They Call Me Galvez

This summer I hit the 40 mark!  Hard to believe because I still consider myself a kid at heart! People always think I’m younger because I can be pretty immature.  It has been a crazy ride!  My 20s were all about finding out who I am.  I became comfortable with my inner geek and discovered my Asian American and Filipino American Pride.  My 30s were about discovering what I’m capable of.  A couple years after I earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, EVERYTHING was taken away and I had to find the new me.  I was re-born as a young “brain tumor thriver” after a shocking period of uncertainty.  Things could have “ended” much sooner, but I feel very blessed to have made it this far!   A brush with your mortality puts things in perspective.  I definitely appreciate things more.  I’m more laid back now, however my passion in fighting ALL forms of tumors/cancers is only getting stronger.  I think my 4th decade of life is full of potential!  I’m still learning to adapt my skills and experiences into my new passion for life.  I appreciate what I have, but there is much work to be done in combating these diseases.  There are so many different professional paths to choose.  The options are only limited by my imagination.  One thing is certain, I will continue expressing my feelings about tumors/cancer and educating others about a proactive lifestyle after a tumor/cancer diagnosis!  PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT THERE IS LIFE AFTER A TUMOR/CANCER DIAGNOSIS!

mAss Kickers Foundation has some big plans in the works internationally! We are teaming with Esperity, an international oncology social media platform, on a very unique event.  This will be very cool!

Stay tuned!

La Mesa, California USA – On June 6, 2015  Nine teams that consisted of physical therapy students, physical therapists, health care professionals, cancer survivors, and community members gathered at Helix High School Sports Fields for a unique event to support mAss Kickers Foundation’s 2015 Charity Kickball Tournament.  Teams competed for the coveted Championship P.I.M.P. (Pugilistic Individual Mass-Kickn’ with Pride) Chalices.  Check out some of the picture!

The event was created to support mAss Kickers Foundation’s “How to Kick mAss” International Thrivership Program.  Internationally, cancer survivorship is not as prominent as it is in the United States.  mAss Kickers Foundation’s goal is to educate the future healthcare professionals, current healthcare professionals, and patients to dispel the negative stigma that cancer is a death sentence.

mAss Kickers Foundation firmly believes that the global stigma of a tumor/cancer diagnosis as a death sentence needs to be addressed and that tumor/cancer thrivers can be both a symbol and voice of hope in dispelling the myth that cancer is a death sentence.  Over the past two years, we have taken survivors to: Tokyo, Japan; Manila, Philippines; Seoul, South Korea; and Singapore, Singapore to meet other survivors in different countries AND lecture to health professionals/oncology researchers about the survivor experience.  Plans are in the works to take survivors to meet other survivors and present in Brussels, Belgium later in 2015.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation and support your favorite Kickball Team or Kickball Player to support our plans to educate the WORLD about a proactive life after a tumor/cancer diagnosis. We are looking forward to visiting another continent!  No other organization is doing this yet!  Be a part of something new and exciting!  Any thing will help!  We are almost to our goal!

I was lost for “Everlong” back then because EVERYTHING I worked so hard to establish was gone!  My career, my hobbies, my goals, my identity… I had to re-create myself.  I was re-born.

I gotta play with this a little more…