MUM THROUGH HER ORDEAL
She said: “It was a massive shock because nobody in my family has had any kind of cancer, never mind breast cancer. I was very teary and emotional.
“You wonder whether you’re going to survive. As soon as someone mentions cancer you think it’s a death sentence.”
Syra was told she had triple negative breast cancer, which is an uncommon and aggressive form.
She added: “When I was diagnosed with cancer I didn’t know how bad it was. I had said to Amar to leave me because I didn’t know what the future would hold and I didn’t want him to see me going through it.
“He said, ‘You can try to push me away but I’m not going anywhere’. Then he surprised me two weeks after my diagnosis – he turned up with his whole family and asked my dad for my hand in marriage.”
Before she started chemotherapy she dyed her long dark hair bright red. She said: “I had very long hair and I’m such a girly girl that, for me, my hair was my pride and joy.
“But I lost my hair as well as my eyebrows and eyelashes.”
Syra battled many side effects including fatigue, infections and ulcers and also suffered anxiety and panic attacks.
She was told about The Haven charity who have a base in the grounds of Wishaw hospital, and their therapies and emotional support really helped her cope.
She said: “The Haven was a safe haven. I explained I wasn’t sleeping, that I hadn’t slept for five days. I was trying to be brave in front of my family and I didn’t know how to cope. They spoke to me and counselled me and helped me deal with panic attacks and got me relaxation therapy.”
Syra had a grade two cancerous tumour that was 2.5cm long – but following the chemo it shrunk to just 4mm.
Just after Syra had finished her sixth chemotherapy session in October, Amar proposed again after giving her a series of clues to track him down.
His brother Kasim played Syra a recorded message from Amar saying she had to solve clues to find him.
She said: “He was dressed as Where’s Wally, which is what we used to read as kids. But instead of Where’s Wally this was Where’s Amar.” Syra was shown a picture of Amar in a park – and recognised it as Lanark Loch, where they’d first met two years before. When she got to the location, his younger brother Kamran was waiting with another photo clue and a rose.
The hunt took her to the first cinema where they’d seen a film together in Glasgow, their first Italian restaurant date and finally Stirling, which they’d originally discussed as a possible wedding location.
Amar was waiting there with a bouquet, got down on one knee and proposed with a specially designed ring.
She said: “Thankfully he wasn’t dressed as Wally but it was in front of two bus loads of tourists and I was so overwhelmed I forgot to say yes.
“It was a wonderful day and I was so touched by the time and effort he’d put into the proposal.”
Syra said she is very grateful for the help she received from The Haven as well as the NHS medics, including her surgeon Juliette Murray.
She is keen to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis. She said: “It’s not spoken about within the Asian community. It’s not even discussed in families.
“I realised some people felt awkward and uncomfortable about it. But I want to raise awareness within the Asian community not to leave it too late to seek help.
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Detecting breast cancer early can save lives.” Syra was given the all clear just before Christmas, having also undergone radiotherapy.
She added: “I want to see my son grow up.
“I want to see him go off to uni – he’s so clever he’s a joy to have as a child.
“And I want to have a long and happy and healthy life.”
For information on The Haven, go to www.thehavencentre.com or call 01698 727 884.