November 5, 2007   •   VOL. 45, NO. 19   •   Oakland, CA

Cancer survivor advocates for Latino families
 

By José Luis Aguirre
El Heraldo Católico\

John Gonzales-Madrid was interested in searching for information on prostrate cancer when his father was diagnosed with the disease that took his life 11 years ago. His interest increased when he was diagnosed in 2002.

Now Gonzales-Madrid, a member of St. Perpetua Parish in Lafayette, is reaching out to help other Latinos who are living with cancer by serving on the board of directors of Asociación Hispana del Cáncer.

Attorney John Gonzales-Madrid says his Catholic faith helped him face his own cancer and motivates him to help others living with the disease. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASOC. HISPANA DEL CANCER

This non-profit organization was created last July in Walnut Creek to inform, educate and advocate for Latino families in the fight against this disease.

“People need more information in Spanish,” said Gonzales-Madrid, an attorney who was born in Oakland to parents who’d come from New Mexico. “Immigrants, especially men, are afraid to speak out about their problems and many of them do not even like to go to the doctor.”

Additionally, often other members of the family don’t know someone is dealing with cancer, he said, explaining that it was his father’s situation that propelled him to begin encouraging others to go to the doctor for cancer screenings.

“My brothers were at high risk of contracting it; my brother-in-law had the disease, my wife’s cousin too, as well as two members of my parish. Little by little I realized that cancer is more common than I had believed,” he said.

Gonzales-Madrid survived the disease thanks to surgery, chemotherapy, other medical treatments and prayer.

“My family and the members of my community prayed for me and every year they go on a retreat at St. Anthony’s Mission in Jolon, California,” he said.

Gonzales-Madrid has been a man of faith all of his life. In 1961 he studied in St. Joseph’s Seminary, but his superiors suggested that he leave the seminary so he would have other experiences. He studied sociology and law at the University of California in Berkeley, without moving away from God or the Church.

He has been an active member of St. Anthony and St. Elizabeth Parishes in Oakland and the Knights of Columbus, and from 1989 to 1994, he was the chair of the strategic planning process for the Oakland Diocese. For that work he received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal from Pope John Paul II.

“My faith has helped me so much that every new day I thank God for this opportunity to continue living,” he said.

Gonzales-Madrid connected with the Asociación Hispana del Cáncer thanks to his friend Jose Martín, who is the president. There, he met the founder, Blanca Crovetto-Avancena, a psychologist who since 2002 has worked with support groups in Spanish helping Latinos with cancer.

“It was a very difficult job because Hispanics do not believe in support groups; I had to adapt them to talks so that the patients felt comfortable speaking with people who have experienced the same situation,” she said.

Recognizing the great devotion many Latinos have for Our Lady of Guadalupe, she organized a pilgrimage to Mexico for cancer patients and it was in that place where the idea to create the Hispanic association arose.

“When the person finds out that he or she has cancer, they become very spiritual, she said. “They are no longer concerned about money of their position or material things. They teach you how to live and they remind you that you have to take advantage of the time, to enjoy it next to family and friends.”

Katherina Perez, a cancer survivor and member of the association’s board of directors, emphasizes the importance of regular medical exams, especially for women “mammograms to detect a problem on time and not when it is too late.”
The association has offered free mammograms in churches, including St. Anthony Parish in Oakley and St. Mark Parish in Richmond.

According to Perez, Latinos with cancer face many barriers — lack of information in Spanish, fear of being found to be undocumented, and the high costs of medical treatments. The Asociación Hispana del Cáncer is working to overcome these obstacles in association with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Kaiser Permanente in Concord, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Contra Costa County, among others.

They are looking for additional funding to continue offering free mammograms, workshops, and other activities and services.

For more information call Blanca Crovetto-Avancena at (925) 285-9589 or visit www.hispanocancer.blogspot.com.

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