A strong and brave person who fights over the challenging battle of her life

Hola ladies and gentlemen it's me again Gwyn and I just wanted to share the journey of one of the most important person in my life. My Aunt.

Note: I ask permission to my aunt before posting her journey on fighting this battle.

On the first quarter of 2020, we noticed that she gained weight everytime she calls and she was really happy because of it. Second quarter comes, she messaged me that she was starting to have unintentional weight loss then she already felt a little lump on her right lower nipple. Couple of months passed she started to feel pain and did not mind it because she thought that it was just because of her monthly period.

Few weeks after, she already saw clear, watery discharges on her nipple. The lump is still there, fixated on her right lower nipple and she can feel that there is a change with its size and it was a little bit hard to move. Discoloration is also present, and her nipple was somehow retracted. We started to check about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and the facts really scares the hell out of her, not just her but us also.

January of the year 2021, she informed us that she started to have consultations with some doctors, but she stop to seek for an answer until second quarter of 2021, but she already have bloody discharges. She consulted a surgeon with the hope that they could immediately proceed to a surgery once it is diagnosed. The surgeon gave her an impression of possible breast cancer. Knowing her, she was not cool about it. It makes her devastated though it is not yet confirmed, so she decided to took a biopsy. A week after, she took the result, and it turned out to be an Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. She was shocked to learn about it, a week before my cousin's 5th birthday.

We all know that she is strong but she told me, at that very moment it seems like she can’t stand on both of her feet, she can’t hear or feel anything. We decided to have a video call and she face us crying. All of our family really feels sad about it. Her friends also get teary eyed knowing her situation. We all tried to comfort her to make her feel better but she was very angry that time.That she even say this exact words that I would never forget, "I can’t believe that of all people, why me?"

Days passed by, she don’t answer calls and don’t even reply to our messages but still she continued to live normally. It actually takes a lot of courage for her to fight a battle that she don’t even know if she can win. She continued to work and tried to look for an organization in a foreign country that could help her but there’s no hope available for her. She decided to go back to the surgeon, and he said this to her “Oh, you need to prepare 17,000 riyals (or 255,000 in Peso) for the surgery alone." She go to other hospital there in Saudi Arabia and made another consultation, she took ultrasound but denied using the insurance. Doctors told her that she need to do chemotherapy before surgery. So she visited an oncologist, but the laboratories there are too expensive, and she can’t afford it.

January 2022, this is when she decided to go back home here in the Philippines for her treatment. She decided to go home so that we are with her during treatment. May 2022, she arrived in the Philippines and after a week she goes to a surgeon to have a consultation. She already knew him since 2010. He referred my aunt to an Oncologist, which happens to be our grandmother’s oncologist also. He told my aunt that she will get bald once she started the treatment. My aunt really don’t mind getting bald at all.

First session of her chemotherapy is scheduled, it was a smooth session. She didn’t feel anything but on the second day after her chemotherapy that’s when she started to feel a little dizzy and nauseous. She started to vomit were it seems like it’s not going to end. She already lost her appetite to eat and vomit every after meals. She continue to fight it because she know that not all days are bad.

Second session that’s when she started to lose her hair. I could feel just by looking at her that she don’t want to take a shower or even brush her hair because it will fall off from her scalp (but she have to). Yes, it happened, she lose a lot of hair and decided to cut it short until such time that she decided to shave it. She wasn’t that ready, but she need to embraced it. She just need to trust the process and start to love it. But every session gives her a little traumatic experience. She got scared of needles that she don’t want to see it anymore. She's having sharp pain from the IV site. She always tells me that every session is like a war for her.

On the bright side of it, a great change can be notice on her right breast. The lump began to get smaller, the dark discoloration turned lighter, and her nipple is already protruding. Thanks to God! We consulted her surgeon, and he told us that her body is responding to chemotherapy and that they can schedule the Modified Radical Mastectomy (surgical removal of her right breast). Her first schedule for surgery was made but it was cancelled because of her thyroid problem. Doctors need to stabilize her blood works for thyroid so that they’re more confident that there will be no complication during surgery.

It was a very painful process for her to go through. She would always talk to me that when she see her reflection in the mirror, she's always thinking that she is not complete, she's already different and she's not normal but as she was looking at her big scar she will always be reminded that she fought hard and win the battle against cancer.

Before she get back to her work she tells me that , she can't really say that she is a 100% free from cancer but right now, she tried to avoid stressor, eat healthy foods when she can and take her oral medications for her maintenance.

Having your family as your support system really matter in this kind of situation. Your mind is telling you that you can but really, you can’t without emotional and spiritual support.

So this month of October is actually a Breast Cancer awareness month and my aunt really encourage us all women and ladies to practice self-breast examination because just like what everybody says, prevention is better than cure.

Before I end this, I want you to always remember this quote,

"The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles that we know nothing about." - Unknown

I hope this could help not just to every women but also to all the gentlemen out there that we should take care more of our body. Thank you so much for reading this I really appreciate it.