16% of women worldwide are suffering from breast cancer. Every year this disease affects about 2 million women worldwide, of which about 15% of them die due to this deadly disease. Medical experts say that one in every nine women worldwide is at risk of breast cancer.
In Pakistan, due to lack of timely diagnosis, about 40,000 women die of breast cancer every year, but if breast cancer is diagnosed on time, it is not only possible to avoid it, but the patient can also lead a healthy life. Samra Zeeshan is also one such example who not only diagnosed breast cancer by self-examination on time but also got complete relief from this disease by choosing a doctor at the right time.
MM News talked with the breast cancer survivor here are the details.
MM News: How was your breast cancer diagnosed Samra? That must have been a tough time, so how did you cope with the whole situation?
Samra Zeeshan: Diagnosis of breast cancer is also easy because a person can diagnose it by himself, nowadays awareness of breast self-examination is being given on the phone, various media channels and websites. Women should do a breast self-examination frequently. The reason I’m alive today is that I did a self-examination on time, I was pregnant at that time and I was in my eighth month. It was a very difficult time, it seemed difficult to imagine childbirth and cancer together.
I spoke to my doctor and he immediately asked me to see a breast oncologist, Dr. Rufina Soomro, a breast oncologist, who immediately referred me to a gynecologist. After the birth of the son, the process of cancer surgery began. Everything was very sudden and of course extremely difficult.
MM News: Samra, what stage of cancer did you have?
Samra Zeeshan: I had stage two cancer, at this stage cancer starts to spread from the breast to the armpit. But thank God, due to a timely diagnosis, the cancer was treated before it spread further.
MM News: When the family members came to know about the breast cancer disease, what was their reaction and how much support did the family members gave during the illness?
Samra Zeeshan: After the diagnosis of cancer, the doctor called for childbirth immediately, so it was very painful not only for me but for the whole family to bear, but with time everything got better. The husband supported me a lot, and the siblings and parents too took a lot of care of me. I had a newborn son and my sister-in-law (dewrani) took care of him.Â
MM News: How is life after recovering from breast cancer and how much do you take care of your diet?
Samra Zeeshan: I am living a normal life after breast cancer, everyone at home took good care of my health during my illness. I used to drink various fruit juices and eat healthy food. Even after recovery, I take care of my health.
MM News: In the end, what message would you like to give to all women?
Samra Zeeshan: Breast cancer awareness is important for women as well as men, so my message is for men as well. Men should also encourage the women in their household to self-examine their breasts, get a mammogram once a year and see a doctor immediately if they notice a lump.
