Sunningdale resident shares her cancer journey
The diagnosis cast a shadow on what was a joyful time in Williams' life.
AS World Cancer day is commemorated on 4 February, Sunningdale resident and breast cancer survivor, Denise Williams told the Northglen News about her inspiring journey from diagnosis to remission.
When Williams was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in August 2016, she was devastated by the news. The diagnosis cast a shadow on what was a joyful time in Williams’ life.
“My daughter who had been struggling to fall pregnant had just given birth two days before I was diagnosed. I went from such a high to such a low,” said Williams.
While being diagnosed with cancer devastated Williams, her granddaughter was a ‘bundle of joy’ that inspired her to stay strong.
Also read: Think pink for Greenwood Park breast cancer awareness
“I really believe that God sent that child at the right time because she gave me so much strength. Every time I felt a little down I just picked myself up and knew I had to fight for her. I decided I was going to see her 21st birthday,” said Williams.
She said she was fortunate to catch the cancer early.
“I was watching TV when I felt a sharp pain. I could feel a lump and it was hard, like a marble,” she said.
What followed was a turbulent time of choosing the right treatment for her.
“My doctor sent me for a mammogram and believe it or not, they didn’t pick it up in the mammogram, so there’s no grantee, especially if you have dense breast. If the word ‘dense’ is ever used, be aware of that,” she said.
Also read: Durban North resident raises testicular cancer awareness
After getting a second and third opinion, Williams was scheduled to have a mastectomy, when on the eve of her surgery, everything changed.
“Mine was a very fast growing cancer, it can go from one stage to another in just a few weeks. Three doctors told me to have a mastectomy. I was booked to have the surgery and the day before I managed to get a booking at another doctor who said she does the chemo first to try and shrink the cancer first and then to have a lumpectomy surgery. The idea behind this is that surgery doesn’t have to be very invasive if you do the chemo first, because it is easier to spot the dead cells after chemo rather than remove such a large area,” said Williams.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram
