Breast cancer not a death sentence
Anjuli Beharry-Strand
Anjuli Beharry-Strand

— early detection key to breast cancer outcome, survival – WHO

MORE women are surviving breast cancer, but unfortunately thousands will still die from the disease, since living with it has not got much easier.
Cancer has been a major challenge to health sectors worldwide. Guyana, like other countries, has been battling to control the scourge by expanding its cancer- screening and sensitisation efforts across the country. Treatment is also a major part of combating this disease.
According to Dr. Nyron Ramsundar, a government medical officer attached to the Oncology Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, more than 200 new cases of cancer have been recorded already this year.

Early detection in order to improve breast cancer outcomes and survival remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. This is the key message that is continually amplified by the World Health Organisation [WHO] when it comes to this disease.
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, or fluid coming from the nipple.
Data, published in the Ministry of Public Health’s Cancer Surveillance Report in 2015, suggests that between 2003 and 2012 breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths in Guyana.

During the 10-year span [2003-2012] highlighted in the Surveillance Report, it was only in excess of 6,000 cases of the various cancers that were diagnosed.
The report sourced its information from the Cancer Registry, which garnered its data from both public and private medical institutions.
Based on the data available then, there were 1,090 cases of breast cancer; 1,014 cancer of the cervix cases; 865 cases of prostate cancer; 440 cases of colorectal cancer; 325 cases of cancer of the uterus; 240 cases of stomach cancer; 233 cases of lung cancer; 219 cases of liver cancer; 212 cases of cancer of the ovary and 136 cases of lymphoma.

BREAST CANCER ‘WARRIORS’
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and communication provider Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) hosted its “Pinktober” benefit at Palm Court, Main Street, Georgetown, where they honoured breast cancer ‘warriors’ who shared their stories and struggles as breast cancer survivors.
All proceeds earned during the month, themed “Together we can make a difference,” was donated to the Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF).
Marilyn Dewar, a music teacher, sharing her story, said: “The strength of a warrior is really revealed during a battle,” as she recalled that on December 18, 2016, she was given confirmation that she had breast cancer.

“As anyone could imagine, it wasn’t an easy or simple message to receive. But the warrior spirit was present,” she said. The support and guidance from her daughter and doctor were steadfast.
The teacher said she was given the choice of doing either a lumpectomy (a surgical procedure that involves removing a suspected malignant (cancerous) tumor or lump,) or a mastectomy (the removal of both breast tissue and lymph nodes: the surgeon removes the entire breast).

She bravely chose the latter. Marilyn said she read a lot and equipped herself well as she was determined to win the battle. She believes reading and learning about the diagnosis empowered her to fight a good battle.

And while the road has not been at all easy, Marilyn is grateful that she is still well off and in a good place. The road ahead may seem long, but with the brave and courageous warrior spirit alive in her, Marilyn has successfully completed eight sessions of chemotherapy treatment and is in her fourth week of 25 sessions of radiation treatment.
She said family support has been one of her pillars of strength, since there is always someone with her for every session of her treatment. Her message to all women is to get screened and to be supportive to all women.
Meanwhile, Marketing Director of Edward B. Beharry & Company Limited, Anjuli Beharry-Strand, says the battle against breast cancer is one that requires strength, immense support and a resilient spirit.

Rosaline Clarke

Anjuli did not become a survivor after beating cancer — she became a survivor from the time she was diagnosed and decided to fight it.
It all began a few months after Anjuli’s pregnancy in 2012 when she started feeling an itch around her left breast. Due for a mammogram, which she regularly took, Anjuli went to get screened and was cleared by the doctor as being perfectly healthy. However, a nagging feeling of uncertainty persisted, because, according to her: “Something just didn’t feel right.”

Deciding to get a second opinion, Anjuli travelled to New York to see a gynaecologist. It was there that she underwent several tests. “I didn’t suspect anything until they told me they would call,” she said. “Nothing prepares you for that call.”
Armed then with the knowledge of her breast cancer, she knew she’d have to tell her family, so she called her daughter and asked her to come home. Despite being terrified of what breast cancer could mean for her life, Anjuli was the one comforting her daughter when she was told the news.

It was not until her husband came home that she finally broke down and cried. It was hours before she stopped crying, but when she was finished, Anjuli decided right there and then that she was going to fight cancer and everything was going to be okay.
Anjuli also did four rounds of chemotherapy and began losing her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Despite it being difficult to get used to what was happening to her, Anjuli said that she decided to embrace it. When she started losing her hair, she was intent on not letting cancer be responsible for that. It had to be on her terms.
“As soon as I saw my hair started falling out, I went to the barber and said, ‘take it off’,” she said.

It was not long before Anjuli was faced with another hard decision. She had decided to get a double mastectomy, a surgery that would see both of her breasts being removed. Losing her breasts would prove a challenging period for her. As a woman, she said, one identifies strongly with one’s breasts and the womanhood it often represents. Therefore, to lose them left her feeling “not normal.”

