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THE WAY to survive breast cancer and its lengthy treatment is, along with early detection, a combination of positive reinforcement, excellent care and support from family and friends.
Cancer survivor and mother-of-five, Khulood Shukrallah was diagnosed with breast cancer after she went for a mammogram screening during a campaign in Arad last year.
With no family history of cancer and no symptoms, Khulood, 41, from Muharraq, did not expect a call for further investigation from Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).
After a second mammogram, ultrasound and two biopsies, doctors gave a diagnosis that neither Khulood nor her husband, Mohammed Al Murran, were expecting. They have five children Abdallah, 20, Fatima, 18, Abdulrahman, 14, Rawan, 11 and Shahad, nine.
Distraught and inconsolable on learning that she has breast cancer, Khulood began expecting the worst. She said: “I was tested negative five-years ago and so I was shocked and shaken. Initially I would shut myself in a room crying and praying and could not bear to break the news to my children. The hardest was to watch them waiting and asking me about the results.
“Eventually I told them and also asked my husband to support me. Although I was getting a lot of sympathy and understanding from my family I did not want to show any weakness to my children because I have always taught them to be strong and independent.”
Prayers and writing letters to God helped her gain strength and positive energy during this difficult time. “The scariest time was the waiting,” explained Khulood. “There were several tests and I had to wait at least a week to know the grade of the tumour or whether it had spread or not.”
In March last year she was advised to get her lump removed at the earliest opportunity. However, the unrest in Bahrain at the time forced her to seek further treatment abroad. She was able to get the tumour surgically removed in London and coincidentally, Dr Sara Al Reefy was the surgeon who performed the operation. There were no further complications and she returned home to receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
She said: “The first week after a chemotherapy session was always the toughest,” she said. “In the second week it would be a little better but it was only in the third week that I could step out of the house or do anything.
“I had lost my appetite and was very moody and irritable. I even gained weight. But my family would not give up on me. They were constantly cheering me up and finding ways to make me happy.
“My eldest son and husband shaved their heads when I lost all my hair. There was a big celebration on my birthday as my sisters prepared the food I loved and converted my bathroom into a spa with flowers and scented candles. I also cut a big cake. It was very touching and beautiful.”
Twenty-five days of continuous radiology sessions followed the chemotherapy. Thankfully, she did not suffer any side effects in this period.
Khulood was finally declared free of cancer seven months after she was diagnosed. She believes early detection saved her life and improved her chances of survival.
Wanting the message to go out strong and loud, she said: “The most important thing is to go for screening whether you have a family history of breast cancer or not, or even if you were tested negative before, because you never know when the disease may set in.
“I am also grateful that there is treatment available for breast cancer and investigations and help is free in Bahrain!
“Often women keep problems to themselves and don’t go to the doctor. That does not help because screening saved my life and after this experience I appreciate life more than ever before.
“Sometimes treatment may take a lot of time and it can be distressing and painful but ultimately it is just a phase and not forever.”
Khulood is under Dr Sara’s care once again and she goes to KHUH for regular check-ups and screening.
