Cancer survivors honored

CALEXICO — Esperanza Servin had some 10 days left in her as she battled colon cancer, at least that’s what the doctors told her, but they couldn’t have been more wrong.

Servin, 78, smiles as she says in Spanish that she’s been cancer-free for some 15 years and “I’m still here, showing a good face to bad weather.”

And yet, even after years of good health, Servin lowers her voice when telling how facing cancer was very difficult for her and also for her sister, Delfina Castellanos, who suffered from breast cancer before her. “What I can say is that you have to be positive-minded,” said Servin.

Castellanos, 70, agreed with her sister and added that now, some 19 years after battling cancer, she feels “like a quinceañera.”

Servin and her sister are just two of dozens of cancer survivors who were honored at the Calexico Relay for Life survivor appreciation dinner held at the Holiday Inn on Monday night.

This event is done every year as a way to let survivors know that they are not forgotten and that the American Cancer Society is also there when the cancer isn’t, said Sylvia Bernal, the event’s chairwoman. “Because one of the reasons why we have Relay for Life is because of them,” she added.

But Bernal noted the event isn’t just about honoring survivors, but also about bringing awareness about cancer and the various programs the American Cancer Society offers.

“I think cancer survivors should be aware that we have a lot of services,” said Bernal, who listed that mileage gas cards are available to people who seek treatment out of town, as well as help to pay for hotel rooms.

There is also a new program called bark for life, she said, which gives a trained pet to cancer patients who would otherwise be alone. This is a really neat program, said Bernal, because research shows that having a pet reduces depression and increases longevity in cancer patients.

But beyond the celebration and information provided during the event, there was also a moment for attendees to contemplate the possibility of facing cancer again and how to emotionally deal with it. This came through the moving testimony of Ida Villaseñor, who told attendees that she had just learned her cancer is back, and that she has a tumor now in her liver and her left armpit.

“Yes, it’s scary,” said Villaseñor, 50, who added that because of her 6-year-old son suffering from Down syndrome she’s “ready to fight this again and I just wanted to share this with everybody.”

“God puts us here to fight and keep going,” she continued as she placed her fist on her chest, “fight is my destiny … and we have to keep going, we can’t never back down.”

Staff Writer Alejandro Dávila can be reached at 760-337-3445 or adavila@ivpressonline.com

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