
33 Problem-Solving Products Thousands Of Reviewers Love
A bottle of professional-grade callus-removing gel that'll quickly and painlessly get rid of allllll your calluses. Reviewers praise this for dissolving dead skin in ~minutes~ so buckle up; your feet are about to be as smooth as a baby's bottom.
An indoor insect trap because all those little bugs flying around the produce on your counter have gotten out of hand. I mean, seriously, how can something that small be that annoying?!
RoC Retinol Correxion Under Eye Cream designed to help depuff and reduce dark circles and fine lines all while being sensitive skin friendly! This isn't some magical cream that'll work overnight, but after a few weeks of consistent use, you might see a biiiig change.
A super popular ChomChom pet hair remover to pick up all the pet hair that is still on your couch with just a quick back-and-forth rollover. This little tool works on pretty much any surface — furniture, upholstery, blankets, clothes — and you don't have to worry about constantly ripping off *another* sticky sheet because one quick swipe typically fills those regular rollers up. (At least it does when I try to use one to clean my clothes...).
A bestselling cream infused with caffeine-packed guarana extract and coconut oil that could simultaneously tighten *and* smooth skin, perfect if that's the aesthetic you're looking for. And if you're happy with your skin ~au naturel~ (which you should because you are GORG), buy this just for the scent and shimmer. Reviewers swoon over the smell…some say they don't even bother wearing perfume anymore.
A bottle of Wet & Forget shower cleaner that doesn't require scrubbing. 😩🙌🏼 Just spray it on and leave it while you go clean the rest of your house. When you rinse it away (8–12 hours later), you will be *shocked* by the zero-effort results.
A tea tree and peppermint remedy soap made with aloe vera and vitamins C and E to help combat a plethora of skin irritations (we're talking dry skin, acne, athlete's foot, jock itch, and more!). Plus, it's just overall nourishing for everyday use. Dare I say we have found the holy grail of soaps?!
A TubShroom to protect your drain from the *disturbing* amount of hair that comes out of your head every time you shower. Maybe it is just me, but I would rather prevent the hair from going down the drain than have to dig soggy, dirty hair out. Ugh, that sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. 😖
Lumify eye drops designed to help reduce eye redness and dryness in literally UNDER A MINUTE. Like what kind of magical potion is hiding in this small bottle?! And if you don't believe me, believe the fact that it's the number one best selling dry eye product on Amazon, and trust me, there are a lot of similar products out there.
A hard water stain-remover to bring back that first-installed freshness to your tiles, shower doors, toilets, shower heads, and anything else that your hard water might've ~ruined~ (or so you thought since this stuff is here to save the day).
A dark-spot-removing soap bar formulated with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol, collagen, and turmeric to help soothe and brighten your skin while also protecting its moisture barrier. You can use this on your face, hands, neck, bikini area, inner thighs, underarms, or wherever else you may experience hyperpigmentation. 👏🏼 One product for alllll those areas means you can ditch the multitude of other bottles on your counter, each only intended for one small portion of your body.
A nongreasy hair wax stick to help you achieve that influencer-worthy slicked-back pony without a flyaway in sight. And its luxurious ingredients — beeswax, avocado oil, vitamin E, and castor oil — will help nourish, soften, and prevent split ends, too!
E.l.f. Power Grip primer made with hyaluronic acid to help moisturize and plump your skin while it's also holding your makeup in place so you don't put in all that effort just for it to melt off your face as soon as you walk out the door. It's great for all skin types and is designed to not clog your pores!
A beloved-by-the-internet detangling brush to get through any of those extra stubborn tangles *without* pulling out all your hair in the process.
A jetted tub cleaner because idk if you've heard, but those jets can get DISGUSTING...like, never-use-a-shared-tub disgusting. But unfortunately, that gunk doesn't stay only in the hotel tubs; it can build up in your tub at home. Clean out those jets, and stop being afraid of using your tub to its full potential.
A Korean microdermabrasion mitt so you can finally ~effectively~ remove all the dead skin that has been building up on your body for...longer than you might like to admit. Is it gross? Maybe, but is it satisfying? Absolutely.
A six-outlet wall charger designed specifically so you can *actually* use all the plugs because you won't be blocking them with your other chargers. Plus, it comes with USB ports (for those cables where you just cannot seem to find the charging block) and doubles as a night-light!
