Today on the 4th of February MHSA seeks to raise awareness on cancer in recognition of World Cancer Day. As a community of future healthcare professionals MHSA acknowledges the intrapersonal and interpersonal challenges brought about by cancer, hence inspiring this article.
MHSA has been working on finding the voice of breast cancer survivors and give them the opportunity to speak about their experiences. Unfortunately, breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in Malta, predominantly found in females. Statistics show that 1 in 8 women in the European Union develop breast cancer. Thankfully, it has one of the most successful prognoses in terms of treatment and survival rate.
Nicholas Aquilina, MHSA’s Social Policy Officer sat down with a cancer survivor and discussed her experience on a personal level as a wife, and mother of two. Her story is just one of many. For the sake of the article, our interviewee who wishes to remain anonymous will be addressed as Emma.
Emma discovered her illness whilst breastfeeding, initially she did not take much notice of the lump in her breast, though she became “Alarmed” on its persistence.
Emma was 33, which is quite young statistically speaking. Doctors were dismissive due to this statistical comparison, but after her breast examination this was no longer the case as they were evidently concerned. When she was informed of the diagnosis, “My first reaction was: Who will love my children?”, was her immediate response and she described the experience as “A rollercoaster of emotions”.
Many individuals find it difficult to come to terms with their diagnosis and many find it even more difficult to tell their family and friends. Emma was very fortunate as her husband was present when she received her diagnosis and got a significant amount of support from him during the difficult time. Her parents played a vital role, especially when she was receiving the aggressive chemotherapy treatment. They supported her by taking care of her two children, making sure that they feel loved and safe while mum was indisposed.
Emma was told she needed surgery, just a week after her diagnosis. Most of her family swiftly supported and aided her through the regression of her physical and emotional state. In fact, Emma described how her best friend made her as comfortable as possible, enjoying “Coffee moments and play dates” as not to disrupt her children’s lives. Unfortunately, other family members and friends were unsure of how to deal with the situation, some would “Start crying and hugging me and I would have to console THEM instead of vice versa”, Emma disclosed.
Emma revealed that her medical treatment was quite comprehensive, involving a mastectomy (a surgical operation to remove part or all of the breast tissue), chemotherapy, radiation therapy and oral medications for over 5 years.
At the time, breast cancer awareness was obviously less advanced than it is nowadays, and she expressed how she felt uninformed. Emma was given options by her surgeon, but it was ultimately her decision to make. She conducted quite a lot of research online, and also found an online support group which helped during such a difficult time. Emma commented that nowadays the healthcare system has improved greatly, particularly with the presence of the breast cancer screening unit, which did not exist 18 years ago.
Emma has certainly gone through an ordeal that she will carry with her for the rest of her life, but expressed that it is important to look at the positive side of things; where she was and still is supported and cared for by her family and friends, through the good and the bad.
Written by: Nicholas Aquilina and Bernard von Brockdorff