Cancer is not a disease that happens overnight. It often creeps up slowly, silently, and without warning — revealing itself in some of the most unlikely ways. That’s exactly what happened to U.S. Congress Rep. Joaquin Castro. Amid a car accident involving a Spanish boar in Spain, Castro received some devastating news — he had neuroendocrine cancer. While a treatable form of cancer, Castro won’t get to ring the bell signaling the end of his treatment. For Castro, treatment continues at UT Health San Antonio. "Unless something changes, I’ll have cancer for the rest of my life, but thankfully, and hopefully, cancer won’t take my life,” he said during an address to the 2024 Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos And All Populations ...
September is recognized as National Healthy Aging Month. With this in mind, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has provided six important resources to spread awareness and educate the community about eye health and aging. “Getting older doesn’t have to mean losing your vision. While some vision changes are a normal part of getting older, vision loss related to eye diseases and conditions can be prevented,” according to the National Eye Institute. Let’s dive deeper into these six resources. 1. Browse and Share Articles and Fact Sheets on Eye Health and Aging NEI’s National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) offers several articles and fact sheets related to eye diseases and conditions. Topics include managing medications, vision changes, glaucoma, and ...
Did you know that over 65,000 U.S. physicians identify as Latino? As the number of physicians and healthcare professionals of different backgrounds continues to increase, it’s important to reflect on those who have paved the way. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to spotlight important figures throughout history and making a difference today. Let’s recognize Dr. José Celso Barbosa, the first Afro-Latino to obtain a medical degree in the United States.
Early Life in Puerto Rico
Dr. José Celso Barbosa Alcalá, also known as José Celso Barbosa, was born on July 27, 1857, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, to his parents Carmen Alcalá and Hermógenes Barbosa. “Barbosa’s life traversed significant periods: Spanish colonization; Grito de Lares; slavery, abolition and ...
For over 70 years, Rita Moreno has dazzled audiences with charm, wit, and humor on the stage and big and small screens. But Rita is so much more than the characters she portrays. The only thing film gets right is that Rita is as larger-than-life as her characters. But before she was Rita Moreno, the actress sashaying on the set of the movie musical West Side Story, she was Rosa Dolores Alverío, a young Puerto Rican girl with dreams of making it into movies. “Nobody said I was going to be a star someday. Especially not in this country. I was just a Puerto Rican child. But I knew I was going to be very active in show business. I loved it,” she told TIME.
From Puerto Rico to New York City
Born in 1931, Rita had an upbringing that many immigrants could relate ...
Rick Alvarado has always prioritized education. As a child, the San Antonio-area resident remembers often “playing school” with his neighborhood friends and many of his 10 siblings. “I always knew from very young that I [wanted] to be a teacher,” said Rick. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Rick would do just that, spending 38 years teaching K-12 and serving in other roles like assistant principal, principal, interim superintendent, and assistant superintendent. He retired a few years ago. But Rick’s life would change on January 7, 2017, when he was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.
Rick’s Cancer Diagnosis
Prior to his diagnosis, Rick’s doctor told him he had high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. PSA tests measure the level of ...
Today, the Mays Cancer Center at The University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center, along with 61 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers with leading national organizations and the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center have endorsed a joint statement urging the nation’s health care systems, physicians and other health care providers and professionals, parents, and caregivers, and the public to promote and choose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for cancer prevention. HPV vaccination is safe and works to prevent six types of cancer (oropharyngeal, cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and penile). Recently released National Immunization Survey (NIS)-Teen data show no gains in HPV vaccination over the last few years indicating urgent ...
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month when we celebrate the milestones and achievements of Hispanic and Latinos. Some of those individuals overcame countless hurdles, such as health issues, societal unfairness, and mistreatment to carve out a better path for future generations. One of the ways we honor the past is to preserve the future. Hispanic/Latino cancer survivors can honor those who came before them by paving the way for future survivors by joining the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study at UT Health San Antonio. JOIN AVANZANDO CAMINOS!
What Is the Avanzando Caminos Study?
The Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study takes a deeper look at some of the factors that survivors experience that may influence long-term ...
Year after year, scorching temperatures rock countries across the globe. With the last few summers some of the hottest on record, weather and health experts alike are warning people about the dangers of prolonged exposure to heat. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are advising individuals, organizations, and companies on how to navigate the heat waves. The latest guidance and report issued by the organizations focuses on the health and safety of manual laborers, particularly outdoor workers, who are exposed to heat conditions. “Heat stress is already harming the health and livelihoods of billions of workers,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care. ...
Hispanic Heritage Month is here! This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. We at Salud America! invite you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in these epic ways.
1. Learn How Hispanic Heritage Month Began
U.S. Congressmen Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and Henry B. Gonzales were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968. President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year. Did you know which U.S. President turned it from Hispanic Heritage Week to Hispanic Heritage Month? Learn more here.
2. Find Out Why Hispanic Heritage Month Starts on Sept. 15
Sept. 15 is ...