A set of cleaning cups for your Keurig if you're starting to notice a ~funky~ taste in all your beverages after having your machine for a long time and never cleaning it. Don't worry, you're not alone — I didn't know you were supposed to be doing anything special to clean it either.
A car vent dip clip so you don't have to worry about fumbling around or spilling while trying to dip fries or nuggets into your fave sauces when you stop at your third fast food restaurant of the road trip.
Some deep-reaching, ergonomic "flossing toothbrushes" that provide an extra deep clean with two layers of bristles: regular firm bristles and longer ones that are 10 times thinner. This is also a great option for anyone with sensitive gums that may be irritated by other brushes.
Bottle-cleaning tablets so your emotional support water bottle you've been using every day for the past year (…without washing…) can be restored back to its freshly purchased state that is *actually* safe to drink out of.
An aromatherapy migraine stick for people who frequently suffer from headaches but don't love taking Advil every time they come up. This blend of peppermint, spearmint, and lavender oils can help soothe the pain so you can go about your business.
A teeth whitening pen to help you achieve those pearly whites you've always wanted. Simply spend 30 seconds a day brushing these on your teeth and then go about the rest of your life instead of worrying about having those sticky strips sitting on your teeth or the bulky light in your mouth.
A set of bedsheet fasteners designed to prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night frustrated that the fitted sheet isn't staying ~fitted~ to the mattress...AGAIN.
A pack of light-dimming stickers because yes, those little dots of light are enough to keep you up at night — especially if they are flashing. 😖 And if the day comes when you wanna take these off, no worries, because they are easily removable and damage-free like window clings!
A suede and nubuck cleaning brush to diminish the look of the water stains you got when you forgot to check the weather before wearing your suede boots out. You don't even need any additional cleaners to bring them back to life.
A retainer cleaner because if you're actually following your dentist's instructions of wearing it every day, you'll know no matter how much you brush them, they get coated in some nasty film and turn yellow. These fizzing tablets will help eliminate that from even the hard-to-reach areas, while also getting rid of that funky smell they've developed.
A set of three power scrubber brushes to attach to your drill so you can stop spending hours trying to scrub the grime away. It's time to work smarter, not harder, folks!
A wall-mounted toothbrush station so you can keep all the toothbrushes and toothpaste in one place instead of having them scattered all over your counter. Eliminating the mess of rogue globs of toothpaste and lids not screwed on is just an additional perk.
A stainless-steel tongue scraper designed to scrape away your bad breath, but reviewers have also found that it helped them experience flavors more intensely! Squeaky clean mouth AND more flavorful food? Sign me up!
A five pack of anti-slip eyeglasses sleeves that will help prevent behind-the-ear pain and the struggle of constantly pushing your glasses back into place.
A baseboard cleaner so you don't have to get on your hands and knees and crawl all over your house in order to clean those pesky baseboards. Now you can just quickly swipe over them, making a horribly time-consuming chore much more manageable.
A pet hair cleaner that will find hair that you didn't even know existed. Prepare to be humbled — you may have just finished vacuuming your carpet, but trust me, this will pick up a lot more hair and it won't take 10 sheets of sticky paper to do it.

