Confronting the Cancer in Her Family

A8 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015 LATIMES.COM LATIMES.COMA10 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBERLA 26,TIMES 2015 .COMA9

[Breast cancer, from A1] such as religion and family, grandmother Maria Elena may keep Latinas from Uribe when she was in her getting tested, and econo- USC HOME 70s. It came after her grand- mic disparities may prevent mother in her 60s and then many from getting health her mother at age 49. One insurance. aunt survived cancer a few Everyone, men and suffers years ago; another finished women, has two genes PRICE treatment in February. known as BRCA1 and It seemed only a matter BRCA2. Latinas are not of time before it came for necessarily more likely to be another her. But Campoverdi’s carriers of a harmful muta- DROP IS approach to the deadly tion in either BRCA1 or disease typified a genera- BRCA2, or to be diagnosed tional shift. While others in with breast cancer com- setback her family ignored a lump, pared with other ethnic FIRST IN or let the doctors take the populations. However, they lead, Campoverdi said she are less likely to get prevent- decided to become “the ive testing, such as mammo- Cardiology fellowship CEO of her own body.” grams, and are often diag- clouded by sex-assault 7 YEARS In 2014 , Campoverdi nosed at later stages, said tested positive for a muta- Susan Domchek, executive lawsuit will lose its tion in her BRCA2 gene, director of the Basser Cen- national accreditation. confirming what she al- ter for BRCA at Penn Medi- A sustained decline ready knew: A high risk of cine. By Matt Hamilton appears unlikely, given breast cancer ran in her That’s why Campoverdi blood. started the Well Woman SoCal’s desirability. Campoverdi dove into Coalition, an initiative she Anational oversight researching and consulting hopes to use to empower panel has moved to revoke By Andrew Khouri with doctors about what she women of color to take the accreditation of the USC should do next. She met control of their health. She medical school’s fellowship with the man who discov- also partnered with the in cardiovascular disease, The Southern California ered BRCA2 gene muta- Basser Center for BRCA to an embarrassing blow to median home price dipped tions and interviewed him launch Latinx & BRCA, the the once-vaunted training slightly in March from a year for a documentary on the first awareness campaign program. earlier, the first annual de- subject that she executive on the BRCA gene mutation Photographs by Christina House Los Angeles Times The Accreditation Coun- crease since 2012 and a sign produced. She launched CAMPOVERDI, who worked for President Obama and The Times, prepares to speak at L.A. City Hall. that targets Latinos and cil for Graduate Medical Ed- ALEJANDRA CAMPOVERDI receives the sign of the cross from her mother, Cecilia Medellin, in October. of a remarkable downshift initiatives to make sure the offers Spanish-language ucation formally notified from the once-sizzling re- path for others behind her educational materials. USC and L.A. County this COLUMN ONE gional housing market. would be a little bit easier. week that their jointly run The 0.1% drop, reported Through social media, fellowship program will lose Friday by CoreLogic, means Campoverdi memorialized b its accreditation next year, prices for the six-county re- each step of her breast effectively shutting it down. gion were essentially flat cancer crusade and agreed Hooked up to an IV in a The panel did not publi- year-over-year. But given a to let Times journalists hospital bed, Campoverdi cly state the reasons for the Wo uld cancer get her next? pullback in previous chronicle her medical jour- sat in a tiny curtained-off action. But it comes a year months, prices are$18,500off ney over many months. room at Providence St. after revelations that a med- their June 2018 peak, and Last fall, at age 39, she de- John’s Health Center in ical resident had accused a Determined woman confronts disease that stalked her family that raises the possibility of cided to go forward with a Santa Monica surrounded fellow in the program of sex- asustained decline in the double mastectomy that by the hospital’s hum and ual assault and alleged offi- Angeles Times to her resume months ahead. would reduce her risk of cream-colored walls. cials didn’t take her case By Alejandra and made a mighty but unsuc- The median price for new Reyes-Velarde getting cancer from 85% to Videographers pointed seriously. cessful run for Congress. In and resale houses and con- less than 