Justice minister, DGA chief discuss partnership to boost digital judicial services    Netanyahu does not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders    US farmers are being squeezed – and it's testing their deep loyalty to Trump    Romania condemns 'irresponsible' Moscow after Russian drone breaches its airspace    Kirk's assassination is forcing US politicians to make difficult choices about their safety    India players refused handshakes, says Pakistan coach    Final stage of Spanish Vuelta cycling race abandoned after disruption by pro-Palestine protesters    Mané fires Al Nassr past Al Kholood to keep perfect start as Ronaldo honored    Lacazette brace earns NEOM SC first Saudi Pro League win    Adolescence star Owen Cooper makes Emmys history at 15    Saudi liquidity grows 8.4%, reaching SR3.1 trillion in July 2025    Over 434,000 people acquire first aid skills during nationwide health campaign    Saudi Arabia's legislative advancement highlighted at International Conference on Judicial Training    Sudden swerving among 3 major causes of accidents in Riyadh in 2024    Princess Haifa emphasizes pivotal Saudi role in shaping future of tourism    Sahm Capital names Saudi Olympian Fayik Abdi as brand ambassador    SR9000 fine for copyright infringement using AI    King Charles and Prince Harry finally reunite after 19 months apart    Anastacia: Arnold Schwarzenegger made me sing Whatta Man 12 times    Thousands pay their last respects to Giorgio Armani, private funeral on Monday    The key to happiness    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Survivors speak out
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 24 - 10 - 2015


Saudi Gazette
With October being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many survivors in the Kingdom have broken their silence and are sharing stories of their successful battle against the disease.
Saudi Gazette spoke with several women who said that the main reason behind their recovery from breast cancer was hope.
One survivor, Jihan Ashmawi, is a member of the Zahra Association and holds a master's in hospital administration. In 2007 she discovered, by coincidence, a strange lump in her breast. For more than a week she worried about where she should go and what she should do, especially considering that during that time, awareness of breast cancer was very low.
"I was afraid and I was not sure if it was breast cancer or not, because it appeared and disappeared," Ashmawi said. "After a week I visited the radiology center and did the mammogram then the specialist asked me to do an ultrasound."
After surgery, doctors started Ashmawi on two courses of chemotherapy.
"The first course was four sessions every three weeks, then 12 sessions every week which continued for three or four months," she said.
After 25 sessions of radiation therapy, post surgery, Ashmawi started a course of biology medication from Germany, but could not continue as it affected her heart negatively.
After only 16 sessions out of 53 she had to stop, but she has now been taking heart medication and her condition is improving.
Ashmawi said breast cancer was a turning point in her life. It brought her closer to God, she changed priorities, and because of her hope, she considered her sickness a starting point for a new life.
One of her friends supported and encouraged her during her sickness to apply for her master's, and after being accepted she wrote her thesis on breast cancer.
On the last day of her chemotherapy, Ashmawi gave her phone number to the nurse and told her to give the number to any new breast cancer patient who needed support or advice.
Eman Alnajar is a breast cancer survivor from Egypt who has been living in the Kingdom for the last 20 years.
On top of her son's death in an accident, she discovered in 2013 that she had breast cancer.
"I was taking a shower, when I found a strange lump in my breast," she said. "I was surprised because as a former TV reporter, I used to do reports about breast cancer and used to visit Abdullatif Cancer Screening Center. I visited the doctor in the center and had a mammogram, and then went to Dallah Hospital where I was told that I had breast cancer."
Alnajar's advice for any cancer patient is not to read about it online.
"The worst thing is to read from the Internet because the articles are demoralizing at best," she said. "The information on the Internet makes you negative and it is not close to reality, since all the patient needs is strong volition."
Alnajar's tumor was very active and grew rapidly until it had become quite large, and so her doctor was forced to remove her breast.
She said that keeping hope and living an active life are some of the reasons why she has recovered from her breast cancer.
After her first chemotherapy session, Alnajar said she knew she would survive, and that she talked positively to herself and had support from her doctor and family.
"I start to say to myself that I would not live with the illness, but the illness would live with me," she said. "Because I love this life and I am active and I have a wonderful life, I will not give away all this to the sickness."
She said thanks God she did not lose her hands or legs, and that she lost only a breast that can be replaced with alternatives.
Jawaher, who is 30 years old, is another Saudi breast cancer survivor working as a specialist at a hospital. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 27 years old.
"I was praying at night when my hand accidentally touched my breast and I felt a hard lump," she said. "After finishing my prayer, I tried to discover what was this strange lump. In the morning I went to the hospital and after 48 hours the result was that I had breast cancer."
Jawaher was diagnosed with three separate tumors in her breast, one of them 4 centimeters in size.
She first had eight sessions of chemotherapy before doctors removed her entire breast as well as the lymph glands in her armpit.
Jawaher, who also suffered from heart disease since she was a child, said her mother discovered her illness during the medication process and supported her a lot.
She did not want to inform her mother about her disease because Jawaher's father before dying was a cancer patient for around 20 years.
Currently Jawaher is in a good health and does her check-ups every four months.
"I used not to meet or gather with my friends because they will know that I am sick and unfortunately, our society is not like the West, Jawaher said. "Our society perceives cancer as something wrong or horrible. They will always say that this person is unlucky and I did not want to hear any negative words that may affect my psychological condition."


Clic here to read the story from its source.