Interviewed by Project Voice via email.
What triggered the diagnosis?
Usually I would do Self Breast Examination by touching my breast when I bathe. Noticed there was a hard lump on the right breast back in early July 2011. Due to my hectic work, I went to see a GP only around end July 2011. She referred me to a Breast Surgeon in NUH. Mammogram & ultrasound on breast were carried out. On 10 Aug 2011, Doctor confirmed it was stage 2 breast cancer, aggressive & malignant type.
Did you have any experience in cancer before you got diagnosed with it? (Like did you know anyone who had cancer?)
No, I did not have friends who were diagnosed with cancer except for my late husband.
How did you feel, what did you think when you were first diagnosed with cancer?
I felt shocked & questioned myself why it happened on me. (I was) very sad of course. In fact I broke down in front of the doctor when he confirmed that it was stage two cancer though I had already prepared mentally that it was most likely cancer.
What were your first concerns?
Will I be able to live long enough to see my daughter grow up, be independent & have her own family? I told myself that I must battle against cancer. I would do all I can to survive. Also from reading, I understand that the survival rate is high compared to those cancer which is already at the final stage & also those which happened in the internal organs eg lung cancer, pancreas cancer etc.
What was something you were most afraid of? Did you have any other fears?
Is my daughter able to cope & look after herself if I am no longer around? I was afraid about the journey after death. Who knows what would happen after death? Where would I go? What would I see? My parents would be heartbroken if I leave this world before them.
How did you break the news to your family?
Just told them verbally over the phone liked normal conversation. They are the type of people that can take things easily. That is why I did not tell them immediately after I was diagnosed with cancer but till about two to three weeks later...They were very shocked too. However they encouraged me to face it positively & they are always there to support me both mentally & physically.
What treatments did you have to undergo?
Due to huge size of the lump ie 4cm, I had surgery to remove my whole right breast ie mastectomy. After resting for 3 weeks after surgery, I undergo 16 cycles of Chemotherapy in NUH. The chemo drugs are given intravenously (in short IV). First 4 cycles were once per 3 week, followed by 12 injections on a weekly basis. In total it took about half a year to complete my chemotherapy treatment.
Were the treatments tough on you (mentally and physically)?
Not that bad, besides hair loss, I did not suffer any nauseous or vomiting. I felt mentally and physically exhausted after the completion of chemo in the beginning 3 cycles. After that, perhaps my body has already used to it, so I did not feel any worse.
What kind of changes did cancer bring to your life? Perhaps in terms of lifestyle?
I stopped eating out & stayed at home most of the time. Cook healthy food ie eat more steamed food, brown rice instead of white rice and cut down food that need to cook with cooking oil. Eat more vegetables & fruits daily compare to before diagnosed with cancer. The beginning was pretty tough as I am omnivorous. Knowing that changing my lifestyle is good for health, I have to adapt with the change. I did breathing exercise daily.
How did you cope with finances? Did you have insurance and did it help you financially?
My ex-company was very supportive when I diagnosed with cancer. They let me complete the treatment before I go back to work with their financial support throughout the treatment period. Luckily I had medical insurance coverage which I need not worry about the medical expenses at all.
Did you take any other steps to improve your condition or deter your condition from deteriorating or prevent relapse? (if in remission)
There is no medication for my type of cancer after my chemotherapy treatment. I need to be careful of what I eat & do not stress out. Let my breast surgeon review my condition on a half yearly basis. Also need to do mammogram on a yearly basis to make sure there is no relapse.
How have the people around you helped you throughout your journey?
I stayed with my sister as I shifted house in August 2011 immediately after diagnosed with cancer. My siblings helped me to do laundry & ironing of clothes. I rest most of the time especially during the first month of my chemotherapy. Felt very tired as the blood count was low around 10th to 12th day after the chemo.
Did your family (perhaps your daughter or your husband) support you mentally and physically?
Yes, especially my husband who learnt to cook in order to take care of me & himself. He had never cooked any dishes at all in his 50 years of life. Reason being both of us are cancer patients, we need to take care, encourage & motivate each other. FYI, both of us were diagnosed with cancer at the same time in August 2011. His cancer was Chronic Myloid Leukemia in short CML. He left us in mid May 2012...nine months later..
