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2300 Leopard Lane • Malvern, AR501-229-1534

Mini Relay For Life at MESMalvern Elementary

School held a mini Relay For Life at the school on Thursday, April 19 ahead of the Hot Spring County Relay For Life.

The 2017 Hot Spring County Relay For Life will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 at the Boys & Girls Club of Mal-vern and Hot Spring Coun-ty.

Throughout the Hot Spring County Relay For Life event, there will be a host of games, along with door prizes, food and fun.

The event will kick off with the Opening Cere-monies at 5 p.m. when all those affected by cancer, whether just diagnosed or

cancer free for years, will be celebrated.

The first official event of the Hot Spring Coun-ty Relay For Life will be the Survivors’ Lap at 5:15 p.m., which honors those who have beaten cancer. Survivors of the disease are an inspiration to all those facing a cancer diag-nosis. They will be honored by taking the first lap and anyone who has overcome cancer is welcomed to join.

Also at this time, the Caregivers’ Lap will be held. This is to honor those that dedicate their time to care for others facing can-cer. While the caregivers are taking their lap, they are often joined by the one they supported through their battle.

At 8:30 p.m., the Lu-

minaria Ceremony will be held. Each Lumanria bag, which is a bag with a can-dle inside that represents a loved one lost to cancer. The purpose of this activi-ty is to remember those we lost, support those current-ly battling the disease and honor the survivors. While the Luminaria Ceremony allows attendees an oppor-tunity to grieve, it also of-fers hope and comfort.

The Closing Ceremonies will be held from 9:30 to 10 p.m., celebrating all that has been accomplished and giving pause to remember those that have been lost.

The public is invited to come out and support the survivors, caregivers and surviving cancer patients.

By Eric MoorE

Staff Writer

Photo submitted

On Thursday, April 19, students at Malvern Elementary School put on their own Mini Relay For Life ahead of the Hot Spring County Relay For Life, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at the Boys & Girls Club of Malvern and Hot Spring County.

Photo submitted

Children of all ages were on hand for Malvern Elementary School’s Mini Relay for Life on Thursday, April 19.

Photo submitted

A large contingent of Malvern Elementary School students participated in the school’s Mini Relay For Life on Thursday, April 19.

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PROUD SUPPORTER OF RELAY FOR LIFE!

Located at 1219 S. Main St.

Call 501-332-3651

MALVERN CHIROPRACTIC

Malvern/Hot Spring County

Relay For LifeSaturday, April 22

5 to 10 p.m.Boys & Girls Club of

Malvern and Hot Spring County

(NewsUSA) — Did you know that colorectal cancer is expected to kill more than 50,000 Ameri-can men and women this year?

But there is hope.Colorectal cancer is of-

ten preventable. According to the American Cancer So-ciety (ACS), nearly all of these cancers start as "pol-yps"-- growths inside the colon or rectum. If people 50-and-older get screened, these can be found and removed before they turn cancerous.

However, many adults choose not to get tested be-cause of cultural stigmas, anticipated discomfort and the cost of a tradition-al colonoscopy. But new options can help. Under federal law, private insur-ers must now cover "vir-tual colonoscopy" -- also known as CT colonogra-phy. Many large insurers

-- including CIGNA, Unit-edHealthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield -- have covered this ACS-rec-ommended exam for some time.

Unlike its traditional counterpart, virtual colo-noscopy is far less inva-sive. It still requires a lax-ative preparation, but does not require sedation. Little, if any, recovery time is needed, and patients can go back to work or daily activ-ities afterward. In addition, it is as accurate as a stan-dard colonoscopy for most people, and it costs less. Not surprisingly, avail-ability of this test has been shown to increase screen-ing rates.

Click here to see video.How it works: A radiol-

ogist uses high-tech, low-dose X-rays to generate 3D, moving images of the colon that doctors exam-ine for polyps and signs of

cancer. Only if polyps or cancers are found do you have to go on to have those removed by a standard colonoscopy or surgery.

Medicare does not yet cover virtual colonoscopy. However, patient groups, minority health care advo-cates, and medical societ-ies are urging Medicare to cover the test.

"Colorectal cancer screening through less in-vasive options like CT colonography is appealing to patients, especially the Medicare population," says Anne Carlson, executive director of the Colon Can-cer Coalition.

"Covering this pa-tient-centered option will help save lives."

