Christa Avampato's Blog, page 11

What I’ve learned in the 4 years since my bilateral mastectomy after breast cancer

Me today — 4 years post-surgery — outside of Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York City

Sunday marked 4 years since the bilateral mastectomy that removed cancer from my body and saved my life. I dropped off my absentee ballot for the election on October 26th, 2020 during early voting and in the depths of the pandemic before vaccines. The next day I went to NYU Langone Medical Center. The surgery was long and difficult. The recovery was painful. The many months of treatment and two additional surgeries, life-threatening setbacks, and healing were even worse. I didn’t know about any of that when I arrived at the hospital that day. All I knew then was I wanted to live, and I might not. My only goal was to wake up from that surgery and see the sunrise. And I did. Step 1, done.

After I woke up from anesthesia, I watched Harry Potter on my iPad, trying to invoke some kind of magic of my own. My angel nurse, Esther, ran all over the hospital to find me a sandwich since meal service had ended. To this day, that ordinary turkey sandwich was the best damn thing I’ve ever eaten. Then she showed me how to care for the 4 drains coming out of my body, a necessary evil after an extensive surgery.

When Dr. Schnabel, my surgeon, came to visit me, I thanked her for saving my life. Neither of us could see each other’s smiles because we were both double-masked. I remember her eyes looking deep into mine. “I’m just part of the team. Everyone in this hospital has one goal — to get you up and over the mountain. It won’t always feel like this. Someday you’re going to be very grateful you chose to take the hard road today.”

My friend, Marita, picked me up at the hospital and gave me the gentlest of hugs. I had a giant bag of meds. “How do you feel?” she asked me once I was settled into her car. I said, “I don’t know.”

Marita drove me home and handed me off to my sister, who dropped her whole life in Florida to take care of me (and my dog). My next goal was to be able to walk around my neighborhood by Halloween with my dog dressed as a pumpkin and my sister to see all the decorations and find some joy in my favorite season. Step 2, done.

My next goals — stay alive, restore my health, and thrive. Steps 3, 4, and 5, done, done, and a daily process.

I went for my annual check-up with my surgeon this morning. All clear! It happened to fall on the anniversary of that conversation we had about the choice to take the hard road. As I walked to the subway to head home in the sunshine, I thought about how right she was — she’s always right. I don’t feel the way I felt 4 years ago. Today, I’m hopeful and thankful for all of it, even cancer. We got up and over that mountain. There are so many people who made this trek possible. I was never alone in it. There were angels, guides, and teachers everywhere. There still are. The journey continues, and I’m very grateful for that.

Below: images from four years ago pre- and post-surgery.

New York City’s 2024 election ballot explained

nycvotes.org

Early voting starts in New York and New Jersey today, October 26, 2024. In New York City, we have a number of races and proposals on our ballot. Here are informational links about them. Thank you for being a voter, encouraging your friends, family members, and neighbors to vote, and participating in our democracy. 

Early voting days, times, and location

Saturday, October 26, 2024 — Sunday, November 3, 2024. Hours vary by dayThe location of your early voting polling station may be different than your election day polling station.To find the location and hours of your early voting polling site, visit https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/

Election day

Tuesday, November 5th. 6am — 9pm. The location of your early voting polling station may be different than your election day polling station.To find the location of your election day polling site, visit https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/

If you’re voting by mail

November 5th is the last day to postmark your early mail ballot and absentee ballot return envelope. It is also the last day to deliver a ballot in person at the Board of Elections or drop it off at a poll site. Find your poll site at https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/

Candidates on the New York City ballot this year

We will be voting for candidates for the following offices:
President and Vice President
U.S. Senate
Congressional district
State Assembly
State Senate

You can see the candidates who will be on your ballot and read about them at https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/

Proposals on the New York City ballot this year

We also have six city proposals on our ballot: https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/. 

Here is the name and direct link to each proposal that explains what it means as well as arguments for and against it. Proposal 1 aims to prevent discrimination and enhance civil rights. Proposals 2 — 6 grant increased power to the mayor and the mayor’s appointees.  

Ballot Proposal 1: Adds Certain Rights Protections to the State Bill of Rights
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-1/

Ballot Proposal 2: Cleaning Public Property
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-2/
 
Ballot Proposal 3: Additional Estimates of the Cost of Proposed Laws and Updates to Budget Deadlines
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-3/

Ballot Proposal 4: More Notice and Time Before Votes on Public Safety Legislation
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-4/

Ballot Proposal 5: Capital Planning
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-5/

Ballot Proposal 6: Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBES), Film Permits, and Archive Review Boards
https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2024-state-and-federal-general-election/2024-ballot-proposals/ballot-proposal-6/

Again, thank you for being a voter!

