Hala, Egypt

My journey began with a persistent shortness of breath and a constant cough. This went on for seven years; I saw many doctors, but none could figure out what was wrong with me.

Everything changed when I noticed blood and discharge from my breast. I reached out to Baheya Foundation, and fortunately, they scheduled me for an exam that same week. Within a month, I had completed all the necessary tests and received the diagnosis: I had a malignant breast tumor.

My treatment plan started with hormone therapy, followed by a mastectomy, and then oral chemotherapy. Later, doctors discovered I also had lung cancer and found that the chemotherapy was no longer effective for my condition.

Today, I am still undergoing treatment while simultaneously taking care of my home, my children, and even my grandchildren. I work in a cafeteria preparing food because I am the sole provider for my family. My husband has been elderly and ill for 12 years, so the financial responsibility falls entirely on me. Despite the exhaustion from the treatment, I have always been able to work; I feel that God gives me the strength to keep going.

I raised my siblings because I am the eldest and our parents passed away. However, after I got sick, they began to distance themselves and refused to interact with me, believing my illness was contagious. I can understand their fear; they aren't educated, and in the rural area where we live, there is often a lack of awareness about the disease. Even so, I still call them and check on them—at the end of the day, they are my siblings.

Now that I have recovered, they have started talking to me again, though they keep their distance and refuse any physical contact.

To every cancer fighter, I want to say: accept God’s will and stay strong. Endure the difficult journey of treatment, because it will pass. This illness is a test from God—a test of our endurance and our faith in what is written for us.