My name is Sumita, and I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer.
It wasn't easy accepting it — I felt disillusioned, and could not quite make sense that I had breast cancer.
My struggles did not end there. What could have been a comprehensive, less drastic treatment was hindered by financial difficulties. In the end, I underwent a mastectomy to remove not only the tumor but the entire breast.
It hasn't been easy since then. Getting through each day has been challenging, but I'm grateful for my parents whose support I could count on.
Finding that lump in the breast was a shock. It felt like a foreign object in my own body.
My initial reaction after that doctor's appointment was surprise. Not the happy kind – I felt disillusioned. I kept thinking that this had to be a mistake, that those test results couldn't possibly be mine. I had heard of breast cancer, of course, but it always seemed like something that happened to other people.
Even though I learned my 5-year survival rate was** 50%**, it didn't feel real. It was just a number at that point, not anything I connected to on an emotional level.
I wish I could say I made some big, healthy life changes right away, but the truth is, I was struggling. The only change I made was decreasing my smoking frequency.
At first, the doctors recommended a lumpectomy, along with hormonal therapy and targeted therapy. But then the financial aspect hindered me. We just couldn't afford that long, drawn-out treatment with all its follow-up costs. So, I ended up choosing to have a mastectomy. They'd remove the entire breast. It felt brutal, but it was the only option that made sense financially.
Making that decision was so hard. I was discouraged at first, but I did feel hopeful that the surgery would finally get this tumor out of me.
I sought both a second opinion and traditional Chinese medicine. The second opinion wasn't about changing my mind on the surgery – I needed that peace of mind.
I tried to exercise a little more after the surgery to keep my body healthier.
The changes weren't all about my body either., but going through cancer made me closer to my parents. We started seeing each other more after treatment.
Getting through each day had been challenging enough. My aspirations are to just live and to love those dear to me.
Death. It was always there, my biggest fear. I've tried to overcome it, but some days the fear is suffocating.
Today I'm furious. Angry at my body, angry at this disease, angry my whole life got turned inside out. It's not healthy, but some days the anger fuels me.
Hold onto hope. Even when it feels like all hope's gone, cling to it with everything you have.
This patient's story is published and shared with their full consent. Any personal data that can be used to identify the patient has been omitted.
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