‘I have lost my hair...it doesn’t even bother me’
THE first thing Laura Setaro asked when she was told she had cancer was: “Am I going to lose my hair?”
“Thinking about it now I have lost my hair, it doesn’t even bother me,” she explains.
As a 26-year-old new mum, when she found a lump in her breast while in the shower, the last thing Laura thought it would be was cancer.
Back in December, Laura saw an Instagram post about breast cancer charity Coppa Feel.
The charity’s founder Kristin Hallenga was just 23 when diagnosed with breast cancer, and has since set up the charity to encourage women of all ages to check their breasts.
Laura thought, it couldn’t hurt to check, admitting it only takes a couple of minutes.
As Laura was still breastfeeding her then 15-month-old daughter Liliana, she said she was used to feeling lumps in her breasts, but one lump did spark some concern.
“I felt a big lump and I tried to massage it out but it was not painful like they normally are from blocked ducts.
“I felt it again a few days later and it had not got any smaller. I left it again, thought it was fine, but I kept feeling it and it wasn’t going anywhere.”
Laura decided she would visit her doctor, who informed her it was probably a cyst which was nothing to worry about, but referred her to a specialist to double check.
“They gave me an ultrasound and she said it is probably an adanoma (benign tumour), but said she wants to be 100% sure so they took a biopsy,” Laura, from St Clears, C a rma r t h e n s h i r e , explained.
“It came back, and it was stage four cancer.
“I didn’t know how long it had been there.”
Laura admitted that at her age, she really didn’t expect to be told those words.
“Being so young you just don’t think it will happen to you. We just think we are invincible, which it should be at this age, but your health is a massive thing. It is not well known enough that something like this can affect you at this age.”
The day she found out about the cancer, she breastfed Lili for the last time to start preparing for treatment.
Reflecting on her initial reaction to the news and her worry about losing her hair, Laura said:
“I think it was everyone knowing, seeing me and knowing. But now it doesn’t even bother me.”
Because of her age, the lump was fastgrowing and with it already having spread to her lymph nodes, chemotherapy treatment was needed before she could
have a lumpectomy. “Even though it is stage four, I think they caught it early enough that it is not a death sentence.”
Laura had already had three out of four of her p lanned chemotherapy sessions when the coronavirus pandemic started to affect how cancer services were delivered, so her surgery was moved forward and doctors successfully removed the lump from her breast and lymph nodes in her armpit. She has now had another course of chemotherapy to complete the original plan before moving on to radiotherapy treatment.
L a u ra’s t reatment has been successful so far, hav i n g shrunk t h e lump down t o
“almost nothi n g ”, but she did admit the effects of the treatment are really unpleasant.
“The only way I can describe it is that you are constantly hungover, without the fun of having a drink.
“It is fine when you are hooked up to the drip, you just feel a bit tired, but for the next few days, you have a really dry throat, you want to eat everything but feel sick. It is horrible.”
Vi rus - c o n t r o l l i n g restrictions in hospitals now also mean her husband Nico Setaro, coach and player at Whitland RFC, is unable to assist Laura when she has treatment.
“He used to come and sit in the room with me and it would be quite comforting to have him there, but the staff have been incredible throughout.”
The threat of the virus is also a concern for Laura’s health, so the family used their “common sense” and advice from consultants, and began shielding at the beginning of March.
However, it wasn’t until recently that Laura was given a shielding letter, before which she could not access priority delivery slots from supermarkets.
“Our parents were bringing us our shopping at first and it was hard on Lili as she is so used to going with them and she’s too young to understand why she can’t.
“It has been hard on my mental health, especially in these times now, not being able to go out.”
As time has progressed, Laura admitted she has started to look at things more positively.
“You can’t just sit home and be miserable. I have learnt to be more positive and I think that is definitely a factor to why I have responded so well to the treatment. And Nico has been amazing.”
Nico’s team, Whitland RFC, decided to run and walk a combined 404 miles a day for seven days in order to raise money for the charity Coppa Feel as well as Hywel Dda Health Charities.
They have so far raised almost £15,000, more than three times their initial target.
Laura wants her experience to show other young women that it is extremely important to check your body, as your age doesn’t make you immune to anything.
She is also urging people not to avoid their doctor due to the coronavirus pandemic, as a matter of weeks can be the difference between life or death.
“With all this going on, you worry that you are going to be interrupting them if they are really busy.
“Even I have stopped to ask myself ‘do I really need to ring?’
“But they tell you to get in touch when you feel worried, and it is so important to do so.
“You can [check yourself] in the shower, when you are getting changed, and the procedure to get it checked doesn’t hurt.
“It is rare to get it so young, but it does happen.”