In 2014, Prevention Education and Community Empowerment shared that diseases of the heart and malignant neoplasms also known as cancer, are the top two causes of death on the island. Aside from my personal experiences with losing someone to cancer. I believe it is important to highlight illnesses like cancer and heart diseases as the leading causes of death in Guam, so the public can become aware and begin making better healthier decisions.

There are many different types of cancer that are circulating our island today. The University of Guam’s Cancer Research Center has explored the vast amount of cancers found in men and women, that range from the breast, prostate, and even colon cancer. I wanted to briefly talk about is breast cancer. The University of Guam’s Cancer Research Center maintains a Guam Cancer Registry.

According to the Guam Cancer Registry, from 2008-2012, there were 292 total breast cancer cases among women and 37 mortality breast cancer cases among women.

According to breastcancer.org, stage four metastasized breast cancer is cancer that has evolved from the breast to different parts of the body like the bones, brain, and other organs.

According to Cancer.org, Hospice Care is meant to provide a more in depth service for the patient and their family is going through the last stages of life before death. They assist with emotional preparation of the family and the patient. Staff from the hospice care department monitor vitals, deliver medicine, and provide overall care for the patient and emotional support for the family.

Experiencing Hospice
Take a minute to imagine your last few weeks or month of your life cooped up in a hospital room without being able to see all of your friends and family because of the limits and guidelines your local hospital sets out for patients. Hospice care is convenient because of the treatment and assistance that you’ll be able to receive in your home. It’s very intimate and calming.

Elizabeth Asuncion, a former caregiver, for Antoinette Castro was able to share more of her experience with caregiving and hospice care. Elizabeth’s sister Antoinette was diagnosed with stage 4 metastasized breast cancer in 2010 and started receiving hospice care in 2016. “We’d come together everyday during the last two weeks she was alive and it was nice to be together in the comfort of her [Antoinette] home,” Asuncion said.

Asuncion explained that throughout her sister’s [Antoinette] experience with hospice, she knew her sister was comfortable. According to Elizabeth, Antoinette was on pain medications for six years.

She would often take Morphine pills and inject herself with Morphine sulfate to help reduce the pain she was experiencing.

During Antoinette’s short time under hospice care, a nurse was able to hook up a machine that injects Antoinette’s body with morphine through her catheter in her chest.

Elizabeth said: “It was so convenient because my sister didn’t have to use a needle and the doses were time. At first we didn’t think it was going to be effective, but after a few doses my sister said it was comforting receiving her pain medication like this than through a shot. She really didn’t like needles.”

Evalyn Sabinay, a medical social work intern from the University of Guam was able to give me an insight about Health Services of the Pacific. Sabinay interned with the company during Fall 2018.

One of the most challenging things Elizabeth faced with caring for her sister was sourcing out medical transportation. When I inquired if HSP offers medical transportation, Sabinay informed me that their ambulance was no longer available.

Sabinay explained that in order for a patient to participate in hospice care, the entire immediate family has to approve of it.

According to Cancer.org, it is common for a representative from hospice to follow up with the patient’s condition throughout the week or daily depending on the severity of the patient’s illness.

In regards to hospice care specifically provided through HSP, Sabinay shared, “Hospice care requires 24/7 around the clock care. Not all families can provide that.” The importance of hospice care involves so much more than checking vital signs and alleviating pain, but being able to assist family members with diaper changes, emotional support, and relieving stress from caregiver burnout.

“At HSP, hospice care also delivers medical equipment, such as oxygen tanks and distribution of Morphine,” Sabinay said.

Hospice care is something that is typically looked at as a sign of death. Although death is often frightening and sad, it is important to remember during the final months of a loved one’s death to prioritize comfort and proper health.

According to the University of Guam, Cancer Research Center, and Cancer Registry, cancer cases and deaths are continuing to grow on the island from 2012, and have increased since, according to the Prevention Education and Community Empowerment.

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There needs to be a better way to provide service for the different and unique cancer patients that are living on the island. We need to increase the number of specialty doctors and medical professionals. Speaking of health care, check out these Nutrisystem reviews.

Locals are having to work with multiple companies such as hospice care and home health care to seek out the best health care they can find on the island.

The University of Guam’s Cancer Research Center maintains a Guam Cancer Registry.  The registry indicates that 736 new cancer cases were reported over the span of five years. From 2008-2012, cancer mortality rates grew 7.4%.

From 2008-2012, cancer female mortality rates at 95, while cancer mortality rates for males was 182.

University of Guam, Cancer Research Center, and Guam Cancer Registry also reported that prostate cancer is the most frequently reported site for men, while breast and cervical cancers are common with women. These are the Best weight loss pills.

Elizabeth Asuncion is a former caregiver for her sister, Antoinette Castro.