During the time you were undergoing treatment, how would you have like people to treat you?
To treat me normally just liked normal person and not a cancer patient. If I was treated like a patient, I would feel uncomfortable and I want them to treat me like a normal person so that I would definitely feel better.
Can you share 1 or 2 incidents that you find especially unforgettable during your journey battling cancer?
Life is very fragile especially when you got sick, real serious illness. I remembered I got throat infection around mid Nov 2011 & cough throughout the day. I had never experienced this kind of cough before in my life, so badly that I could not lie down to sleep but to sit up straight throughout the night in order to stay comfort & stop coughing.
Has cancer changed you as a person? Your perspective/attitude towards life?
Life is very uncertain & nothing stays forever. Change is eternal. Treasure everyday & love your loved ones. Live your life to the fullest & treat everyday as the last day of your life. I would say cancer had changed my life for the better. Now I am more health conscious & I became a vegetarian last May 2012. It was a drastic change as I had mentioned I am a omnivorous since childhood. Need a lot of persistence and determination indeed.
What have you learnt throughout this tough journey?
Do not just do your work most of the time. Must leave some time to your family & build bonding with your children. Communicate more with your family members & let them know that you care for them & you love them as what they are
What advice would you share with someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer?
Do not panic, seek second opinion with another doctor or specialist. Then decide whether to need to perform surgery or chemotherapy depending on the cancer stage & patient’s health condition.
Be prepared yourself. Do some reading on the relevant cancer to better understand the type of cancer you are diagnosed with so that you wouldn't feel depressed. Only talk to people that really care for you and would listen to you.. Sometimes it is better to maintain low profile as we need more time to rest than to entertain your friend or relatives though we know that they are out of goodwill. It is good to do breathing exercise regularly to ensure fresh oxygen circulating in the body.
What advice would you share with someone who has to take care of someone with cancer?
You must be very understanding & patient. Encourage patient to be optimistic and spend more time with him/ her. Most importantly, you need to be caring and have a passionate heart.
Usually I would do Self Breast Examination by touching my breast when I bathe. Noticed there was a hard lump on the right breast back in early July 2011. Due to my hectic work, I went to see a GP only around end July 2011. She referred me to a Breast Surgeon in NUH. Mammogram & ultrasound on breast were carried out. On 10 Aug 2011, Doctor confirmed it was stage 2 breast cancer, aggressive & malignant type.
Did you have any experience in cancer before you got diagnosed with it? (Like did you know anyone who had cancer?)
No, I did not have friends who were diagnosed with cancer except for my late husband.
How did you feel, what did you think when you were first diagnosed with cancer?
I felt shocked & questioned myself why it happened on me. (I was) very sad of course. In fact I broke down in front of the doctor when he confirmed that it was stage two cancer though I had already prepared mentally that it was most likely cancer.
What were your first concerns?
Will I be able to live long enough to see my daughter grow up, be independent & have her own family? I told myself that I must battle against cancer. I would do all I can to survive. Also from reading, I understand that the survival rate is high compared to those cancer which is already at the final stage & also those which happened in the internal organs eg lung cancer, pancreas cancer etc.
What was something you were most afraid of? Did you have any other fears?
Is my daughter able to cope & look after herself if I am no longer around? I was afraid about the journey after death. Who knows what would happen after death? Where would I go? What would I see? My parents would be heartbroken if I leave this world before them.
How did you break the news to your family?
Just told them verbally over the phone liked normal conversation. They are the type of people that can take things easily. That is why I did not tell them immediately after I was diagnosed with cancer but till about two to three weeks later...They were very shocked too. However they encouraged me to face it positively & they are always there to support me both mentally & physically.
What treatments did you have to undergo?
Due to huge size of the lump ie 4cm, I had surgery to remove my whole right breast ie mastectomy. After resting for 3 weeks after surgery, I undergo 16 cycles of Chemotherapy in NUH. The chemo drugs are given intravenously (in short IV). First 4 cycles were once per 3 week, followed by 12 injections on a weekly basis. In total it took about half a year to complete my chemotherapy treatment.