Expanded insurance coverage of virtual colo-noscopy can make it more appealing and accessible to many who should be screened but choose not

to. According to ACS, Af-rican-Americans, those in many rural areas and His-panics are less likely to be screened. African-Ameri-can and rural residents are more likely to develop and die from colorectal cancer than Caucasians. And be-cause U.S. Hispanics are

less likely to be screened, they have their cancers dis-covered later. In fact, U.S. Hispanics are more like-ly to die from this disease than those in many Cen-tral- and South American countries.

Expanded coverage for less invasive, affordable

screening could boost col-orectal cancer care in these communities and nation-wide.

For more information visit www.radiologyinfo.org/VirtualCT.

Relay for LifeMalvern Daily Record - Friday, April 21, 2017

HOT SPRING COUNTY

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OuachitaSchool District

We are proud to support Relay For Life!

166 Schoolhouse Road • Donaldson, AR 71941501-384-2323

in memory of our dear friends

& co-workers

Phoebe fite

Gay enGlishSadly missed along life’s way,

quietly remembered every day...No longer in our life to share,

but in our hearts, you’re always there.

1820 W. Moline - Malvern, AR 72104(501) 337-9581 • encoreatmalvern.org

(NAPSI)—If you’re among the more than 65 million Americans who care for a loved one living with a chronic illness, you have a unique understand-ing of this critical role. The value of caregiving is particularly evident for the more than 15,600 people who are estimated to be di-agnosed with chronic lym-phocytic leukemia (CLL) each year, as persons diag-nosed with CLL are typi-cally elderly and often re-quire care for an extended period of time.

“Caregivers such as me play an active role in the management of our loved one’s disease, especial-ly in the case of a chronic blood cancer like CLL,” said Karenann Pantozzi of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. “Some patients, like my partner Bob, may experience symptoms from their illness and side ef-fects from treatment, so I found it to be important to provide the supportive care at home that he needs to help manage any prob-lems.”

Caregivers may be able to help their loved one re-main in their own home and community while still providing the quality care and support they require. This may include driving

to appointments, ensuring compliance to medications and preparing meals.

Jayshree Shah, Nurse Practitioner, Hackensack University Hospital, says, “To best manage chronic illness care, it’s important for patients to have a full team of health care provid-ers and supportive caregiv-ers to understand and dis-cuss all treatment options.”

To be able to help their loved one, caregivers of CLL patients should strike a balance between time for themselves and maintain-ing an active role. Nearly three-quarters of family caregivers report not go-ing to the doctor as often as they should, 63 percent have poor eating habits and 58 percent have worse ex-ercise habits than before

taking on their role as caregivers.

As a care-giver, you should:

1. Take charge of your life, and don’t let your loved one’s illness take center stage. You’re doing a very hard job and deserve time

just for yourself.2. Encourage your loved

one to talk to you about his or her emotions. Patients with CLL may experience depression or anxiety, so it’s important to maintain an open dialogue.

3. Join a CLL or blood cancer support group with your loved one to hear oth-er people’s stories, gain valuable insights and learn coping strategies.

4. Be open to the vari-ous online resources that are available for those liv-ing with CLL, including resources offering helpful tips on managing finances and navigating insurance during this difficult time.

5. Educate yourself about CLL. Knowledge is power.

CLL is one of four main

types of leukemia. It oc-curs when white blood cells, or lymphocytes, in bone marrow multiply, re-place normal lymphocytes in the marrow and lymph nodes, and leave less room for healthy blood cells as well as platelets, resulting in infection, anemia and bleeding. Symptoms can include:

• Swollen lymph nodes• Pain• Fullness below the ribs• Recurring infections• Tiring easily• Unintended weight

loss• Shortness of breath

during light activity.These symptoms devel-

op slowly and are more likely to occur in older peo-ple. CLL is usually found during a routine blood test as part of a regular physi-cal exam. Treatments may include medication, sur-gery, radiation, and che-motherapy. TREANDA® (bendamustine HCl) for In-jection is a chemotherapy approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of pa-tients with CLL. However, efficacy relative to first-line therapies other than chlorambucil has not been established. As with many medications, patients may experience side effects and require a change in therapy

as a result, so it’s important for caregivers to be present during doctor visits.

For more information about CLL treatments, ask your doctor or visit www.TREANDA.com.

IndicationTREANDA is indicat-

ed for the treatment of patients with chronic lym-phocytic leukemia (CLL). Efficacy relative to first-line therapies other than chlorambucil has not been established.

