{"id":450,"date":"2024-08-30T16:15:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T16:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iims.uthscsa.edu\/redes\/?page_id=450"},"modified":"2024-08-30T17:04:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T17:04:58","slug":"three-time-cancer-survivor-brings-message-of-hope-prevention-to-latinos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iims.uthscsa.edu\/redesenaccion\/publications\/stories\/three-time-cancer-survivor-brings-message-of-hope-prevention-to-latinos\/","title":{"rendered":"Three-Time Cancer Survivor Brings Message of Hope, Prevention to Latinos"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Alma Daneshi cried as she sat in her San Diego-area oncologist\u2019s office, traumatized by past-and-present health battles that continued to endanger her life.<\/p>\n

She had been through a brain aneurism and open-brain surgery.<\/p>\n

Then breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Then breast cancer again, followed by cervical cancer.<\/p>\n

She had lost her job managing a TGI Fridays restaurant while recovering from the aneurism and taking time off for cancer treatment. She got evicted and worried how she would care for herself and her then 12-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n

Then she learned she contracted viral meningitis during treatment.<\/p>\n

Daneshi, sitting beside her oncologist, broke down and wept.<\/p>\n

But then she got some life-changing advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy oncologist let me cry for a bit before she said, \u2018Instead of crying, put your anger and sadness into something positive,\u2019\u201d Daneshi said. \u201cShe was on the board of directors for the American Cancer Society (ACS), and she told me I can get involved as a volunteer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daneshi, now cancer-free four years later, is a volunteer extraordinaire.<\/p>\n

For ACS\u2019s San Diego region, she speaks at health fairs, answers a cancer hotline, helps organize cancer awareness fundraisers, hosts a cancer support group for Spanish speakers, and counsels Latinos on health insurance.<\/p>\n

She just won an ACS \u201cspirit\u201d award for her work with local Hispanics.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner el_class=”bleed light-beige”][vc_column_inner]\n

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\u201cI tell people help is available and prevention is possible,\u201d Daneshi said. \u201cIt saves lives if people get preventive health exams.\u201d<\/p>\n Alma Daneshi<\/cite>\n <\/blockquote>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n [\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=””]People trust her because she has overcome so many issues.<\/p>\n

In 2005, Daneshi, who is from South Bay San Diego, Calif., had an aneurism. She suffered short-term memory loss, and was fired from several jobs for not remembering things. Her disability funds eventually ran out.<\/p>\n

Just months later, she got her first cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Although Daneshi has a family history of cancer\u2014her mother, sister, aunt, uncle and two sets of grandmothers all died of cancer\u2014she didn\u2019t know much about the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, I was on my own dealing with the aftermath of my brain surgery, all while trying to comprehend what cancer even was,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce I accepted the truth about my illness, the doctors and nurses\u2026really helped to make sure I was aware of my body and the surgical procedures. I am happy my doctor sat down with me to make sure I was aware of the seriousness about my cancer diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daneshi started volunteering with ACS, answering a cancer survivor support hotline.<\/p>\n

One man who called, Daneshi recalls, was an uninsured Latino immigrant with no legal documentation. He couldn\u2019t get the cancer care his wife needed, and she died, and he was angry, confused, and broken. Daneshi related to him, comforted him, and vowed to do all she could to help him, and others like him, find peace.<\/p>\n

Daneshi now channels her experience toward making a compelling plea\u2014in both English and Spanish\u2014for fellow Latinos to get cancer screening.<\/p>\n

She makes this plea to people in many ways. She works with local public health professionals to deliver cancer prevention messages to people affected by cancer. She promotes the Affordable Care Act enrollment process as a counselor for Covered California. She also helped lead ACS\u2019s Relay for Life cancer awareness fundraisers around the San Diego region, and was the first local volunteer to infuse the event with bilingual cancer education.<\/p>\n

She also is part of the ACS Reach to Recovery and Look Good, Feel Good programs for cancer survivors to gain support and build relationships with other survivors.<\/p>\n

Daneshi is also involved with the cancer awareness activities of Redes En Acci\u00f3n: The National Latino Cancer Research Network<\/em><\/a>, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute. Redes has four offices\u2014one in San Diego\u2014and a headquarters at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner el_class=”bleed light-beige”][vc_column_inner]\n

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\u201cI learned that Hispanics don\u2019t like to word \u2018cancer\u2019 and that if I stayed true to my big mouth, or my ability to \u2018tell it like it is,\u2019 people tend to respond with more willingness to accept my help,\u201d Daneshi said.<\/p>\n Alma Daneshi<\/cite>\n <\/blockquote>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n [\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=””]Recently, Daneshi worked with a friend to start Princess for a Day, which gathers female cancer survivors at a country club to celebrate together on Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

She also started a unique cancer support group. The group, which meets once a month at a local doctor\u2019s office, aims to increase access to support for San Diego\u2019s Spanish-speaking Hispanics affected by cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur cancer support group is called Vamos a Chalor<\/em>. Most of the support groups in San Diego are for English-speakers, and are simply called \u2018cancer support group\u2019 or \u2018prostate support group,\u2019 without a real name for it,\u201d she said. \u201cVamas a Chalor<\/em> means \u2018let\u2019s chat\u2019 in Spanish. I wanted to name it something distinctly memorable and culturally inviting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daneshi is invaluable to ACS, Redes<\/em>, Covered California, and the entire San Diego community, said Dr. Sheila Casta\u00f1eda of San Diego State University and Redes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlma is the epitome of a true cancer survivor,\u201d Casta\u00f1eda said. \u201cShe has a superb ability to take her own struggles and victories to inform and inspire Hispanics across the region to prevent cancer. She\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out a full Q&A<\/a> featuring Daneshi from Kristi M. Allen of Redes<\/em> and San Diego State University.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”451″ img_size=”large” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Alma Daneshi cried as she sat in her San Diego-area oncologist\u2019s office, traumatized by past-and-present health battles that continued to endanger her life. She had been through a brain aneurism and open-brain surgery. Then breast cancer. Then breast cancer again, followed by cervical cancer. She had lost her job managing a TGI Fridays […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":385,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-450","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThree-Time Cancer Survivor Brings Message of Hope, Prevention to Latinos - Redes en Acci\u00f3n<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iims.uthscsa.edu\/redesenaccion\/publications\/stories\/three-time-cancer-survivor-brings-message-of-hope-prevention-to-latinos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three-Time Cancer Survivor Brings Message of Hope, Prevention to Latinos - Redes en Acci\u00f3n\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Alma Daneshi cried as she sat in her San Diego-area oncologist\u2019s office, traumatized by past-and-present health battles that continued to endanger her life. 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