Were the treatments tough on you (mentally and physically)?
Not that bad, besides hair loss, I did not suffer any nauseous or vomiting. I felt mentally and physically exhausted after the completion of chemo in the beginning 3 cycles. After that, perhaps my body has already used to it, so I did not feel any worse.
What kind of changes did cancer bring to your life? Perhaps in terms of lifestyle?
I stopped eating out & stayed at home most of the time. Cook healthy food ie eat more steamed food, brown rice instead of white rice and cut down food that need to cook with cooking oil. Eat more vegetables & fruits daily compare to before diagnosed with cancer. The beginning was pretty tough as I am omnivorous. Knowing that changing my lifestyle is good for health, I have to adapt with the change. I did breathing exercise daily.
How did you cope with finances? Did you have insurance and did it help you financially?
My ex-company was very supportive when I diagnosed with cancer. They let me complete the treatment before I go back to work with their financial support throughout the treatment period. Luckily I had medical insurance coverage which I need not worry about the medical expenses at all.
Did you take any other steps to improve your condition or deter your condition from deteriorating or prevent relapse? (if in remission)
There is no medication for my type of cancer after my chemotherapy treatment. I need to be careful of what I eat & do not stress out. Let my breast surgeon review my condition on a half yearly basis. Also need to do mammogram on a yearly basis to make sure there is no relapse.
How have the people around you helped you throughout your journey?
I stayed with my sister as I shifted house in August 2011 immediately after diagnosed with cancer. My siblings helped me to do laundry & ironing of clothes. I rest most of the time especially during the first month of my chemotherapy. Felt very tired as the blood count was low around 10th to 12th day after the chemo.
Did your family (perhaps your daughter or your husband) support you mentally and physically?
Yes, especially my husband who learnt to cook in order to take care of me & himself. He had never cooked any dishes at all in his 50 years of life. Reason being both of us are cancer patients, we need to take care, encourage & motivate each other. FYI, both of us were diagnosed with cancer at the same time in August 2011. His cancer was Chronic Myloid Leukemia in short CML. He left us in mid May 2012...nine months later..
During the time you were undergoing treatment, how would you have like people to treat you?
To treat me normally just liked normal person and not a cancer patient. If I was treated like a patient, I would feel uncomfortable and I want them to treat me like a normal person so that I would definitely feel better.
Can you share 1 or 2 incidents that you find especially unforgettable during your journey battling cancer?
Life is very fragile especially when you got sick, real serious illness. I remembered I got throat infection around mid Nov 2011 & cough throughout the day. I had never experienced this kind of cough before in my life, so badly that I could not lie down to sleep but to sit up straight throughout the night in order to stay comfort & stop coughing.
Has cancer changed you as a person? Your perspective/attitude towards life?
Life is very uncertain & nothing stays forever. Change is eternal. Treasure everyday & love your loved ones. Live your life to the fullest & treat everyday as the last day of your life. I would say cancer had changed my life for the better. Now I am more health conscious & I became a vegetarian last May 2012. It was a drastic change as I had mentioned I am a omnivorous since childhood. Need a lot of persistence and determination indeed.
What have you learnt throughout this tough journey?
Do not just do your work most of the time. Must leave some time to your family & build bonding with your children. Communicate more with your family members & let them know that you care for them & you love them as what they are
What advice would you share with someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer?
Do not panic, seek second opinion with another doctor or specialist. Then decide whether to need to perform surgery or chemotherapy depending on the cancer stage & patient’s health condition.
Be prepared yourself. Do some reading on the relevant cancer to better understand the type of cancer you are diagnosed with so that you wouldn't feel depressed. Only talk to people that really care for you and would listen to you.. Sometimes it is better to maintain low profile as we need more time to rest than to entertain your friend or relatives though we know that they are out of goodwill. It is good to do breathing exercise regularly to ensure fresh oxygen circulating in the body.
What advice would you share with someone who has to take care of someone with cancer?
You must be very understanding & patient. Encourage patient to be optimistic and spend more time with him/ her. Most importantly, you need to be caring and have a passionate heart.
Please do drop us a comment below if you like Rachel's story and tips!