Dubai: Breast cancer survivors should be at the forefront of awareness campaigns as real-life stories are more effective in influencing attitudes towards the disease, according to advocates of the cause.
Breast cancer survivor Fakhria Lufti, a 49-year-old Emirati mother of three, said that having a face to a cause can change the perception of the disease.
Speaking to Gulf News during the Warrior in Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative by Ford Middle East on Thursday she explained that interacting with and telling people about her fight with cancer is a powerful outreach tool.
By way of example, she said that the response to an awareness talk by a breast cancer survivor elicits a better response than by a medical professional.
“I was at the Higher Colleges of Technology recently for an awareness presentation. The audience, more than a 100 students, weren’t paying attention to the speaker, a breast surgeon.
“However, there was pin drop silence the moment I was introduced as a cancer patient. Afterwards I answered questions posed by students who had women with breast cancer in their families and/or friend circles.”
While there is awareness about the disease, Arab women are afraid and hesitant to address the issue, Fakhria said.
“Women in the Gulf region do not like to talk about it. This is unfortunate. Talking about it and sharing information relating to the symptoms and treatments can help other breast cancer patients.
“When I was diagnosed in 2004, after a regular check-up, I was scared and had many questions, but I couldn’t find women willing to share their experiences so I had to depend on the internet. The attitude needs to change for people to equate breast cancer to survival, not death.”
The timing of the event was primed ahead of October, the international breast cancer awareness month, to promote early detection, a cause that Ford has supported for the past 18 years.
Dr. Houriya Kazim, medical director and specialist breast surgeon, Well Woman Clinic, Dubai, highlighted the importance of how early detection of breast cancer can save life.
Her advice to women is to conduct monthly breast self-examination; yearly clinical breast exams for women over 20, and yearly mammograms for women over 45.
Dr. Kazim, also the founder of breast cancer support group Brest Friends and the charity Breast Cancer Foundation of the Emirates in Dubai, told Gulf News that women like Fakhria send a powerful message of survival.
“Survivors are really saying — life goes on.
In Fakhria’s case, she enjoys motherhood and a career.
“We hope to take away the fear associated with cancer. Five times more women get breast cancer than die from it. In other words, it is treated well.”
