53FGhGOfB0BkAgR4eq9juZpbsYozMw4FIxQHHxtHGmv6OXTC2jzkh2v13oyC-7RksJhDwW0IJh9P4YEzlnyyUbDNUi8nWcn9B8fUWO_on9gS01pSJJYAvesPonc/s200/100_0714.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured: Rudy Mercado and Kayla Hutchinson</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 0px;"><i>Kayla Hutchinson, Rudy Mercado, Angelica Gutierrez, and Dr. Elizabeth Cordero are proudly affiliated with the psychology program at the Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University (SDSU-IV). Kayla and Rudy are undergraduate students, Angelica is a recent graduate, and Dr. Cordero is an associate professor.</i></span></div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-2492487632383825972013-10-21T14:15:00.000-07:002014-01-03T17:26:37.446-08:00Saying thanks to our "unsung heroes"<center>
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<b>10/17/13 San Diego, CA USA.</b> The people who support a person undergoing treatment for a tumor/cancer deserve recognition. They helplessly stand by and watch their loved ones get weaker in front of their eyes. What many people don't realize is that <i>when someone gets diagnosed with a tumor/cancer, A LOT of people are affected! </i> Of course the patient is affected the most, but the people who are on "stand-by" as a loved one get weaker need to be recognized. It is frustrating to watch a loved one's struggle against these diseases. There are no words to express the gratitude for people who were at our side through the rough times. The support received from these special people, can easily be taken for granted. They deserve recognition. We decided that there needs to be an event organized by survivors to honor the people that were there for us. We wanted to honor our<i> friends, family, and fellow survivors</i> with unique toasts! The focus of the event is not on the survivors, but on <u>the people that helped us through a very difficult time!</u> Check out the videos from the 2013 event:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkQQ4q4QS-8" target="_blank">The 2013 Tumors Suck Part 5: Celebration of Life video</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?feature=edit_ok&list=PLQuxuDeE7nVXb92IujcZ-R6fRntHHyUCx" target="_blank">Tumors Suck NewsFlash videos @ 2013 Celebration of Life for International Tumors Suck Day</a><br />
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These diseases transform everyone. We can decide <b>how</b> we are transformed. There are 3 options:<br />
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #29303b; line-height: 18.71875px;">
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>dive –</b> psychologically<strong> </strong>succumb to the disease</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>survive – </strong>weather the storm of an intimidating diagnosis</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>thrive – </strong>become proactive in the fight against these diseases </span></li>
</ol>
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Patients cannot learn to "thrive" alone. Support is <b>needed</b> from family, friends, and fellow survivors. On 10/17/13, we wanted to recognize these people for helping us through a very difficult time!<br />
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Please help us continue to grow! We are now planning more international speaking engagements! <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/san-diego/events/2013-international-tumors-suck-day-celebration-life/e27477" target="_blank">We could really use your support.</a> You can be a part of a new strategy to fight ALL tumors/cancer... ATTITUDE... this ain't no pity party.<br />
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We'll send you some TUMORS SUCK stickers and <a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/p/tumors-suck-video-vault.html" target="_blank">put you in the next video</a> with your <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/san-diego/events/2013-international-tumors-suck-day-celebration-life/e27477" target="_blank">online donation!</a></div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-24743277650493124432013-09-02T13:36:00.002-07:002013-09-02T13:49:16.630-07:00September is a very busy awareness month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOePK8z4UO7XKob3Qc042m_DSm24Eh_miLrvwkrgOrjRCUvA-PZAi8gPDozEhjg5pIwjomqhXc6z7C_xf3K3Ohf_ZqDqS3PPuUKqRB0Xc1tJtSIKRW7bJtm7Bp01eEiEsxR0Cu7Ecvh3LL/s1600/2013+september+awareness+long.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOePK8z4UO7XKob3Qc042m_DSm24Eh_miLrvwkrgOrjRCUvA-PZAi8gPDozEhjg5pIwjomqhXc6z7C_xf3K3Ohf_ZqDqS3PPuUKqRB0Xc1tJtSIKRW7bJtm7Bp01eEiEsxR0Cu7Ecvh3LL/s320/2013+september+awareness+long.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-46142898609449299202013-08-18T13:00:00.001-07:002013-08-18T16:24:44.298-07:00Sunday, Manila Day 7 & 8, 7/27-28/13: Last day and the journey home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2w4h54f1eEk6WEyxfcAT8TzbfWSRoDDq8qeZoFbdSHGyoakB6extDkNrZ5dWG_eGyTj3izLGOSmmW2yrkvdUjEok2q7_Q1AdNI_jb-KCd6npaN1jaWQQpT6TYwb70t86zOvCV3ExnRcF4/s1600/man+day7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2w4h54f1eEk6WEyxfcAT8TzbfWSRoDDq8qeZoFbdSHGyoakB6extDkNrZ5dWG_eGyTj3izLGOSmmW2yrkvdUjEok2q7_Q1AdNI_jb-KCd6npaN1jaWQQpT6TYwb70t86zOvCV3ExnRcF4/s320/man+day7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After our busy day on Saturday, we used Sunday to catch up on all our blogging. My cousin invited us over for lunch for an authentic Filipino meal! We had fish: something local and <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2012/05/17/top-10-favorite-tilapia-recipes/" target="_blank">tilapia</a>, <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2011/08/09/chicken-and-corn-soup/" target="_blank">corn soup</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_adobo" target="_blank">adobo</a>, <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/06/09/lumpiang-shanghai-spring-rolls/" target="_blank">lumpia</a>, <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/05/09/dinuguan-blood-stew/" target="_blank">dinuguan</a> (I don't touch that stuff), <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/08/05/filipino-chow-mein-noodle-pansit-pancit-canton-recipe/" target="_blank">pancit canton</a>, some vegetable dish, <a href="http://panlasangpinoy.com/2011/04/12/the-truth-about-philippine-mangoes/" target="_blank">fresh mangos</a>, and of course rice. My aunt is a breast cancer survivor, so we interviewed her for our project. I remembered going to their house in Makati as a kid. It was one of the few places that had air conditioning! HAHAHA!<br />
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After a big meal, it was easy to take a siesta! We got up in time to eat a late dinner again. We stayed around the hotel this time, but the rain cooled things down considerably! We actually attempted our exploration outside. We went around the perimeter of Glorietta 5, but the restaurant we were looking for was packed with a 2 hour wait! Damian was getting pretty familiar with the area. We were hungry so we decided to feast at a random Chinese restaurant. We were expecting something fancy, but we should have realized it was Chinese Fast food. Kind of a disappointing last meal in the Philippines. We turned in early because our flight to Tokyo was at 7:30AM. My nephew was going to swing by around 4:30AM to take us to the airport. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJQ3RCxxlwjYCx9CtzQYLUTAbwVSXfvqXPvNJX1dzPiC7egEwZVaUg-LFaix8tF9Kn-fyajMEFzQxqvBYwYpJ0n1oayyYvCH4SzH0MKp1Mll5Prg6t9KrKt3oYYYPRHoeGlhCyyKshOfr/s1600/Ninoy-Aquino-International-Airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJQ3RCxxlwjYCx9CtzQYLUTAbwVSXfvqXPvNJX1dzPiC7egEwZVaUg-LFaix8tF9Kn-fyajMEFzQxqvBYwYpJ0n1oayyYvCH4SzH0MKp1Mll5Prg6t9KrKt3oYYYPRHoeGlhCyyKshOfr/s200/Ninoy-Aquino-International-Airport.