This is a real story of one of my close friend's, who gave me an online interview as an 11 year breast cancer survivor.
I am an 11-year breast cancer survivor. Earlier, when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I thought as if everything in front of me has shattered to pieces and now it’s nothing left in my life. I knew it was 11 years back in the year 2006, when I suddenly realized the changes in my breasts. I was only 25 years old at that time and had just completed my graduation. I wanted to become a famous model and looking for modelling assignments at that time.
I was doing a lot of arduous work by sending my portfolios to the famous magazines and companies to grab a good chance of modelling. But I didn’t know that I would get such shocking news in such early age of my life. One day when I was taking a bath below my shower and soaping my body, suddenly I felt a little lump on my left breast, I was really scared at that time.
Next day I hurried up to my family doctor. She advised me to do mammography of my breasts. I was feeling very nervous at that time and when I saw the mammogram machine my jaw just dropped, and I thought – “Oh my God! What they gonna do with my body with such a huge machine.” A mammogram is like a same machine that is used in CT scan, but the only difference here is you don’t have to put your whole body but only your affected part.
The doctor asked me to put my breasts one by one on that mammogram machine so that she can test it. I was feeling a little nervous about putting my breasts inside them, but the doctor and nurses gave me confidence and ensured me that nothing should happen to me. So, I gave my mammogram tests and completed my first step to get rid of this freaking disease. The doctor asked me to come after 2 days for the results of my test. I was shivering and scared to such an extent that I didn’t eat properly for those 2 days.
Finally, when I went to know my result on the next day the doctor asked me to sit and she said that I was diagnosed with a stage II breast cancer. She said to me frankly that this cancer is in the normal stage and she also gave me a lot of endurance and asked me not to worry about. She asked me to come for MRI and some other tests without eating anything and drinking a lot of water the next day. Next day I went to the clinic, becoming a little skeptical about the situation that I was facing.
This time there was another big machine; an MRI machine that has space to put my breasts and my head in lying opposite position. The nurse gave me an injection and asked me to lay down on that odd looking bed in topless position for the MRI. I didn’t have many choices and I put my head and my breasts on that space lying on the opposite direction. Now the real examination started and the doctors had put my body in and out of that big circular machine where actual MRI happens. After nearly an hour of examination, they asked me to get up and wear my top.
Then the doctor asked me to come after a few days for the results. Again, I spend those days in fear and malice. After a few days I went for the conclusive results. The doctor told me that I didn’t have to worry because the cancer didn’t spread to other parts of my body and it can be cured by any method that are generally adopted in breast cancer cure. She explained about different methods of breast cancer cure.
When I was listening to her story, then these lines were murmuring in my mind, so I filled them with words, for the survivors like you: --
The life is a wonder, I can’t feel the pain,
So, please don’t ask me to die again,
For I am already died in this body of wrench,
But my psyche is inspiring me to drain,
Drain all the sorrows of filth and grief,
Oh God! I can’t help it, those staring thieves,
Are they staring at my dignity or are they staring at my pain?
Those cuts and bruises, are now filling with germane,
So, I won’t allow someone else to steal my peace,
This is my body, my psyche, and my brain.