3%. cameras at her, following The ACGME also took campaign materials, Campov- dos — the point at which half Tests failed to find any her every move for the docu- the rare step of imposing im- lejandra Campoverdi erdi was a natural, flashing a the homes sold for more and traces of disease in her body, mentary she was producing. mediate probation on the forged a path for smile with her head held high, half for less — was $518,500 in but Campoverdi decided Even in a hospital gown, fellowship’s sponsoring in- herself that some her silky brown hair primped March, $500 less than a year she was going to get breast Campoverdi was at ease, stitutions, USC and the L.A. only dream of, turn- just right. earlier and off the all-time cancer before it got her. and her hair shone. Know- County-USC Medical Cen- A ing humble begin- She did all this despite the high of $537,000 reached in BREAST CANCER has stalked the women in her CAMPOVERDI, with mammographer Teresa ing she wouldn’t be able to ter, concluding they “failed nings into a life of poise and disadvantages she faced having June. family. Above, sister Monica and mother Cecilia. Hoang, decided to be “CEO of her own body.” shower or get a manicure to demonstrate substantial power. been the daughter of immi- The dip from March 2018 b anytime soon, she had gone compliance” with unspeci- She had been that perfect grants, raised on welfare. But doesn’t mean values de- to a hair appointment the fied requirements. student who made it to USC and something was looming in Cam- clined across the board. In Campoverdi grew up in a morning before the surgery. During the 2017-18 aca- then Harvard against all odds. poverdi’s life, in her blood, that fact, when broken down by cramped, rent-controlled Her nails were perfectly demic year, the ACGME had She turned a volunteer position had the power to take all of that county, the median dropped apartment in Santa Monica, pink, as were her mother’s only one institution on pro- with then-Sen. Barack Obama’s away. only in Orange County, while with up to eight family and sister’s. bation out of the 830 accred- presidential campaign into a Breast cancer was attacking remaining areas — including members living there at a Her mother looked up ited in the U.S. post at the White House. DRS. KRISTI FUNK, left, and Ritu every woman in her life. Los Angeles County — still time. She was surrounded from her laptop, then down The USC and L.A. She added high-profile media Chopra prepare for Campoverdi’s The disease stole her great- posted a slight or modest in- by women, and her father again. She was reading a [See Fellowship, A7] jobs with Univision and the Los surgery in Santa Monica. [See Breast cancer, A10] crease compared with a year was absent from her life. poem she had written for earlier. Any loss was filled by her her daughter when Cam- Sales, however, contin- grandmother’s doting. poverdi had just gone ued their declines across the Maria Louisa Medellin — through her first surgery as board and have now her Abi, short for abuelita — achild, for scoliosis. dropped in each county for walked her to school each “Would you like to hear Will measles orders at least eight consecutive morning after a prayer. For it?” her mother asked, and months. Sales for the region years, on their walks, began reciting: fell14 .1% in March. Medellin made it a habit to Your love rivers in my veins If prices follow and enter bring coffee each day to a Bursting them with pride quell the outbreak? into a tailspin, many buyers homeless man they knew as Play me a love song piano struggling to afford a home King Edward. girl history. would rejoice — provided it Despite her desire to give You are not the princess More than 1,000 from The declaration has wasn’t accompanied by an rather than receive, You are the … pyramid L.A. universities told raised questions about how economic downturn and re- Medellin depended on After taking selfies with effective the orders will be turn to high joblessness. financial help from family to her doctors, Campoverdi to remain at home. and how exactly they will be Many economists say ei- pay for rent and necessities, was rolled away into the implemented at UCLA and ther scenario is unlikely. To- Campoverdi said. Health operating room for the Cal State Los Angeles, day, there is still lots of de- insurance was a luxury she five-hour surgery that By Soumya where students have been mand to live in a state where Karlamangla couldn’t afford. And be- would remove and recon- diagnosed with the disease. developers can’t easily ramp sides, going to the doctor struct her