Today we celebrate the World Day Against Breast Cancer, the most common tumor among western women. Estrella, Susana and Irene are three reliable proofs that it is possible to overcome breast cancer, three heroines who share with you their story of overcoming and courage.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I directly thought: I am dying. The radiologist at the Breast Unit of my hospital communicated this to me. And the moment he spoke those three fateful words, they pierced me like daggers. Breast cancer … At that precise moment I stopped listening. She kept talking, but my world stopped short. My parents, my sister and even some colleagues were with me. But time stopped around me and I just thought: Cancer, I’m dying. A feeling of dizziness invaded me, tears that fell uncontrollably down my face, and the same thought that tormented me, ”explains Susana, a 42-year-old from Toledo who came face to face with cancer 7 years ago.
Both she and Irene and Estrella took refuge in our free program for cancer patients “Being a Mother after cancer” Y they vitrified their ovules before dealing with their respective illnesses.
Susana’s case was surrounded by coincidences. At 36 years old, and without children, she struggled with perseverance to keep that wild card that would allow her to fulfill her desire to be a mother.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, it took me much longer to channel the issue of motherhood because of the unit that treated me. Radiologist, surgeon, plastic surgeon and oncologist outlined the steps to follow to tackle my cancer as soon as possible. But the option of being a mother in the future was not considered at any time. And almost by chance, all of a sudden, all my alerts went off: And what if I want to be a mother? It is me, first person, woman, and for me it was important to be a mother. I was lucky enough to meet a person who did his Biology internship at IVI, so he told me about the options you offer for women like me, with a tough battle to face and an illusion that I refused to give up ”, she adds .
Information about fertility preservation options to save hope for future motherhood is something that all areas involved in cancer diagnosis and treatment must handle and make available to patients. This, on many occasions, is the motivation that fills patients with strength and energy to face their cancer with the hope of being mothers in the future. You can be a mother after cancer.
“It was clear to me that I wanted to preserve my oocytes, so I insisted to my oncologist and told him that I needed to do it. And if he couldn’t give me the time I needed to vitrify my eggs, let me die, but what I wanted to preserve. I wanted to fight for that wild card, for my autonomy and freedom to decide if I wanted to be a mother, and science gave me the opportunity to do so. I had to take advantage of it, ”he says.
Y As a result of Susana’s perseverance, 7 years later, Manuel, her 4-month-old baby, has come into her life.
“When the season is open and your oncologist gives you free rein, it is something exciting. You enter IVI with another color, you live it all intensely, and when it materializes, it is magic. Modern facilities, the best technology, cutting-edge in many things, but the human treatment is truly good, close, involved in every moment of the process. I have been a person for them, not just another number as I could think of a company of this size. IVI gave me back my illusion when it saw that there is a social project that its entire human team lives and shares. It has a team of professionals behind it who take care of you with care; you play with a winning horse. And the fear is there, but when you see the echo, you see how it grows and how it evolves, the fear disappears. Motherhood is an energy that transcends, a power that can with and against everything. And when it materializes, it wakes up in the morning and it smiles at you, and it looks at you like it’s seeing God, you get excited and it all makes sense. Something that you have fought for so long and that you have right in your arms. The greatest gift ”, he concludes.
Susana, Irene and Estrella are among the more than 800 women who have preserved their fertility at IVI, diagnosed with breast cancer, within the free program offered for cancer patients. Thanks to him, 29 babies have already been born after their mothers overcame their illness, to be joined by 7 more who are on the way.
Can egg vitrification influence the evolution of cancer?
Women diagnosed with cancer who come to the clinic to learn about fertility preservation show 3 concerns:
The first is always linked to time, in this obstacle course that makes them race against the clock. And the second, in relation to the complications that may be associated with the vitrification treatment and its possible negative influence on the course of the cancer or the subsequent treatment to cure it.
For these two concerns the answer is simple: Neither time nor complications are a problem today.
A collaborative attitude with the oncologist is maintained at all times through perfectly designed protocols for each patient. This is supported by the data currently published on the follow-up of patients who have undergone a process of preservation of their fertility, and they show that ovarian stimulation to obtain oocytes to be vitrified does not affect the evolution of the cancer.
And finally, the eternal question: What are the chances that it will work?
The results are always related to the age at which the oocytes are frozen. The younger, the more chances of success.
A few words of hope
“Be strong, fight, you are not alone. Keep going because you have many possibilities ”.
“Never lose your smile or think that you will not get over it. Don’t stop fighting, life awaits you. This is just a parenthesis and you should not give up on any future plans ”.
“Today cry it out. But starting tomorrow normalize it and moving forward. It’s a bad year, but it goes away ”.
These are the words that Estrella, Susana and Irene dedicate to those women who, like them at the time, have to fight the battle against that great giant called cancer.
Today and always, we are with all of you
