They Call Me Galvez

This past week, I had the opportunity to speak at the Physical Therapy Assistant program at Concorde College in San Diego.  I have been doing a lot with Healthcare Education programs recently.  Last month I did a google hangout with a Physical Therapy Class at The University of New England.   I really enjoy speaking to students because I feel like there is so much potential in them to do something great!  I have had great mentors growing up and transitioning to the next phases of my life.  In high school, it was my sports coaches. In college, it was the student organization faculty advisors and my older friends. In grad school, it was the faculty and my clinical instructors.  As a young professional, I was assigned a mentor in the clinic.  In the nonprofit sector for the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many individuals who offer me priceless advice.  I’ve realized that no one person accomplishes things completely alone.  Everyone needs guidance.  This is probably why I’m so drawn to educating people about how to “thrive” after a tumor/cancer diagnosis!  I’m realizing that I’m really going to have to leap out of my comfort zone to truly raise awareness for “post treatment thrivership” to go beyond “survivorship.”  To me, being a “survivor” is something every individual diagnosed with a tumor/cancer looks to become.  Weathering the emotional and physical storm of a tumor or cancer diagnosis and becoming a “survivor” is a very great accomplishment, but that experience can ignite a fire in an individual to advocate against these diseases through research, psychosocial support, patient advocacy, patient education, political lobbying, etc.  The next step after becoming a survivor is becoming a “thriver.”  To become a “thriver”, a “survivor” begins to stand up against against these diseases and actively promotes the fight to conquer these diseases.  Becoming an advocate for post-treatment “thrivership” is no easy task.   It takes the right attitude and the genuine ability to promote the fight against tumors/cancer based on personal experience.

This weekend, I stepped out of my comfort zone again. I went to my first charity fashion show to see if a similar event would be appropriate for mAss Kickers Foundation.  It was a very interesting event.  Fashion is something I know very little about.  I was hoping to meet people from the beneficiary, International Children’s Cancer Foundation. They were hard to identify.  I really appreciated all the hard work by Ella PR that went into creating this unique charity event. I was very impressed with the number of sponsors, the turnout, and the accessibility of the venue.  I honestly had no idea what to expect!  Everyone was friendly and very accommodating to the “stranger in the mobility scooter.”  I only stayed for the actual show, so I didn’t get the chance to “mingle” as much as I would have liked.  I did meet some cool people there.  I’m learning that if you don’t have the guts to start conversations with complete strangers, you will never get out of your social network.  I’m finding that everyone I meet is amused by the name “mAss Kickers.”  People chuckle when I tell them about the name and why we think life after a tumor/cancer diagnosis needs a different approach!  The logo was designed to be a subtle way to promote a proactive lifestyle.  I still feel very lucky to be able to do everything that I’m doing now!  The past few years has been filed with “experiments” and “tests.”  I’m starting to figure things out!   Just getting downtown at night by myself was fun.  I’m faced with numerous physical challenges, but I’ve learned that you need to adapt or get left behind.  I appreciate the help from all my friends and family in supporting all the crazy ideas that pop in my head!  I’m really starting to get busy with things I never dreamed I would do!  I’ve leapt way outside of my comfort zone.  I am still surprised at some of the things I’ve already accomplished!  I’ll admit meeting new people who share the same passion about fighting these diseases is pretty cool!  New ideas are starting to solidify.  I’m very thankful for everyone that has supported me in the past!  There is still a lot of work to be done.  I’ll make you proud.  Stay tuned… more fun stuff is in the works!