By Gibron Rahim

FIGHTING cancer can feel like a lonely battle at times. Nevertheless, those going through the struggle often have the support of those around them to bolster them as they fight for their lives. That support can come from friends and family. In some cases that support may even extend beyond close loved ones to include the sufferer’s entire community. This was the case for Hazel Chase.

Hazel told the Pepperpot Magazine that it was Christmas Day in 2011 when she first realised something was wrong. She was at a family gathering at her daughter’s house when she began feeling a strange stinging sensation on the right side of her breast that travelled up her arm. “I know it felt funny but I didn’t give much thought to it,” she said. The following day, Boxing Day, she again felt the same sensation. Hazel has numerous sisters in the medical field. After the holiday season had passed she discussed the matter with one of her sisters. Her sister advised her to go for a medical check at the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA).

Her visit to the GRPA and subsequent examination showed a lump in her breast. She recalled that she had previously had an abscess in the same breast when gave birth to her last daughter in 1982. “I was always worried about it and there it was,” she said. Hazel subsequently went to get a mammogram done at Woodlands Hospital.

After receiving confirmation of the lump, Hazel’s sister helped her to book an appointment with Dr. Persaud at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Dr. Persaud admitted her for one day where he extracted a specimen to send up for testing. The biopsy was performed on January 17 but Hazel did not collect her results until that May. “I was reluctant, I was saying that nothing is wrong,” she recalled. It was not until her sister in England firmly insisted that she go back for the results that she returned to the hospital.

She took her results back to Dr. Persaud. All of her doctors conferred and it was confirmed that Hazel had stage one breast cancer. She related that, though she can calmly tell her story now, it was not an easy time for her by any means. “They said it was more [due to] menopausal hormone imbalance and it was the slow, aggressive type of breast cancer,” Hazel recalled. She was admitted into the hospital for surgery on June 3. The surgery was a success. That was not the end of Hazel’s struggle, however. “It was a journey,” she confirmed. “The chemotherapy was even worse than the diagnosis for me because that licked me up and knocked me down so bad, that a lot of times I had to be rushed back to the Mercy Hospital emergency department.”

Despite the challenges, the journey to recovery was worth it, according to Hazel. “Even though it was very traumatising for me to go through it because nobody wants to hear that word ‘cancer’,” she related, “I can safely say to people out there who are going through the same thing like me [that] there is hope.” It is important, she said, to listen to one’s doctor and to be determined to survive. “And don’t listen to people,” she advised. She pointed out that, from her own experience, many people come forward to give advice on what to do and which herbal medicines to drink. “The people who haven’t crossed the bridge are the ones who give you a lot of advice and those don’t always work in the best interest for you.”
Hazel has lost multiple family members to cancer since her own diagnosis and treatment. Both, her sister and her brother-in-law died from lung cancer. Her niece, who was diagnosed the same year as her, lost her fight and left her five young children behind. She, herself, could have never imagined that she would have developed breast cancer. “In the family, I was the very first that was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she explained. None of Hazel’s grandparents, as far as she is aware, had cancer.

Medical personnel play an invaluable role in a patient’s treatment and recovery. Hazel expressed gratitude to some of those who helped her during her time in the Oncology Department at GPHC. Notable for her was Nurse Singh, who she said was a standout person for her. She also acknowledged Dr. Gooding. “Hats off to those who have changed and transformed the whole Oncology section and made it more friendly, not so scary like in my time,” she said. “A lot more needs to be done but so far, so good for what they’re trying to do.”

The support she received helped Hazel to cope during her treatment and recovery. She noted that her partner, Leroy, was very supportive of her during that period. “I’ll never, ever forget him for that,” she said emphatically. Leroy came out of the interior to help one of Hazel’s sons to take care of her. “He and my son used to do a shift system,” she recalled. They had to be on guard to ensure that she did not leave the house as one of the side effects of her chemotherapy was delusions. “It was very, very stiff on the family,” Hazel related. “For some of them they couldn’t see me lying there knowing that I’m an active mother, always up and around,” she said.

Hazel’s family and friends were there for her the entire time. She noted the importance of having, “people that would help you through that time, and would be there for you and encourage you.” She added, “And then with your own spirit, you have to be a person who is willing to fight, you have to be willing to fight for yourself.”

Hazel’s community supported her as well. She acknowledged that she is a person who keeps to herself. “But I was surprised to see the number of people that came from around the neighbourhood and would say that they came to see me,” she related. She noted that, though she does not mix too much in the community, she is very kind-hearted and does whatever she can to help out the young people in the area. “It was very, very comforting in a way to know that so many people were concerned and were looking out for you,” Hazel stated. The support she received has inspired her to reach out to others who are suffering and lend a helping hand and a comforting shoulder.

After going through treatment, Hazel went to the United Kingdom to get a breast prosthesis fitted. Presently, she normally orders her prosthetic bra online. She told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is really hoping to rally the cause, of having stores right in Guyana where women can purchase breast prostheses, noting that not everyone has access to online ordering. “That’s one of the areas I wish they could look into and help people to get that kind of assistance.”