She held out hope that after her reconstruction surgery for her breasts, that she would once again look and feel normal. But when that did not necessarily work out the way she expected, Anjuli stated that she became very depressed.
“I never had trouble with my self-esteem, but I felt sad that I lost that part of my femininity. I knew I was a woman, I still felt like a woman, but when I took my shirt off, I no longer represented what womanhood was. That was a crushing thing, but I allowed myself to grieve. It’s important to allow yourself that,” she said.

EARLY DETECTION
After her reconstruction surgery, it was two months before Anjuli could lift her then one-year-old daughter. This is one of the reasons why Anjuli, with the support of GTT, encourages women to get to know their breasts and to get constant check-ups. “Early detection is key,” she said.
This fierce ‘Pink Warrior’ encourages all persons to educate themselves on the different types of breast cancers, so as to avoid misdiagnosis. Chemotherapy treatments are not suitable for all cancers and are tailored, she said. She also encourages and sees the need for more counselling and active support groups among cancer agencies, so that they could better help persons.

In sharing his story, Leslie Black is a man of strength that transcends the physical and this is embedded in his very spirit.

Marilyn Dewar shares her story

It is this strength that Leslie uses to commit his time and his more than two decades of expertise as an athletics coach, to push both himself and others to success. Leslie has dedicated much of his time to working alongside the Guyana Cancer Foundation and he declares that this is something very close to his heart.
In 2012, tragedy struck Leslie’s family when his daughter died from Stage Four cancer. His family had first become aware of his now late daughter’s illness when she had begun spitting blood in 2008.

She was taken to various doctors and specialists and began treatment soon after being diagnosed with the illness. Unfortunately, the cancer continued to spread, leaving the entire family devastated after her untimely death.
Having had the experience of how cancer changes the lives of not only its victims but their loved ones, Leslie wants to encourage both men and women to ensure that they are getting their regular check-ups.

Most persons, he stated, would wait until something happens to them before they get a check-up and this can be dangerous, as often there are no immediate symptoms of the disease.
When his daughter became ill, Leslie searched for ways he could get involved in the fight against cancer and it was then that he began working with the Guyana Cancer Foundation. Every year since then, Leslie continues to offer his help and support to the GCF.
Doing more this year, Leslie decided that his contribution in helping to spread awareness would be made by offering his experience as an athletics coach. The aim of the ‘GTT Pink Warrior’ was to help prepare persons interested in participating in the GTT 5k/10k walk/run.

Leslie met with participants for a half hour every day where he offered training free of cost. Leslie’s aim was not only to help these persons, but to create a lasting impact on the exercise habits of the participants.
Meet Rosaline Clarke, known to most as “Miss Rosie” or “Sister Rosie.” She is a mother of three who learned some years ago that all of her siblings had been directly affected by cancer, two of whom she watched helplessly as they were consumed by the disease.
Rosie’s personal journey with this human scourge began just one year ago while on vacation in the United States, visiting her 97-year-old mother.

SHARP PAIN
It was on the third day after arriving in the U.S. that she “felt a sharp pain” in her left side breast. At first, she thought it was most likely a muscle strain caused by the luggage she had been hauling around, but after an examination she found that there was a lump in her breast.

Rosie’s eldest sister, who was present, encouraged her to remain calm. It was then that her sister disclosed for the very first time that she too had been battling cancer in her left breast for just about two years.
Three weeks after returning to Guyana and seeking a second opinion, Rosie underwent a lumpectomy. The initial report was that it was a cyst that had developed in her breast, but after a biopsy was conducted, Rosie was called in by the medical practitioners – she was strongly urged not to come alone. Yet, ever the brave soldier, Rosie went by herself, but she attests that she was not alone, as she said her faith and resolve in her God and Saviour walked beside her.

The news was not good: Rosie had developed cancer in her breast. Two options were placed on the table: remove the lump or remove the entire breast. Rosie had a huge decision to make. She opted to remove her entire breast and avoid the rigours of chemotherapy she had learnt of from her eldest sister’s experience with the treatment. Rosie has since started her treatment using the “five-year pill.”
While faced with the overwhelming possibility of falling into worry and depression, Rosie continues to beat the odds and has instead thrown herself thoroughly into serving her community through her local church, the Open Bible Church, in Queenstown. There, she serves as an usher and Sunday school teacher and assists in many of the church’s programmes for the immediate and surrounding communities. There, she too receives much support through prayer and fasting with other members and the leadership of the church.

“I wasn’t afraid… I wasn’t scared,” Rosie said of the initial days of her journey and battle against cancer.
Her philosophy is “belief kills and belief cures” and she chooses to believe in the power of God to heal her completely.
Rosie spends much of her time reading and doing research geared towards educating herself about the disease. On any given weekend, Rosie can be found with her Sunday school class at their book club. On weekday afternoons, Rosie’s time is spent with her grand-daughter on the veranda of her Albert Street home, Georgetown.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.