October, 2019 | The Health
Women
Beating the odds
in breast cancer
Breast cancer was
the furthest thing on
Hiba’s mind when she
was diagnosed at 25.
A young woman’s death-defying fight against the big C
By Reenassri Sekaran
I
t’s a word no one ever wants to hear
from their doctor - Cancer, let alone
breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
marked in countries across the world
every October, helps to increase atten-
tion and support for the awareness, early
detection and treatment as well as palliative
care of this disease.
According to the Malaysian National Cancer
Registry (MNCR) Report 2011, cancer is one
of the leading causes of death in Malaysia and
breast cancer is the most common form of
malignancy affecting women.
We met up with Hiba Abdul Rahman, a
young breast cancer survivor who found out
about her condition just a week before her 25th
birthday.
Living as a breast cancer survivor
She sat across me and recommended me the
savory pancakes which proved delicious. She
smiled and began her story.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in
2015 on Feb 16. I had just come out from the
shower and realised my nipple was bleeding,”
Hiba said.
She had a lump on her left breast that went
misdiagnosed for five years.
“Doctors told me ‘It’s nothing, it’s a cyst, it’s
not cancerous’ and that I just had to come back
yearly to check on it,” she said.
Not only did her doctor find a tumor on
her breast, her lymph nodes were swollen and
there were calcifications.
“The doctor tried to keep me positive and
said that she had to do a biopsy to confirm if
it was cancer. I went home and told my family
the news.”
A week later, doctors confirmed that she had
Grade 2 and Stage 2 breast cancer.
Hiba is all smiles
looking forward to her
sweet future ahead of
her.
Hiba’s Natalie Portman phase
The six cycles of chemotherapy were the tough-
est experience for Hiba.
“The first day was so horrible. I remember
feeling nauseated, weak and couldn’t open
my eyes. At the end of the first cycle, my hair
started falling out. That’s when I decided to
shave my head.”
It was tough seeing herself bald but Hiba
placed a creative twist on it when she got a
henna artist to do henna on her head.
“My mom told me I looked like Natalie
Portman!”
Hiba lost her father in January, a month
before she was diagnosed.
“My mom focused all her attention on me.
I had a bunch of close friends who would take
turns taking care of me in the hospital.”
Losing her breast
“When I had my mastectomy, I thought I was
prepared for it. But when I got out of surgery,
the first thing I did was look for my left breast.
15
That was tough because there’s only so much
you can mentally prepare for,” she said.
Hiba opted not to have breast reconstruc-
tive surgery.
“I don’t have a left breast, and I’m comfort-
able with it. I realised that it doesn’t matter
what you look like, people who you love will
still love you the way you are. A lot of women
come to me and ask me about this and I always
tell them to do what makes them comfortable
and happy,” said Hiba.
Second round warrior
After her mastectomy, Hiba had to undergo
15 rounds of radiation therapy. But then she
received the bad news that she was HER2-
positive. In about 20 per cent of breast cancers,
the cells make too much of a protein known
as HER2. These cells tend to be aggressive
and fast-growing. This meant that Hiba had
to go through an extended treatment called
Herceptin to reduce the risk of the cancer
coming back.
“As soon as I got that piece of paper, I cried.”
After her doctor’s recommendation to take
a month-long break, Hiba decided to pack her
bags and travel around Europe.
“I was free. It was something I really needed.
It was a breath of fresh air,” she said.
After 17 rounds of Herceptin, something
felt amiss. She went for a scan and a 6cm cyst
was found in her ovary. In 2017, another 8.8cm
cyst was found and it burst while Hiba was at
work.
“My health has been quite a rollercoaster
both physically and emotionally. Having said
that, the obstacles that I face just make me
stronger and allows me to appreciate life even
more.”
Unleashing her inner
baker/the baker in me
“I actually started baking in 2015 when I was
diagnosed. When I was sick I couldn’t go out
much – I started baking. It was very therapeu-
tic. In the end, I revamped my whole baking
business.”
Now she runs a baking business on Insta-
gram under the handle ‘Spectacula’.
“I had the opportunity to go through every-
thing I did, and learn things about myself, my
family, who my friends are, and about life.
Those who see you at your lowest moment, at
your worst, and can accept you and be there for
you. Those are the people that you need to keep
in your life.” — The Health