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It is such an ordeal flying out of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninoy_Aquino_International_Airport" target="_blank">Ninoy Aquino International Airport</a>. There were 3 security checkpoints, and we had to pay a 500 peso exit fee... not to mention it is a pretty big airport! So glad I had the mAss Kicker Mobile! There is NO WAY that I could have tolerated all that walking! Regardless, flying international definitely requires extra travel time. The fact that I need to travel with the mAss Kicker Mobile complicates things. International airlines don't see these things too often. I always have to take that into account when I travel. Next time I will bring the owners manual to expedite checking in. Anyways, when we finally got to the gate, I was exhausted! Damian wanted to grab some coffee and explore a little. I found a comfy spot at the gate and took a nice nap in front of a replay off the 2013 NBA FINALS Heat-Spurs: Miami Coach <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Spoelstra" target="_blank">Erik Sporstra</a>'s mom is from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pablo,_Laguna" target="_blank">San Pablo</a> (where my parents are from)! Filipinos love basketball! There was a large crowd watching the game with me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QZFb_cjcGjbAbHdYqKIX2ed3flmX0rZhk07zSt_bXLz_T_w3kyD5Sx4bFwjltXPKUEpwnTJMomKXzBq4DBxwv73MaCOYNimntd-LaCouaGwv_pKW-rhidpi9owEdVA5-1vc6FHTxU64I/s1600/airport2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QZFb_cjcGjbAbHdYqKIX2ed3flmX0rZhk07zSt_bXLz_T_w3kyD5Sx4bFwjltXPKUEpwnTJMomKXzBq4DBxwv73MaCOYNimntd-LaCouaGwv_pKW-rhidpi9owEdVA5-1vc6FHTxU64I/s200/airport2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Anyways, we caught our flight to <a href="http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html" target="_blank">Narita Airport</a> in Japan with no major problems. The gate assistants took us to the proper area to pick up the mAss Kicker Mobile. We had to catch a bus to the Japan Airlines terminal But when we got to to the terminal, we had a little trouble checking the mAss Kicker Mobile into our Japan Airlines flight back to San Diego. <b> We had a four hour layover in Japan, but we spent 1 1/2 hours trying to gate check the mAss Kicker Mobile onto the flight to San Diego!</b> The people at the airport didn't know how to check the mobility scooter. They were extremely confused! I waited patiently while Damian searched for a place to grab lunch. When we final got through security, we decided to grab a bite to eat then stop by the duty-free store. I'm a candy-holic. I wanted to pick up some gifts for for a wedding I'd be attending in Canada in 2 weeks! Anyways, we we were both pretty hungry and decided on this Japanese cafeteria place in the terminal. We both settled on a meat dish with a raw egg. It was awesome, but we both had GI issues the next day. We don't know if it was the home cooked meal the day before or the raw egg at lunch, but something was up! The last two times I've been to the Philippines I've had GI issues. I was prepared this time, with TUMS and Pepto. Anyways, we were both exhausted and pretty much slept the whole flight back! That was an 11 hour flight! When we got back to San Diego, we went out for good old pizza and wings, but we were both too exhausted to eat! For me, I'd be traveling back to the midwest for our annual TUMORS SUCK! Paintball Benefit and my cousin's wedding in Toronto. The big trip was halfway over!<br />
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Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151590448615662.1073741841.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Pictures from Day 7 in Manila! </a><br />
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We def made some great contacts in Japan and the Philippines and look forward to returning someday! Next on the agenda is to speak in Australia, England, and possibly Singapore. Stay tuned. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1JE7KZdBBU" target="_blank">We are just getting started.. </a><br />
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-35690965700489076982013-08-17T11:26:00.000-07:002013-08-17T12:18:26.702-07:00Saturday, Manila Day 6, 7/26/13: Tagaytay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcTsnBQPVF-VQyvOaziyv9J896-L7lGO32kyWcvxEKBcChd4vSBoGcWRwhZAMuGvvUSTznCVeIhCHWu4Hbxm5_f-fuhqnEM9_I-jc1k-4mb8p1-KL6ZeGfBdJwspBkXQFpNFhVWLXS4Xc/s1600/DSC_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcTsnBQPVF-VQyvOaziyv9J896-L7lGO32kyWcvxEKBcChd4vSBoGcWRwhZAMuGvvUSTznCVeIhCHWu4Hbxm5_f-fuhqnEM9_I-jc1k-4mb8p1-KL6ZeGfBdJwspBkXQFpNFhVWLXS4Xc/s320/DSC_0546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Damian was exhausted, so he decided to lay low today. I wanted to check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagaytay" target="_blank">Tagaytay</a>. Tagaytay is in the province of Batangas. The temperature is much cooler up there so we brought sweatshirts. It is characterized by the Taal Volcano Island at the center of the Taal Lake. It is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano_Island" target="_blank">an active volcano!</a> It blows my mind that there are so many restaurants and tourist activities around an <b>active volcano!</b> My nephew came by the hotel and the driver drove my mom, my nephew, and myself to Tagaytay. It is about an hour and a half car ride to get there from Makati. This gave us the opportunity to see more of the provinces. Personally, I like going outside of large cities and seeing the "simpler" life. Anyways, we went to this great restaurant with a great view of Tagaytay. More authentic Filipino food! The place was packed, but the balcony had a great view of the bay! My nephew suggested we go to a hotel to get another awesome view of Lake Taal. Tagaytay reminds me of <a href="http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Island" target="_blank">"The Island"</a> on LOST. So much green here surrounded by clear water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupx2Jochq1ATYcm8YDkUSodqOqS2wwtceiq2aR99Pva0JlmP5buOfbrU-7dU9-DGdcg0ak-l7zXglAcsv0Shv8DhBQ91bZPRpoz5yi51RK1UOnCRVLFffduD7whFTmwvr5Q2h4Su3u7cv/s1600/DSC_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupx2Jochq1ATYcm8YDkUSodqOqS2wwtceiq2aR99Pva0JlmP5buOfbrU-7dU9-DGdcg0ak-l7zXglAcsv0Shv8DhBQ91bZPRpoz5yi51RK1UOnCRVLFffduD7whFTmwvr5Q2h4Su3u7cv/s320/DSC_0570.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After lunch we went to a hotel to get another great view of the lake again, the mAss Kicker Mobile got a lot of stares as usual. We met an elderly gentleman and his family who were curious about the mAss Kicker Mobile. We had a lengthy discussion about how convenient it is and where to get one. We wanted to stay there longer because it was so peaceful. We ended up getting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo-halo" target="_blank">halo-halo</a> at the hotel restaurant and listening to a "Filipino Mariachi-like band" sing songs in Tagalog and English. I have forgotten how much I enjoyed live music. I will have to start going again in San Diego! I used to go to <a href="http://www.ericgalvezdpt.com/?p=2239" target="_blank">Seau's The Restaurant for Island Reggae night</a>. Ever since it closed, I haven't experienced live music. It has been a while since I've enjoyed it.<br />
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Just being able to witness the breath-taking scenery in Tagaytay reminded me that life is precious. <b>We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react.</b> <a href="http://www.ericgalvezdpt.com/?p=1887" target="_blank">There are three options</a> when facing adversity. You can:<br />
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #29303b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Georgia, Arial, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.71875px;">
<li><strong>dive – </strong>succumb to the disease/adversity</li>
<li><strong>survive – </strong>weather the storm of an intimidating diagnosis/news</li>
<li><strong>thrive – </strong>become proactive in the fight against this disease/step up to the challenge </li>
</ol>
