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 it was stage 2 breast cancer.
When I received my diagnosis, I was terrified.
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 noticed a lump in my breast, but I did not experience other accompanying symptoms.
My original diagnosis was in Poland, but I was in the process of relocating to Singapore for work already. I had to find a medical team in Singapore and so the second opinion I got was essentially redoing all the diagnostics with the team based here.
When I received my diagnosis, I was terrified. It was a frightening time and I felt worried.
I’d made changes to my lifestyle as I prepared for treatment.
Before, I was drinking thrice a week, but I completely stopped after my diagnosis.
I exercised more and smoked less frequently, and switched to a healthier diet too.
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 of a lumpectomy, chemo and targeted therapy, 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. Taking frequent naps also helped.
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 started therapy with a psychologist specializing 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 am hopeful that the cancer will not come back. 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”.
This patient's story is published and shared with their full consent. Any personal data that can be used to identify the patient has been omitted.
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