![]() She was tired, she was mad, and for the first time ever, she said out loud how upset she was that she had cancer.įor Yoli, it was a relief to say those words, to say that it sucks, to admit she was mad, to admit that her body was in pain, and to admit she didn’t even recognize herself in the mirror anymore. But he encouraged her to let it all out because what was happening was a good thing.Īnd so she did. When her radiation oncologist saw her crying, he was surprised because she never cried. ![]() Admitting this sucksĪt one point when Yoli was getting ready to start radiation treatment, she was lying on the radiation table being prepped, and she started crying and couldn’t stop. Let’s call it what it is, a cancer storm. I agree, Yoli, and I love your honesty in sharing. Am I going to die like my mom?”Ī few days later, Yoli received an official diagnosis of stage three breast cancer.Īs she puts it, this was the beginning of her “cancer storm”: “I always hear people say ‘cancer journey,’ and I kind of laugh … It’s not a journey because ‘journey’ sounds like a beautiful adventure. She broke down crying and uttered those words I mentioned above, “Oh my gosh. Not having expected to receive any news about what it may be for a few days, Yoli wasn’t mentally prepared for this news. He pointed some things out to her on the screen and told her that he’s almost 100% sure she has cancer. But when the head radiologist walked in, she knew something wasn’t right. When she went for her appointment, there were two techs in the room helping out. I love her tenacity, and as she says, this was her first lesson in self-advocacy. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She knew she needed to go, so she advocated for herself and called the doctor back and asked for an appointment that Friday. But when she called to schedule it, there were no appointments available for two months. She was 31 at the time and had never had a mammogram. She prayed a lot, asking for help, and he granted it.Īfter the holiday, Yoli scheduled an appointment with her primary care physician to begin the process of discovering what the lump in her breast was. And she says that her ability to get through that day came from him. Yoli has had a strong faith in God ever since she was a little girl. “I chose, and I use that word strongly … I chose to focus on my family and focus on the beautiful stuff that was happening in my home that day as opposed to choosing to be sad, to allow my brain to wander to that dark place. But on one of the biggest holidays of the year, it seemed like the right idea. Instead, she “turned it off,” an ability we humans have, though she admits that’s not always the healthiest of options. So she kept it inside and didn’t allow herself to enter into a sad or fearful state. But it was Thanksgiving Day, her favorite holiday and her brother’s birthday, and she knew she couldn’t do anything about it. If not for that, the cancer could have been farther along by the time it was found. She’s thankful that her body “screamed” at her with the pain and that she was able to feel the lump. She immediately put her hand there, felt something, and “knew in heart that it was cancer.” One Thanksgiving Day, with the turkey in the oven and family scheduled to come over, Yoli was getting out of the shower and felt a sharp pain in her left breast. To hear the entire interview, listen to the podcast, or keep reading below to catch the highlights. On this episode of Overcome With Auntie Anne, I talk with Yoli about her “cancer storm,” the way it’s played out in her family, and the impact it’s made on her throughout the years. I met her just a few months ago and have come to learn that she has an enthusiasm for life that’s palpable. ![]() Yoli’s life mission is to support newly diagnosed cancer patients and survivors through programs and services offered by her organization, Cancer Kinship. But now 14 years later she’s still surviving and thriving and using what she’s learned and overcome to help others battling the same thing. Am I going to die like my mom?” 21 years earlier, when Yoli was just ten years old, her mother passed away from cancer and thoughts of suffering the same fate ran through her head. When Yoli Origel found out she may have cancer, the first question out of her mouth was, “Oh my gosh. ![]()
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