Elizabeth began caregiving for her sister in 2010 when Antoinette was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time.

Antoinette Castro was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She underwent a breast mastectomy.

Antoinette was in remission for four years until she was diagnosed with breast cancer that metastasized in 2010.

Antoinette was a patient at the Cancer Center of Guam receiving care from Dr. Samuel Friedman. Antoinette’s conditioned worsened over six years, which then led to her death in 2016.

During the final months of her life, Antoinette received home health care and eventually hospice.

Antoinette was receiving weekly to biweekly chemotherapy treatments for about six years, which was easy at the beginning with her mobility, but then became challenging when she broke her legs and her family had to outsource medical transportation.

During this time, Antoinette was receiving home health care from Guam Nursing Services to treat her wounds and recover from surgery with physical therapy, but had to outsource medical transportation to commute to her chemotherapy appointments.

Asuncion shared that during this time, it was challenging and chaotic working with two different companies to provide the best care the island had to offer for her sister.

Asuncion shared that outsourcing multiple companies to aide in her sister’s care was challenging mainly because she believed she could work with one company to provide all the services her sister needed.

In the midst of Antoinette battling cancer, Asuncion had to build a relationship and become comfortable with the different medical staff from various local healthcare organizations.

At the time, Guam Nursing Services was providing wound care and physical therapy for Antoinette, but they didn’t provide medical transportation.

As cancer rates continue to grow on island, it is crucial that home health services team up with an oncologist center on the island too try an implement an at-home chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients who are terminally ill and would prefer to be in the comfort of their own home.

Asuncion shared that while her sister would be seeking treatment at the Cancer Center of Guam, located in Tamuning, Antoinette was limited to one visitor at a time while receiving treatment.

“It would’ve been really nice to have her granddaughters visit at the clinic to bring up my sister’s spirits while she was receiving treatment,” Asuncion said.

According to the Oncology Nursing Society located in Pennsylvania, medical professionals have shared that it is possible to receive chemotherapy at home, which improve the patient’s quality of life and outcome.

Something that Asuncion has shared is that surrounding her sister with family and friends really helped keep Antoinette’s spirits up. Asuncion also believes this helped prolong her sister’s life.

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When it comes to food, I have a tendency to stray away from complex dishes and meals that contain an excess amount of ingredients. Too many ingredients are overwhelming and are a bit of a turn off for me. I find it overwhelming and hard to decide if I’d actually eat the food. I’m someone who enjoys a nice description of the ingredients that are in the dishes and a briefing on what the dish would taste like. Tommy’s menu was a sheet of paper with 4-5 specialty pizzas and 2-4 single topping pizzas all without a description. The simplicity of the menu was easy to grasp, but the specialty pizzas didn’t have a description which made it hard for me to decide. It didn’t help that Tommy’s served “New York” style pizza which is a thin crust. I really enjoy a thick pan crust pizza and knowing that Tommy’s didn’t have any crust options was also disappointing. Although after going off of recommendations and inquiring about the different dishes that the restaurant offers, I found myself enjoying the pizza more than I imagined. I decided on ordering the Shroomtown and Sweet Italy. The Shroomtown pizza was the most expensive pizza on the menu, but also the most delicious of the two that I purchased. It was rich in flavor and had a different taste than the ordinary mushrooms on a pizza. Sweet Italy was loaded with spices, bell peppers, onions, and homemade sausage. The pizza was flavorful. The sweet sauce and the savory sausage really complimented each other.

Photo Courtesy of: @eatgoodpizzagu

I don’t want to come off as someone who is a food snob, but I enjoy being comfortable, most especially when I am eating. Tommy’s tries to portray a combination of New York City pizzeria vibes and with local “grub” scene. Whenever I am dining out I want to be able to sit in a comfortable area. I am not against eating at a restaurant because of the appearance, but I would typically stray away from an eatery if the dining area is not comfortable. At Tommy’s, I find the tables to be really low and the chairs to be a bit high. Being 5’9 it is very uncomfortable to sit so close to the table and attempting to eat. I found myself not wanting to dine in at the restaurant, but willing to place a takeout order and eating at home, that my friends is how amazing the pizza is. Struck you by surprise, huh?

My first experience of dining in at Tommy’s wasn’t the best, but I realized that it wasn’t going to stop me from returning. I’ve opted for ordering food to go and eating at home. The pizza is incredible and packed with amazing flavor. I can spare my comfort with dining in and eating at home when the pizza tastes this amazing.

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Photo Courtesy of: Jaret Castro

With the rise of technology, students and faculty are adapting to the digital age and e-learning, which is great environmentally. However, decreasing our paper usage to “save money” because of “budget cuts” and without “filling the void” with good internet connection, electronic resources for students without electronic devices has allowed for extremely negative impact.

