I thought I had it all; the career, the family, the money and most importantly my busy life that allowed me no time to actually think of myself. I believed I was a super-woman as I juggled between my work as a full-time teacher, my husband and two wonderful kids, my circle of ever-demanding friends, and the inevitable social life that came with all the three above. I did not have time to think about myself at all, I thought that myself came with the equation of family and work together, but little did I know as I went for a regular check-up that my life would change dramatically on that idle Sunday afternoon.
I did not have a doctor to call my own, instead I was just happy with the insurance that I received with work, and seldom used this insurance for my benefits, but kept it limited to emergencies and the occasional gynecology visits to check on my health. It was my friend actually who suggested ‘for fun’ to go for a breast-cancer check up in one of the local hospitals that was offering a 50% reduction on mammograms.
I was hesitant at first, given my busy schedule, but I decided to give it a go to support my friend and show her that I was there for her, like the numerous times she showed her support to me and my family. When I did the examination, the doctor detected a lump on my left breast and decided that it required further check-ups. Two months of back and forth check-ups and sleepless nights, I was diagnosed with stage two breast-cancer.
It was shocking at first, I couldn’t understand how this happened to me? And the questions of immortality started flooding my brain: will I die? Who will take care of my kids? Will I lose my beautiful shoulder-length hair? Will my husband remarry after I die? Will my kids like their new step-mom? Will she be prettier than me?
I couldn’t sleep at night, and kept having nightmares about the all the dreadful possibilities that came with this sad realisation that I was no longer a healthy woman. It was after three weeks of what I could only describe as hell, that I decided to take charge of the situation, and deal with the here and now.
I spoke to several doctors who all assured me that a surgery at this stage would be the best approach. I decided to go under the knife, and a lumpectomy and partial mastectomy was performed on me, which removed areas that had marks of cancerous cells. The operation was followed by four sessions of chemotherapy over the course of two months.
Now a year after the surgery, I can declare that I am cancer-free. My husband and family were supportive and helped me realise the blessing in disguise. They took care of me, and allowed me for the first time in a very long time to realize that I needed to be taken care of as well. I quit my full-time job, and decided to take some time-off to focus on healing both my body and mind. My best friend cut her hair very short in support of my lost-hair, and together we fashioned colourful scarves that covered my head, scarves that I started wearing proudly having survived one of nature’s biggest challenges.
I am more relaxed now in my life, and I realised after this experience that I needed to abhor my crazy lifestyle and start adopting a more spiritual, healthier and most importantly happier routine. I might have less hair on my head now, but I have more courage and zest for life than ever before.
I hope by sharing my story with you that you understand the importance of taking care of yourself first and foremost, and realise that life is not about only running errands, but walking slowly towards your happiness.
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