Marisa 'eM' Louw

For those new to my blog, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Grade 3 Invasive Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast that is HER2- and hormone receptor-positive in August 2019. Different types of breast cancer Stage 2 means the tumour is larger than 20 mm and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes. Grade 3 means faster-growing cancer that is more likely to spread. Invasive applies to cancer that has spread from where it began in the breast to surrounding normal tissue. Pleomorphic refers to how the cells appear under the microscope - multiple shapes and sizes. The cells display abnormal cores and irregular cellular division. The term lobular speaks about where the tumour originated - in the breast's milk-producing glands or lobules.  HER2 is the acronym for the protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. The HER2 receptor has a vital role in normal cell growth and division. In HER2-positive cancers, the cells have extra copies of the gene that makes the HER2 protein...

While I was sitting in the waiting area of the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre oncology practice earlier this week, the lady beside me started a discussion. She has been coming here every six months for the past 15 years for her follow-up appointments for breast cancer. Like me, her breast cancer is positive for hormone and HER2 receptors. She had a double mastectomy, received chemo- and radiation therapy, and has been on Tamoxifen for 10 years. All of this she shared with me with a smile; her eyes were bright, and she radiated positivity.  Her journey was not without hardship. She gained 36 kg during her first two years of treatment and struggled with the drugs' side effects. She would get anxious in the weeks leading up to her follow-up appointment. "Even though I've been in remission for 10 years, the fear never really goes away," she told me. "But I had to keep going because there is so much to live for."  Her message came to me at a crossroads in my b...

  First published on  Bizcommunity  on 12 October 2021. Within South Africa, healthcare professionals registered 15,491 new breast cancer cases last year, making it the leading carcinoma in females across population groups. Researchers estimate that, by 2040, the number will increase to more than 22,000 new cases . Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in South African women, with nearly 5,000 deaths recorded in 2020. The mammogram debate - diagnostic or screening tool? Research published in the October 2018 issue of the SA Journal of Radiology states that "screening has been shown through studies to reduce the breast cancer mortality rate by 30% – 40%." Nevertheless, the National Department of Health's Breast Cancer Control and Prevention Policy (June 2017) questions the value of screening mammography and that it "should not be introduced unless resources are available to ensure effective and reliable screening of at least 70 per cent of ...

In just a little over two months, it is #breastcancerawarenessmonth.   This message serves as a reminder to book your routine mammogram. All medical aids and hospital plans must pay for the procedure as part of your Screening and Prevention benefit. Remember, a family history starts somewhere. Don't think you are safe if there is no history of cancer in your family.  If you are planning a fundraiser or awareness event in October and looking for a speaker, don't hesitate to contact me at emlo@hotmail.co.za .  PS: If you do not have medical insurance, contact your nearest public breast clinic. SA has some of the best public breast clinics in the world! List of Public / Government Breast Clinics for mammograms Eastern Cape, East London - Frere Hospital   Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth - Livingston Hospital   Free State, Bloemfontein - Universitas Academic Hospital   Western Cape, Cape Town - Groote Schuur Academic Hospital  (Rated *****) Western Cape, Cape ...

Photograph by Heidi Fang I have been fighting breast cancer since August 2019. Unlike sportsmen and -women who train for years before they step into the ring, I did not prepare for my fight against breast cancer. I knew nothing about my opponent when the illness pushed me into the ring and said: "Fight!" The first blow left me breathless and in a daze. I stood there, unprepared, barefoot and without any protection. The only thing I could do was lift my hands to protect my face while my opponent delivered one punch after the other.  But, I stood firm while my husband rushed to the ringside with some essential protection. There was no time for training. I had to get back to the fight. I realised that if I remain still, my foe has an easy target. So, I started moving my feet, my hands still protecting my face, to avoid the blows coming from my challenger. Although I am fighting without any training, I soon realised that I am stronger than I thought. It gave me some confidence, a...

  I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Grade 3 Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma (PLC) of the right breast in August 2019, after a routine mammogram in July 2019. My cancer also tested positive for hormone and HER-2 receptors. It means that the hormones my body produce (estrogen and progesterone) and a protein called HER-2 act as food that feeds the cancer cells and make them grow.  My treatment regime It is important to remember that each breast cancer patient's treatment regime is different. I highly recommend that you consult at least two oncologists and consider the best treatment option for you. The first step in my treatment was to remove the tumours from my breast. Because of the aggressive nature of PLC, my surgeon recommended a double mastectomy with direct-to-implant reconstruction. Step two was chemotherapy, followed by step three, a year-long treatment to block the HER-2 receptors. I am now busy with phase four of my treatment - hormone-blocking therapy - that will last for 10...

I'm not having a good day because I am experiencing severe eyesight problems. When I was in primary school, my teacher realised that I struggled to see on the whiteboard. As a result, I started wearing spectacles for nearsightedness before I turned 8 years old. My eyesight deteriorated over the years. Two years ago, I started wearing multifocal contact lenses to help me read better. Soon after, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the chemotherapy dried my eyes out. So much so that I couldn't wear my contact lenses any longer. I found it difficult to read but coped. But then, over the last few months, my eyesight started getting worse. When I was in the hospital in May last year; I had to take off my spectacles and put my nose against the form I had to complete ahead of surgery to read the questions. But I thought that was just me getting older. The same thing happened with my most recent surgery last month, and again I wrote it off to ageing eyes. When I had my first clien...

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 inj...

On Monday, 30 November 2020, my surgeon admitted me to the hospital for my sixth surgery in just over a year. When a routine mammogram found a suspicious mass in July last year, I underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumour for testing.  Following a Stage 2 cancer diagnosis - lobular pleomorphic carcinoma of the breast that is positive for HER2 and hormone receptors - I underwent a double mastectomy and direct-to-implant reconstruction in September 2019. A few weeks later, I was back in the hospital for debridement of the wounds on my right breast. I struggled with wound healing, and due to necrosis and infection, my surgeon once again admitted me to the hospital to remove the right implant in November 2019.  Upon completion of my chemotherapy regime, I had to wait two more months before my next surgery: insertion of a tissue expander in May 2020 to gently stretch the skin in preparation for the final reconstruction.  Finally, last month, my surgeon inserted the permanent...