What a new health scare taught me about living

Photo of me in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

This week, I had a short-lived health scare. A recent test came back with abnormal results. I was asymptomatic, as I was when diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago, so this threw me for a loop. It turned out to be a new side effect from my long-term meds that prevent cancer recurrence.

My doctor prescribed medication for a month to clear the inflammation and dietary changes to manage it since I have to stay on the meds causing this. It’s annoying. It’s also a relief that it was caught early and is reversible. I learned a lot with this recent scare. I’m leaning into these insights:

Slow down
I’m terrible at sitting still. Between the election in less than 2 weeks, climate change, and a myriad of other challenges in the world, there is a push to go go go. Do more, and faster. While this is true, it is also true that we have to rest. Take a walk. Eat well. Care for ourselves and others. Health is the greatest wealth. We are no good to anyone if we aren’t also good to ourselves. It’s not either or. It’s and.

Mortality
No matter how well we take care of ourselves, none of us will live forever. Time is our most precious resource, and we would do well to spend it on who, what, and where matters most to us.

Write
Around this time of year, I set my near-term priorities and creative focus. While writing is always a big part of my life, in 2025, it’ll be the central work I’ll do because storytelling is the work I love most & the greatest need I see in the world. I have quite a few writing projects in various states. It’s time to get them all polished up and out into the world. More on this soon.

Betting on me
Betting on myself is the best bet. I’ve never regretted it, even when things went horribly wrong. This is how I’ve learned and grown the most in my career and life. This is another reason I’m focusing on my writing in 2025.

Community
Caring for ourselves and betting ourselves is not work we do alone. It takes a village. My community and my medical team is central to my health, well-being, and creative work. I’m never alone in it. Neither are you.

Thank you for being on this journey of discovery with me. Let’s enjoy the ride. We’re all just walking each other home.

Greenland sharks may help us cure cancer

Close-up image of a Greenland shark taken at the floe edge of the Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut. Photo credit — Hemming1952 | Wikimedia Commons | Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

A cure for cancer may be swimming 2,200 meters (~7,200 feet) below the surface of the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are deep-dwelling animals who live to be 400 years old in the wild without a shred of medical care. The secret to their longevity is likely in their genes that fend off cancer. 

An international team of 28 scientists recently published a paper mapping the Greenland shark’s genome. And the results are astonishing. The shark’s genome has two remarkable features: many duplicate genes give the shark an enhanced ability to repair damaged DNA and their genome has an altered p53 protein that makes the protein more robust. What do those two things have to do with cancer? As it turns out, everything!

Damaged DNA and cancer
Damaged DNA that isn’t repaired causes mutations in genes that regulate how a cell grows and divides. This damage causes cell growth to skyrocket uncontrollably leading to tumors, a.k.a. cancer. There are many ways DNA can be damaged — UV rays from the sun when we don’t wear sufficient sunscreen, tobacco smoke, exposure to toxic chemicals, aging, and the normal processes of living. 

Most of the time and for most of our lives, our bodies recognize the damaged DNA and either repair the cell or purge that cell through our natural waste processes, kicking the damaged cell out of our bodies so it never causes problems. However, these damaged cells can be sneaky or the amount of damage can be very extensive, making it difficult for our bodies to repair or remove all of it. 

The Greenland shark’s enhanced ability to repair damaged DNA is an incredible adaptation that helps prevent cancer. Knowing that DNA damage is such an asset for the shark’s longevity further spurs our cancer research to seek out new treatments and therapies to enhance human abilities to repair DNA damage. 

p53 protein and cancer
The p53 protein is a powerhouse in the bodies of almost every animal. p53 is a tumor suppressor, protecting cell DNA from damage, initiating repairs when it detects damaged DNA, and kicking damaged cell out of the body when necessary. Greenland sharks have a more robust p53 protein than other animals, allowing them to be more highly attuned to protect against and repair DNA damage. 

Biomimicry, nature preservation, and biodiversity conservation is vital for human health
Among its many attributes, nature is our research lab, pharmacy, library, and archive. The species with whom we share this planet hold the answers to every question we have. It takes time, effort, and funding to study nature and find these answers. 