breasts. In the But there is one thing public up construction. Unemploy- was for sick people. operating room, Campov- Los Angeles County health experts agree on: ment in California is 4.3%, So when her grandmoth- erdi would recall later, she health officials told more They don’t envy L.A. near a record low and a far er discovered a lump in her felt resolved and at peace. than 1,000 college students Measles is one of the cry from a height of 12.3% af- breast, she didn’t add a There, with that pearly blue and staff members who most contagious diseases in ter the Great Recession. burden to the family. rosary interlaced between might have been exposed to the world, and a single case Experts say it is more She said nothing. her fingers, she felt her measles to stay home this can lead to hundreds more. likely the market is pausing She did nothing. grandmother with her. week, in one of the largest Banishing people to their and, although prices may When her grandmother The surgery went well, Vasiliy Kolotilov For The Times quarantine orders in state [See Measles, A7] [See Homes, A8] finally got medical treat- and in between the bed rest, “IT MAKES you desperate,” says Vlad Sleptsov, right, of the Siberian city. ment, Campoverdi had just vitamins and celery juice been cast to be the lead in a Photographs by Christina House Los Angeles Times cleanses that followed — high school musical, Polly ALEJANDRA CAMPOVERDI visits Dr. Kristi Funk, right, at Pink Lotus Breast Center in Beverly Hills. documented on Instagram, U.S. economy has Baker in “Crazy for You.” of course — Campoverdi One of Earth’s coldest cities a strong quarter Drained by the chemothera- had nearly forgotten about a py, her grandmother was post-op call she was sup- It overcomes global and asleep when Campoverdi ‘I was ... trying to make sure to wrap my head around posed to get from her doc- domestic challenges left for class in the morning, tor. As a matter of routine, breeds Russia’s hottest punk to beat analysts’ esti- and when she returned the breast tissue removed mates. BUSINESS, C1 home from rehearsing in the what could potentially be my new reality.’ during surgery was closely evenings. examined, and her doctor, —ALEJANDRA CAMPOVERDI In isolated Yakutsk, music is a fierce outlet Muslims on edge Medellin grew frail, lost Kristi Funk, was to call her in Sri Lanka all her hair and became 80 with the results. pounds lighter. She did The call came six days in this city just below the Arctic Circle. But By Sabra Ayres Many stay away from manage to will herself out of Cecilia Medellin informed Her mother hesitated would save lives. I never There are photos of her after her surgery. She wasn’t it was warm inside the Grunge Bar, a con- mosques for Friday noon bed one day, though. She her daughter one day that before finally accepting in imagined one of those lives at Abi’s grave, which she worried. verted metal garage once used as a car- prayers. WORLD, A5 bought a pearly blue rosary she would not go through 2014 . The test, unsurpris- might be my own,” she said visited often to pray before Women who have their YAKUTSK, Russia — Vlad Sleptsov wash, where Sleptsov and his band, the and walked to her church, with chemotherapy, despite ingly, came back positive. in the ad. “This debate isn’t the surgery in October. “Be breasts removed never learn Weather: stepped onto the small stage of a back-alley Name of Your Ex-Girlfriend, blasted out where she had it blessed, her doctor’s insistence. “That’s when I decided about politics. It’s personal with me, be with me, be with whether, in the end, it truly Low clouds clearing. bar in deepest Siberia. Stage lights illumi- songs to a young, sweaty crowd. and returned to her bed She didn’t think she could to get tested,” Campoverdi for millions of Americans.” me,” she chanted to the saved them. Without L.A. Basin: 70/55. B6 nated his spiky, bleached-blond hair. Yakutsk is remote, cold and isolated with the gift for her grand- take it. said. She didn’t win the pri- tombstone, the pearly blue surgery, it might have been Shirtless and with his back to the audi- from just about everything else in Russia. daughter. Medellin died the Things grew tense be- Five years earlier, she mary, but her planned dou- rosary wrapped around her five years or 10 years before ence, Sleptsov began warming up his gui- The city is some 5,000 miles east of Moscow Printed with soy inks on partially recycled paper. morning Campoverdi’s play tween mother and daughter. started at the White House ble mastectomy became her hands. they were diagnosed. Maybe tar with the first chords of Black Sabbath’s in the Yakutia region, which is so wide it Helen Sloan HBO debuted. They didn’t speak for a time, and eventually became the next campaign. As she prepared for it would have been never. “Iron Man.” Slowly, he turned to face the stretches across three of Russia’s 11 time ‘Game of Thrones’ predictions “It destroyed me,” Cam- resorting to writing emo- first deputy director of surgery, Campoverdi made Then Campoverdi’s crowd, revealing tattoos scattered across zones. The eastern Siberian region is best poverdi said. “How much tional letters to each other. Hispanic media. From 2014 sure to pick up two of every- doctor spoke, and the wom- It’s anybody’s guess who will survive Sunday’s battle. his chest, arms and stomach. The crowd known for diamonds, gold, oil and perma- more time I wish I could “I was obviously petrified to 2016 she was director of b thing, thinking of her aunt, an used to being in control Here are a few on characters major and minor. E3 pushed toward the stage. frost. The first three have contributed sub- have spent with her.” of the idea of losing my video initiatives at the Los who was to go through the suddenly found herself Outside it was 5 degrees — early spring stantial revenue to [See Russia, A4] Campoverdi struggled mother, but also trying to Angeles Times and manag- Leveraging Instagram’s same experience just weeks struggling to follow as the on, as the women in her make sure to wrap my head ing editor of a multicultural worldwide reach, Campo- after her. Campoverdi’s blood rushed to her head. family have always done. around what could poten- effort called #EmergingUS. verdi documented moments surgery was to employ an “I’m sorry, you’re going to She finished high school tially be my new reality,” She went on to become leading up to her surgery innovative method created have to repeat everything racking up a list of accom- Campoverdi recalled. She senior advisor to Mellody and bonded with women by her surgeon, Dr. Kristi you just said,” she told her plishments — class presi- worried that while still in Hobson, who is vice chair- over their shared experi- Funk, whose patient roster doctor. OPENING NIGHT dent, homecoming queen, her 20s she would have to woman of Starbucks and ence. Her feed is topped includes Angelina Jolie. “You had cancer,” Funk high honors and more. To serve as the mother of her married to George Lucas. with highlights — labeled Campoverdi would first said. make ends meet, she younger sister. Campoverdi ran for “Surgery Prep,” “Surgery,” get a “nipple delay,” a pro- As Campoverdi would worked as a model and Her mother eventually California’s 34th Congres- “Recovery” and “Holistic cedure in which the full recount later, her cancer actress while studying at relented and went through sional District in 2017 with a Health” — and she details mastectomy incision is was so small that it was USC. Then, after Campov- with the treatment, and a primary platform of uni- the vitamins, celery juice made and a portion of skin considered “stage zero” — +Dfiesta erdi graduated, her mother, lumpectomy eliminated the versal healthcare. In her cleanses and other products is lifted off the breasts to hidden within her milk Cecilia Medellin, was diag- cancerous tissue. first campaign video, her for her followers. induce increased blood flow ducts and undetectable by April 30TH nosed with breast cancer. Years later, as Campo- mother sat beside her as she In one post, there’s a and reduce the risk of com- every mammogram, every It turned out that the verdi’s chances of devel- spoke publicly for the first photo of her body being plications for the primary MRI, every ultrasound. 7PM –– 11:30 PM same stubborn doggedness oping cancer increased with time about being a BRCA covered in white paste. She surgery weeks later. If she’d had any lingering she learned from the strong age, she urged her mother to gene mutation carrier. had a cast made of her torso She recognizes that she doubts about the radical women around her proved get tested to see whether “As an aide in the Obama —to be plated in bronze and is privileged, able to work surgery beforehand, she to be one of her biggest she had any BRCA muta- White House, I proudly held as a memory of Cam- with the best doctors and didn’t have them now. lafoodbowl.com challenges as she became tions that put her at greater worked to help pass Oba- poverdi’s body before major navigate her care with rela- “I saved my own life,” she her mother’s caretaker. risk for the disease. macare because I knew it surgery. tive ease. Cultural factors, said.