Dubai: As Breast Cancer Awareness Month gets underway, a Dubai-based woman who delivered a healthy baby in spite of undergoing treatment for breast cancer during her first pregnancy, is weighing the possibility of having a second child.
“I would like to have another baby and I am seeking medical advice and gathering as much information as there is on the matter. I would also like to participate in a worldwide study on pregnancy post breast cancer,” said Raquel Soeiro, the Portuguese breast cancer survivor who delivered her first child on March 19, 2015.
A make-up artist who is a picture of poise and positivity, Soeiro, 36, said her first-born girl Isabel, who is two years and six months old now, is a smart, happy and normal child. “She was perfectly healthy when she was born too,” she added.
Bundle of joy
Recalling the arrival of the 2.775kg bundle of joy, Soeiro said she had Isabel through a normal delivery, 38 weeks into her pregnancy. “I had stopped my chemotherapy a week earlier for the delivery and got back to treatment a few days later. I had 10 sessions of chemotherapy in all and was lucky I did not suffer any side effects. Perhaps, I could tolerate the chemo better because of the high hormonal levels. It also probably had a lot to do with my approach,” she said.
Soeiro said it was the same positive attitude that prompted her to go ahead with her pregnancy, even after she discovered she had Grade 3, Stage 1 breast cancer. “One is never ready to learn one has cancer. I still remember that day in August 2014 when the doctor broke the news to me. Just days earlier, I had been told I was pregnant. My husband was flying and I was alone. I stood there and cried for a while. But even through that shock, I felt an overwhelming need to know everything there was to know about the condition,” she said.
As she waited for tests to analyse the malignant tumour in her left breast over the next few days, Soeiro said she was warned that her hormone receptor results would determine whether she should abort or go ahead with the six-week baby.
“I said no, I was going to keep the baby, no matter what,” said Raquel. “I did extensive research and found there were a few cases like mine in Brazil where pregnant women had undergone treatment for breast cancer.” She said when her doctor eventually concurred with the findings, she sought a second opinion from Lisbon. As she progressed with her pregnancy, she underwent the surgery to remove the tumour in her breast on October 2.
Soeiro said there were many takeaways from her experience. “Being positive, informed and unafraid is important when you are fighting cancer. I also want to tell every woman to pay attention to their bodies and not delay visiting a doctor if they find anything amiss. Do not leave anything to chance as breast cancer has become very common now. The earlier you detect the problem, the better are the chances of beating it.”
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