Hi, I’m Magda.
I’m Polish, a breast cancer survivor and this is my story.

I discovered a lump in my chest when I was showering. Initially, I dismissed it, but grew concerned over the following weeks.

During a subsequent breast ultrasound, the doctor confirmed my worst fear — stage 2 breast cancer.

When I received my diagnosis, I was terrified. It was a frightening time and I felt worried.

As of late 2023, it has been more than a year since my diagnosis. I have completed treatment and I am taking some medication.

I am now living free of cancer.

Before the diagnosis, I experienced a well-known symptom of breast cancer. I noticed a lump in my breast, but I did not experience other accompanying symptoms, such as pain in my breast.

However, the persistent lump did not go away after several weeks, which prompted me to seek medical attention.

I’d made changes to my lifestyle as I prepared for treatment.

My alcohol intake was moderate before (thrice a week), but I completely stopped after my diagnosis.

I began exercising and smoked less, and switched to a healthier diet too.

Even though not all of these changes were permanent after I’d completed treatment, my mindset has changed since my diagnosis, and it holds true even till today: Health is now my main priority, and I align everything else with a healthy lifestyle.

I have completed treatment for cancer, though I am still taking medication.

Throughout my journey, I did not change my treatment plan and I continued to receive treatment from the same doctor.

After deciding on my treatment plan, I was more motivated about the treatment journey going forward.

The side effects that affected me the most were fatigue and diarrhea, as well as hair loss.

Medication was prescribed to help manage these side effects. In particular, frequent naps helped me to preserve my energy.

Throughout my journey, my biggest fear was dying.

Starting a blog to explore and process the feelings I was going through was a way to try to overcome this fear. I connected with other women on social media to share experiences and saw a psychologist who specialized in helping cancer patients.

Now, having gone through cancer and started life post-cancer, I feel nervous. I'm anxious about the future because of the fear of recurrence.

My feelings are complex. I grieve the life I lost, the loss of fertility, and also the loss of energy because of cancer.

At the same time, I'm thankful and grateful to be alive and well. I hope that the cancer will not return. I'm excited about starting my “new life”, even though I need to figure it all out from scratch.

I think it’s quite difficult to share “generic words of wisdom” with people who are on their own cancer journey, because much of what is said will depend on the staging and how far along in treatment they are.

Saying things like “you’ve got this” and “you can do this” can be insensitive in that it places even more responsibility and burden on the patient. Battle language is terrible: saying things like “you’re such a warrior” implies that “battling” cancer depends on willpower and discipline, when the truth is, most of it comes down to luck more than anything else.

The best words to offer are “I know this is so difficult and I am so sorry you are going through this. I am here for you and I love you.” If early stage, it might be motivating to say “I’m praying that cancer is only a small chapter in your life, not the entire story”.