CANCER AND OUR LIFESTYLE: EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIFE COULD CONTRIBUTE OR REDUCE RISK

MANILA, Philippines — “Genetics loads the bullets, and our lifestyle pulls the trigger.”

- By KATHERINE L. MAGSANOC

Ever since I heard LifeScience CEO Mitch Genato tell me this over lunch, I have never forgotten it. My mom is a breast cancer HER-2 positive survivor. My cousin, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, also beat the disease and then founded ICanServe Foundation, Inc.

So while my dad made sure I had an active lifestyle growing up, I could tell my health had deteriorated through years of chronic stress — mental, emotional, and physical. I put work and other people fi rst and my health last.

At the back of my mind, the thought of getting diagnosed with cancer looms like a dark cloud. Writing this article in the month of Pancreatic, Lung, Stomach, and Carcinoid Cancer Awareness is meaningful (other types are highlighted throughout the year).

November is also the month when caregivers of cancer warriors are honored.

SMALL DAILY HABITS, HUGE IMPACT