Mindy takes good care of herself. She regularly bikes long distances with her husband, which gives her a lot of time to think about life. When she noticed blood in her stool a couple of years ago, she didn’t jump to negative conclusions. She made an appointment with her doctor to get it checked out right away. A colonoscopy revealed a massive tumor.
After receiving that news, Mindy, the cyclist, turned up the motivation and the speed. When her medical system wasn’t responding quickly enough, one of Mindy’s nurses recommended she call El Camino Health’s Cancer Center.
“I felt really lucky that they were able to squeeze me in the next day,” she recalls. Mindy was also impressed with the information, attention and aggressive plan of attack she received. “There was no comparison.”
Dr. Shane Dormady quite simply stated, ‘We’re going for a cure.’” That resonated with Mindy and her husband, Guy, and they brought that attitude with them to Mindy’s infusion appointments.
While she would be at the infusion center for hours at a time, Guy and fellow cyclists from her club scheduled themselves in shifts, so she was never alone. “Focusing on the connection with the people around me very much helped me through each phase of my treatment,” shares Mindy.
This past winter, Mindy’s cancer came back, and she is using the approach that works best for her. She is staying as active as possible while she undergoes treatment because it not only helps her body, but also her mind and soul. Mindy’s positive attitude helps her to cope with her cancer diagnosis and has a direct impact on her quality of life day-to-day. It may not cure her cancer, but it makes living with it a bit easier to manage.
“It’s important to be fit and stay fit during treatment,” says Mindy. “I recently invested in an electric-assist bicycle so even on my worst days I can still get on the road with my husband and friends.” Mindy says making small changes like this have allowed her to remain active.
Throughout her journey, Mindy has been impressed by the El Camino Health oncology team, and as she puts it “always feels the love.”
“The warmth at the infusion center is overwhelming,” she adds. “The staff there really show they care in so many ways.”