By employing biomimicry (the emulation of nature’s design genius, such as the adaptations of the Greenland shark that give it such great longevity), protecting nature, and safeguarding biodiversity, we are providing ourselves with a source of unlimited creativity, knowledge, and wisdom. Our lives, and the lives of all beings, are intricately intertwined. Nature will help us thrive if we care enough to help nature survive.

What it’s like to canvas and knock on voters’ doors in Pennsylvania

Photo by Christa Avampato

On Sunday, I hopped on a bus in New York and made my way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to canvas for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz with the organization Swing Left. This is the first time I’ve ever gone door-to-door for a candidate and I wanted to tell you about my positive experience. With only 3 weeks left before Election Day on Tuesday, November 5th , and early voting and vote by mail already in full swing in many states, now is the time to do everything we can to get out the vote. 

Structure of the day:
At 9:30am, our bus left from 34th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan near the Jacob Javits Center. 

We received training on the bus with a sample script that we were encouraged to make our own. We used an app called Minivan that had our voter lists and the script (more on that below). We pair up with another volunteer on the bus to canvass together.

At 11:15am, we arrived at campaign headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia. We had one more quick training with the campaign team, downloaded our voter lists into the Minivan app, and someone drove us to the area where we were going to canvas. 

At 12 noon, we started working down our voter lists, knocking on each door. We had a lot of wonderful conversations with voters about the issues that mattered to them. We encouraged them to vote and explained that Pennsylvania is one of the swing states in this election that would likely decide the final outcome. A lot of voters didn’t know how much their vote matters! 

There were a few people who weren’t interested in talking to us. That’s okay. We thanked them, wished them a good Sunday, and left. With limited time, we have to focus on those who want to engage. If people weren’t home, we left literature for them at their door. 

We kept track of our conversations and if someone was home or not in the Minivan app so that the campaign got all of this information. Once we were comfortable, we split our lists — I took one side of the street and my buddy took the other. We visited 205 homes with 322 voters. (Collectively, our bus visited 4,000 homes!)

At 4pm, we finished our lists. Someone from the campaign picked us up and brought us back to headquarters. We gave feedback to the campaign. Once everyone returned, we got on the bus, debriefed with the Swing Left bus captains, and were back in New York by 8pm.

Messaging:
We were not there to be policy experts. The basic script is to knock on the door, smile, state our name, and explain we’re with the Harris Walz campaign. Then we hit the 3 main points: thank them for being a voter, explain we’re talking to their neighbors who support Kamala and Tim, and ask them about the details of their plan to vote (where, when, and how they plan to vote). We could also ask who they support and why, and which issues matter most to them. What matters most in this work is listening to these voters, and sharing our stories about why we support Kamala and Tim. Before leaving, we thanked them for their time.

Research shows door-to-door canvassing is the single best way to engage voters and turn them out at the polls, increasing voter turnout for a candidate by as much as 10%. Phone banking as well as writing letters and postcards to voters are also effective ways to reach voters, increasing turnout between 1% and 3%. While that might sound small, remember that this is a tight election and every single vote matters. With 21 days left, the race is on. Do everything you can to turn out the vote!

Carnegie Hall radiates joy as Dudamel, Lang Lang, and Castillo open the 2024–2025 season

Carnegie Hall 2024–2025 Season

Last night I had the great honor of joining a sold out crowd to open Carnegie Hall’s 2024–2025 season, and I’m so happy my friend, Ashley, could enjoy it with me. There were so many surprises and delights as the program mixed well-known favorites with first-of-their kind discoveries during a thrilling concert. 

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel is beloved among classical music lovers and Hollywood as one of the greatest of our time. He gives a full-body experience to his conducting and the joy he gets from leading the exceptional Los Angeles Philharmonic is evident to everyone who has the good fortune to see him do the work he loves. What knocked me out was the absence of a physical score. He conducted entirely from memory and never missed a beat. Even among world-class conductors, this was an incredible feat. 

Lang Lang joined Dudamel as the soloist for Rachmaninoff’s well-known Piano Concerto №2 in C Minor, Op. 18. At turns sweeping, fun, serious, and heartfelt, it spans the range of human emotion. Like Dudamel, Lang Lang gives his entire being to the music and also performs entirely from memory. At multiple points in this piece, Lang Lang’s hands and fingers were moving so quickly they appeared to blur. He’s an absolute wonder to see live and the audience was on their feet as soon as the piece ended demanding an encore, which Lang Lang happily gave.