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Buzz Feed
4 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
42 Products That Work Even *Better* Than You Think
Retinol body lotion to enhance your already beautiful skin. It's overflowing with powerful ingredients like vitamins A and E, ferulic acid, shea butter, and green tea to help diminish the look of deep wrinkles, fine lines, sagging skin, crepey skin, and even sun damage — all while giving your collagen production a *major* boost to help with firming. And a gentle LilyAna Naturals retinol face cream that this reviewer (an esthetician of over 13 years) has deemed "The BEST hidden gem!!" This magical cream supports natural collagen production, combats uneven skin tone, and smooths rough texture. How, may you ask? It comes jam-packed with all the goods, including botanical hyaluronic acid, shea butter, organic green tea, organic jojoba oil, and vitamins A and E. A foaming garbage disposal cleaner to effortlessly deep clean and deodorize your garbage disposal and pipes that have probably gone a little too long without your attention. 😬 It removes hidden bacteria, leaves a lemon-fresh scent, and can even help extend the life of your disposal! A set of antimicrobial toothbrushes that have thin "floss" bristles, which help naturally eliminate the buildup and debris that tend to linger on other toothbrushes. The tip of each flossing bristle is as thick as a single human hair and is formulated with nano-silver, which may help kill off microbes left on the bristles. And if you have sensitive teeth, no worries — reviewers say these bristles are super soft. And a reviewer-beloved teeth-whitening pen — you'll see the difference almost immediately, and it'll help you avoid having to go get it done by a pro. It's painless, minty fresh, and helps whiten your teeth after years of drinking coffee, tea, wine, and basically anything that isn't water. 🙃 A bottle of TikTok-famous Cosrx Snail Mucin Power Essence that works so effectively it's got some reviewers wondering what kind of witchcraft is in it. This mystical essence will soothe and rejuvenate your skin so quickly that it'll make you think the exact opposite of "ew" when you think of snail mucin. It can also give your skin a natural "I woke up like this" glow that has earned it over 66,000 5-star ratings! A Chom Chom pet hair remover, which picks up all your dog's (and your!) hair — zero struggle! It's a fan fave and requires no adhesives, sticky tape, or batteries to clean up after your furry family member. Seriously, this deserves ALL the rounds of appaws. A fragrance-free CeraVe eye cream because don't you just love it when everyone points out how tired you look? This hydrates and repairs your undereye's delicate skin barrier with three essential ceramides so that you can say "see ya" to those dark circles. And an under-eye brightener to help balance out the bluish tones of under-eye shadows and dark circles. And bonus! It's infused with hyaluronic acid and shea butter to nourish your skin and give you a radiant glow. Wear it by itself or under your concealer for a more full-coverage look! AND a The Saem hydrating eye stick that has a cooling formula to help de-puff the area around your eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles so no one at the office starts asking you why you look like a Tim Burton character. An Angry Orange pet odor eliminator because although your love for your pup is permanent, the odors left on your carpet *shouldn't* be. This miraculous spray has enzymes that lift that stink right off, leaving a lovely citrus scent. No wonder it's earned over 80,000 5-star ratings, with some reviewers claiming it even helped them remove the stain itself! A callus-removal gel that only takes one "before and after" pic to prove that it works wonders on those rough, dry areas that can develop on your feet. Just apply the gel and let it sit for 5–10 minutes, then follow up with a foot scrubber. This is the *perfect* addition to your next self-care day. And a popular exfoliant foot peel — you apply the two bootie-shaped masks on your feet for an hour, wash your feet, and then, over the next five to seven days, enjoy the disgustingly satisfying experience of watching all of your dead skin fall away to reveal baby-soft feet. Reviewers swear by this for calluses and rough, cracked skin! Essence's Lash Princess mascara because it'll effortlessly lengthen your lashes up to the skies. It gives you allll the volume WITHOUT the clumps and globs and has shocked reviewers with how full it leaves their lashes looking compared to other, more expensive brands. It's a fan fave for a reason! An antioxidant-rich Hanalei overnight lip treatment — a magical mix with Hawaiian kukui nut oil, which is rich in essential fatty acids *and* vitamins A, C, and E to relieve dryness and restore the hydration your parched lippies deserve. It's also got agave and grapeseed oils to help keep your lips soothed and protected! A wildly popular curl-defining foaming mousse enriched with coconut and shea oils to create soft wraps, tame frizz, and treat your hair to some intense hydration — leaving hair feeling ultra soft and nourished. The Pink Stuff, a tub of magical cleaning paste that is bound to earn its own labeled space in your bathroom cabinet. Seriously. The way it effortlessly removes stains, grease, and grime and leaves just about any surface shiny and scratch free should be considered witchcraft. A Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream because it has such a SCRUMPTIOUS scent, it might just make you ditch your perfume altogether. Enriched with caffeine, guarana extract, and coconut oil, this miraculous little jar of cream will help tighten *and* smooth your skin like nobody's business. A miraculous veggie chopper with four interchangeable blades that slice and chop your fruits and veggies for you. It cuts down your food prep time by a LOT, making it a huge relief for when you have guests coming over and you didn't know making stir fry could take that long. An Anua cleansing oil to magically eliminate makeup residue, blackheads, and sebum while preventing pore congestion — perfect to incorporate into a double cleansing routine! It's also hypoallergenic (since we already have *enough* trouble with allergy season) and works wonders for sensitive, acne-prone skin. A bottle of sulfate-free biotin shampoo infused with tea tree, jojoba, and argan oils to help with hair loss and prevent dandruff. A hard-working toilet pumice stone that's here to save the day when it comes to deep cleaning those *extra* stubborn toilet rings, which are the bane of your existence. Just wet the stone, gently scrub, and watch as those tough stains disappear! A highly-rated portable car vacuum because the last road trip your group spent eating in the car wasn't the first, and it certainly won't be the last. This easily sucks away all those crumbs and makes it look like nothing ever happened. It's also compact enough to keep in your car at all times (you know, just in case)! A pack of Mighty Patch acne patches to evict those pesky pimples that have no business invading your face. These are coated with hydrocolloid to protect and heal the blemish more effectively — you officially have no excuses for popping those pimples anymore! No picking or pinching needed. Oh, and they have over 135,000 5-star reviews! A Tree of Life face serum set — this triple threat of retinol, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid serum will help brighten, firm, *and* hydrate your skin for maximum radiance. Plus, it smells like green tea! A waterless Batiste dry shampoo *foam* if you just DON'T have time (or energy) for an "everything" shower. This lets you cancel out the grease and add some volume back to your locks without worrying about having to shake out the residue of your usual powder or spray dry shampoos. A super handy luggage scale — once you have it, you'll never travel without it. Especially if you're going on a longer trip, and you know your luggage will be much heavier on the way back! This lets you know how much it weighs so that you don't have to worry about awkwardly stopping in the middle of a busy airport to re-distribute weight. Plus, reviewers rave about how accurate it is! A K-beauty Elizabeth Mott eye primer because it'll make the eyeshadow look you created 10 hours ago look like it's only been 10 minutes. It helps keep your eyeshadow from wearing off, smudging, or creasing, and enhances your eyeshadow's color and vibrance. A SeoulCeuticals Snail Repair Cream with organic green tea and vitamins that brighten dull skin and help fade discoloration. And, thanks to its high concentration of snail mucin extract, your complexion will look plumped and ✨glowy✨. Easy-to-use retainer cleaner tablets that help dissipate your night guard' smell/taste. Just pop one of these in a glass of water to give your retainers, Invisalign, etc., a refreshing soak. Your mouth will thank you! A pack of clinical-strength SweatBlock wipes to help stop hyperhidrosis, nervous sweating, and hormonal sweating from ruining a good day. Give your pits a swipe of this before bed, wash in the morning, and enjoy going about your activities free of sweat (and sweat stains!). A pack of dishwasher cleaning tablets you'll appreciate because they power away the limescale and mineral buildup you can't see in your dishwasher, so you can restore it to its squeaky-clean state and have one less thing on your plate. (Get it?) A TikTok-famous Bissell multipurpose carpet and upholstery cleaner, which is likely to become your BFF when it comes to tackling the toughest stains in your home. This little machine's strong spray and suction can easily remove spots, stains, and odors. Use it in your car too — it's compact and portable! A beloved nourishing cream to assist fragile nails and help them avoid splitting, chipping, peeling, and cracking. They'll be stronger in no time — and they'll smell like coconuts. A weekly Wet & Forget shower cleaner that'll rid your shower of soap scum, grime, and body oils without all the laborious scrubbing. It also removes stains from non-porous surfaces and leaves behind a soft, delightful vanilla scent. Just spray it on, let it sit overnight, rinse, and you're all set! A bottle of Fanola "No Yellow" purple shampoo — you already spent major money to acquire that beautiful blonde look, so why would you let unwanted yellow tones get in the way? This'll cancel out the brassiness and help you keep it looking as good as the hair inspo on your Pinterest board before your next touch-up appointment. A descaling solution for an effective way to finally remove the mineral buildup and limescale from your coffee machine or espresso maker. It'll help extend the life of your machine and improve the taste of your coffee. And a pack of all-natural bottle cleaning tablets because you've been taking that same mug to work for a couple of weeks now and it could probably use a little refresh. The best part? It takes almost no effort on your part! Simply fill your bottle with warm water, drop in a tablet, let it fizz for 15–30 minutes, rinse, and kiss those coffee stains goodbye. A skin spatula that'll really and truly give you that feeling of ~clean skin~. This uses high-frequency vibrations to gently remove gunk and impurities from pores — not only will you feel refreshed, but it'll create the perfect canvas for your expensive skincare products to *actually* absorb. A paraben-free self-tanner with a dreamy mousse formula that glides over your skin smoothly, ensuring an even application without those pesky streaks. In just one hour, you'll be glowing like you just got back from an exotic, tropical getaway — and you didn't even have to step a foot outside. A stainless-steel tongue scraper because, trust me, your tongue has more gunk on it than you think. This useful tool lets you scrape it allll off and instantly freshens up your breath. It works so well, one reviewer even says they can now taste specific flavors they've never detected before! A stainless-steel water bottle that does its job so well, I dare say it'll be the first one *not* to be popular just because it's trendy! It actually keeps your drink cold for 24 hours and features a carry loop for easy transport. But what's so unique about it? Well, it comes with a double-spout built-in straw (a smaller opening for sipping and a large one for swigging), AND it allows you to cover the straw when you're not drinking thanks to the leak-proof push button opening!