Important Safety In-formation

• Serious side effects, including low blood cell counts, infections, unex-pected responses to TRE-ANDA when placed in your blood, sudden and severe allergic respons-es, kidney failure due to fast breakdown of cancer cells, other cancers, and leaking of TREANDA out of your vein and into your surrounding skin, have been seen with TREAN-DA. Some responses, such as low blood counts, in-fections, and severe aller-gic skin responses (when TREANDA was given with allopurinol and other medi-cations known to cause se-vere allergic skin respons-es), have caused death. Patients should be watched closely for these responses

and treated quickly if any are seen.

• Serious side effects may require changes in therapy, such as lowering the amount of TREANDA given, stopping the use of TREANDA, or waiting longer than expected be-tween doses of TREANDA.

• TREANDA should not be used in patients with a known allergic response to bendamustine or manni-tol (an inactive ingredient in TREANDA). Women should be told not to be-come pregnant while using TREANDA.

• The most common non-blood-related side ef-fects associated with TRE-ANDA (occurring in ≥15 percent of patients) are fever, nausea, and vom-iting. The most common blood-related side effects associated with TREANDA (frequency ≥15 percent) are low red blood cells (ox-ygen carrying cells), low platelets (blood-clotting cells), and decreased num-ber of three different types of white blood cells (infec-tion-fighting cells).

Full prescribing in-formation is available at h t tp : / /www.TREANDA.com/pdf /TREANDA_f i -nal_PI.pdf. This informa-tion is provided by Teva.

Family caregivers should seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone.

How cancer caregivers can help their loved one

Battling breast cancer can be exhaust-ing. As the American Cancer Society notes, the most common side effect of cancer treatment is fatigue, and many breast can-cer patients find themselves lacking ener-gy after treatment. But as draining as such fatigue can be, breast cancer patients must make an effort to keep track of their treat-ments so they can stay organized. Many cancer patients will receive more than one round of chemotherapy, and keeping track of each round can help patients stay more informed.

Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to providing reliable, com-plete and up-to-date information about breast cancer, recommends breast cancer patients keep separate records for each round of chemotherapy. Make each record as detailed as possible, including the fol-lowing information so you have an accu-rate and accessible account of your che-motherapy treatments.

• name, address and phone number of institution where chemotherapy was given

• dates of chemo• medical record number• name and phone number of doctor

who supervised your chemotherapy nurse or nurse practitioner’s name and phone number

• type of central line, if applicable• name of treatment protocol or clinical

trial• name of medication• dose received each session• number of doses• cumulative dose• how medicine was given (as a pill, IV

through a peripheral vein, IV through a central line, lumbar injection, etc.)

• antinausea medicines used• allergic reactions, if any• adverse reactions, if any• change in dose or medicine because of

adverse reactions

Keep track of chemo dates and data

Virtual colonoscopy simplifies cancer screening

Cheryl Bryant, a normally vibrant and energetic woman, was not feeling like herself. She was always tired, the kind of tired that drags you down and makes simple tasks seem like they are being done un-derwater. Bryant began doing something that she never had done before; taking naps after work.

An evening in June of 2012 proved to be a pivotal moment in her life. It was during one of her evening naps that she was laying on the couch. She had already been concerned, instinct said that something was wrong.

As she reached over to scratch an itch, she discov-ered something that sent chills down her spine. Along the side of her left breast was a lump. Fast forward four days, she was in the office of Dr. Ray Bollen discussing how they were going to work together to get through what-ever may happen.

Bollen sent Bryant for a mammogram. A few days lat-er she received the call that the lump, in the words of the nurse practitioner, “appears to be cancerous.” Having gotten the call while at work, all she could do was drop the phone. She could hear the nurse call-ing her name. According to Bryant it was like her world went away and she was just

“there.”While on vacation, Bryant

had finally gotten her answers. It was cancer, it was the size of a dime, and she was going to endure several rounds of chemo and radiation therapy treatments. Yet as her doctor in Little Rock delivered this news, he quickly added that "this is by no means a death sentence."

Bryant conducted the business of her daily life while undergoing all of her treatments. She never missed any of them. A testament to her tough, fighting spirit, is the fact she only missed one day of work during that peri-od of her life. But towards the

end of her treatments, when she had just a few remaining, she broke down. The nurses present encouraged and com-forted her. They told her that she has made it this far, she will finish this and will win. That is exactly what Bryant did; fought it and defeated her cancer.