To "THRIVE" you have to "SURVIVE" first. Surviving is logically the top priority, but <b>what happens next after you survive? </b>Some choose to return to their normal lives. Other choose to continue the battle against these diseases. <b>They are no longer fighting for their own well-being.</b> They are fighting for others similar to them! One of the biggest reasons we are taking survivors on trips to different areas around the world is to show the world that life after after a tumor/cancer diagnosis DOES EXIST! WE ARE LIVING LIFE AND THRIVING!<br />
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Before heading back, we stopped by a church/chapel in Tagaytay. They requested silence outside because there were no doors. Seeing familiar Catholic structures surrounded by tropical foliage was strange to see at first, but eventually it started to grow on me. Seeing cathedrals in Europe, Catholic Basilicas in San Diego, and modern churches/temples/synagogs throughout North America gives me a sense that we can all be connected by a common belief. Sure religions differ, but most agree that there is a <b>"standard" that people need to live up to</b>. The fact that these beliefs have been around for thousands of years gives me hope for humanity. Every society has to have some semblance of moral rules/laws. This gets tricky when governments intervene. I will cut myself off here because I don't want to get into a philosophical debate. <br />
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Anyways, we got some great photos from Tagaytay. Check them out here:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151576275820662.1073741840.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Pictures from Tagaytay</a><br />
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When we got back from Tagaytay, I took my daily siesta and met up with my cousin and nephew for dinner at a modern Filipino restaurant on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200862792586942&set=a.1086100787580.2013771.1078210722&type=3&theater" target="_blank">Bonifacio High Street</a>. It was old school Filipino cuisine with a modern flare. The place was packed! Damian went off on his own adventure that evening in Makati so I didn't get to meet up with him until I got to the hotel later in the evening after dinner. Finally met up with Damian, but we were both too exhausted to go out and do anything...<br />
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The following day was our last full day in Manila. Stay tuned!www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-18616031910030542072013-08-14T23:37:00.000-07:002013-08-15T19:22:34.176-07:00Friday, Manila Day 5, 7/26/13: San Pablo <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My mom got in around 11PM Thursday night and my uncle picked her up at the airport in the van. On Friday we finally ventured outside of Makati and went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pablo,_Laguna" target="_blank">San Pablo, Laguna</a>! Both my parents are from there. They grew up close to each other, but didn't really connect till they we both in Canada. Going to San Pablo is like a return to my roots and I always look forward to it! I have so many fond memories of that city. When I was a kid, we spent one epic month of our summer vacation in San Pablo. This was a very big deal because at the time in San Pablo, there was: no shower, no electricity 3-5PM, limited air conditioning, and <b>we had pet ducklings</b>. (Some guy was selling ducklings door to door. I never questioned why. I now realize that they were probably meant to eat! hee hee) It was like "urban camping". It was cool learning about where we came from and meeting relatives we never even knew existed! Anyways on our way to San Pablo, Damian was saying how much it reminded him of Mexico. That statement made a lot of sense. There are many Tagalog words that are similar to Spanish due to 400 years of Spanish occupation/influence. Going outside of Manila, the Philippines has a VERY DIFFERENT feel to it. The difference in socio-economic classes are more apparent outside of Manila. As I mentioned in a <a href="http://masskickersfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/08/wednesday-manila-day-3-72413-ateneo-de.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>... in the Philippines, you either have money or you don't. The divide between the lower class and upper class is huge! My theory is that if you can be classified as middle class, you move out of the Philippines to "greener pastures". <br />
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Anyways, we stopped by my uncle's house to drop off my mom's stuff where she would be staying. The Philippines to me as a child was full of Folk tales and Urban Legends that kind of freaked me out. The stories of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady_(ghost)#Philippines" target="_blank">White Lady</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duende_(mythology)" target="_blank">the Duende</a>, and Filipino Vampires: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandurugo" target="_blank">Mandurugo</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Aswang" target="_blank">Aswang</a> were always fascinating to me. What I remember most from my first trip to San Pablo were: sleeping in mosquito nets every night and watching live NBA finals games during the day. Totally random memories. Anyways, we then went to <a href="http://www.maxschicken.com/" target="_blank">Max's Restaurant,"The House That Fried Chicken Built"</a> for lunch. So good! It was a 5 entree lunch! After lunch we went to the house that my mom grew up in and hung out a little with family. It was great going back to a place I hadn't seen in years! So many fond memories! We wanted to see more of San Pablo, so the driver took us around <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Sampaloc" target="_blank">Sampaloc Lake</a>. We got some great video of the area around the lake. The poverty was really apparent there! After our short little tour we headed back to the hotel in Makati to rest up.<br />
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On Damian's adventure the night before, he discovered a cool bar with great happy hour specials and a food truck festival not far from the hotel. After resting up, we headed out to grab some eats. We made some great contacts at the bar and will hopefully collaborate the next time we are in Manila! At the food truck festival, there were some awesome dishes available at really cheap prices! There is something special about Filipino barbecue that makes it unique. Maybe it is the marinade... I don't know what it is, but it is delicious! Anyways after our awesome late dinner, we went back to the hotel room and crashed after a busy day!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151574504640662.1073741839.508070661&type=3" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151574504640662.1073741839.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Pictures from Day 5 in San Pablo</a><br />
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The following day we would be going to <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Tagaytay" target="_blank">Tagaytay</a> to see the beautiful volcano city. Stay tuned!www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-33353468397247887572013-08-13T17:23:00.002-07:002013-08-14T23:58:34.767-07:00Thursday Manila Day 4, 7/25/13: Meeting the locals at the mall<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaZ5S_wj5bUnqC6aRMBtzN7fNHTckp-kdrv-hj9qW33t0eXUpCh-FnraVRvcJtZsCAREu8mq2RWrsubRaUzF7YEPDT7QG7iVIo2s35KmwLU3IeyRx4ZJlqiJtpRw6HW8L4KqhSRA4a-LS/s1600/DSC_0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaZ5S_wj5bUnqC6aRMBtzN7fNHTckp-kdrv-hj9qW33t0eXUpCh-FnraVRvcJtZsCAREu8mq2RWrsubRaUzF7YEPDT7QG7iVIo2s35KmwLU3IeyRx4ZJlqiJtpRw6HW8L4KqhSRA4a-LS/s320/DSC_0403.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
Damian and I were pretty tired by Day 4 in Manila.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got up late and tried to find a place to
eat lunch in the mall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were looking
for some restaurant that Damian wanted to check out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