Gizmodo
11 hours ago
- Gizmodo
This Air Purifier for Large Rooms Is Now 80% Off, Amazon Is Clearing Out Its Stock Before Summer
To lower pollution at home, an air purifier like this is a must. If you've ever asked yourself why it's a good thing to have an air purifier in the house, now is the time to make that upgrade a reality. Air purifiers offer a range of advantages to your home: they rid you of dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, and even small allergens, delivering cleaner, healthier air to you and your family. With high-tech filtration, silent operation, and simple-to-use design, modern air purifiers like that currently available on Amazon make it simpler than ever to breathe easy at home. This particular deal is one hundred percent exceptional: The Ecoself air purifier now is available for as low as $69 which is a whopping 65% reduction from its usual price of $199. That's already a record-low price but if you use the $15 coupon that's available, the price drops even lower to a mere $54. With offers like these, there's never been a better time to spend money on a cleaner house. See at Amazon Wide And Efficient Coverage What we like best about this air purifier is its wide coverage and premium features. It is specially built for big rooms up to 1076 square feet and uses 360° airflow technology to speedily circulate and revitalize the air. In a normal 215 square foot room, it can clean the air five times an hour so you and your family members are always breathing fresh, healthy air. The advanced three-stage filtration system includes a premium H13 HEPA filter, which captures 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns. You will also love the whisper-quiet 20dB sleep mode. Even on the highest setting, the purifier is quiet enough that it won't interrupt your sleep so it's ideal for bedrooms or baby rooms. You can enjoy purified air all night, waking to a neater, more comfortable room. The new brushless motor and new filter not only enhance purification efficiency by 50% but also reduce noise and power consumption. What's more is that you can adjust fan speed, incorporate a timer, activate child lock, and choose one of seven ambient light colors depending on your mood or environment. The integrated filter indicator will alert you when you should replace the filter for maximum performance at all times. Don't miss this opportunity to make your home healthier. See at Amazon

Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Dead Girl' fights cancer and more, lives to share her story
May 30—Palliative nurse's notes, Aug. 2, 2019: "Participated in Hospice meeting with patient. Seth (spouse), mother, father, bedside RN. Andrea from Hospice was on speakerphone. Discussed philosophy of Hospice and services they provide. Advised that by accepting Hospice, patients have a terminal diagnosis with less then six months to live. Patient was surprised by this, stating she would not qualify. Gina had several questions regarding cancer diagnosis, stating, 'I don't think I am terminal' and unaware of staging/diagnosis .... Patient continues to repeat she is only 46 years old and would like to continue with a treatment as offered and hopefully start immunotherapy when able. Seth was in agreement and supportive." — Book excerpt WATERTOWN — Eugenia Mancini Horan opens the front door of her parent's home on outer Bradley Street to welcome a visitor, this writer, who tells her that from what he's read about her, she looks amazing. "Your reaction is much like when I go to a new doctor and they open the door and are like, 'I was expecting someone deader,'" she says, laughing. Eugenia ("Gina") has crawled, bled, begged, argued, rejoiced and has been mocked through the ravages of stage 4 cancer. It is simply amazing, a miracle some say, that she is alive and cancer free. She recounts her 2019 cancer journey in the self-published, "The Dead Girl's Guide to Terminal Cancer: A True Tale of Anxiety, Horror & Hope." It's been the number one best seller on Amazon's lung cancer category for several weeks. It's a hardbound 400 pages, the size of a college textbook and its emotional weight vastly outweighs its 2 pounds. Its cover features a deer-in-the headlights-like self-portrait of the author, who has won a slew of awards on the local arts scene for her oil paintings. Readers have called the book darkly humorous and poignant. With its various characters, tragic subplots of her youth, family dynamic and medical notes, its is also novelesque. For the gist of it, Gina summarizes it all in the book's afterward: "There are no heroes in this story, no saviors, no 'Good Doc With a Cure,' coming in for a last-minute save. There is only medical bias, cancer bias, and the notion that a girl who is afraid of the world can't fight like a rabid animal to stay alive." 