Indigenous Health Topics: There Was A Season Of My Life Turned Gray

Cancer survivorship is at the center of Darlene Yahooskin Guevara-Pena’s deeply personal story about illness, family, culture and finding her way back to the life she valued. In this Indigenous Health Topics presentation, Darlene shares her experience with cancer beginning in the late 1980s while living in rural New Mexico. She describes recognizing that something was wrong, the challenges she experienced finding cancer care, undergoing treatment and surgery, and the importance of her children, family and community throughout her experience. Darlene also reflects on lessons from her grandmother and the role that prayer, nature, storytelling and the medicine wheel have played in her life. She discusses learning to slow down, turning everyday routines into ceremony, creating and sharing with others, and reconnecting with the traditions and experiences that gave her a sense of joy and purpose. Her story also explores the realities of accessing healthcare from rural communities, including transportation, cost and knowing where to seek care. She reflects on family members who have experienced cancer and on the different personal decisions people may make regarding traditional practices and Western medical treatment. Later in the program, Darlene answers questions about storytelling, writing, grief and loss and discusses how telling or writing a personal story can help people reflect on difficult experiences. This presentation shares one person’s lived experience and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Talk with your healthcare team about questions regarding cancer screening, diagnosis or treatment. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:18 Introducing Darlene Yahooski-Guevara-Pena 02:14 Darlene’s background and cancer survivorship story 03:44 “A Season of My Life That Turned Gray” 06:49 Losing sight of self-care 07:43 Recognizing something was wrong 08:06 Challenges finding cancer care in rural New Mexico 10:24 Receiving a cancer diagnosis 11:34 Choosing treatment and preparing for surgery 13:17 Finding a surgeon and deciding to move forward 15:31 Living through treatment 17:16 Remembering her grandmother and traditional practices 19:27 Finding a way back through the medicine wheel 20:06 Turning routine into ceremony 22:09 Creating joy and making something 24:14 Reconnecting with family and everyday life 25:07 Storytelling and giving to others 27:37 A meaningful visit and learning guitar 28:46 Finding hope in nature 30:50 Signs of recovery 31:55 Learning she was cancer-free 32:16 Living in the present 35:02 Family experiences with cancer 37:20 Personal choices about cancer treatment 37:59 Presentation concludes 39:01 About Darlene’s storytelling work 42:04 Q&A: Storytelling, writing, grief and loss 45:26 Different ways to tell a story 49:50 Rural healthcare access and transportation 52:08 Closing remarks #CancerSurvivorship #IndigenousHealth #CancerSupport