mentioned earlier, the mall system in Makati is essentially a city within a
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have the energy to go
out and explore the full mall system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
a shoppers paradise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Typically, when I buy something, I know exactly what I want and where to get it. I never go window shopping. </span>I guess I don't have the patience to "shop around."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Couple that with the fact that </span>I’ve
never enjoyed going to crowded places without a mission or purpose. I discovered at a young age that shopping is not for me. Before websites and amazon. We used to get huge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalog_showroom" target="_blank">Showroom catalogues</a> in the mail. Me and my brother use to browse the toy sections in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Merchandise" target="_blank">Service Merchandise</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Products" target="_blank">Best</a> Catalogues to pick out the toys we wanted. Before the internet and before warehouses like Costco or Sam's club people bought household products, personal products, toys, and jewelry.<br />
<br />
Anyways, there were
4 major malls walking distance from the hotel: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorietta" target="_blank">Glorietta</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_Aura_Premier" target="_blank">SM</a>, <a href="http://www.landmarkmall.com/" target="_blank">Landmark</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbelt_(Ayala_Center)" target="_blank">Greenbelt</a>. If either of us were shoppers, we would have truly taken advantage of the location of our hotel, but I was more interested in seeing the sites and Damian was more interested in meeting the locals. We tried to find a restaurant that we wanted to check out the day
before, but we couldn't find it and ended up at some random Japanese ramen place because we were hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were laughing at how easy it was to get
lost in the huge mall system and how much we stuck out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The mAss Kicker Mobile was still getting A LOT of curious stares from people! Eh, not as annoying... </span>Damian wanted to meet more locals so he
struck up a conversation with the girl sitting next to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was having lunch with her aunt who just
happened to be a 30-year stomach cancer survivor, Conchita Lee!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little lady reminded me of my
grandmother!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She let us record an
interview with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like my <a href="http://www.tagalog-dictionary.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?s=lola" target="_blank">Lola</a>/grandmother, she chastised me for not going to church everyday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This made her more endearing to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During our conversation she told me that she
was SHOWING us the church in the mall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roman
Catholicism is serious business in the Philippines, but I was still surprised
that a church existed in the mall! I took a peak at Damian, and he shrugged his
shoulders. HOW COULD WE SAY NO, TO THIS CUTE LITTLE "LOLA"?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She took us to Landmark and led us to the
church!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure we would have found
it on our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty crazy
seeing the fusion of religion and pop culture. A church in a mall...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It makes sense though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put a
church in an easily accessible place where there is a lot of traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Almost everything was accessible in the mall. </span>These malls are essentially a modern "street market" but with security (guards and metal detectors) and air conditioning. Walking around in an air conditioned mall sure beats walking around outside in the heat and pollution. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6UQwBP4T2cBjGaQuzQyXK4PI02j-XcEdR59kpRii0vC0qz3DyRRwtlmcJZab-7oMao1X7Of812bJPPSy7NvWdboepRgsZ5El4bJDJpeh1FEYrcSH7kbdxIosp4kGLkE3fXWaqCwvUaDY/s1600/DSC_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6UQwBP4T2cBjGaQuzQyXK4PI02j-XcEdR59kpRii0vC0qz3DyRRwtlmcJZab-7oMao1X7Of812bJPPSy7NvWdboepRgsZ5El4bJDJpeh1FEYrcSH7kbdxIosp4kGLkE3fXWaqCwvUaDY/s200/DSC_0407.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Anyways, after visiting the church and feeling guilty for not going, we made our way down to the cafeteria in Landmark and hung out with a group of retired Filipinos who go there daily and have coffee. They have their own schedule and it was so interesting talking with them about cancer and life in the Philippines. We have some great video footage of our conversations. When we got back to the room, we were both exhausted! Later that evening, my mom would need the to get picked up from the airport. The van was reserved to come by at 10 PM. I met up with my Uncle so that he could meet up with her and pick her up at the airport in the van. Damian went out and grabbed dinner on his own and explored the area around the hotel while I waited for my uncle. He found some pretty cool spots and tried to drag me out later that evening to have some fun, but I was just exhausted! I decided to rest up and catch up on some blogging. With so much going on, we were falling short on our plan of blogging every day. This was my night to catch up!<br />
<br />
I didn't catch up as much as I wanted, but I did manage to get a little done. Friday was going to be a busy day. We were going to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pablo,_Laguna" target="_blank">San Pablo</a>, the city where my parents grew up! I think we were both getting tired of staying by the mall. Stay tuned for more updates. </div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-89272665927938715982013-08-13T09:47:00.001-07:002013-08-13T13:46:23.404-07:00Wednesday, Manila Day 3, 7/24/13 Ateneo De Manila Lecture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPABlFlkxCc-NrpGyw8qxkEpeo687WcXO0VDEdynY52Xi94My9kzOfkezc9MPmsFzEBL7FTDGg4vFMxyWzAquJKcsNZqLEh7SpGPvA_M8NHncNIHpJBEDGQA7I_WHcdI8GfjTEXxu667A/s1600/ateneo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPABlFlkxCc-NrpGyw8qxkEpeo687WcXO0VDEdynY52Xi94My9kzOfkezc9MPmsFzEBL7FTDGg4vFMxyWzAquJKcsNZqLEh7SpGPvA_M8NHncNIHpJBEDGQA7I_WHcdI8GfjTEXxu667A/s400/ateneo1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
We had the opportunity to speak to future physicians and future healthcare providers at <a href="http://www.admu.edu.ph/" target="_blank">Ateneo De Manila University</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> W</span>e jumped at the
prospect of meeting a few survivors and future healthcare providers in another part
of the world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be the first
time we would be speaking to International Students about post-treatment
thrivership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were graced by the
presence of: Norman Marquez, Jason Haw, Noel Cruz, Mia Chico, Patricia Nitura, Kyla Cabatit, Chin-Chin Santiago, and Alberto Antonio. We were honored that <a href="http://giasison.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ma. Gia Sison MD</a> joined us
for the presentation at Ateneo. Dr.
Sison had recently completed chemotherapy for breast cancer literally days before
the presentation. We were truly honored by her
presence and input to the lecture. We
had only <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6MT-Jkr8Mw&list=PLQuxuDeE7nVUddXnnfed4wLsStrVdZErB&index=3" target="_blank">talked once before the presentation</a>, but we immediately bonded by a
common disdain for all forms of tumors/cancer.