'Let me live' "My whole story is fighting people to get them to let me live," Gina said in the room of her parents' home, where in 2019, a hospital bed was set up in front of a picture window and where many expected her to meet her demise while battling lung cancer which she said had spread to her trachea, bronchus and small bowel. "Somebody should be treated like they're dead when they are already dead." "It's such a scary diagnosis and we have put such faith in the white lab coat," said Seth, who helped his wife with the book. "I know because we did it. You will cling to anything you are told. That has been the most horrifying, duh! moment during this whole process: to have the curtain pulled back and it's like, these are just people. And people make mistakes. And every one of them made a mistake with her." "When putting out the book, you couldn't think about someone reading it because it's like, 'Here is every bad thing that ever happened to me and people treating me badly.' Would you like to read it? It's embarrassing," Gina said. "But I thought in it, there's got to be something that can help people: look for these red flags, don't just trust. I've been a cancer advocate for five years and now I have two enemies." One of those enemies, she said, is God. "Which sounds harsh, but people pray to God that he's going to cure cancer, so they become inactive." The second: "People implicitly trusting that their doctors have their best health in mind when they come up with cures. No doctor comes up with a cure. It's a list. It's, 'If you have this cancer, in this stage, this is what you get.'" Gina's "Dead Girl's Guide to Terminal Cancer" encapsulates one year, 2019, from when she was diagnosed to when she saved herself, thanks to her desperate pleas to try immunotherapy — specifically Keytruda — a type of immunotherapy that works by blocking a pathway to help prevent cancer cells from hiding. Immunotherapy uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. Blood and a diagnosis Gina woke up on Christmas morning, 2018, at their home in North Syracuse and thought she had the flu or something. When she coughed, she noticed little flecks of blood on a tissue. As a smoker, she thought it could be normal. "But one night, it was abnormal," she said. "It was nose-bleed-like." She also experienced shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat. Gina said she has had symptoms of anxiety disorder since age 5 and was finally diagnosed with it at age 17. Considered disabled, she has Medicaid. At the medical appointment to address what she was coughing up, she said she was told, 'I think you just got yourself worked up with your anxiety.'" "And I'm like, 'That's powerful. I was torn because I wanted her to say it was nothing, and then when she said it was nothing, it was, 'I can't let it go. Can we run some blood work?' By the time we got home, the phone was ringing. I failed that blood work bad." What followed was a series of tests and scans that wreaked havoc on Gina's anxiety. She was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in mid-February, 2019 at a Syracuse hospital, one of two hospitals in that city which treated her during her year-long ordeal. She doesn't name the hospitals in the book and requested the Syracuse hospitals not be named here. Radiology summary/Feb. 15, 2019: Impression: Right apical lobulated mass is seen. Right hilar lymph nodes are seen possibly exerting a mass effect on the right main bronchus. No pulmonary arterial embolus is identified." In the top portion of her uppermost lobe, there was an unusual mass. Also, some lymph nodes had grown large enough to restrict airflow through her right main bronchus. Surgery, which didn't make sense to Gina, was recommended. "How was taking out two lobes of my lungs — to remove the origin tumor that wasn't causing any issue — going to help with the mass that was actually threatening my life? Was this just busy work?" she writes in the book. A cancer diagnosis can bring thoughts of chemotherapy. That wasn't originally in the cards for Gina, a "card-carrying emetrophopbic." Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting and can be triggered just by seeing someone else being sick. As an alternative, Gina and Seth tried highly concentrated cannabis oil. Meanwhile, Gina's parents, Eugene and Clorise Mancini, urged her to come home to Watertown as her health declined. Gina and Seth moved there in May, 2019. "The drive there filled me with both anxiety and salvation," Gina wrote in the book. "Seth figured out how to get the oxygen compressor to work in the car." Gina could not walk to the front door, and it marked the first of hundreds of times that Seth would carry his wife. This year, on the sixth-year anniversary of her diagnosis, Gina, on Facebook, paid tribute to Seth, who she married in 2006: "My husband dropped everything when I got sick to be my caregiver. For five months everywhere I needed to go, he carried me because I couldn't walk. Bedpans? Did that. Suctioning out my trach? That too. Butt wiping? Yup, even that. Yet, most days, we still laughed because we were still us." Gina entered Walker Center for Cancer Care at Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown, for the first time on June 5, 2019, where she would stay as an inpatient for a week. She agreed to start chemotherapy on June 7, which continued weekly for five infusions before she had a hyperbaric breathing emergency and was taken by ambulance to an intensive care unit at a Syracuse hospital. She was at that ICU from July 17 to Aug. 9. "The chemo has failed me. I'm in a very bad place medically,"she wrote in a July 18, 2019 Facebook post. She was given a zero percent chance of survival. Hematology & Oncology Fellow notes July 31, 2019 "Patient has received palliative radiation therapy. 3 daily fractions in addition to one endobronchial brachytherapy ... Keytruda will not be given to an inpatient and patient needs to be more medically stable to be eligible for and tolerate further therapy." In the ICU, Gina was starving and her weight plummeted. A couple of photographs of a gaunt-looking Gina are on the book's back cover. "The reason I put those pictures there is because I was not sick because of cancer, but because of not being treated. It was, 'We are not going to feed the patient because the patient is dying. The patient is dying because she isn't being fed.' One of the reasons I wrote the book is because nobody around me understood the extent of the abuse that was happening, I know without a doubt, had I been able to talk, the entire story would have been different, because I would not have been docile about this happening." Excerpt from Psychological evaluation Aug. 1, 2019 "Patient clearly and persistently repeated ... that she wanted palliative care only rather than aggressive Rx intended to extend life because aggressive Rx was unlikely to work, and hospitalization was so unpleasant." "In retrospect, I had made an almost fatal error," Gina wrote. "I hadn't been willing to lie about my belief in my own death in order to get out." In other words, she said she had to be purposely deceptive to get into Hospice. On Aug. 9, 2019, Gina left the hospital for Hospice care at her North Syracuse home. It was a Friday. "The Hospice coordinator told us that someone would be back in 72 hours," Gina wrote. "She also told Seth I had about three days to live. What excruciating math." Gina received Hospice care for six days, after which she and Seth cut ties with it. Her goal was to return to the home she grew up in, in Watertown. She arrived Aug. 15. Seth carried her into the house. "I knew I was in very bad shape," Gina wrote. "But there was no time for pessimism, and the hard work ahead didn't scare me." At SMC, two weeks after her "two weeks to live," she pleaded to a doctor for a Keytruda prescription. But the doctor would not budge in her refusal. "My temper now getting the best of me, I snarled: 'So, what you're telling me is that you are afraid the Keytruda might kill me before the cancer you know will kill me? Is that the argument? Am I clear on that?' But please, please, just give me a f****** chance to fail. Please don't make the choice for me." The doctor relented. On Aug. 29, 2019, Gina received her first Keytruda infusion. It would be a 30-minute process every three weeks. Two days later, she wrote that her fever subsided. Her lung opened up 15 days later, creating movement in her body, near her rib cage, that was frightening at first. By the second infusion, she was sitting up on her own. She would continue to get stronger, building back every muscle in her body. By late September, Gina was using a walker in her parents' driveway. On Halloween, at her fourth Keytruda infusion at the Walker Cancer Center, Gina saw a nurse that she hadn't seen in over a month. Her book recounts the nurse's reaction: "I watched all the color drain from her face, and she dropped to her knees as she grabbed the cross around her neck. She began to sob right there on the floor. I ran over to comfort her, and she still looked at me as if I were a ghost." Gina believes she could have been given Keytruda on day one, sparing her body the indignity of wasting away. It would have also voided a $2 million ICU stay, she said. Despite being on Medicaid, Gina said she and Seth acquired about $200,000 in medical debt, noting, "living against medical advice