ITW n°4: Marine - K fighter.

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ITW n°4: Marine - K fighter.

from the superb blog: KISS OF A HURRICANE :)

Hello Marine, First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to share your K's story, it's really courageous and generous of you :)

Let's get started:

Who are you ?

I am Marine de Nicola , I am 25 years old, I am a singer.

Where do you live ?

It's a little complicated. I lived in Beijing, I am currently in Toulouse for the follow-up of my cancer and God knows what my next destination will be :)

Can you summarize your (K fighter) story for us ?

My Mister K was very naughty. He hid for a long time and was not easily caught. It is a cancer of the lymphatic system, Hodgkin's lymphoma more precisely. Basically, these are the cells of the immune system that have gone wrong and form tumors. Mine was located at the level of the mediastinum (between the lungs) and measured 15 cm by 10. After two years of "poor health", the Chinese doctors finally discovered it thanks to an X-ray of the lungs. I was 24 years old, I was having a great singing career in China and Mister K came and ruined everything.

The tumor was inoperable, so I attacked the evil Mister K with 8 rounds of ABVD chemo, and 23 radio sessions. I have been in remission since November 2014! Hallelujah!

What tips directly related to K do you want to share (your feeling with the doctor, your good plans for organizing treatment, anything that seems useful to you ;))?

When going to chemo, I dressed as comfortably as possible, and I took all my favorite music with me. Music helped me enormously to cope with chemo. Afterward, I was extremely ill and couldn't eat or leave my bed for a week. Films and series are then very welcome.

For my part, I do not recommend the cooling helmet, supposedly to preserve the hair. It hurts very, very badly. So if you see that your hair is starting to fall out... "Stop the costs" if you had tested it... Baldness will appear anyway (even partial) and in the end you will certainly shave everything. Might as well save yourself additional physical suffering!

Eat pomposity! No need to bring the spoon to your mouth! Just vacuum lightly and it comes by itself, without getting it everywhere. I fed on that for 6 months.

However , hypnosis helped me enormously to reduce pain, especially during chemo. I recommend it to everyone! This allows you to escape and be very, very far from the hospital.

Contact with caregivers was almost non-existent, I really felt like I was in the “cancer factory”. I never saw the same people. In eight months of treatment, I only saw my oncologist once. The same goes for the other patients, I was alone and isolated.

What did you do to clear your mind/clear your head (before chemo, surgery & co)?

A blog ! It's my baby, my therapy, my chance. www.kiss-of-a-hurricane.com

Thanks to him, I was able to reflect, put things into perspective, break my isolation and above all discover a passion for writing.

Otherwise, as soon as I could, I was going to have fun clubbing. I put on makeup, wore high heels and reinvented myself for a night out.

What are the nugget phrases (that you remember) that someone said to you during K and that you could have avoided?

Mister K. taught me not to be touchy but I remember these:

“You’re only tired when it suits you”

“I read your blog, it’s not bad, you seem a lot less superficial than before.”

How did your loved ones support you?

And what advice could you give to loved ones who accompany a K fighter?

My family pampered me and brought a lot of tenderness. My friends chose humor and spent their time making fun of Mister K.. Many of my readers have thought of me and prayed for me. To all of them, I am eternally grateful. It is very difficult to give advice to loved ones on how to behave, because each patient experiences their illness differently. I think the best thing would be to adapt one's behavior ACCORDING to the patient's needs; this requires great attention.

What would be the useful (internet) links that helped you during K?

Facebook groups specific to my illness. Just type in the name of your cancer to find great communities.

What has the K changed in your life...?

I feel much freer. I am aware of the fragility and beauty of life. I want to live my dreams and avoid having regrets. Don't take my head for bullshit. I am much more sensitive to the world around me, to the energies of things and people. At 24, I was looking for myself. At 25 years old + cancer, I am finding myself.

Free field ;)

What helped me the most to overcome the illness was to continue to fuel and carry out my projects. My video clip “Shave it off” is one of them, my blog too. Continuing to sing despite illness was a way for me to fight and raise my middle finger to Mister K.

Good luck to everyone,

With Love xxx

Connections: My “ Shave it off ” video:

I very, very strongly invite you to click here!!!

