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thinkpink

Maya’s Story

Maya was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 45. After the shock of her initial diagnosis, she decided not to give in to depression, but to fght her disease. This is her story.

Q: How did you fnd out you had cancer?

A: One evening before going to bed, I did a self-

examination and found a lump in my right breast. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to have a look. It looked a bit funny. This was a Sunday night, so I thought on Monday I had better go to the doctor.

I went to the doctor on Monday afternoon and had a mammogram and an ultrasound, and then went back to the doctor Monday evening. The results indicated that it was probably fbrous tissue. I saw a breast specialist the following Wednesday and I thought, “Well, if it is fbrous tissue, I will be fne.” The specialist looked at my breast and said, “I don’t like the look of that”, took a needle biopsy and, within 20 minutes, told me I had breast cancer. By the time I went into surgery, I knew that it was quite an aggressive cancer. I didn’t really know whether the whole breast was going to be removed or just the lump. But they did plan to just take the lump and the lymph nodes.

Q: How did you react to the diagnosis?

A: I was shocked when I received the diagnosis, but I thought I had to get on with it; I had to cope with this. I asked straight away what my survival rate was and the answer was that, overall with breast cancer patients, there was a 70 per cent survival rate. But I wanted to know what

mine was, because I had a grade three tumour and the glands were involved.

I found out that my chances were about 50/50. I wasn’t happy with that. I sort of went into a bit of slump for a little while. But then I thought, “Well, let’s get on with it, because I might be on the good side of the 50 and, if I’m not, I really don’t want to be miserable.”

Q: Can you explain the treatment you had after the operation?

A: After my operation, I had a course of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiotherapy, and then another course of

Never, never give in to it. Always be positive. If, for some reason, you are not happy with the course of treatment prescribed, seek other opinions until you are happy.

chemotherapy. My frst chemotherapy caused my hair to fall out, which was hard, but I didn’t really hide the fact that I was bald.

Q: What was the key to your recovery?

A: The key to recovery is support. My family gave me fantastic support. My husband, my daughters, my mum, dad, brothers and my sister were all there, encouraging me and telling me how well I looked and how well I was coping. I thought, “Then it must be true, so I’ll keep going.” Everybody offered help. Neighbours cooked meals and took me shopping; it really got me through. So, if anyone offers you support and help, this is the time to take it.

Q: How important is it to talk to other people who have gone through the same experience?

A: I think, going through breast cancer, you really need the insight of someone who has been through it. If you can fnd someone who has been through it, speak to them and fnd out their story.

Q: What advice would you give to a person who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer?

A: Never, never give in to it. Always be positive. If, for some reason, you are not happy with the course of treatment prescribed, seek other opinions until you are happy, and ask as many questions as you can. If you are armed with knowledge, you can go forward and give yourself the best treatment and the best chance for survival.

When I was frst diagnosed, I was quite depressed, and it takes a lot of courage to get yourself out of that. I just looked at myself one day and thought, “I can live like this – depressed and worried about my cancer – or get on top of it, try and fght it, and get through it being happy and positive.” It is really hard to do that, but one day I just decided to fght it and get through it and get to my fve years [cancer-free]. I’ll be there next March.

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