ITW n°106: Sophie - ex K fighter (K du Sein).
Hello,
today Sophie, 27 years old, bubbly, determined, super warrior, gives us her fight against breast K, from which she has been in remission for 1 year! yeah!
With the tone of a natural young woman, she recounts without taboo, and in a 100% uninhibited tone, the fight of her life, known too early like many of you/us. "I don't believe that we are supposed to be confronted with our own mortality at 25", clairvoyant, sincere, it is also the story of a young woman, for whom coquetry, dignity was a driving force, to taunt this reality, far from being futile... beautiful testimony
Great discovery.
Let's get started:
Who are you ?
First name: Sophie
Age: 27
Profession: Deputy Director
Where do you live: in Languedoc Roussillon
Why do you agree to share your story today?
A meeting made me realize that sharing was important, people question themselves and often their curiosity pushes me into personal questioning. The same question never brings the same answer... Each time I glimpse a new aspect of my illness. In this way, it is interesting for me to share my story today.
What are your qualities (in a few words)?
I make fun of everything, I always manage to find THE amusing side of each situation, even when for others, there is none. Then I think I can say that I am a tireless fighter…
What are your passions (in a few words)?
Today sport and new cooking methods… Tomorrow…
What K (what cancer - grade if you wish / stage ditto):
Ductal cancer of the left breast, stage 2, grade 3
When was it discovered? How old were you ?
24 years
Under what circumstances was it discovered?
As is often the case, I let this little “ball” in my breast take up too much space through negligence…
If you are currently undergoing treatment, or in remission (for how long?)
I have been in remission since May 12, 2016
Can you summarize your (K fighter) story for us ?
In the shower, I felt this little lump in my breast. Whether you're 7 or 24, the first instinct is always to call your mom in a complete panic. On his advice I went to see the attending physician, who was not at all alarmed, but referred me to a radiologist. This one looked down on me and ridiculed my request, specifying that it was impossible for this nodule to be a tumor. 7 months later, I was diagnosed with infiltrating ductal cancer which was just waiting to progress to stage 3…
What treatment did you have?
chemo: 9 sessions of chemo, four of FEC 100 and 5 of taxotere
radiotherapy: 35 radiotherapy sessions
One operation every four months since September 2014. (PAC, Axillary, Left mastectomy, lipomodeling, Prophylactic mastectomy, Expander placement, etc.)
What tips directly related to K do you want to share?
(your feeling with the doctor, your good treatment organization plans, anything that seems useful to you ;))?
Homeopathy… We are not systematically offered it when we start treatments, yet I think it was my best health support for two years!
1/ chemo: (ex: your tips, the helmet, your affinities with nurses):
I wouldn't say that I didn't have a bad experience with chemo, but I had such a bad experience with the rays afterwards that they remain a less difficult memory!
How did you live the day before, the same day, the days after chemo?
and what were your tips?
The night before chemo, I ate at a fast food restaurant, it was ritual! I knew I wouldn't eat again for three days.
The days of chemo are all linked to a more or less funny memory. I have a best friend and a wonderful mother who took time out for each day of chemo, and used a thousand techniques to help me get through this day.
The three days after chemistry, I couldn't eat, I forced myself to get out of bed and try some activities (I'm not the type to give up easily! No but oh!), and on the evening of the third day, my mother took me my favorite dish home, always the same ritual for 9 sessions.
2/ hospital: (e.g. contact with nurses / doc / caregivers):
the hospital is the obligatory and annoying step for me. I haven't set foot in it yet and I can't wait to get out, I'm a very bad patient!
3/ “parallel” medicine, if you have done it (what disciplines, what were their benefits):
Homeopathy! Like many patients who undergo treatment, I avoided complementary allopathy as much as possible!
What did you do to clear your mind/clear your head (before chemo, surgery & co)?
This answer would surely annoy my mother who was very worried at the time, but I would say... Partying with my friends, without consequences!
What practical “well-being/beauty” tips can you advise us?
1/ beauty: your essential products (e.g.: creams, varnishes, scars, oils, etc.)
Use quality, pharmacy and organic products! Our body is already so damaged by all these treatments, there is no need to add more!
2/ look, (e.g. your favorite chemo, hospital, every day look to feel good):
Very high heels! I carried through all my chemo, I was compensating for a feeling of lack of femininity I would say! Each time I arrived at the chemo department, the nurses were waiting to see my new pair of shoes!
3/ daily (e.g. sport, food & co, meditation, reading, etc.)
I continued to run as much as possible during the treatments
4/ hair problem (eg: did you wear a wig, scarves, hats)
Hair… During my diagnostic appointment, it was when I talked about their inevitable loss that I collapsed. Everyone around me chipped in to give me THE luxury wig! The one made of real hair on which you can use the straightening plates and all that! This is a very difficult stage for a young woman. But it's not the worst.
Were you concerned about the views of others, were you afraid that their views would change? What did you do to counter it?
Absolutely concerned! Throughout my fight I always came out "dressed to the nines", I had no right to make mistakes, it was important not to let anyone see that I was ill, and above all so that we could pass off a mistake in appearance, or letting it go to the account of illness…
What are the “nugget”/footed phrases (that you remember) that someone said to you during K and that you could have avoided?
One day, just after the New Year, a lady entered the chemo room cheerfully shouting “Happy New Year and good health!”, this remark which I found inappropriate amused me a lot!
And another time, a lady older than me, whom I did not know, who had not realized my illness, and with whom I was having a discussion during a meal with friends, told me that "when 'we lose our health, we lose everything', faced with my disagreement, she ended the conversation by telling me that at my age we couldn't understand that, and that I would understand the importance of being in good health. health as you age! If only I had been so lucky!
How did your loved ones support you?
They saved me. Clearly, their availability and attention made his two years of treatment and intervention a great awakening for me. My mother and my darling especially carried me at arm's length for many months.
And what advice could you give to loved ones who accompany a K fighter?
Don't try to understand us, we are not on the same side of the fence. Just be there, wipe away the tears and the broken bones. We are ungrateful in the moment but we see each of your loving gestures.
Did you find out about K on the internet?
Absolutely not …
What has the K changed in your life...?
(for example: your vision of the world, your priorities, your essentials, refocusing those around you, in your work, your philosophy..?)
Has it changed me... I don't think you're supposed to be faced with your own mortality at 25. I would say that now I only do what I want to do. My time is too precious to be wasted on uninteresting or self-imposed careers. If I had lost control, today it was given back to me and I intend to no longer bother with the trivialities of everyday life...
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Thank you Sophie, for this very valuable testimony.
You can leave comments below.
If like her, you want to tell your story, your projects and share your tips, go here , send me your questionnaire and 1 photo of yourself so that I can draw you ;) to: interview@mister-k-fighting-kit.com
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NEVER GIVE UP!!
Charlotte