<b>Although healthcare is different in different countries, we face similar
battles fighting diseases, tumors, or cancer.</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Health Insurance is private pay in the Philippines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned that in the Philippines either you
have money or you don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that
if you get diagnosed with cancer and you can’t afford the treatments or
medications you are left to fend for yourself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The priorities in terms of tumor/cancer
survivorship are very different there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><u>The stigma of tumors/cancer as a “death sentence” is much more prevalent
than that of “survivorship”.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
strategy is to educate all future healthcare professionals so that they can
provide appropriate resources for their future patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Educating the layman starts with the healthcare professional planting “seeds of treatment resources,”
but ultimately the responsibility lies with the patient and their loved ones to
seek and then apply the information they discover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Culturally, this is a huge barrier
because patient access to information varies in different regions of the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially, ALL patients need to
know that they do have options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> W</span>e think <a href="http://www.masskickers.org/" target="_blank">mAss K</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://www.masskickers.org/" target="_blank">ickers Foundation</a> can assist in providing resources. </span>Healthcare
professionals specifically physicians and nurses need to be aware of patient
resources and disseminate that information to their patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Education is the first step.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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At Ateneo, we brought up a <u>very controversial subject in the war on tumors/cancer:</u> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">using clinical trials for patients who don’t
have access to traditional life-saving tumor/cancer treatments!</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if many people would be
eligible subjects for clinical trials in third world countries, but <b>the alternative for these patients is NO TREATMENT and ultimately a worse quality of life or even DEATH</b>! People need treatment, and research studies need subjects... Of course clinical trials would
need to be closely monitored by an<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_review_board" target="_blank"> Institutional Review Board (IRB)</a> or some sort of ethics committee, but the potential for life saving
treatments from this research could benefit A LOT of people and provide HOPE
for the less fortunate patients that can’t afford traditional treatment! <i>Every patient deserves options!</i> This opens the door for an ethical debate,
but clinical trials should at least be considered in this population. This would require CLOSE MONITORING, but
could significantly advance our knowledge and treatment of these diseases! <b>I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the ethics of this...</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152006330711747.1073741825.52097066746&type=1" target="_blank">Pictures from the lecture. Please share your pictures if you have more!</a><br />
<br /></div>
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Anyways, the presentation went well based on the feedback we
received from the attendees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
following days, we got to explore Makati a little more, visit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pablo,_Laguna" target="_blank">San Pablo</a> where
my parents grew up, and visit the beautiful town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagaytay" target="_blank">Tagaytay</a>! Stay tuned for
the next installments of the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have more plans to do international travel next year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would appreciate your feedback and ideas
for future activities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-39729868005997333882013-08-06T18:54:00.001-07:002013-08-06T19:29:14.173-07:00Tuesday, Manila Day 2, 7/23/13 Intramuros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHI-mPbte8cE-ucAai_N30lBazAWfHvcnlI_ZpgeY17giBaMkj-d_54gxykg83p4k0KBzlEN2DpGDEgbMa0dXDCg3mhXTl_PrS-yqzTo3lkjdEQVW3MuqZhA4dWqkqkKvuB1H7ThUcQEzP/s1600/man+d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHI-mPbte8cE-ucAai_N30lBazAWfHvcnlI_ZpgeY17giBaMkj-d_54gxykg83p4k0KBzlEN2DpGDEgbMa0dXDCg3mhXTl_PrS-yqzTo3lkjdEQVW3MuqZhA4dWqkqkKvuB1H7ThUcQEzP/s320/man+d2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We went to a historical site in Manila, Fort Santiago in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intramuros" target="_blank">Intramuros</a>. the walled fort that protected the old Manila.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During WWII, Fort Santiago was used as a
prison by the Japanese after American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_MacArthur" target="_blank">General Douglas MacArthur</a> left the Philippines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now a museum for that era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as we got out of the van, we were
hounded by a number of street vendors trying to sell us stuff!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Pretty annoying... </span>Years ago on my first trip to the
Philippines, my parents constantly warned me about kidnappings and talking to
people on the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That always stuck
with me, and has made me leery about meeting the locals in different
countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damian was all about
experiencing the local culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
ventured outside Ft. Santiago and explored Intramuros.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found that many of the side walks in
Intramuros don’t have ramps for wheelchairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There were a few ramps, but the conditions on the street are not very friendly to wheelchairs with poorly labeled ramps or unsmooth sidewalks. I grew tired of the conditions so I asked Damian if he wanted to just ride in the street. </span>I don’t recommend doing this unless there is unless you have a separate
set of eyes watching the traffic for you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The driving lanes in the Philippines are non existent, so you really need to be aware of EVERYTHING going on!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People try to squeeze their way through traffic, so you have to be aware if your surroundings. Not the first time, we've done something crazy on our travels! Anyways, as we made our way through the barrio on the street and noticed A LOT of people staring at me in the mAss Kicker Mobile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Years ago I went to a family reunion on a cruise ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in a wheel chair at the time and my
brother was wheeling me around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
would not talk directly to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
would talk about me directly to my brother right in front of me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will never forget “the looks of shame” I got from people on that
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time around, I couldn’t tell if
the looks I was getting in the Philippines were looks of shame or curiosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to capture people’s reactions to seeing a guy in a mobility scooter. Kinda mean, but I wanted people to know what it felt like to be constantly stared at. I asked Damian to follow a few steps behind me and snap a few pictures of
people’s reactions to me in the mAss Kicker Mobile. These looks were very common everywhere
I went. I have learned to ignore them, but seeing people's reactions after I passed by makes me feel uncomfortable. Check out the link below.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I like to think I've developed a new type of confidence. I have a whole new respect for individuals that grow up in cultures where they are seen as "outcasts." I do realize that people were probably not exposed to something like this, so it is OK to be curious. I cannot imaging growing up in another part of the world with a physical disability and trying to develop self esteem and a sense of confidence. People with disabilities are faced with breaking stigmas/ preconceived notions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Pictures from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151569116080662.1073741836.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Manila Day 2</a>, Intramuros<o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing I've learned on my travels is to be wary of local cooking for fear of GI issues. We strolled by a bunch of local food stations that smelled AWESOME! I had to keep myself in check, but the temptation was there! It was kind of cool going around the streets of Intramuros, but in the back of my mind the wise words of caution from my parents echoed in my head.<br />
<br />
We kept ourselves in check because the next day we would be speaking at <a href="http://www.admu.edu.ph/" target="_blank">Ateneo De Manila University</a> on Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for the next installment of the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have more plans to do more international travel next year to break the stigma that tumors/cancer are death sentences!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would appreciate your feedback and ideas for future activities. Please leave a comment below. We want to unite the WORLD in the fight against these diseases! </div>
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-53993121124904911262013-08-04T20:25:00.001-07:002013-08-04T20:51:03.273-07:00Monday, Manila Day 1, 7/22/13 Exploring Makati<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplEKsERGXAwKk5Jna23hDMct9dTpnhuUua9OOGqOrthYRPozPmrxVRaDNzSzgueRn0hm8ZMwPSoqflQ5zFkGz_xJN3z7atBp6WDwFao5w2OT-kULwE5YfBE5tjTrGtcPMwDK_GYQpDuyM/s1600/DSC_0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplEKsERGXAwKk5Jna23hDMct9dTpnhuUua9OOGqOrthYRPozPmrxVRaDNzSzgueRn0hm8ZMwPSoqflQ5zFkGz_xJN3z7atBp6WDwFao5w2OT-kULwE5YfBE5tjTrGtcPMwDK_GYQpDuyM/s320/DSC_0512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After arriving late, we decided that we would spend the
