Samantha

Life became a whirlwind of appointments, treatments, and packing to move back in with my family. Trying to adapt to what was going on, while struggling through my first round of chemotherapy side effects, was overwhelming. I think the hardest part of treatment for everyone was the side effects and how they impacted me. I was constantly exhausted and felt like I was moving through water. I looked pale and sunken, especially in the face. Food and drink didn’t taste right to me. A lot of that time is so hazy for me, but I could see the concern in my family’s faces when they were watching me.

Despite that, I knew that I would get through to the other side. I was surprisingly positive about how successful everything would be for me. During that time my biggest struggle wasn’t if I would survive, it was how was I going to cover all my expenses while I was sick. Treatment in Alberta is covered by the government, but the medications you take before and after are not. The costs of
necessary white blood cell boosters, anti-nausea medications, and other pills designed to help mitigate side effects is a lot more than you would think.

One of the treatments the doctor recommended, an immunotherapy drug that targets HER2 positive cancer, is too new to be approved for medical coverage. But having it was my best chance for survival. Charities and foundations such as yours have helped me to make sure that I was able to pay my bills and cover my medication expenses while recovering from treatment and adjusting to my new normal.

I feel that currently the biggest thing that I am working through post treatment is acceptance of my physical self. I don’t just mean my mastectomy scars or waiting for my hair to grow back. It’s things like understanding that currently I’m not able to do as much as I could in the past. My stamina is more limited, I’m still working on range of motion with my shoulder, and sometimes the brain fog
still affects me. I’m worried about what sort of long-term side effects or permanent changes I’m going to have from the hormone therapy. There is a massive lack of knowledge in how cancer treatments affect younger adults and there are little to no spaces for us to ask these questions. I hope that I may provide that information for those going through this in the future.

 

My biggest piece of advice for anyone starting treatment would be to talk to your team. Your nurses are there to help you, and if you’re experiencing intolerable side effects, or struggling with your mental health, they reach out on your behalf to find someone to help. I’ve come to understand the care and effort put in by the nurses and doctors who treated me, and that I want to find a way to help them and other cancer patients in the future. My goal is to finish schooling in medical office administration so that I can one day get on at the cancer (or a cancer) centre. I want to be a friendly face for patients who understands a bit about what they’re going through.
To anyone who has just begun wading through the chaos that is treatment: I won’t offer any of the cliché lines that are usually heard on repeat, but I will say this; I believe in you.