Muscat: Aisha Al Ghabshi has become a household name for many Omanis — not only because of her hit TV show “Your Lives” but also becauseshe has become an ambassador for raising awareness about cancer prevention.
Aisha, who has been working as a presenter at Oman TV for more than 20 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago.
“I was shocked. I breastfed all my children and had no history of cancer in my family,” she told Gulf News, in an interview.
“I was upset and couldn’t understand why it happened to me,” she said.
“Later, I realised it was just fate and decided to dedicate all my energy to fight the disease.”
She continued to go to work, despite her gruelling treatment.
She used her show, “Your Lives”, which discusses common societal issues and concerns in the Omani community, as a platform to discuss and spread awareness about the disease.
Aisha encouraged her viewers to undergo regular check-ups for breast cancer.
“Because I had been going for regular check-ups, the lump was detected and the treatment began before it was too late,” she said.
She decided to seek treatment for breast cancer in Thailand where she was prescribed a drug Tamoxifen for treatment of breast cancer.
It had proven to be an effective medicine for preventing and treating breast cancer and other types of cancer — but the side effects were horrible.
“I experienced anxiety, blurred vision, dizziness and swelling,” she said.
One day at work Aisha fell down because her legs were so swollen. “I couldn’t move for an hour and my friends helped me to stand up and walk,” she said.
Aisha said she couldn’t overcome the disease without the support of her family. “It was really a tough time for my family to see me suffering. I had extreme mood swings because of the medication,” she said.
Aisha also got a huge moral support from her fans. “They call me the ‘Iron Woman’”, she says smilingly.
“I was flooded with messages of encouragement which really lifted my spirits and ultimately my health,” she said.
She said that one woman shared her story of fighting breast cancer with strong faith and positivity.
Today, Aisha continues to juggle between her family and work along with her treatment.
The drug has significantly reduced the spread of the tumour and she continues to visit the National Tumour Centre every three months for check-ups.
She says she will continue to be brave and spread awareness about the disease.
“If you have recently been diagnosed with breast, please take my story to heart,” she said. “Don’t take cancer as a death sentence. Many people survive. Just don’t allow it to invade your mind.”
Cancer cases in Oman
Breast cancer is most common among women with 170 cases reported, according to the latest figures issued by the Ministry of Health.
Prostate cancer is the most common among men with 57 cases.
Other cases of cancer include lymphomas, stomach, thyroid, colorectal, skin, liver and kidney.
According to the National Oncology Centre’s latest figures, there are 1,320 diagnosed cancer patients in Oman including 1,214 Omanis and 106 expatriates. Seven per cent of these patients are children below 14 years of age.
Oman spends more than 5 million riyals on cancer treatment every year, according to the Ministry of Health.
Oman Cancer Association’s (OCA) mobile mammography unit has detected 30 cases of breast cancer since its launch in November 2009. The service is free for both Omani and expatriate women nationwide, according to the association.
Last month, Sultan Qaboos University organised an awareness programme about breast cancer. It urged women to undergo regular check-ups to prevent and detect the disease. Aisha and other Omani women shared their stories about the disease during the programme.
