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beaware
You are Your own strength.
Neysa: I am a resilient person. I did cry at times, but I felt something come
over me and tell me that I was going to be alright. I went to Panama for treat-
ment by myself. I called this a journey, and wanted to do it alone. It was my
personal strength that kept me going. The f unny thing is when you tell people
you have cancer, they start crying, and you end up consoling them that it s
going to be okay!
amaNi H: When I told my daughters about the breast cancer, they were
scared for me, and the eldest was scared for herself. Since I had it, she thoughtshe would get it too. So I took her for an ultra sound and it was ne. My young -
est took it the hardest. But this made me stronger as I felt if I looked scared and
weak during my treatment, it would affect them more. My children became less
worried once they saw me full of hope.
Once you start the treatment, things start falling to place and you know what
you have to do. You feel condent and strong. You need to have a high morale
and a positive attitude to get well soon.
You know Your bodY the best.
Neysa: The moment I rst felt a lump in my breast, I knew
what it was. But my mammograms always came ne, and I was
told I was ne. Soon I started feeling worse, I was vomiting
blood. When I did a re-test in Qatar, I was nally diagnosed
with breast cancer.If you feel something is wrong, though the tests are negative,
ask for a re-test. You know better how your body feels.
Your familY is Your greatestsupport.
Luiza: When I rst felt a lump in my breast I was contem -
plating going to the doctor. Only when my then 12-year-old son
started insisting, did I have my mammography. When I told
my son that I had breast cancer, he cried the rst day. Every
day after that he would kiss me, hug me, and try to make me
laugh. I asked him why he did that, and he said because he
wanted to see me happy.
Noura: My family supported me a lot during my treat-
ment. I can never forget how my mother would sit next to me
everyday and read the Quran with her hand on my chest.
how manY of us sit down to think of the goodthings that life has bestowed upon us? how manY
count our blessings each daY? with a new leaseof life, five breast cancer survivors share withCassey Oliveira the lessons theY have learnt in
their journeY of survival.
Life'smany
Lessons
You don't
be under
tion lifedepends o
Your doctand more
tantlY o
Your btake
breascancer is
like anY odisease. it
treate
exercise doe
deteriorate Ycondition.
makes
You fitter
Trbr
lesson 2
lesson 1
lesson 3
HOPE, SMILE AND
SURVIVE:(l-r) Neysa Hill, Luiza Pancoti,
Noura, Amany Eid Garciaand Amani Halawa.
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beaware
Luisa: I never wanted anyone to feel sorry
for me. I told my husband and children to get back
to their routine and not worry about me. I also
never let the fear of losing my breast come across
my mind. I think this helped me stay positive.
Noura: I always went for my chemotherapy
alone because I didn t want to see someone upset
because of my cancer. I am much stronger than
the rest of my family.
breast cancer is not theworst thing to
happen.
amaNi H: The word cancer itself is very scary.
I always thought cancer is the worst thing that
could happen to anyone, not until I saw people
suffering from nervous system disorders that are
incurable. Their entire body is affected whereas
just removing a breast doesn t affect your body in
anyway.
appearance doesn t
matter.
Neysa: I decided to excise both my breasts be-cause of the type of cancer I had. It would havespread to the other breast in the future. I just wanted to live.
amaNi H: Some women live for their appear-
ances and those are the ones who would suffer
during the treatment. They don t do chemother-
apy because they fear losing their hair but they
don t realise they might lose their life. For an
ordinary, practical woman, appearances don t
matter. They know that the physical changes that
come with breast cancer are temporary. Your hair
would grow back. You can also opt for a breast re-
construction surgery.
Luiza: After my chemotherapy, I had lost all
my hair. I cried. I came home with a head scarf
around my head. My son asked me to remove it
but I refused as I thought I looked ugly. He insist-
ed and told me that I didn t have to cry because
my hair would grow back soon. When I nally re-
lesson 4
al amal hospital
does earlY detection
for breast cancerfor free.
for those whocannot afford the
treatment, all ex-penses are borne bY
the qatar nationalcancer societY.
initiated bY the qatar
national cancer soci-
etY, the haYat cancersupport group com-
prises breast cancersurvivors, families of
survivors and healthcare professionals
who are involved with
spreading awarenessand supporting breast
cancer patients.
haYat cancersupport group
women inqatar are
luckY...
moved the scarf my son kissed my head and told
me that I was always beautiful.
Noura: I had removed both my breasts simul-
taneously because I was told by my doctor that
the cancer would spread to the other breast in the
future, and I didn t want to go through the whole
process again. I didn t want to keep my breasts
to look beautiful to people; living was more
important.
appreciate life.
amaNy e: Now that I have survived I havegrown stronger, mature and condent.
amaNi H: As a survivor, you start to see life in
a better way. You don t fuss anymore. You learn
that friends and family are the most important
things in life.
Luiza: When you have breast cancer, ev-
ery morning you wake up and pray to get one
more day to be with your family. You start to
appreciate life.
Noura: I have got a new life and am now start-
ing to see the more beautiful things in life. I had
friends before, but with breast cancer I have
now met so many good friends who have helpedchanged my attitude towards life.
life is a test, face it.
amaNy e: Religion says that humans will al- ways be tested this was one of my tests. You needto be strong to accept it and nd a way out.
amaNi H:To have fear is not bad; but let the fear
be your motive to survive, not the reason why you
die.
Luiza: I once asked my cousin why I got cancer
when there were people who were unhealthy, who
drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes. My cousin
replied that it was because God loved me, he knew
that I could handle it much better than such peo-
ple. It s sad that those with good health are wasting
their life with cigarettes and alcohol
lesson 6
lesson 7
lesson 5