Enjoying the Holidays as a Cancer Warrior
- Beloved former QVC host Antonella Nester, 57, took to Facebook and YouTube to share a special message with fans. In November 2020, she was diagnosed with cancer.
- Nester shared a lovely message about embracing the holiday spirit in whatever ways are least stressful and most enjoyable. This year, her Christmas tree is only a foot and a half tall, and she says its bring her just as much joy as her two-story-tall trees of years past did.
- The holiday season can be challenging for cancer patients who may not want their cancer to be the focus of holiday gatherings. Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed psychologist, recommends focusing on being your “authentic self” and explaining to family and friends why you don’t want to focus on your cancer during this joyful time.
The 57 year old grew a wide audience for herself by touching people all across the nation with her endearing personality on TV. But her world began to turn upside down when her husband lost his job and then she was fired in July 2020 along with many other popular QVC hosts .
Read More“I just wanted to remind you that coming from someone that had a two-story Christmas tree and a bunch of Christmas trees, I’m just as happy and I mean it with my little Christmas tree,” she said. “It’s about a foot tall, and it smells beautiful.”
She explained that her little green tree was just as special as any amount of extravagant decor she’s had in years past.
“It’s just as joyful and celebratory and happy as the two-story Christmas tree, all the wreaths, all the ribbons all the bows all of it,” she said. “And I wanted to give you kind of that thought that Christmas is Christmas, the holidays are the holidays, Hanukkah is Hanukkah and everything else that we celebrate. It comes whether it’s a two-story Christmas tree or a one-foot Christmas tree. It’s the same message, it’s the same joy, it’s the same happiness. So, don’t drive yourself bonkers this year by getting all crazy with the season the packages, the presents, the ordering, the wrapping, the cookies it’s not the reason… It’s really not what makes you happy and what fills you.
And while Nester admitted that all those things can be beautiful and fun, she also noted that they can cause a lot of avoidable anxiety and stress.
“Your loved ones and your kids, they don’t want to see you stressed, they don’t want to see you upset. They want to see you happy and joyful,” she said. “So, whether you bake ten dozen cookies or 12 cookies… whether you decorate a two-story tree or a one-foot tree, just remember in your heart, the joy is all the same, the message is all the same. And it’s just as beautiful either way.”
Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common cancer that has been the subject of much research. Many women develop breast cancer every year, but men can develop this cancer too though it is more rare, in part, due to the simple fact that they have less breast tissue.
There are many treatment options for people with this disease, but treatment depends greatly on the specifics of each case. Identifying these specifics means looking into whether the cancerous cells have certain receptors. These receptors the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor and the HER2 receptor can help identify the unique features of the cancer and help personalize treatment.
"These receptors, I like to imagine them like little hands on the outside of the cell, they can grab hold of what we call ligands, and these ligands are essentially the hormones that may be circulating in the bloodstream that can then be pulled into this cancer cell and used as a fertilizer, as growth support for the cells," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
The Unique Features of Breast Cancer: Deciding the Right Course of Treatment
One example of a type of ligand that can stimulate a cancer cell is the hormone estrogen, hence why an estrogen receptor positive breast cancer will grow when stimulated by estrogen. For these cases, your doctor may offer treatment that specifically targets the estrogen receptor. But for HER2 positive breast cancers, therapies that uniquely target the HER2 receptor may be the most beneficial.
Keeping a Positive Attitude During the Holiday Season
There’s no denying that the holiday season can be tough for people with cancer. Clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin explains that the holidays can be more intense than other times of the year, and that they tend to serve as a marker where cancer patients are currently in their lives and in their cancer journeys. So, if you're having a hard time remaining positive during this season that's supposed to be filled with so much joy, consider the advice Dr. Strongin previously shared with SurvivorNet.
"For patients who are going through a difficult moment, it becomes a real lens into what's happening for them because they can remember the holidays the year before or even the year before that," Dr. Strongin said. "And it becomes a sense of reality when they know that this is going to be the year that's marked by this (a cancer battle or diagnosis)."
The holiday season can create challenges for people fighting cancer, says Dr. Marianna Strongin
If you find that you identify with what Dr. Strongin is saying, she tells us that she has a challenge for you this holiday season.
"I really challenged (cancer patients) to kind of take this holiday as it is, to find the joy in it, to find ways to accept the reality of where they are in this time and space," she said.
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