BREAST CANCER • MY EXPERIENCE
Breast cancer made me a stronger person today. I am braver and stronger than I ever thought now out to create awareness that will help reduce the cancer effects on families.
My Name is Nancy Andwati and I am very Blessed to share the experience of my journey through cancer treatment and survivorship.
In 2021, when the world was lifting the world’s most stringent COVID-19 lockdown in a phased manner, I developed a painful lump in my right arm. Having suspended business because of COVID-19, a lot changed for my life at that moment. The diagnosis was devastating. My I used to wake up at night and cry. It seemed like my life is over.
I am one of those women who had never done breast screening. I thought I had no reason to do so. One day I noticed a painful swelling in my arm. I thought that was a normal swelling but the swelling grew bigger multiplying towards other parts of my armpit, causing excruciating discomfort. I was at that point that I decided to see the doctor. The doctor advised that I do more tests, which I did. Every doctor I saw at every stage confirmed that I had Breast Cancer. I quickly realized that this was not a normal passing cloud; it was not about waiting for the storm to pass, was about about learning how to dance in the rain. Day by day I started developing a positive attitude. I was determined that I wouldn’t let the cancer shape me.
I was diagnosed with a typical case of HER2- positive, fast-growing breast cancer. By the time I completed all tests, the breast cancer had spread to the lymph nodes including the neck. One Lymph node had escaped to the chest graduating to Stage 4 Breast Cancer. By the time it was detected in September 2021 the breast cancer was at stage III with a 50 percent chance of survival.
My life is over; I thought. The diagnosis shook my husband, children and my entire family. After diagnosis, a treatment plan was established. First item on the list: Chemotherapy, followed by surgery, then Radiotherapy. I then commenced the long, hard months of chemotherapy.
[/col_inner] [/row_inner] [divider width=”1045px” height=”1px” margin=”1.4em” color=”rgb(6, 6, 6)”] [row_inner] [col_inner span=”6″ span__sm=”12″]Chemotherapy is tough: The effects of the treatment are cumulative. I then realized that understanding the treatment plan and disease is one thing, dealing with emotions quite another. “Having cancer and going through this treatment is really horrible and scary, and you have to find a way to let out your emotions.” Chemotherapy caused a lot of discomfort. For the first ten days, I would have nausea, vomiting and then the shock-on me hair fall out. Those were very difficult and frustrating days of my life. I felt very sad but ensured my feelings never showed on my face. I wanted to protect my family from fear.
During this time, my friends and family, especially my “rock of a husband” David, were nothing short of amazing. The love I got from their care packages, calls and the “proud of me” messages gave me hope. They made me see the special people I have in your life.
As a final measure to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back, I was prescribed for 25 sessions of Radiotherapy. The once daily sessions of radiation therapy, were nowhere near as bad as chemo.
My husband stopped any project he was working on, he said the money could wait until his wife is well. My daughter took care of my diet.
It makes me proud to know that I was strong and brave in facing this horrible situation. Cancer changed me, I have developed a broader perspective on life. If you have your health, don’t be worrying about little things, Illness comes unannounced and can take your life just like that. Love yourself, don’t wait for the next holiday or for good weather to enjoy life, but take pleasure in every day as it is.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that the reason i could be so positive facing treatment was that the tumor was caught, though not early but at a point of treatable. Had the tumor been caught in the early stages, I would not have had a mastectomy, but a simple lumpectomy.
[/col_inner] [col_inner span=”6″ span__sm=”12″] [ux_image id=”5297″]I have since made it my mission to remind women to go for screening and have frequent self-breast examinations. Women are nervous about getting checked because of a possible negative outcome but from my experience, I would tell them to trust themselves and go for tests to avoid losing their breasts.
Life after Treatment – Survivorship
I successfully completed Chemotherapy, Mastectomy and Radiotherapy. Pathology reports showed No Evidence of Disease (NED). But the fear of recuring cancer grips in. Every time I go for a scan, my fear intensifies. The longer I survive, the more I fear relapse or recurrence. This feeling has made me want to advocate for better survivorship. I would like every woman to feel beautiful, empowered and like themselves as much as they can. The more we can bring the burdens of living with breast cancer into discussion, the more we can find ways to deal with them together as a wider society.
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here are many ways, both big and small, that you can get involved to help fight cancer in Africa.
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You can do so through our Mpesa Paybill No. 00000 Account
Name: Arise Against Cancer
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