The second half of the program was anchored by baritone soloist Gustavo Castillo performing Estancia, Op. 8 by Alberto Ginastera. The lyrics derive from José Hernández’s poem Martín Fierro, a heartbreaking story of the plight of the gaucho (a farmer or cattle herder in Argentina) losing his rural way of life. Last night this work received its first complete Carnegie Hall performance on record, demonstrating the Hall’s dedication to lesser-known works deserving of the spotlight. Castillo, Dudamel, and the Philharmonic kept the audience’s rapt attention right to the end. 

This season at Carnegie Hall will prove to be a bright light for music lovers of all genres, especially classical, pop, salsa, and reggaeton. With opening night, Dudamel and Castillo officially began the 2024–2025 season-long Nuestros Sonidos (Our Sounds) festival that celebrates the heritage and influence of Latin culture in the U.S., including those from the Caribbean. As usual, a plethora of talent will grace the Hall’s stages. I’m particularly excited about Pink Martini, Angélique Kidjo, Joyce DiDonato’s master class series, Ivy Queen, Asmik Grigorian, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason, Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson, Angel Blue and Lang Lang, and Samara Joy. 

There’s no better way to spend a year than reveling in music, familiar and new. See the full program and purchase tickets at https://www.carnegiehall.org/.

Photos below by Christa Avampato.

How the brown ocean effect changes everything we know about hurricanes

This satellite image shows Hurricane Ida bearing down on the Gulf Coast in 2021, a storm fed by the brown ocean effect. Image from NOAA.

When Helene devastated North Carolina, it had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. (Sustained wind speed alone is what determines the type and category of a storm.) North Carolina didn’t get the eye of the storm either. That didn’t matter. What devastated North Carolina was the amount and rate of rainfall. 

The mountains of western North Carolina were thought to be as climate proof as a place could be. 350 miles from the coast. Over 2,000 miles above sea level. Helene showed us a dangerous aspect of storms that means there are no more climate havens — the brown ocean effect. 

Hurricanes become especially dangerous when they can spend extended periods of time over warm water. Conventional thinking and history have shown us that when a hurricane reaches land, the land dissipates its strength and the storm, eventually, fizzles. This is why coasts have historically been in greater danger that inland areas. The brown ocean effect changes that. 

When land is warm and saturated with water, as happened in Western North Carolina, it acts as something akin to ocean. While it doesn’t typically kick up the wind speed of a storm like Helene, it provides an excess of moisture and heat. Because the ground is saturated, the massive amount of rain can’t be absorbed. This leads to flooding and landslides. The devastation, loss of life, and high number of missing people in Western North Carolina caused by Helene is partially from the brown ocean effect. The heavy rains dumped on saturated land ravaged everything in their path from houses to infrastructure to power and communication lines. There is even footage of a casket unearthed from a cemetery and carried away by the rushing water. 

The brown ocean effect can happen anywhere there’s land. As rains become heavier and more frequent from climate change and global warming, the brown ocean can take hold in many more places. In effect, every land mass can provide ocean-like fuel for a storm. 

At the time of this writing, Hurricane Milton is barreling toward Florida. It’s a Category 5 with winds at 180 miles per hour, spinning over the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Stronger than Hurricane Katrina. Even if it weakens, it still has all that water in it that it will drop when it hits land. Also, weakening in this case may be every bit as devastating as wind because it may slow down and pick up even more moisture from the Gulf. The land in Florida is already saturated, as the land in North Carolina was before Helene arrived. It’s a frightening alignment of circumstances. 

On Monday night I watched hurricane specialist John Morales get choked up on air giving the news update on Milton becoming a Category 5. These storms are no longer once-in-a-century, once-in-a-lifetime, and perhaps not even once-in-a-season. This may now be our new normal that is anything but normal.

My dual goals to end food insecurity and food waste

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

Today I started a new research project on food waste with the hope of starting an entrepreneurial venture in this space. In the U.S., 16 billion pounds of food from food retailers alone end up in landfills every year while 47.4 million Americans (13.5% of households) face food insecurity every day. 1/3 of waste in U.S. landfills is food and food waste causes 6% – 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. We have plenty of food to feed everyone. It’s not in the right places at the right time so the waste is a logistics and operations issue.

Utilizing the methodology from my University of Cambridge / Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) dissertation, I’m conducting interviews with food retailers, rescue organizations, distribution organizations, institutional food providers, and policy makers to find an unmet need in the market that would help prevent food waste. Today I had my first interview with the largest food rescue organization in NYC. It went very well. I’m excited to continue these conversations and work on this idea.