first day familiarizing ourselves with the area!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed in Makati next to a huge set of
stores, <a href="http://www.makaticity.com/shopping/sm-makati.php" target="_blank">“SM”</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbelt_(Ayala_Center)" target="_blank">Greenbelt 6</a>. We quickly discovered that the malls in
Manila are enormous and they are always packed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are all connected by inter-building walkways on multiple
levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shopping malls in Makati are
like it’s own separate city! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The huge
networked mall system makes perfect sense to me now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gets WAY to hot and humid in Manila to
congregate outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A climate controlled
area where people can congregate and support local businesses makes sense, but
you don’t get the authentic feel of walking down an actual street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although it felt like a walking in a mall in
the United States with McDonalds or Subway on literally every corner, the
stores and restaurants had a “Distinct Filipino Feel” to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an American born Filipino-American I felt
comfortable there, but using the mAss Kicker Mobile made me stick out! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We noticed that I was getting a lot of stares
and strange looks from people in the Philippines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned to tune them out, but Damian
picked up on this pretty quickly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Japan it is impolite to stare, but in the Philippines that is the furthest from
the truth. We explored this later. ;P<o:p></o:p></div>
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We booked a room at the <a href="http://www.dusit.com/dusit-thani/dusit-thani-manila.html" target="_blank">Dusit Thani Hotel</a>, which is a Malaysian
Hotel chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The staff was very courteous and
eager to please. For me it was the first time staying with them. I am used to
staying at American hotel franchises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Initially we requested handicap accessible room, however the view from
our room was of a construction sight and was very loud early in the
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to upgrade to a
junior suite on the other side of the hotel. One of the things we’ve learned on
our brief travels is that we need ground transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our trip to Hawaii it was car rental.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Tokyo, it was taxis, trains, and buses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Manila we hired a driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really convenient because he would
take us wherever we wanted to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
asked he driver to take us to a breakfast place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found one really close to the hotel at
greenway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HAHAHA! We drove less than a
block and went to a breakfast place at the mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate there and asked to take a quick tour
of the sites close to the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
drove by Jose Rizal Park. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal" target="_blank">Rizal is the National Hero of the Philippines</a>. We
also wanted to go to the beaches around Manila! We didn’t stop and get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only drove by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>We found out that the public beaches in
Manila are non existant.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to go
outside the city to go to the real beaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After getting acquainted with the area around the hotel, we
decided to go to Fort Santiago in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intramuros" target="_blank">Intramurous</a>, the old fortified Manila.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are l</span>ots of historical sites there, but how would the
mAss Kicker Mobile hold up/manuever in there? (That was interesting.)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151569112555662.1073741835.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Manila Day 1 photos</a></div>
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Stay tuned for the next installment of the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have more plans to do more international travel
next year to break the stigma that tumors/cancer are death sentences!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would appreciate your
feedback and ideas for future activities. Please leave a comment below. We want to unite the WORLD in the fight against these diseases! <o:p></o:p></div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-32621942452927674442013-07-29T20:22:00.000-07:002013-07-30T20:31:45.733-07:00Sunday, Japan Day 6, 7/21/13 Brazilian Festival in Tokyo<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6WQwWLzx21-V1PB7QkmrTuNMKfC2kRh0xwaK-2SIsVIFw0gDqr40vMbHfgxZSChTb8mesvg2wgh3ptwWZTTVYs7N0jlmGtSzdxscfb4uOahvwxohCtqGO_-xxBrFhZ1inAZ_Q4ZFgR-R/s1600/DSC_0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6WQwWLzx21-V1PB7QkmrTuNMKfC2kRh0xwaK-2SIsVIFw0gDqr40vMbHfgxZSChTb8mesvg2wgh3ptwWZTTVYs7N0jlmGtSzdxscfb4uOahvwxohCtqGO_-xxBrFhZ1inAZ_Q4ZFgR-R/s320/DSC_0392.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We tried to squeeze so much into our last day in Tokyo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damian found out about a Brazilian Festival
at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoyogi_Park" target="_blank">Yoyogi Park</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to meet up
with more Japanese survivors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a
kick out of the fact that we were meeting up with:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cancer survivors in Japan at a Brazilian
Festival,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Random words that normally
don’t go together!</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met a young
Japanese Lymphoma survivor, a 30-year American born Lymphoma survivor residing in Tokyo, LiveSTRONG
leaders:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Binzee with his son, and Anne
from the Netherlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Brazilian
festival was A LOT of fun! There is something about the beating of drums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really connects the soul with something
primal because it is so similar to a heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every culture uses drums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> To name a few: </span>Native
American culture, African culture, Asian culture, even the Hip Hop and Rock n’
Roll cultures uses drums! <i>There is something about rhythmic thumping that
penetrates my soul and makes me reflexively bob my head/sway my hips.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brazilian music stirs that in me, but once I
found out that capoeira is based on a martial art, I was intrigued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so cool seeing Japanese people celebrating Brazilian culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In undergrad at the University of Michigan, some of my friends watched
some movie with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira" target="_blank">capoeira</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use to chant
“Far and Away” when we would pretend fight each other on the dance floors at local bars/clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So funny!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We didn’t care what other people thought of us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (That still hasn't changed! ;) )</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before we stopped by the Brazilian festival, we dropped of
our luggage at a hotel- pickup stop for the airport limo bus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plan was to meet up with everyone at the
festival for <i>a couple hours</i> then catch the bus to the airport. <b>Of course we had
to make things exciting.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We stayed a little longer than we expected, but we were still in time to get to the airport early. I need to get to airports early because traveling with the mAss Kicker Mobile complicates things. </span>We
lost track of time and missed the noon bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With new airlines, traveling becomes exciting
because many of the airline front-counter-people don’t know how to check it
in a person in a power chair/scooter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Travel time for me is usually longer
with security checks and mAss Kicker Mobile on-board plane storage/gate check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always try to get there early, a trait I
picked up from my dad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Punctuality is underrated in my book</b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Punctuality always impresses me… especially
in the land of “Filipino/Asian/California time”, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I digress. Damian was hungry, so he went off for a sandwich outside the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I deferred for a quick snack from the 7-11 in the hotel station. I tried reconnecting with Damian,
so I figured I’d go back to the luggage drop off and wait for him there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bags were being taken down as I waited
patiently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor Damian was stressing out
outside waiting for me to come down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was out of breath and dripping with sweat from running around!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I felt horrible being the cause of his stress. Once we were both safely on the bus, w</span>e both exhaled a huge sigh of relief. The whole misunderstanding could have been avoided if we had<b> walkie talkies or cell phones.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I think it would be fun to run around a foreign city with walkie talkies and <a href="http://www.80stees.com/T-Shirts/Top-Gun-Call-Sign-Shirts.asp" target="_blank">"thriver call-signs" like in Top Gun</a>. That is something to think about for the next trip because there is potentially a larger group going. </span>Well, we got to Manila on a late flight arriving at 2230 and my nephew, Paolo and niece, Gela were waiting for us outside the terminal at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninoy_Aquino_International_Airport" target="_blank">Nino Aquino International Airport</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining so it added moisture to the
