In February 2007, 47-year-old Margaret Okello felt a lump on her breast after doing press-ups as part of her weight loss plan. The lump was hard, but not painful. It was small and protruded. It bothered me. She hoped it would go away.

I had a mammography a week after discovering the lump. The results showed another tiny one developing. A biopsy test revealed three cancerous lumps.

My world felt like it was falling apart. Cancer is a disease you think you cannot suffer from. I wondered where to get treatment. Leaving the country meant separation from my husband and children. I opted to stay.

I was referred to the Mulago Cancer Institute where several tests were done on my heart and abdomen. I was scheduled for chemotherapy in March. The doctor informed me that the affected breast would have to be removed.

A physician friend advised me to do a bi-lateral mastectomy so that I would not have to worry about the cancer spreading to the other breast. I did not like the idea. It was bad enough having to live with one breast, but with none?

Every three weeks I went for chemotherapy. My first cycle was terrible. In just two weeks, all my hair had fallen off. I started wearing a wig. I was nauseous, vomited and lost appetite.

The drugs made me feel dizzy. It took me a week to stabilise. Just when I would start to feel normal, I would be due for the next cycle of chemotherapy.

My worst experience was with the second cycle. I thought I was going to die. My blood count was so low that I had to get a transfusion, which put me off balance. I was kept in hospital because I was anaemic. My nails were black, my tongue bled and I could not brush my teeth. My skin darkened and there was a heavy feeling in my mouth. Surprisingly, I never lost weight.

The effect of the drugs was so intense that to this day, I feel like the drugs are still in my system. One of the drug cocktails is red and that marked my loathing of anything red.

My family and friends were a great support. They helped me financially and emotionally. There are no cancer drugs at the hospital. One cycle (dose) of chemotherapy costs sh340,000 in pharmacies. Although my husband works up country, he was always there whenever I went for chemotherapy.

After the fourth cycle, more tests were done. In June, another mammogram test revealed two lumps in my left breast and one in the right breast. I was devastated.

I put the doctor to task to explain why the medicine did not seem to have worked. A quick decision to have a bi-lateral mastectomy was taken. All my hopes for getting better were shattered. I had become saved before I was diagnosed with cancer, so I only had my faith to fall back on.

My surgery was scheduled for July 5, 2008. A member from the organisation where I volunteer counselled me and my spirit was lifted. I went shopping for my family a day before the operation and even suggested that I walk to the theatre because I did not see why I should be wheeled in. I was discharged 10 days after my surgery.

There were moments when I felt like death was around the corner. At home, my family was always by my side. One month after surgery, I resumed the chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions for five weeks.

Being diagnosed with cancer changed my life. I no longer take life for granted. I have gotten over the fact that I had to have both my breasts removed. I use prostheses. I cannot spend time mourning about something I cannot change. The experience also made our family bond stronger. It was family support that gave me the courage to endure all I had to.

I still take tamoxifin, and have to continue taking it for five years. I was fortunate that by the time I felt the lump, the cancer was still in its first stages.

I have joined the international women’s fellowship to inform others about how deadly cancer is. Margaret, married with five children, volunteers with the Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organisation in Kamwokya.

Grace now volunteers for a cancer women’s support organisation.

This article has been used courtesy of New Vision (Uganda). See original article