“If I were to die tomorrow I would prefer to die laughing rather than crying”, a statement from a girl wise beyond her years.
Sara Almerez was diagnosed in September 2006 at the age of 26 with Hogdkins Lymphoma Disease. Sara’s initial reaction to this news was to awake with a panic attack the morning after her diagnosis. She thought that she was dying that very day until later she realised she had experienced a panic attack. At that point Sara understood the only difference between the day before and that day was that she now knew about her condition.
Sara decided to face the disease and treatment with a positive attitude, her comment being, “If I were to die tomorrow I would prefer to die laughing rather than crying. Why worry about it, I could get run over by a bus tomorrow. Nobody knows, so what is the point!”
Sara went through six months of chemotherapy treatment and throughout that she maintained a positive attitude.
“I used to get very angry with people sometimes. They made comments about my being so young and that it was awful to get cancer at a young age. I thought to myself, so what, what difference does it make? Maybe being young is a great thing, my body is stronger and I might have more of a chance to fight this!”
Sara does admit, however, that she had her low moments especially on her journey back to the real world, “I was used to being pampered and looked after and then suddenly I was thrown back into the real world. I thought, why am I queuing, I’ve had cancer? Until it dawned on me that everyone has their own stuff to deal with and I wasn’t unique”.
Sara will be participating in a new support group being established by Cancer Care West. This Young People’s Support Group, for people aged between 18 and 35, will begin on Wednesday November 4 at 5pm and will take place monthly thereafter.
Commenting on the group, Sara says, “My attitude is what saved me. A positive outlook is the only way to deal with cancer and I hope to share my positive approach with the members of the support group”.
Cancer Care West’s Cancer Support Centre provides an extensive programme of classes to help people and their families who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis. A support group for cancer patients who are over 35 years takes place on Tuesday mornings, and on Wednesday mornings the Cancer Support Centre holds a support group for carers and family members of people with cancer. Contact The Cancer Support Centre at 72 Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, Galway at 091 540040 for details or visit www.cancercarewest.ie
