Brave Ohio Mother, 44, Has Battled Cancer for 20 Years, Endured Chemotherapy Three Different Times, and She’s Still Fighting

Deak has pushed through toxic relationships, loved-ones with substance abuse problems, taking care of ailing parents, and raising a daughter as a single mother. She even discovered that a babysitter she hired had built a meth lab in her loft. But the loving mother just keeps fighting on.

Survivor Jovannie Lorenzo calls her kids her “saving grace.” After a cancer diagnosis at age 32, she knew she had to do everything she could to stay alive for them.

Her cancer journey began while she was living in the woods working at a wilderness camp for at-risk youth in North Carolina. She spent two years at the camp, and during that time, she was diagnosed with bone cancer in her vertebrae. The cancer was inoperable, but it went into remission after Deak endured a year of chemotherapy.

Deak moved back to Ohio in 2007, and in 2008, she faced another cancer scare. This time, doctors discovered a tumor in her neck. The tumor turned out to be benign, but it was too large for surgeryDeak would have to undergo more chemotherapy. In 2012, yet again, Deak was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she had to go through even more chemo.

Even with all of this hardship, Deak holds on to a sense of optimism. “I have a positive outlook. My daughter helps me with that,” she told Mansfield News Journal. “I expect the worst, but I still hope for the best.”

When Deak finishes her radiation treatment, she will have to have surgery on her brain tumor. With this daunting procedure lingering ahead of her, Deak takes advantage of every opportunity she can to embrace gratitude. Her daughter inspires her to hold on to positivity, and her job gives her a sense of belonging that she cherishes. "I never plan on leaving this place," she said. And she certainly doesn't plan on letting cancer take her away from her work and loved ones.

Chemotherapy and its Side Effects

Chemotherapy can be one of the most challenging steps on a patient’s cancer journey–never mind going through it three times. The treatment often comes with some unpleasant side effects.

But Dr. Matthew Carlson, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, offers a reassuring point of view in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. "Chemotherapy that we give currently is not the chemotherapy from days gone by," he said. “Patients are not vomiting and stuck in bed for weeks on end or coming into the hospital."

That said, the drugs today may still result in nausea.

Dr. Marleen Meyers of NYU Permutter Cancer Center offers some surprisingly simple treatments that can really help with chemotherapy side effects like fatigue, hot flashes and insomnia.

The best way to manage chemotherapy side effects is to prepare for them. Dr. Carlson offers some examples of helpful ways to manage chemo side effects:

For nausea, doctors will usually prescribe effective medications, including Zofran to help.

"We have many, many, many medications that we give before, during, and after chemotherapy that should minimize the nausea that patients experience," Dr. Carlson says, adding that there are also quite a few medications available for constipation and diarrhea, though doctors may recommend dietary modifications first.

For fatigue, while there aren't quite medications the way there are for nausea, Dr. Carlson says that some patients may find it helpful to complement their treatment with alternative medicine supplements such as American Ginseng.

And then there's the chemotherapy side effect that everyone asks about: hair loss.

"When it comes to the hair loss that's associated with chemotherapy, we can't keep you with a full head of hair through your chemotherapy," says Dr. Carlson.

So, yes, hair loss can be expected with some commonly used chemo drugs. But just like with the other side effects, there are methods available to help.

Wigs, scarves, caps, and cutting your hair short can all help, as can scalp-cooling devices, which can prevent some (though not all) hair loss. Of course, it's really important to remember that hair loss is only temporary, and that your hair will grow back after the treatment ends.

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