DUBAI // About 18 months ago Josefina Abaya found a hard, painful lump in her breast.
She knew she had to see a doctor – but nothing could have prepared her for the journey ahead.
She has had to deal not only with the life-changing diagnosis of breast cancer — and consequently a mastectomy — but also a battle to pay for follow-up care that insurance does not cover.
It was in January last year that Ms Abaya, 52, who works as a saleswoman in a swimwear shop in Dubai to support her three children in the Philippines, felt a burning sensation in her breast.
“My boss had asked me to merchandise the shop the whole day,” she recalls. “It was hard work. I was up and down the ladders. My right breast was heavy and there was a burning there. It really hurt.”
When she carried out a self-examination, Ms Abaya found a hard lump. A biopsy later determined she had breast cancer, the second-biggest killer of women after cardiovascular disease.
Breast cancer has four stages of severity defined by the prevalence and size of the lymph nodes and tumours. Ms Abaya was told she had stage-three cancer.
“They told me they should remove my breast,” she says, “or it might spread to my lungs.”
“I was really shocked. I felt like I should have a second opinion,” Ms Abaya says.
She sought the advice of several specialists, but they all gave the same answer. “They said my breast had to be removed within three weeks.”
Ms Abaya had a mastectomy on February 9, 2013.
While the surgery has left her with scars, the post-operative treatment has also had a knock-on effect.
“All my hair was gone, all my nails got black and my tongue got black too,” she says. “I had no eyebrows. No eyelashes. All my hair was removed, because it was tough medicine.”
Ms Abaya’s basic health insurance covered the cost of her surgery, but she was left to foot the bill for specialist follow-up care at Dubai Hospital, which included four cycles of chemotherapy and chest-wall radiotherapy.
Her sister Maya Dulay, who also lived in Dubai, set up a fund-raising campaign selling T-shirts. But donations dried up and the money raised falls short of the remaining Dh16,000 needed for Ms Abaya’s last four chemotherapy sessions — the final phase of her treatment.
“I am asking the doctors — how am I after the surgery?” she says. “But they say I need all the treatment before they can tell.”
Without completing her treatment, Ms Abaya is also unable to have reconstructive surgery.
“We are asking for help to raise funds for my sister’s medication,” said Ms Dulay. “You could be an instrument of hope to our cause and help save my sister’s life.”
Ms Dulay said it was tough to see her sister post-surgery.
“I saw sadness in her eyes. It was one thing she could not hide from me. I knew that to have her breast removed was not easy for her and acceptance was also hard. Her three children and loving husband are the reason my sister kept fighting her condition. She never thought of giving up as an option.”
Stephanie Thessman, a New Zealand expatriate in Dubai and a long-time friend and customer of Ms Abaya, described her as a “wonderful, kind woman” and added her voice to the fund-raising plea.
“This has so far been an 18-month journey for Josefina. It is hard enough to have a cancer diagnosis, let alone worrying about how to pay for treatment. No one deserves this added worry and stress while going through such an emotional time.
“I am appealing to anyone who is able to donate, however small, to save this lovely woman’s life.”
To help, contact Maya Dulay on 050 149 9734 or email mayajaya_ph@yahoo.com.
jbell@thenational.ae
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Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Race card
4pm Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m
5.10pm Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections:
4pm Zabardast
4.35pm Ibn Malik
5.10pm Space Blues
5.45pm Kimbear
6.20pm Barney Roy
6.55pm Matterhorn
7.30pm Defoe
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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