IN 2016, Rosaline Clarke felt a sharp pain in her left breast while on a family vacation in the United States. At first thought, she reasoned that it was probably the strain from fetching the Guyanese delicacies she took for her family in the extra suitcase. But, it was not.

Her brother, sister, and uncle all died from cancer, and then, while on vacation, another sister told her that she had been secretly battling breast cancer. The worry started to creep in on Rosaline.

“I said ‘you’re a child of God, don’t tek this thing on’ and so I came home and went to the [Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association] and got it checked out,” Rosaline recollected, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

Upon examination, a lump was found in her breast. She was sent to the Mercy Hospital to do a mammogram (a medical breast examination) and an ultrasound. The lump was removed and a biopsy, which is an examination of tissue removed, to determine whether it is cancerous, was done. Clarke recalled the six-weeks wait being “agonising” for her.

When she received the call to uplift her results, she left instantly, not even informing her husband. That was when she found out that she had breast cancer in her left breast. She didn’t believe right away and so she visited the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for a second opinion; it was confirmed there as well.

“I tell them right away to take off the breast, because I don’t want to wait for it to get to no big stage and then I gotta do chemotherapy and radiation because those are not nice,” Rosaline said.

Shortly after, she went for the surgery. She recalled how anxious she was, sitting in the waiting room before surgery; she became hypertensive and had to be calmed down before she could enter the surgical room. Rosaline said she imagined what it would be like only having one breast.

The journey of her recovery was not an easy one; she said she sometimes felt her husband was not taking her condition seriously, and psychologically, she was not the best. Nevertheless, it was the support from her Pastor, church members, and family members that have kept her going, even after she lost her mother and husband afterwards.

Recently, Rosaline experienced another sharp pain, this time on the right side of her body. She has done another mammogram which revealed a cyst in the right breast. Due to this, she has to go every six months for a checkup.

As a cancer survivor, Rosaline related that it is heartwarming to see so many people supporting survivors and trying to raise awareness on breast cancer each October. First Lady, Arya Ali’s support to breast cancer survivors was one activity Rosaline was particularly happy with. She contended, however, that this support should not only be extended in October, once a year.

“We’re battling with our lives every day in the year and now this COVID-19 is here, we are more vulnerable than anybody else,” she said.

Indeed, studies have shown that individuals with comorbidities (meaning persons with more than one disease or condition present at the same time) are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Additionally, older folks are more likely to experience the more severe symptoms of COVID-19. Sixty-two-year-old Rosaline had cancer, is hypertensive and well, is an “old woman.” This means that she is especially vulnerable to this virus and has to take all precautions.

She explained that when she has to go to the clinic, she is usually the first one there to avoid the crowd and whenever she goes out, she always washes up as soon as she returns home.

But Rosaline is constantly fearful because she believes there aren’t many people who are as concerned about the coronavirus as she is. Rosaline recalled travelling in a taxi and the driver told her that he was not wearing a mask because he is unafraid of COVID-19.

“I think people are not taking COVID-19 seriously and they’re only going to take it seriously when it hits close to home; to somebody they love or so,” she said.

While she is unsure of how to convince people that they should adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, Rosaline is hopeful that the government would provide assistance to cancer survivors like herself, who are more vulnerable to this virus.