By Dr Faqueeda Watson

AS women, we should define our own femininity as opposed to having it defined by the perceptions of culture and society. In many cultures, the breasts are a symbol of womanhood, nurturing and sexuality, and it is a sad reality especially when we consider our cancer survivors who would have had a mastectomy.

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing two breast cancer survivors, who are strong advocates to other survivors. They believe that their lives are their stories; stories that deserve to be written in stone and not in the sand to be washed away by the sea.
Marcel Bourne, 54, spent most of her childhood on the East Coast Demerara village of Beterverwagting, and cared for and attended to by a loving grandmother who was a firm believer in God. Marcel reflected on her childhood and described herself as a “hot girl”, while reliving happy memories of being a “spoiled” grandchild. When her grandmother passed away, she moved on to live with her mother and was forced to adjust to a changed lifestyle. Marcel always wanted to be in the medical profession and was able to achieve this dream for a period but due to unforeseen circumstances, she couldn’t continue.
Anna De Morias, like Marcel, is also 54 years of age and a proud Berbician, spending most of her childhood years with a grandmother who was a strong believer in God. At the age of eight, Anna had to live with her mother and due to circumstances; she later dropped out of school in the Second Form to be the breadwinner of the family.

Both women had seemingly normal lives until a shocking discovery would change their lives forever. Knowing that your family is plagued with a history of cancer, discovering a lump on your breast after a workout in the gym or while taking a bath is definitely not something we look forward to. Unfortunately, this was exactly the case, for both Anna and Marcel respectively.

In these situations, what is most important is the way they dealt with it, the great support system they have and just having hope and believing in God, even when there is no money available for the numerous treatments.

These women have encountered an emotional roller coaster in their life but the best decision they have made is to have a mastectomy. Marcel said “I never regretted having a mastectomy to my left breast in 2015 and when I told my children I had to do it, my daughter was so concerned that her mother will lose her breast but my son said if I have to do it, its best I do it. Persons will never know that I have one breast,” she said as she showed me her silicone breast. She then proceeded to say that she lives life to the fullest, and she doesn’t miss having a partner even though in her old age she might need someone to cuddle with, but right now she gives praise and thanks to God
Meanwhile, Anna who had a bilateral mastectomy said she thanks God each day for giving her the strength, because most times we only praise God for our achievements and forget to tell God thanks for our bad days. Our bad days should be life’s lesson, she believes.
These women are a true definition of femininity and are not ashamed of a scar, but are warriors of their health, and are proud to say that their doctor can call upon them any time to speak to other survivors who are in dire need of treatment or support.

“They are the broken crayons that can still colour”-Ihadcancer.com
Dr. Faqueeda Watson
Coordinator of SRHR Adventures
2018 Women Deliver Young Leader