Embracing life after cancer
Khairunnisa Roslan was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was expecting her second child. It was the most challenging months of her life but the gutsy mother and her baby are now in the pink of health.
WHEN Khairunnisa Roslan was seven months pregnant with her second child last year, she felt a lump in her left breast. It wasn’t the first time she’d found lumps. When she was pregnant with her first child in 2017, she found lumps in not one, but both her breasts. Both were tested and found to be benign. So, when she went to see her doctor this time around, she wasn’t afraid.
Khairunnisa underwent a biopsy and the results came back negative. She was told that she had a cyst. She didn’t have cancer. She gladly accepted the diagnosis However, when she went for her prenatal check up at a health clinic, she mentioned the lump to her doctor who, after examining her, advised her to get a second opinion. She was referred to Hospital Selayang where she did another biopsy. It was then that Khairunnisa was diagnosed with Stage Two breast cancer last year. She was only 32-years-old.
“The news came as a shock to me. I did not expect to get cancer, certainly not during my pregnancy. I prayed and tried to accept the diagnosis. I called my husband to tell him the news and that’s when I started crying,” recalls Khairunnisa who is 33 now. Khairunnisa underwent six cycles of chemotherapy – three cycles during herpregnancy and another three after.
“When I started my treatment, I was seven months into my pregnancy. The doctor assured me that there would be no side effects from chemotherapy on my baby and that she would be monitored for up to three years after she is born to make sure that she was ok. She is now one and a half years old and is growing well so far,” shares Khairunnisa.
On top of chemotherapy, she also had 19 cycles of radiotherapy and 17 cycles of Herceptin.
“During chemotherapy, my appetite decreased. I lost about five to six kg. But I was lucky that I did not suffer from nausea or have mouth ulcers, which are common side effects of chemotherapy. I experienced hair and weight loss and my skin and nails turned black.thankfully I did not have to be warded at all,” details Khairunnisa.
Khairunnisa is grateful for her family’s support throughout her ordeal.
The toughest part of her journey, she says, was trying to find the energy to care for and spend time with her children while dealing with the side effects of her treatments.
“My older daughter was very active and so it was a challenge. I had to be careful not to stress myself out because stress is bad for a cancer patient. My husband helped me in manage the household but there was a limit to how much he could help. I just had to muster the strength.”
“Fortunately, I also had strong support from my family although initially, my mother found it difficult to accept my diagnosis especially since cancer does not run in my family,” she says.
Khairunnisa’s cancer journey has changed her outlook on life, particularly with regards to her diet.
“Before I was diagnosed, I ate whatever I wanted. But with cancer, I started to control my food intake.
When I look back, I realise that we ate a lot of fast food which really isn’t good for our health. Now I avoid eating seafood and fast food. I also eat less sugar and drink more plain water,” she says.
Khairunnisa’s advice to women is to check their breasts regularly so they know when something is out of the norm.
“Early detection saves lives. If you feel a lump, do not ignore it. If you are diagnosed with cancer, you must remain positive and be in control of your emotions. Women need to always be alert and well-informed of the available cancer treatments and programmes.
“Find out as much as you can; attend free cancer talks and campaigns held in schools or offices, especially if there are programmes that offer free mammograms or other cancer screening tests,” adds Khairunnisa.
She also urges young women to sign up for insurance because cancer treatments are not cheap.
“Thankfully I bought an insurance plan and was able to claim up to RM20,000 which helped with the costs of my treatments. Although the sum was not enough to cover my medicalexpenses,itwasa big help in covering other costs like travel and food,” she says.