Take Care of You
Written by Jacqueline Walker- Johnson
Photo Credit: Roger McCook
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ioca was diagnosed on 27th of May 2016 and it did not come as a surprise to her based on her family history of having
multiple persons (Grandmother, mother, aunt, cousins) with a similar diagnosis prior to her. She had held on to a glimmer
of hope that it would not have affected her but that was not to be the case.
Having been given the confirmation she shared that she experienced an initial fear, a feeling that most of us would have, given this
kind of diagnosis. She however quickly moved beyond the feeling and became solution oriented. She found out her treatment options
knowing the history of her family and decided to have a complete mastectomy of her right breast even though she was at stage one.
She also chose to do hormone treatment, an alternative to chemotherapy and radiation.
I questioned Nioca about her feelings of having her breast removed – “I know it is natural to be afraid to lose a breast but I am not a
self-absorbed person, it did not make me feel less of a woman and at this point I was not concerned about my body image.”
She was more concerned about her survival, that was her priority, how to move beyond her diagnosis, the surgery and get on the path
of healing.
Nioca is very involved with the Jamaica Cancer Society and is usually one of the first persons that the society will call on to have
discussions with others related to the disease. This is because of her passion to help women rise above the challenges associated with
breast cancer. She has been interviewed on Television Jamaica and has appeared in the Jamaican Daily Gleaner as a source of
inspiration and a means of bringing attention to this disease.
One of her greatest joys of being a spokesperson on
cancer is the positive feedback that she receives – people will say to her
that she does not look like what she has gone through – cancer. The result is that
they end up saying “If you can do it, so can I. This
brings her great joy and cements the fact that she is making a
difference!
Words of encouragement
In her words: - If you receive a confirmation that you do
have cancer, I encourage you to call the Jamaica Cancer
Society and get involved with The Jamaica Reach for
Recovery. It was a defining moment when I joined this group. I
realised I was not alone with this disease, there are so many of
us and it made me stronger in knowing this and that I could do
this because I was not alone.
Take care of yourself, it is important to eat right and exercise,
that helps in the healing process. Surgery in general is difficult but
when you take care of yourself and have the right support you can
get through it. It does make a huge difference when you have the
support.
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