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Elita Chikwati Features Editor
She is prepared to tell her story to the world so she can help others fight breast cancer.
Having survived breast cancer, 37-year-old Margaret Mafuka of Harare, is overcome with sadness each time someone dies of cancer.
She is a living testimony that death can be avoided if people seek medical treatment early.
Margaret can now tell her story, but it was not an easy journey being diagnosed with breast cancer and following all the procedures until she overcame the disease.
She was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 when she was breastfeeding her nine-month-old baby.
Margaret developed a lump that was painful in her breast and decided to consult doctors.
She was given antibiotics which she took for seven days. The lump was removed and taken to the laboratories for further tests.
“When I went for the results, I was told I had breast cancer,” Margaret. “I was shattered. I thought I was dying, that I could not take it. The doctors informed me they had to quickly remove the breast. I was still trying to process the information I had just received. Everything was happening so fast that I was in confusion.
“Before I could process the information that I had cancer, the doctor was explaining that I needed to get the breast removed the following week. The doctors knew the cancer would spread. I was still in confusion.”
Margaret informed her husband, sister and the whole family and this was not easy for them.
Instead of going for surgery the following week, Margaret and her family sought a second opinion.
She went to South Africa where the doctors requested the lump that had been removed from the breast.
“I had to wait for the lump to be transferred from Zimbabwe to South Africa, the doctors wanted to see if the cancer had spread and to what extent,” she said. “I was told the cancer was still in the first stage and there was need for partial mastectomy, (the removal of the affected part).
“I was also told I had to go for chemotherapy, then surgery and radiation. I came to Zimbabwe so I could use my medical aid for treatment.”
When she came back, she did not go for chemo as she was still evaluating which method she could use for treatment.
There were suggestions from different relatives and friends, with some advising her to seek traditional medicines. Some discouraged her from going for chemo as this would not help.
Some of the people who gave Margaret advice were also suffering from cancer and would give their accounts with regard to the methods they had chosen.
“My mother’s friend who had gone for chemo and had survived allayed my fears as it was 13 years after she had been treated,” she said.
“Despite my medical background, I was afraid to go for chemo considering what people had said about the procedure. My sister and I had chosen the traditional way, but my brother could not let me delay treatment. He went and booked an appointment with an oncologist.
“When I went there, I was told the cancer had spread. The doctor took his time to explain the treatment to me, including the side effects. Finally, I agreed to go for chemo.
“I went for my first chemo in the afternoon. I was terrified, I was not in my normal state. My mind was unsettled. I was using Doxorubicin also known as the ‘red devil chemo’.”
This drug is known for causing serious side effects.
Margaret recalls that the first chemo session was not an easy one. After the session, she was throwing up, and became ill.
“I could not eat, I was feeling hot and throwing up, but I had support from my husband who was always with me.”
Margaret had been told to shave her hair before going for chemo since the treatment could result in hair loss.
“I had refused to shave my hair. I started losing my hair and I ended up removing it. I was left with a bald head,” she said.
She had four sessions of Doxorubicin after every three weeks. This drained her.
“I would fall sick after every session and when I was about to recover, I would go for another session and start suffering again from the side effects,” she said.
After the four sessions, she went for 12 other chemo sessions, but this time on a different drug.
“This time it was much better, I did not vomit and was able to eat even during the sessions,” she said.
After completing 16 sessions of chemo, Margaret went back to South Africa for surgery. It was done and she spent nearly five months there before she came back for radiation.
In 2018, she started radiotherapy.
“I was told to be careful not to mix with a lot of people because my immune was weak. I could not attend functions,” said Margaret. “I went for radiation for six weeks.
“My skin was darker and I could not use any cosmetic soap. I only used natural soaps.” In 2019, Margaret’s hair started regrowing, she had recovered, but would still go for reviews twice in South Africa and locally.
In 2020, she could not continue with the reviews in South Africa because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now, I am well although sometimes I feel tired. I also feel backaches and sometimes suffer from heart burn,” she said.
Margaret later completed her Midwifery course and is now a nurse at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
She advised other women to go for breast cancer check-ups and seek medical treatment when diagnosed with breast cancer.
“People should not delay seeking treatment because for instance in my case, the cancer was aggressive and it was spreading fast. It had already spread to lymph nodes,” she said.
“Being diagnosed with cancer does not mean the end of the world. I was treated and now I am back at work and I managed to complete my midwifery course.
“I get affected when I hear of someone dying from cancer, that is why I am willing to share my story, so I can give hope to others.”
As the country marks October, the breast cancer month, it is important to take lessons from people like Margaret who bravely fought and conquered.
Medical experts advise people to constantly have check-ups for cancer as the disease can be treated if diagnosed in its early stages.
Online Reporter