First, CLASS shouldn’t be limiting faculty on printing for budget cuts and environmental issues until the University of Guam, as a whole, is capable and willing to accomodate students, faculty, and staff with the needed tools to create a positive learning and teaching environment. By limiting staff and faculty on printing without filling the void is extremely crucial and highly unacceptable without taking precaution within a timely manner.

When implementing any new policy at UOG, I find it highly important to notify faculty, staff, and students. During the first week of classes, two of my professors were unaware of the limited printing policy that was being introduced and forced during the Spring semester, and they both used a hefty amount of their “prints” to provide their classes with syllabi. Without receiving a notice or an introduction of the new policy, my classmates and I, have had to refer to “e-learning” tactics to keep up with our courses, in fact, we are thinking of using other printing alternatives from MyCreativeShop.

Loren Magante is a University of Guam alumni who graduated from UOG in Spring 2018 with a degree in bBusiness aAdministration said she and a concentration in Marketing. Magante has went through her entire college career mainly working off of eBooks and digital files. She has shared that her experience working mainly off of an electronic device was both challenging and convenient.

Magante shared, “for the most part I used my computer for eBooks throughout my time at SBPA and during my general education courses, but it was really challenging and inconvenient when the wifi connection wouldn’t work. I couldn’t even log into the guest wifi sometimes.” By limiting printing within CLASS, we’ve had to form some new habits to aid in a better learning experience. We’ve been putting into practice the method of instructors presenting an assignment on the board and we, the students, providing a written copy during class, which really isn’t efficient. Our instructor had to take this course of action, of having everyone turn in a written assignment, because of her limited printing within CLASS and also because of the poor wifi connection.

Students with limited to absolutely no access to electronic devices, like tablets and laptops, are going to face extremely big problems with the recently enforced printing policy. With instructors turning to digitizing most course work throughout the semester, it will be extremely challenging for students without electronic devices to execute their assignments within a timely manner, due to a limited schedule for the student lab.

CLASS going paperless could be extremely successful and beneficial to the earth and the University. However, with the lack of resources that the University is willing to provide and implement, like providing electronic devices as a part of our tuition payments, extending our student resource center hours, or providing excellent internet connections, CLASS and the overall University isn’t ready to go paperless.
The department college needs to figure out a way to fill the gap that is now caused by the new policy.

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GAX is a local art exhibit that was founded by Jude and Donna Baker, Jeff Ejan, Marvin Manibusan, and Jess.

Before GAX, most people on the island were used to a specific type of art,” Julian said.

“Not that it was bad, but there were so many artists creating cool stuff on their own and you’d never get to see it because there wasn’t a forum where they fit in. GAX became a place for them to show that work.”

Something else that sets GAX apart from other events on Guam is that it is a community that is welcoming of all types of people and their craft.

“You can’t just have a bunch of your greatest hits up at the gallery, you have to present one cohesive theme or style, showing where you’re at now as an artist. It can be work you’ve already shown in other places locally,” Julian said.

“If we know you’re capable of much more we push you to try harder or tell you the piece isn’t there yet,” Julian said.

Artists who have participated longer get the same criticism as newer artists except more rigidly.

GAX has opened up its doors to many different people on the island.

Ryan Shook and Alyanna Del Rosario are two artists who are no strangers to the local art scene with who have been active in GAX.

Ryan Shook is a local artist who describes his work as contemporary art. Shook shared, “Contemporary Art is synonymous with art that is reflective of the zeitgeist of its time. This is in the line with being a globally influenced, culturally diverse, technologically advancing world.”

“I never had a moment of discovering I was artistic or creative. I always just thought it was what people just did,” Shook said. “Both my parents were educators and were proactive in making sure that I had a verbal competency as well as a creative competency.”

Ryan Shook has been surrounded by art throughout the many years of his life and has participated in GAX. This year at GAX, Shook shared a piece entitled Covet, which was inspired by, “GAX 2017 POW! WOW! International GAX mural artists.”

 His piece was done using acrylic paint and was originally supposed to be worked on live at the “Beats and Pieces” show back in June 2018, but he ended up being grateful that he had more time to improve his work.

Alyanna “Aly” Del Rosario submitted apiece to GAX.With a group of young women, she has participated and hosted multiple art shows this yearcalled, The Gallery.

At GAX 2018, Del Rosario displayed a beautiful set up with a bunch of natural elements like bushes and leaves.

“It has helped me meet new people and artists. It gave me an opportunity to learn what people like about my art,” Del Rosario said. She explains that being apart of GAX has helped her network.

For more information about GAX, visit their Instagram page @GAXARTEXHIBIT.

If you would like toinquire or submit artwork for the next show, feel free to email: guamartexhibit@gmail.com.

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