I am a cancer survivor.
My grandmother and mother both passed away due to breast cancer; therefore, it was not unexpected when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a reality that my sisters and I lived with, but when the doctor said, “You have cancer” it was still a great shock!
My mother, Juliette Arch, was one of the founders of the Cancer Society in Grand Cayman.
Given of my family’s history, I had been advised to start doing mammograms early. In 1996, I did my first mammogram and I was told that I had cancer cells in my right breast, I did not have a lump but the mammogram detected the cells. I then went for a biopsy and found that the irregular cells were throughout the entire breast and I would need to have a mastectomy.
I was thirty four (34) years old. My son was only six years old and I was a single mother. Dying was not an option! My mother had always told me “you can will yourself to live”. I had watched her live by those words. My brother was only two (2) years old when she was diagnosed and she lived until just before his 13th birthday. I knew that I was not alone & I could face this with God’s help.
During my surgery and recovery I had the relentless support of my family and friends, but not everyone is as fortunate as I was. In addition sometimes you rely on other people experiences to help you realize you are not alone.
Until then, having Cancer was a bit taboo and people did not want to be identified and talk about their disease. We were a new generation and we were prepared to tell our plight. We offered our stories to the television, news papers and the radio, and told our stories hoping to enlighten others that there is life after cancer.
We realized that Cayman really needed a support group and along with a few others we decided to start Bosom Buddies for this cause. I have lost several friends along the way, but I believe that they were all the better for the support that was available during their encounter with this dreaded disease.
Bosom Buddies has been dormant for some time as we lost our Chairman and other members within the past few years but I know they would like us to go on with the group that meant so much to them.
We have now regrouped and we are ready to assist where needed in the community. I hope that this will be a new beginning for all of us…. “Hope wears many hats”.