isn't covered by Medicaid." They deployed their credit cards, sought financial help from her parents and a GoFundMe drive raised $15,000. "Nobody fights, especially not on Medicaid, because they expect you can't." No cancer, no naïvety Gina's most recent medical appointment reflected being 5 1/2 years cancer free. She is also free from her naïvety relating to medical care. "I think when you see a movie about a severe illness, there's a kind, compassionate, dedicated doctor cheering on the patient, staying up nights to figure out a way, a solution, a plan. I kinda expected that. I miss that naive me. And the patient is stoic, brave, suffering beautifully and angelically. Almost from the day of my diagnosis, I thought of that patient, the Hallmark Heroine. The thing about that woman? She always dies at the end, and people sob because it was so unfair." But that wasn't her fate, or in her nature. "I'd already had 46 years of being cynical, sarcastic and a bit of a jokester. And cancer didn't change that, because I refused to let it own me. To take over, to take away my ability to make fun of any and everything. They say a positive attitude is super beneficial in cancer, but I hope I have shattered that belief." Being "afraid of the world" was also a factor in Gina's cancer battle. "That made it easier to deal with, in a way. It was just another thing to be scared of. I was equally as afraid of going to the hospital, as I was of dying. It absolutely 100 percent saved my life. Without doubt or hesitation. Anxiety teaches you to look for the danger, seek all the exits, and always be prepared to flee. But perhaps above all, avoid situations that feel terrifying. Everything after February 15, 2019 felt out of control, and terrifying. No one in the medical world would have conversations anymore, they only talked at me." The thing about anxiety with PTSD, Gina explained, is that one can become very calm in chaos. "You think clear, sharp and exact. Stillness and boredom are terrifying, but the world blowing up clears the mind. And I think that's why I was able to spot flaws in my treatment plans and question the motivations for them that were nonsensical to me." A key pep talk Despite the medical professionals who "only talked at" Gina and recalled in her book, she also highlighted in her book a few individuals that gave her hope. One was a "Dr. Lee" who was doing a rotation as a hospitalist at SMC, while doing his actual residency at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo. He now works in Texas. "Dr. Lee was my magic. It's like he came in at the beginning with the best pre-game pep talk, and I followed it the rest of my journey. He was young and didn't have the ego or entitlement I've seen in so many other oncologists I encountered. He was enthusiastic about killing cancer. Stoked. Raring to go. Running into work to kill some cancer!" Gina said that he was also the first and last doctor to root for her. "Which likely sounds odd. But the doctors who saw me get better weren't impressed. It wasn't remarkable to them. They just thought I'd die." The biggest gaping wound Gina said she encountered in oncology was the lack of "heart" she saw in it. "The point is, if there were more Dr. Lee's, I honestly believe more people would survive. Caring spills over into treatment plans, into feeling valued, into a bond of trust, and helps avert not distrusting the doctors, the medicine, the conspiracies." Last month, Gina sent Dr. Lee a copy of her book with a note inside. "And now I feel a bit lighter. It was, in some way, vital for me to let him know how deeply he mattered, that I didn't die, and the part he played in that. And how many fans he has out there in the world now." Helping others As an advocate, Gina said she is contacted nearly every day by people who become familiar with her story. "I'm absolutely thrilled others find something of merit in the book. I didn't want to publish it. It was never my intent. But I felt a deep sense of survivor's guilt, and also I had seen and heard things that might help others avoid some of the unnecessary suffering I endured." Gina said that doctors still regard her as a Stage 4 cancer patient. "The reason is, is that somewhere in my body could be invisible, undetectable, latent cancer cells waiting to come back. The problem with that is that everybody has that. You do, he does," she said, pointing to Seth. I probably don't, because that Keytruda is bad ass!" Her situation is an issue each time she goes to a doctor, "From people being surprised, to the question of whether or not my being screened for other cancers is necessary because, I'm dying." She then laughed, and with well-earned sarcasm added, "I'm always 'dying.' Like, damn! I can't get a break."