New Year's resolutions of a cancer patient

It is my second December as a cancer patient. I am not in remission; I am still on active treatment after being diagnosed with Stage 2 Grade 3 HER2+ and Hormone+ Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma (PLC) of the breast in August 2019. 

The year that was

Christmas and New Year's Eve of 2019 is a blur; I was too weak from chemotherapy to remember much of it. I know that my husband and I travelled from our home in Parys (Free State) to Stilbaai in the Western Cape for a privately commissioned production of the opera 'La Traviata'. Yet, I do not have any memories of the trip and the show; I rely on Facebook to remind me of what happened between Christmas and New Year's Eve last year.

I started 2020 with continued chemotherapy, and my only goal was to make it through the current day. The COVID-19 Level 5 lockdown commenced two weeks after my last chemotherapy session in March 2020. My husband and I continued travelling between the Free State and Gauteng for my ongoing Herceptin injections to inhibit the HER2 protein receptors' growth. I also commenced hormone-blocking therapy; Tamoxifen in April 2020, and Zoladex in August 2020. Once again, I must rely on Facebook to help me remember everything that happened this year. There were many days when I wondered whether I'd make it to the end of the year. By September 2020, I slowly started feeling like myself and finally regained cognitive functionality (chemotherapy causes thinking and memory problems). 

New Year's resolutions of a cancer patient

Although I don't usually set New Year's resolutions, I think it might be a good idea to do so for 2021. Here's my list:

• Treasure relationships with old friends;
• Make new friends;
• Let go of friendships that withered over the past year;
• Celebrate my birthday in January with old and new friends;
• Spend more time with my husband and pets;
• Build a second income stream that is less stressful than my primary career;
• Shift my leading occupation to more consulting and less execution; and
• Keep on fighting and hoping for a positive treatment outcome.

The year ahead

My 2021 breast cancer treatment regime consists of a daily hormone-blocking drug (Tamoxifen) that I take orally and a three-monthly injection of the Zoladex patch (also hormone-blocking). My oncologist will be monitoring my health every three months with a selection of diagnostic tests that involve pathology and radiology (blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, and mammograms).

Besides the oncologist, my medical team consists of a surgeon, cardiologist, gynaecologist, and dietician. My next check-up with the oncologist and surgeon is in February, and then again in May. The next lady-parts and heart check-ups are in June, and then also in December. I regularly check in with the dietician to make sure I am following healthy eating habits.

The median survival months for patients with my type of cancer (PLC) is 51.03. What does it mean? It is the length of time from the date of cancer diagnosis that half of the patients in a group of patients diagnosed are still alive. It has been 16 months since my diagnosis, which means I am still at high risk of reoccurrence, or even mortality, for at least the next 35 months (three years!).

Although I am optimistic, I am also realistic - my future is uncertain. But, that is not going to stop me from living life to its fullest. 

Me, enjoying the African summer sun, on 27 December 2020.