OCEA Member Encourages Body-Scans Linda Lopez, Senior Public Health Nurse, Received Early Diagnosis of Life-Threatening Condition

You may have seen OCEA’s announcements for body scans by Pacific Health and Wellness. On several occasions in recent years, PHAW has conducted a variety of scans in our OCEA Assembly Room, at reasonable rates (and with discounts for various “packages”). At least one OCEA member has reason to be glad that OCEA has provided facilities for PHAW: Linda Lopez, a Senior Public Health Nurse for the County. Linda took advantage of the scanning in March of this year. She signed up for several scans, including the kidney scan. She was alerted to the existence of a kidney problem. She discussed this with her doctor, and what followed was, according to Linda, a “whirlwind.” Linda was diagnosed with cancer (renal cell carcinoma). She was admitted to the City of Hope in March, and they performed a robotic partial nephrectomy (removal of a portion of a kidney). Prior to the scans, Linda had not experienced any symptoms, and she attributes the discovery of the cancer to the scans she received at OCEA. Linda tells us that her prognosis is good. Linda has several lessons to share. We have to advocate for our own healthcare; we must participate in health screenings; we must “be aware” and do our own research on available treatments. Apart from her encouraging story regarding her health, Linda is a busy person. She is on the Board of Directors of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County. The Court-appointed advocates play a crucial role in cases involving child-abuse. Often they are the chief voice of the child, and frequently they are the only consistent adult in the child’s life. There exists an ongoing need for advocates, and Linda is making a particular effort to reach out to the Hispanic community, where there is a great need for volunteers to serve as advocates.