She says that without her family, it would have been so much worse. They were her support.

Bryant gave some advice to newly diagnosed patients; “keep a positive attitude, fight and then keep fighting, must have a strong support system, and even stronger faith.”

Previously, I have written about my dad's cancer diagnosis. Fortu-nately for me, I was too young to realize the gravity of the situation, which in some ways was possibly a bless-ing for him. There were no difficult questions to answer, nothing re-ally to explain. “Daddy got sick. Daddy is better now,” because from the innocent perspective of a six year old, it really was that simple.

However innocent as chil-dren may be, they also posses an intuition undiluted by the act of “adulting.” The lack of worries and being carefree makes them more open to noticing things that many grown-ups can’t. During that time, I did have insecurities. Like it was high-ly unusual to be shipped away to family members in the next county with little explanation.

I still have some of that in-tuition left. I listen to it, and though I may not always know what it concerns, I do know that it means something. In Septem-ber of 2001, I was nine months pregnant. I may have been feel-ing uneasy for same reasons as the rest of the country since the attack on home soil occurred earlier that month. But I knew there was something else, and it had nothing to do with the healthy baby boy I was carrying.

One Tuesday night, I was speaking with my sister. Casual-ly in our conversation, she said something that literally dropped me to my knees. “You know I can't believe mom won't just go

ahead and get the surgery. The longer she waits the worse that cancer will get.”

I had been folding laundry while my former husband was hanging out in the living room with a close friend of ours. It was a perfectly normal eve-ning, like any other. So how that bombshell dropped into my lap was a surreal moment. Natural-ly I demanded an explanation. I was told that our mama did not want me to know since I was in the late stages of pregnancy. In fact, my son entered the world two days later.

My next phone call was to my mama. I was angry with the three of them (daddy, mama, sis) for keeping the news from me.

In some ways, as selfish as it sounds, I was angry at her for being sick. I was about to have my first child and she was going to leave me when I needed her the most.

My anger with her quickly became fury. My sweet, gen-erous and extremely stubborn mother was refusing potentially life-saving surgery. The reason was so that she could be with me during labor and there to help me for the first week my son came home. What? She was my mother, and she was out of her mind.

Two days after that, in the middle of the night, I got a sign that it was time to go to the hos-pital.

Because my mother and father lived four hours away at that time, we called them upon arrival. My mother arrived in Fayetteville from Hot Springs in less than three hours. When she entered that hospital room she looked the same. She was still my beautiful mother, yet all I could imagine was that disease growing in her body. I was happy she was with me but I desperately needed her to get that operation. She was also still my stubborn mother, and all my pleas were met with a pa-tient, and somewhat patronizing smile. She was not leaving, can-cer can wait, now shut up and hand me that boy.

When the baby was 2-weeks-old I made the trip with him down to Hot Springs. My strong-willed, beautiful mother had her surgery and it was a success. She endured 11 months of chemo and radiation with a smile and not once did she complain.

She is now almost 16 years out from that experience. What my mother taught her equally stubborn youngest daughter, was that life, and cancer, are what you make it.

She fought and she won, just like my dad. Those thoughts offer hope, because both refused to be defeated and neither were.

I also learned that it is defi-nitely true that when a mama makes up her mind, nothing will change it. Both are still doing well and enjoying each others' company. Daddy is still quiet, mama is still stubborn.

Relay for LifeMalvern Daily Record - Friday, April 21, 2017

HOT SPRING COUNTY

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1001 Schneider Drive332-1000

Baptist-Health.com

2017 RELAY

FOR LIFE

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE

Bryant remains undefeated

By Dana Keener

Staff Writer

More promises

Dana Keener

Keenobservationsby

Early detection of cancer greatly increases a person’s odds of surviving this poten-tially deadly disease. Screening can range from relatively simple self-examinations to more com-plicated procedures conducted by physicians. The following are the widely accepted screening guidelines, courtesy of the Amer-ican Cancer Society.

Breast cancerWomen should begin self-ex-

aminations of their breasts starting in their 20s. This helps women familiarize themselves with their breasts early on, which makes it easier to detect any ab-normalities, including lumps, lat-er in life.

In addition to breast self-ex-ams, women should receive clinical breast exams, or CBEs, every three years while in their 20s and 30s, and then an annual CBE starting at age 40. The ACS also recommends women begin receiving annual mammograms starting at age 40. Some doctors may also recommend women with a family history of breast cancer or other significant risk factors receive an MRI in addi-tion to a mammogram. These ad-ditional tests are rarely necessary, but women at a higher risk of breast cancer should discuss their options with their physicians.