Solving this dual challenge of food waste and food insecurity is important to me personally as well as from an environmental and business perspective. I grew up in a home that was food insecure and we often didn’t have enough food to eat. We were lucky to have the free lunch program at school. So many are not fortunate enough to have that kind of safety net. My goal with this business is to serve them and protect the planet. If you know someone or an organization I can talk to, I’d love any referrals.

Getting through breast cancer awareness month as a survivor

Photo by Angiola Harry on Unsplash

Today is the 4-year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis. Everything is pink as far as the eye can see. It’s breast cancer awareness month, and the awareness is everywhere. If it exists in solid form, it can be made pink. This month helps raise awareness around the importance of screening, early detection, research, causes, and symptom identification. 

As a breast cancer survivor, all this awareness can be triggering. It can bring back difficult memories, re-ignite fears, and cause those dreaded what-if questions that are often just a breath away. As a survivor myself, I use every day to advocate for cancer survivors and those who know a survivor. Here is a list of how survivors can care for themselves during this sensitive month, and how you can provide support for the survivors in your life.

For survivors:
1.) It’s okay to acknowledge fears. Acknowledging them is the first step toward moving through them. It’s also important to remind yourself that these are future fears. they have not happened. They are not your present. 

2.) Be kind to yourself. Spend time with others. Go for a walk. Eat nutritious food. Do something you love. Find joy. In moments of difficulty, don’t judge yourself. Give yourself grace. 

3.) When those what-ifs creep in, remind yourself how far you’ve come and all you’ve overcome. Getting through cancer and treatment is a long, often-lonely journey. When you look back at your road, be proud of all you’ve faced and how you’ve grown.

4.) Remind yourself of the gifts. Cancer is terrible. There’s no way around that. It also gives incredible gifts. I grew closer to people during and after cancer. I have even more gratitude. My heart holds even more love. I don’t have bad days anymore. Every day is a good day because I get to have it. It wasn’t so long ago that I almost didn’t get a tomorrow. At several points in my journey, I was on the brink of dying. That I’m here at all is a miracle my doctors still don’t fully understand. As my surgeon says, “We don’t question the good.” Just live. Really live. 

5.) Share your story. There are people who are where you were. Be a symbol of who they can be on the other side of cancer. This helps you and them. 

For those who know a survivor:
1.) Check in on them. Ask them how they’re doing. Be a safe person for them to open up to. Being there for them is an incredible gift. 

2.) Donate to breast cancer organizations in the name of the survivor. No amount is too small and it means a lot to survivors that other people are being helped in their name. Research saved my life and I’m part of multiple research studies that are helping others. It’s empowering. 

3.) Do something special for them. Have a coffee date or a meal with them, plan a fun day out, give them a call, or send a card or text to tell them you’re thinking of them. All these small gestures really make a difference. Time is our most precious resource so if you want someone to know they matter to you, give them some of your time. 

Are we thinking about leadership with the wrong metrics?

Photo by Steve Leisher on Unsplash

“We don’t elect a president based on policies. We shouldn’t. We should elect them for their character, because we don’t know what’s going to come up.” ~Retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, former National Security Adviser

When we consider hiring (or electing) leaders, we often jump to their experience and policies. General McMaster is asking us to consider who they are. We live in a highly dynamic world. From one day to the next, we’re experiencing dramatic and sweeping changes. New information is widely and broadly disseminated at lightning speed. We need leaders who can operate in this paradigm and help others navigate it, too. 

Rather than looking at a leader’s past experience, what if we think about how they approach the future? Can a leader adapt and adjust? Are they flexible? Do they have a learning-mindset? A grow-mindset? Are they thoughtful? Are they collaborative? Do they care about the people they serve and support? Are they surrounded by bright, eager, caring people? Do they exhibit empathy and compassion? Is love a core value, and how have they demonstrated the use of love in their leadership?

How might hiring (and elections) shift if we embraced General McMaster’s advice? What kind of world might we be able to build together if the strength of someone’s character was consider at least as much as their experience and policies? 

This switch undoubtedly makes hiring and elections more nuanced, complex, and time-consuming. However, given the state of the world and rate of change we’re experiencing, leadership has never been more important to the stability of our planet and society. We deserve to have leaders who are up to the challenges of today and tomorrow. To find and hire these leaders, we need to invest the necessary time and effort to find out who they are, what we care about, and how they can help us move forward together.