‘I was proactive with screenings due to history of breast cancer’

Dubai: Life doesn’t stop after a cancer diagnosis, said Linda Berlot speaking to Gulf News. “You can reclaim your life and lead a rich, fulfilling one,” she said.

Linda, 44, an Italian resident in Dubai, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. At the time, her mother was battling the same disease. “My mum has had several relapses since her diagnosis 15 years ago. She passed away last year. My sister too was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has been in remission for the past five years.”

The strong family history of breast cancer made Linda proactive in her screening schedules. Just before her own diagnosis, she felt something was not quite right. “I had a premonition. Though the mammogram done a few months prior [to the diagnosis] was clear, I told my doctor that I wanted another one, several months ahead of the recommended schedule,” she said.

The early diagnosis — Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in which the cancer in the milk ducts hasn’t spread into any normal surrounding breast tissue, helped her treatment. “I had a bilateral mastectomy and breast reconstruction, and I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation,” she said, adding, “Being proactive with screenings and self examinations can save your life.”