already thick and humid air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered the thick
air from the last time I was in Manila.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were exhausted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We needed a good day of rest to explore the area
around the hotel.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151567503295662.1073741834.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Pictures from Tokyo Day 6</a><br />
<br /></div>
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Stay tuned for more updates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" target="_blank">Please consider a donation tohelp us spread our message of post treatment “thrivership”</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And show people that you can still enjoy life
after an intimidating tumor/cancer diagnosis! “Tumor/cancer thrivers” have the
unique <b>opportunity to step up and be the leaders in post treatment thrivership!</b>
<a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" target="_blank">Click here to support this mission</a> and stay tuned for the next update.<o:p></o:p></div>
www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-17521625171567065722013-07-29T19:08:00.001-07:002013-07-29T19:22:14.784-07:00Saturday, Japan Day 5, 7/20/13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a good night's rest, I got up early again and headed down for breakfast. This time I didn't have anyone to assist me. I don't mind eating alone. It's actually kinda peaceful. Anyways, this cool guy from Taiwan was there with his family and helped me grab a plate of breakfast. That was so cool! Stuff like that restores my faith in humanity. Having a meal alone gives me time to organize my thoughts for the day and explore new ideas... That morning, I realized that in many Asian cultures, breakfast and lunch are the most important meals of the day. Americans put a lot of emphasis on breakfast and dinner. I try to eat an energizing breakfast and a small lunch, and a health dinner. Dinner for me has been getting later and later. This could pose a problem with weight gain from empty calories. A late workout can justify a late meal. Empty calories late at night equals putting on the pounds! On days there is no workout, it makes sense to eat a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner. After eating in Tokyo, I've noticed that the meal portion sizes are A LOT smaller than American meals, but still enough to leave you satisfied. I've watched news reports on TV that discuss the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" target="_blank">obesity epidemic in America</a>, but to witness the life style in another culture was very humbling. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese. </b></span></span>We can probably attribute this to a sedentary lifestyle and an abundance of fast food and junk food! Anyways, I met up with another old friend from college for lunch. Lynh has lived in Tokyo for over 10 years! It was cool catching up with him, cause he'll always "tell me how it is"... I respect that. We grabbed lunch at some tempura place at a mall. I finally got the tempura I'd been craving the whole trip! I was not disappointed! I decided to "crutch it" at the mall without the mAss Kicker Mobile because it wouldn't be a long walk. The garage at the mall was so cool! There was a mechanical conveyer belt that transports your car to a parking spot. You just had to leave it with an attendant. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqicXO3YOUw" target="_blank">This song popped in my head!</a> People were so friendly! I was very impressed by the hospitality in Tokyo. I told Lynh that I wanted to check out the famous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDhlZkaJch4" target="_blank">cross walk intersection in Shibuya</a>. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RijEPFeph4" target="_blank">Resident Evil: Afterlife sparked my interest in this site</a>. I got to view it from the car, but I don't think you can fully appreciate it from ground level. So anyways, Lynh took me to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Imperial_Palace" target="_blank">Imperial Palace</a>. Unfortunately, you can't go in, but you can walk around the walls of the perimeter. I didn't realize our hotel was so close to EVERYTHING! We went back to the hotel and picked up the mAss Kicker Mobile! There were a lot of groups running/training around the palace walls. It was kinda cool to see fitness prevalent in another culture! Out of all the big cities I've visited, Tokyo has been the cleanest and friendliest. So much history here, but it manages to stay clean and modern. I appreciate that.<br />
When I got back to the room I found Damian crashed out on his bed. He was saying that he had a really difficult time with the altitude and vowed to return to Mt. Fuji and finish his climb to the summit. After a power siesta, we would head out to eat some ramen. We found this little hole in the wall not too far from the hotel. I think Damian found it online. I played it safe with ramen and vegetables. I was determined not to have gastro-intestinal issues in Tokyo! So far, so good! We walked around a little but we were both pretty popped, so we called it a night. The following morning we would be going to a Brazilian Festival, meeting more Japanese survivors, then going back to the airport to start a new adventure in Manila, Philippines!<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151563954990662.1073741833.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">JAPAN DAY 5 PICTURES</a><br />
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-15928345010695952272013-07-27T17:05:00.003-07:002013-07-27T19:20:06.478-07:00Friday, Japan Day 4, 7/19/13:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Damian left for Mt Fuji with a group of Japanese Survivors from
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/octjapan.jp" target="_blank">Over Cancer Together</a>, a group of Japanese survivors whose mission is to unite
Japanese people in the fight against cancer.
Sadly, I wasn't physically ready to take on this epic challenge so I stayed in the hotel and met up
with old friends and new contacts from Japan.
I took a cab to <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harajuku#Sightseeing" target="_blank">Harajuku</a> </b>and
met up with Mike Kato from Japan for LiveStrong for lunch. He took me to a new type of restaurant: A
Japanese “<b>pancake</b>” restaurant, an <span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki" target="_blank">Okonomiaki</a>. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> You cook your food
yourself at the table, very similar to the Korean BBQ. Instead of grilling meat, you cook little
“dough” chips of tempura batter and mix it with random stuff. Meat, veggies, chicken… I’m sure you could
think of more stuff. I put kim chee and
beef in mine. So good. Mike is a
Japanese-American in Japan. He grew up in California and relocated to Japan. There we ran into a bunch of Junior High kids
having lunch. They really liked the
Tumors Suck sticker! We snapped a group
photo after our meal. Mike helped me flag down a taxi back to the hotel. I crashed for a bit till I met up with my
friend Josh for dinner. Although it was
relatively close to the hotel, we took a cab there! We ended up going to
another skewer place in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roppongi" target="_blank">Roppongi</a>. This one was cool because they served
bacon wrapped chicken and bacon wrapped shrimp!
It was interesting because we had to take a tiny elevator up to the
third floor to get to the restaurant.
Then I had to park the mAss Kicker Mobile outside in the lobby and do an
assisted walk to sit in the actual restaurant.
Josh handled all the ordering because I didn’t want any other raw
chicken surprises! HAHAHA! After dinner,
we checked out the streets of Roppongi. It reminded me of visiting one of the burroughs in New York City. Tokyo is a huge metropolis like New York where people dress to impress
and take public transit BUT everything is clean/everyone is so polite! I need to learn more Japanese. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cShYbLkhBc" target="_blank">“Domo Arrigato”</a> is one of the few Japanese phrases I know. We ended up just walking back to hotel after we soaked in some evening sites at Roppungi. 10 years ago, I may have wanted to go out and check out the night life, but a "wiser" Galvez-San knew there was much to be done the following day and I didn't want to deal with all the curious stares at me in the mAss Kicker Mobile! On Saturday, I'd get to meet up with another old college friend in Tokyo and scavenge for food at night with Damian. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151562133400662.1073741832.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">Photos: </a></span><br />
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<b>Stay tuned for more updates. We will be blogging throughout the trip. Please consider a donation to help us spread our message of <i>post treatment “thrivership”</i>throughout Japan and the Pacific Ocean. <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here</a> <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">to support us</a> and stay tuned for the next update.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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After our raw chicken escapade in Shinjuku, we wanted to
check out more of Japan in the day time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
going to take the cabs and subways again, but this time we would attempt doing
it on our own without seeking assistance from the people at the subway
stations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damian did research and
determined that it would be easier to take a cab from the hotel to Shinjuku station and
then take the subway to Ueno Park. The Shinjuku station is huge and one of the busiest stations in Tokyo, but the elevators are small there. The mAss Kicker Mobile is compact, but I can't imagine a full sized power wheelchair/scooter in there with one other person!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere I go, I get stares and gawkers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I’ve learned to ignore the stares,
but it was something Damian picked up on right away!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I catch someone staring, I always respond
with a “I-know-you-are-jealous smile.” HAHAHA! Watching their reaction is priceless! It sure beats the looks of