My Blog: www.kiss-of-a-hurricane.com My Facebook page My Twitter account My Youtube page ---------- Thank you again for your testimony and for sharing your K/tips ;) Lots of sweet positive thoughts See you soon Charlotte<:en>

ITW n°4: Marine or MOMO - K fighter.

from the great blog: KISS OF A HURRICANE :)

Hello Marine,

First of all thank you heaps for accepting to share the history of your K, that's very brave and generous of you J

Let's start

Who are you?

I'm Marine by Nicola // Momo, I'm 25 and I'm a singer.

Where do you live ?

That's a bit knotty. I used to live in Beijing but I'm currently in Toulouse because of the follow-up of my cancer and heaven knows what my next destination will be :)

Would you briefly tell us your history as (K fighter) ?

My Mister K has been really mischievous. It hid for a long time and it wasn't easy to catch. It's a cancer of the lymphatic system, precisely a Hodgkin's lymphoma . In a nutshell: the immune system cells bungle and form tumors. Mine was in the mediastinum area (in between the lungs) and it was 15cm by 10cm. After two years of bad health, the Chinese doctors finally found it out after a lungs X-ray. I was 24 at that time, my singing career was flourishing in China and there Mister K came screwing things up.

The tumor was inoperable, so I attacked evil Mister K with 8 cycles of ABVD chemo and 23 radiotherapy sessions. I've been in remission since November 2014! Yay!

Is there any trick related with K that you would like to share with us? (your connection with your doctor, your treatment schedule, anything you think is useful ;))?

When I went to the chemo sessions I used to wear the comfiest clothing and I brought all my favorite songs. Music has been a huge help for me in going through the chemo sessions. After any session, I was horribly sick and couldn't eat nor get out of bed for one week. Movies and series were then the most welcomed.

I wouldn't recommend the cold cap, supposedly preventing hair loss. It hurts badly. You will lose hair (even partially), no matter what, and you will certainly end up shaving your head. You'd rather spare yourself any further physical pain!

Hypnosis, though, helped me enormously in easing pain, especially during chemo. I recommend it to everyone! It helps you escape to a place far away from the hospital!

Connection with the care staff was almost non-existent, I felt totally like in a “cancer factory”. I've never met the same person twice. During the 8 months of the treatment, I only met my oncologist once. Ditto for the other patients, I was lonesome and isolated.

What did you do to take your mind off / clear your mind (before chemo sessions, surgeries & co)?

To blog! That's my baby, my therapy, my luck: www.kiss-of-a-hurricane.com

It was thanks to it that I could reflect, put in perspective, stop my isolation and, above all, find out my itch for writing.

Or, anytime I could, I went partying at the disco. I put my make up on, wore high heels and I reinvented myself for one night.

Has anyone ever told you any tactless blunder during your K that could have been avoided?

Mister K. taught me not to be touchy, but I remember this one:

"You're tired only when it's convenient for you"

"I read your blog... not that bad, you know? You're not as superficial as one may think."

How did your loved ones support you?

Is there any piece of advice you would share with the family members of a K fighter?

My family pampered me and showed me all its love. My friends opted for fun and spent their time laughing at Mister K. Many readers of my blog bore me in mind and prayed for me. I will be forever grateful to all of them. It's hard to advise relative on how to behave, as any patient lives his/her disease differently. I think that it would be better to change your behavior ACCORDING to the patient's need, but this requires considerable attention.

Is there any useful website that helped you out during your K?

Facebook groups of people with my illness. You just enter the name of your cancer and you can find heaps of communities. I feel...

Did K change your life…?

I feel much freer. I'm now aware that life is fragile and beautiful. I want to live my dreams without regrets. I don't want to panic for crap. I'm more receptive to the world around me, to the energy of things and people. At 24 I was looking for myself. At 25 plus cancer, I'm still finding my way.

Now it's up to you ;)

Tell us what you feel like (something that maybe I didn't ask you):

What helped me the most in getting over the disease was keeping on feeding and fulfilling my projects. My video "Shave it off" it's one, another is my blog. Not giving up my singing in spite of the disease was a way to fight and tell Mister K “go f*k yourself” .

Good luck everyone,

With Love xxx

Links:

my video “ Shave it off ”:

CLICK HERE!!!

MY Blog: www.kiss-of-a-hurricane.com MY Facebook page MYTwitter MY PAGE Youtube ---------- Thank you so much Marine See you very soon Charlotte<:>