Genina (right) with her daughter, Azariah.

Living with less pain

How palliative care is helping Genina during the fight of her life.

In November 2021, Genina Balboa found herself fighting cancer for the second time in her life, and it had come back with a vengeance.

Her first diagnosis was hard enough. In December 2013, Genina underwent a double mastectomy to treat early-stage breast cancer. At the same time, she was coping with her fiancé’s deployment and caring for her daughter, who was undergoing kidney dialysis.

After eight years in remission, the cancer returned at Stage 4, having spread to her hip and back. Genina experienced tremendous pain in her lower spine and  numbness in the lower half of her body. She struggled to walk and sometimes felt like she couldn’t move her legs.

“It would get so bad that I would just have to lay down, either for a couple of hours or a couple of days,” Genina said.

Her oncologist referred Genina to the Supportive Palliative Care team at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple to help manage her pain. However, like many patients, Genina mistook it for hospice care. “I thought it was the end for me,” she said, “but I quickly realized the difference. They helped me with my pain and treated me like more than just a patient.”

Like hospice care, palliative care can provide comfort and symptom relief to patients with an advanced illness. However, hospice care only begins once curative treatment has been stopped and it is clear a patient is not going to survive the illness. On the other hand, palliative care can be helpful at any stage of illness and focuses on enhancing treatment and improving quality of life.

With help from the palliative care team, Genina began her own exercise regimen to build strength and ease her pain. Now, she can walk without relying on a walker and only uses a cane occasionally. Her chemotherapy seems to be working effectively, and her health is improving.

“I had so many amazing people on my care team, and I’m grateful to the donors who make this care possible,” she said. “I’m so blessed that people who don’t even know me give to support this program that has helped me live with less pain. I’m very thankful.”