“pity” I received when I was being transported in my manual wheelchair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> If you try to make me feel uncomfortable, I'll return the favor and reflect your sentiments. </span>The stares were something my brother noticed when I
went on a family trip shortly after my surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Oh man, I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to go off on someone... HAHAHA! I guess I've learned to ignore the stares. </span>Maybe I don't notice them because they start staring when they are out of my line of vision. <br />
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Anyways, the subway was exciting because you only have a set amount of time to board the train. With no ramps, we had to carry the mAss Kicker mobile onto the subway car in a small window in time with passengers de-boarding and new people getting on! We both eooxhaled a huge sigh of relief when we safely made it onto the subway train! Poor Damian got a workout helping me get on and off the train. Luckily we made sure to avoid the subway during rush hour.<br />
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We got off at this really cool area: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueno_Park" target="_blank">Ueno Park</a>! Lots of street performers, a cool fountain, and a zoo! Pretty cool park to hang out when you get sick of the city! We only stayed there for a little while before we hailed a cab into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakusa" target="_blank">Asakusa</a>. It was cool seeing the Buddhist temple and the street vendors! Getting a cab back to the Ueno Park subway station was a bit more exciting. Language was a huge barrier! The taxi driver took us to the wrong subway station. Damian suspected early on that something was wrong because we didn't recognize the buildings/scenery on the drive back. When the driver finally realized his mistake, he turned off the meter and proceeded to Ueno Park. Other than that this rest of the day was uneventful.<br />
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Later that evening, we met up with one of Damian's friend for dinner. The restaurant he took us to served a bunch of skewered items with specialized dipping sauces. Of course we had sake with the meal, but I will admit: I'm a light weight. One of my many nicknames is "Deuce"... funny story for another time! I would not make a good "off-duty businessman" because of my lack of skill in the tolerance department. I still had a great time eating the different samples of skewers. I don't think there was anything too exotic, but you can never go wrong with grilled meat, chicken, and seafood on skewers! The trip to Japan was halfway over, but there is more in the works!<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/eric.galvez/media_set?set=a.10151562123620662.1073741831.508070661&type=3" target="_blank">PICTURES</a><br />
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<b>Stay tuned for more updates. We will be blogging throughout the trip. Please consider a donation to help us spread our message of <i>post treatment “thrivership”</i>throughout Japan and the Pacific Ocean. <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here</a> <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">to support us</a> and stay tuned for the next update.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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www.mAssKickers.orghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13522165808371010137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7581801924810948932.post-288593315563313902013-07-23T17:23:00.001-07:002013-07-25T16:15:09.276-07:00Pacific Tour Part 2, Day 2<div class="MsoNormal">
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Wednesday morning, we got up early and got breakfast at
the hotel…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bacon, sausage, eggs, rice,
noodles, croissants, fruit, juice, and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not bad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so early, but we
decided to explore the area! The mAss Kicker Mobile was all charged up and
ready to roll! Most of the businesses were not open yet, but that would not
deter us from seeing what was out there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On our little scouting mission we sat down at a coffee shop at the
subway station and shot the breeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
this crazy idea to count the people in the subway who look at their reflections
in a mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M68wcB6L0s" target="_blank">to observe people checking themselves out in their reflection</a>. I enjoy conducting these "social experiments"... keeps me entertained...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The results found that young women were more likely than other gender or age demographic to spend more time
checking themselves out in a reflection. Can’t say I was surprised by the
results, but we had a good laugh when we noticed random people spending extra
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After we got bored of our little experiment, we continued
our exploration of the area surrounding our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must have walked a good 3 miles!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a bank to exchange my currency to
Japanese yen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was kinda funny because
luckily, the cute teller at the bank only knew a little bit of English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was very patient with me, and some we
were able to get the transaction complete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My knowledge of Japanese is limited to ”ari-gato” (thank you) and "kon-ichiwa" (hello.) I was amazed by how we could communicate without language. Communication is
simple with short phrases, hand gestures, and a smile. I should have learned more Japanese phrases
before I left! It was interesting being different in Japan though… I noticed that when talking with people, they wouldn’t directly talk to
me unless I approached them. Even the
people passing out fliers on the street ignored me. A disability is usually coupled with “shame”
in most Asian-Pacific cultures. It must have been shocking to them see this smart-ass guy in a scooter laughing at random stuff! Anyways, we decided to stop by a grocery store to pick up some lunch. I’ve gotten into the habit of eating a light
lunch, so all I picked up was a salad and some sesame balls. The hotel gave out complementary bottled
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After a quick "siesta," an old friend from college that lives in Japan stopped by the hotel to catch up before we left for a Japanese Baseball game in Yokohama. It was great to connect with someone I had not seen since before my surgery! (My "BS" life... hahaha!) I was great to catch up and update each out on the news of our mutual friends. Our friends from Japan for LiveSTRONG swung by the hotel and we embarked on our next adventure, a subway ride to the stadium. The forecast called for rain that evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the train and the subway to Yokohama. <b>Public transit in Tokyo is great, but if you have mobility impairments, it is very time consuming</b>. Going around the subway station was difficult because the signage was very difficult to find and not all trains have platforms that have elevators. Couple that with the fact that boarding the subway would have been possible if I didn't have someone assisting me. Along with the stigma of disability, I can understand why I have always been "blessed" with rain during events we plan, but part of me likes, but also got to meet some pretty cool people through Japan for LiveSTRONG. We got soaked, but it was interesting to witness a familiar game in a different environment. There were so many coordinate cheers... that made the game fun to watch!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We took the train back from the stadium, but we were hungry. Damian and I decided to get off the train a few stops early and explore <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku,_Tokyo" target="_blank">Shinjuku</a> district and grab some dinner... We ended up exploring many narrow streets filled with little restaurants and shops. There were plenty of authentic Japanese restaurants! Problem was that we didn't understand the signage. I was a little nervous because I was in a scooter that draws a lot of attention in an unfamiliar country. I figured that you only live once... It was kinda exciting because we didn't understand the signs so we relied on our "animal instincts" to find food! We walked listlessly around for a good 30 minutes before Damian instictively put his nose in the air and literally smelled a restaurant he wanted to check out. I was game cause I was hungry! Damian said that he was familiar with "yakitoris" so we decided to go in. First problem was that the scooter could go up the one step into the little street restaurant. We ended up parking it outside and Damian and a waiter helped us in. A "yakitori" restaurant is very similar to spanish tapas with small dishes. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151562098145662&set=a.10151558236970662.1073741830.508070661&type=3&theater" target="_blank">There were some pretty interesting stuff on the menu! </a> After consulting with the waitress, we decided on a few items and we didn't get anything too exotic. We were WRONG! Damian thought "yakitori" meant fish and chicken like it does in the states. We ordered the "white meat with horse radish". When it came, we quickly devoured the dish! It was SO TENDER and fresh! Turns out "yakitori" in japan is chicken only! We had just eaten RAW chicken! We couldn't believe it... Instead of saying "it taste like chicken" we were saying "it taste like fish"! ;P Anyways, I kept the pepto bismal close by that night.... I'm happy to report that there were no "complications" from eating raw chicken! I will probably never do that again!<br />
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Next up exploring Tokyo on our own!<br />
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<b>Stay tuned for more updates. We will be blogging throughout the trip. Please consider a donation to help us spread our message of <i>post treatment “thrivership”</i>throughout Japan and the Pacific Ocean. <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here</a> <a href="http://www.stayclassy.org/events/kickin-mass-around-world-2013/e23322" style="color: #bb3d00; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">to support us</a> and stay tuned for the next update.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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