Being diagnosed with cancer changes your whole life and your view of it.
It is an extremely emotional time for everyone touched by this disease but the countless women and men who have been diagnosed, are not fighting the battle alone.
Naomi Chapman, representative of the Wings of Hope organisation in Springs, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2012.
She went for a biopsy, but received unhelpful information and went for a second opinion.
“They tested me and somehow, I just knew,” says Naomi.
She says that she made a choice to stand up and accept that it has happened to her and chose not to lie down and pity herself.
“You always hear of this type of thing, but you never realise that this can happen to me too and when it happens, shock is all you feel.”
Naomi says she had immense support from family and friends, but without her faith she would not have had the courage to continue.
“Always remain positive, with a negative mind you won’t get anywhere.”
If you are diagnosed with cancer, immediately get the ball rolling for treatment.
The sooner the problem can be attacked, the better your chances of surviving.
“Mine was discovered early as it was still in the beginning stages, they only needed to remove the lump and I had to undergo chemo in November of that year,” says Naomi.
Radiation soon followed and Naomi has now been in remission for a year.
She still does regular check-ups every six months and she suggests that when people are diagnosed with this disease, they seek counselling.
“This was the one mistake I made and would like to suggest that others do not make it as well.”
She adds that counselling is very important, not only to the cancer patient, but to their children.
“Children do not always understand the full concept of cancer, if they hear their mom has cancer, they think she is going to die.”
This is where counselling is important for children to have in these situations, for them to understand there is always hope.
