By Nadia Kounang, CNN

Pop singer Selena Gomez has revealed inBillboard that her diagnosis with the autoimmune disease lupus was behind a recent hiatus from the spotlight.

Understanding cultural values and making Hispanic patients part of the conversation is key to changing behavior and advancing research.

Para ti Mami..

For years my mom avoided going to the gynecologist out of embarrassment (typical response from an older Latina). “Que pena,” she would tell me. After all, my mom, who was born in Havana, Cuba, had been brought up in an ultra-conservative environment. Case in point, even after she and my dad married in a civil ceremony my abuela or aunt chaperoned them until their church wedding a few days later.

At the end of her previous article, “Treatment and Research Directions for the Older Cancer Patient,” Arti Hurria, M.D., Director, Cancer and Aging Research Program at City of Hope, was asked: How do you treat the older patient who is isolated and doesn’t have a social support group? The support network of family and friends that a person has provides a crucial role during treatment, but in cases where it is lacking, Dr. Hurria’s whole team approach to treating the whole patient serves as a de facto support system.

I remember as a child I couldn't wait to grow up so I could stay up past 9 pm, drive myself to the mall or the movies, and eat whatever I wanted. I never thought that as I grew up so would my parents, and as they aged that they might begin to fade as well.  

Now, in my 40s, I have had to face the death of my mom from cancer, my father’s revelation that he has Parkinson’s, and the fact that some of my friends’ parents are also ill. It is because of this and them that we all must live healthier lives so that we can leave a healthy legacy for our children.

Recently, the father of a longtime family friend was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which affects the brain and causes a person’s memory, thinking, and reasoning skills to deteriorate. Below is the story she shared on her blog about facing the fact that her father is fading fast.