Julia’s first round of treatment was successful, but less than a year after her initial diagnosis the cancer came back.
“The relapse was discovered at my nine-month review. I had to do a PET scan. The report showed that my tumour had grown bigger, and the cancer cell was more active and aggressive. The initial diagnosis was Stage 3A, but the relapse was classed as Stage 3B. I was devastated and couldn’t imagine the relapse coming so quickly. My emotions were in a downward spiral of panic. I really felt like giving up on my life,” Julia recalls.
Julia’s family sought a second opinion at Icon Cancer Centre in Singapore.
“My oncologist suggested that I should go for six-cycle chemotherapy to shrink the tumour. Once the tumour shrunk and the cancer cell subsided, the tumour was removed. The doctors and nurses were extremely kind and warm. They always encouraged me and the other patients to stay strong and played a positive role in the entire treatment cycle. They are like family members to me,” Julia said.
“During chemotherapy sessions, my constant worry was that my white blood cell count would be too low and the treatment session would be postponed. That would only delay and drag out my treatment and recovery. The side effects were also terrible. I had bad nausea, ulcers, headaches, constipation, bloating, coughing and spurs in my feet. My legs became weak. Every step to me was tough. Despite the side effects, I had to force myself to eat to gain the strength for my body to go on. I looked at my recovery as a task that I must complete and excel at, so I tried not to focus much on the side effects.”
