I have been associated with the Breast Cancer Screening Awareness campaign since 2016 as a part of the GI and Surgery team at the Aga Khan University Hospital. Two years ago, I brought my mother to AKUH for a routine consultation and screening with one of our leading breast surgeons, Dr. Lubna Vohra.
“After the initial consultation, we were advised by Dr. Vohra to get an ultrasound and mammography done for my mother. After getting the recommended testing done, the results revealed some anomalies for which I immediately took my mother for a follow-up session with Dr. Lubna. It was then, to our dismay, that my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 Breast Cancer.” recalls Fareed Farooq, Assistant Manager, GI and Surgery.
Nothing could have possibly prepared us for that life changing news. It was a moment of utter shock and disbelief for the whole family. We had to find strength and support in each other to come to terms with the terrible news.
After the initial shock wore off, Dr. Vohra talked us through our available options. She helped us make an informed decision about a potential treatment plan. We chose to take a leap of faith and opt for surgery to completely remove the cancer. The surgery would fully eradicate the cancer and eliminate the risk of it growing any further and causing complications.
After her successful surgery in 2018, my mother visited Dr. Yasmin Rashid, an expert oncologist at AKUH for postoperative care and a course of treatment for the future. To our relief, both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were ruled out due to her early stage diagnosis. She only needed to be prescribed some daily medication for her treatment.
My mother is now thankfully, well on the road to recovery and living a happy and fulfilled life. To this day, I’m grateful to have been a part of the Breast Cancer Screening Awareness campaign at AKUH, which enabled me to be well informed enough to register my mother for breast screening. It was the awareness raised through that platform that most certainly played a part in saving her life from cancer.
