Cancer survivor tells pain of losing family members to the disease

Though death happens a lot in life, it is still hard to deal with it. Getting through the loss of a loved one takes time, and everyone’s healing journey is unique.

Roseline Clarke

Everyone is different, and sometimes the journey can seem more than we can bear. But when this happens, we should remember to be grateful for the time we spent with our loved ones and know that they are in a better place.

Even though losing a loved one is never easy, the right support and guidance can help you get through it. Life must continue, and you will grow from the loss and learn to live with it.

Living with support from family and friends, 62-year-old Roseline Clarke is a breast cancer survivor who is now using her experiences to influence other women living with the disease. In fact, Roseline is living with the memories of losing her brother and sister to cancer. 

The mother of three (3) children and six (6) loving grandchildren was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2016. Reflecting on her journey, Roseline explained that it all started while on vacation in the United States of America (USA). 

She elucidated that she felt a sharp pain under her left arm during the vacation with her sister. Given the family record with cancer, her sister encouraged her to check it out. 

I felt a lump there; I spoke with my sister that I was vacating with; she too is a breast cancer survivor. I also have a brother and a sister that died from cancer. She gave me the courage to be strong. She told me that when I get back to Guyana, I must get it checked out. When I came to Guyana, I visited the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA).

While at the GRPA, a doctor examined her and indeed found a lump. He advised her to get an ultrasound done, which turned out to have a “mass” in the left side breast. 

She then took the report back to the GRPA and detailed her family history with cancer. From there, the doctor told her to do a lumpectomy – a lumpectomy is a surgery to remove cancer or other abnormal tissue from your breast. 

In Roseline’s case, the “mass” had to be tested to see if it was cancerous. In October 2016, she went to the Medical Arts to get it tested. The results came back that it was cancerous. 

They called me in, and I went to the doctor there, the doctor told me that I have an option of taking off the breast or treatment. Well, I decided that I will get a second opinion because I always feel that second opinions work better.

Not satisfied there, she went to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and joined the Oncology Department. A doctor examined her and confirmed her worst fears that she had cancer in her breast. 

I went home, and I told my husband, who subsequently passed away two years ago, and together, we went back the following week to see the doctor. The doctor explained everything to him, and my decision was to take my breast off.

With support from family, friends, church members, and the pastor, Roseline threw her fears to the winds and went and completed her surgery on the 21st of November, 2016. 

When I came home from my surgery, I had about two weeks home recuperating and went back there and took off the foley bag that they were using to drain the fuel and from then, I had to join the oncology clinic. 

The following year on the 19th of November 2017, Roseline lost her mother from a heart-related illness. 

However, due to the fact that her cancer was detected early, Roseline did not had to do chemotherapy or radiation. Instead, she uses letrozole – an oral, anti-estrogen drug used to treat postmenopausal women with breast cancer. 

I am four years now using that tablet; every three months, I would go to the clinic to get blood work done and to make sure that the cancer is in remission. And thank God, that in the four years I have been free of cancer.

Looking back at her journey, the breast cancer survivor noted that it was not an easy road for her. Instead, it was riddled with potholes from her diagnosis until a day like today where the coronavirus has become a threat. 

Roseline’s journey of losing her sister, brother, and mother was compounded with the passing of her husband – Brentnol Langford, on the 1st May 2018. 

Advice

Her advice to other women battling breast cancer is simple. She said; 

“It is not an easy road, but when you can get that support from your family, and your friends – it is a good thing because when we sit and stress about what we are going through, it hurts us more.”

She continued, “Stress is not a nice thing when you have cancer; we don’t need that kind of stress. We need love, we need attention, and most of all, we need help from God because what I would always say, God did not bring us this far to leave us. He promised not to leave us nor forsake us.” 

Given the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Roseline noted that it has ushered in an entirely new set of fears due to the fact that victims like herself are vulnerable to the dreadful disease.

Notwithstanding, the breast cancer survivor is calling on help since she has been out of a job since March when COVID-19 touched Guyana’s shores.