HOW THE WARRIORS MANAGED DURING THE PANDEMIC
Over the years, Friday has featured several women who have braved the ominous battle with breast cancer and bounced back, thanks to their pure grit and perseverance. With Pinktober here, Zenifer
Khaleel catches up with a few breast cancer warriors to find out how they have been holding up particularly during the pandemic
To heal yourself, start from Narine Geroyan your thoughts:
Narine Geroyan has come a long way since she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2015. Back then, her major worries were that her two children were very young. To add to her pain, she had also been laid off from work. But despite the worries, she did not allow them to overwhelm her. Through sheer positivity, proper medication – and perhaps the de-stressing effects of working on a passion, crochet – she has managed to beat the dreaded disease.
Narine remembers the time when her treatment began and she began losing her hair. ‘I decided to wear a wig,’ says the 44-year-old. ‘My kids thought it was my new hairstyle.’
Her treatment was long drawn out – a mastectomy, eight rounds of chemotherapy, a course of radiation, and a course of injections. During that period, she shuttled between Armenia, her home country and Dubai – spending time with loved ones in both places. She remembers her friends from Dubai calling her regularly encouraging her to be strong and stay positive. ‘Those calls were truly helpful,’ she says.
Returning to the UAE in 2016, and finding herself with a lot of free time, she decided to pick up her long forgotten crochet needles and try making soft toys. With a bunch of loving friends to encourage her, she pursued her passion which also helped her a great deal in fighting the disease. Last Christmas, she made a Santa and shared a photograph of it with a few friends. ‘They were encouraging,’ she says, ‘and told me to continue. ‘Crochet truly helped combat negative emotions and channel my energy to creativity,’ she says.