Colorectal cancer and pol-yps

Men and women should be-gin screening for colorectal can-

cer and polyps beginning at age 50. Polyps are growths on the inner surface of the colon that are often noncancerous, but some can develop into cancer.

Some tests may be con-ducted to find both polyps and cancer, and these tests should be conducted at various inter-vals. Beginning at age 50, men and women should get a flex-ible sigmoidoscopy every five years, a colonoscopy every 10 years, a double-contrast barium enema every five years, or a CT colonography, also known as a virtual colonoscopy, every five years. When tests other than a colonoscopy are positive, then a colonoscopy should be conduct-ed as well.

Testing can also be conduct-ed to detect colorectal cancer. Beginning at age 50, men and women should receive an annual fecal occult blood test or a year-ly fecal immunochemical test. When results are positive, a colo-noscopy should be conducted.

Lung cancerDespite the prevalence of

lung cancer, the ACS advises against screenings for lung can-cer in people whose risk for de-veloping the disease is average. But the ACS does recommend screenings for those individu-als who are at high risk for the disease. These include men and women who meet all of the fol-lowing criteria:

• 55 to 74 years of age

• in fairly good health• have at least a 30 pack-year

smoking history and are either still smoking or have quit smok-ing within the last 15 years

More information about lung cancer screening is available at www.cancer.org.

Endometrial (uterine) can-cer

According to the ACS, at the time of menopause all wom-en should discuss the risks and symptoms of endometrial can-cer, often referred to as uterine cancer. Detection often begins with women themselves, who should report any bleeding or spotting to their physicians im-mediately upon detection.

Some women may be can-didates for yearly endometrial biopsies. This includes women who have hereditary nonpolyp-osis colon cancer, or HNPCC, a condition also known as Lynch syndrome. Women known to carry HNPCC-linked gene muta-tions are also candidates. Women from families with a tendency to get colon cancer where genetic testing has not been done also are candidates for yearly endo-metrial biopsies. These yearly biopsies should begin at age 35, and women should discuss the risks, benefits and limitations of the tests with their physicians.

More information on cancer screenings is available at www.cancer.org.

Early detection increases cancer survival odds

By Tresa Erickson

If you're one of the 10 million women in the United States at high risk for breast cancer, you may be familiar with the drug tamoxifen. It has been used to stop the spread of breast cancer and was recent-ly studied to determine if it would help prevent women at high risk for breast cancer from getting the disease. According to the results of the study, the drug will reduce women's chances for developing breast cancer almost in half.

To date, tamoxifen is the only drug used to prevent breast cancer that has been ap-proved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, that doesn't mean that every wom-an at high risk for breast cancer should take the drug. Physi-cians generally won't prescribe it for women younger than 35 because it reduces the activity of the hormone estrogen and may advise against it in cases

where the risks are too great.While tamoxifen generally

works to slow down the activ-ity of estrogen in breast tissue, the hormone that feeds breast cancer, it sometimes produc-es the opposite effect in other tissue, setting the stage for other potential problems. In addition, tamoxifen has proven to increase the risk for pulmo-nary embolism, stroke, cata-racts and two types of uterine cancer. Because of these risks, physicians generally only keep women on the drug for five years or less.

Women interested in reduc-ing their chances of developing breast cancer through the use of tamoxifen should discuss the drug with their physician. The physician will determine if their breast cancer risk out-weighs the risks associated with tamoxifen using the Gail method. Generally women in their 50s who have had a hys-terectomy which will eliminate the uterine cancer risk may

take it, whereas women 60 or older may not simply because they are more at risk for stroke and uterine cancer.

Women who decide to take tamoxifen should also be aware of the side effects. Many have reported experiencing menopausal symptoms, like menstrual irregularity, head-aches, fatigue, nausea, vomit-ing, skin rash, hot flashes and more. Some women, on the other hand, have experienced no side effects at all. It all de-pends on the woman and how her body reacts to the drug.

The decision to take tamox-ifen is not an easy one. Only you can decide for sure if the risks and any side effects you may experience are worth it. In the meantime, researchers are looking at other drugs that may provide the same kind of breast cancer prevention as tamoxi-fen but without the risks. Until then, tamoxifen is your best bet for preventing breast cancer.

Tamoxifen: The positives and the negatives