Woman Who Fostered 62 Children & Beat Cancer Passes from COVID-19; Cancer Survivors & the Pandemic

“Hendrixson, who worked and raised four children by herself, was a fierce advocate for those who couldn't advocate for themselves,” The Detroit Free Press reports. Despite a rough battle with cancer, which her son says took a lot out of her, she kept going. “After beating cancer, she was a foster parent for the last 10 years of her life and opened her home to 62 children, including those who were disabled and those with special needs,” reports The Detroit Free Press. 

Hendrixson received her first shot of the Moderna vaccine in late February and fell ill with COVID-19 later that night. She had trouble breathing and passed from complications from the disease.

Hendrixson is a beautiful role model for those who want to use their time to help others, despite experiencing hardships themselves, like cancer.

Cancer Survivors & COVID-19

For people who formerly went through cancer treatment, or are currently going through cancer treatment, you should exercise extra safety precautions during the pandemic. This is primarily due to the fact that some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, may blunt the immune system, making a person more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.

Related: Which COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer, Moderna or J&J is Best For Cancer Patients?

When you’re able, get the COVID-19 vaccination to protect yourself further. Dr. Vincent Rajkumar, a top doctor from the Mayo Clinic, spoke in an earlier interview about why he thinks it is important for cancer patients to get vaccinated. He also assures people of their safety, saying, "It is very safe and there is no increased risk to you just because you have cancer."

“As long as you are feeling well, just go ahead with the vaccine whenever it's offered to you. Sometimes even on the same day if you are going to the clinic to get a small dose of chemotherapy and they're giving the vaccine, just get it, there's really no major problem," Dr. Rajkumar says. "The only people for whom we are saying to delay by a month or two are patients who have had a stem cell transplant because we have wiped out everything. And so you want to wait until some of the recoveries happens so when you give the vaccine, they have an immune response."

5 COVID-19 Vaccine Questions Answered by Expert Physician

Continuing Scans & Screenings During the Pandemic

Survivors and cancer fighters should continue their scans and screenings during the pandemic as well. Medical oncologist Dr. Elizabeth Comen describes the necessity of this in an earlier interview. “We know that cancer has not gone away just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” she says.

“We also know that some elective procedures and potentially preventative care– things like colonoscopies, and mammograms, and pap smears– may have been put off a couple months because we wanted to limit the number of people that were coming in to the hospital and also keep patients at home unless they really needed to leave,” explains Dr. Comen.

Related: When Should I Get a Mammogram?

“But fortunately, now that we have a little bit of a better hold on how to protect patients, how to disinfect, how to clean in between patients and scatter so that we’re not crowding our waiting rooms, it’s really, really important to remember to talk to your doctor about your screening mammogram or any other preventative tests that you may need,” Dr. Comen says.

It's Important To Continue Cancer Screenings Through COVID-19

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