'Recovery was like a rebirth'

MY HEALTH EXPERIENCE:Sara Almarez decided early on that cancer wasn't going to defeat her spirit – she learned to be happy, even with her problems. She talks to MICHELLE MCDONAGH

I WAS DIAGNOSED with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September 2006 when I was 26 years old. I am from Spain and had been living in Galway since I was 21. I had been studying engineering and Spanish in college and was teaching Spanish as a language assistant.

During the summer break that year, I went to India to learn yoga and came back with a very swollen neck. I thought it was a muscle as a result of the yoga but, when I went for a massage, I was told it was a lymph node that was swollen.

I went to the doctor and was sent for a biopsy. I didn’t believe it when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. I thought this couldn’t be happening to me. I had never heard of Hodgkin’s. To me, cancer was the “C-word”. I couldn’t even say it.

I went to the cinema the night I was diagnosed. I was fine during the film but at the end I started to think about another person I had met who had cancer and died within three months of diagnosis. At that moment, I believed I was dying. My heart started pounding, I was sweating and my cheeks were really red.

I went to stay at a friend's house that night because I didn't want to be alone. She gave me the book Mind Over Mood,and when I read the symptoms of a panic attack, I realised that was what had happened to me. I wasn't dying and panic attacks are quite common after a cancer diagnosis.

My family in Spain didn’t even know I was going for the biopsy so telling them was very difficult. I got the diagnosis on a Friday and called them that evening and tried to break the news gently by telling them about the biopsy. On the Monday, I rang again and told my mother that I had cancer and my doctor had told me the only way to cure it was with chemotherapy.

All my mother could focus on was the word “cancer”, but I was calmer after that. My mother had depression for many years and I told myself I already had cancer, I had to fight against it and I couldn’t get depression as well.

I had learnt how to live happily without any problems in my life in India and about the power of the mind. My challenge now was to learn how to live happily with problems and I wanted to prove I could do this, even with cancer.

I went home to my family in Spain while I was having the six months of chemo. The first day, I was really scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen, but after that I was fine. It wasn’t that bad, at least not my experience of it. I might feel bad for two or three days, but I would get better then. I started losing energy, but it was very gradual.

It is scary when you start losing your hair, but it’s all part of the process of getting better. I lost nearly all my hair. I had loads to start with, so I started cutting it. I still had patches of hair. I never wore a wig.

I found it very annoying when people said to me “you’re so young to have cancer”. I was still a person, I hated when people felt sorry for me.

I was still me. I wanted people to still talk to me as me and tell me jokes. I had to joke myself so people would relax around me.

I had my last chemo session on my 27th birthday; it was like my rebirth. Once I had a scan to confirm that everything was fine after the chemo and my catheter was removed, I booked a plane ticket back to Ireland. I didn’t even wait to get my stitches out. I really wanted to be in Ireland; my life is here and so are my friends.

After being sick, I wanted to learn more about the body and how it worked. I studied a self-massage technique called Yamuna Body Rolling which I found really good when I was sick. I wanted a life with no stress after being sick, it was like a wake-up call for me. Life is for living, not for being stressed and running around like a headless chicken.

I am now a qualified teacher in Yamuna Body Rolling and I’ve learned so much about nutrition and stress-relief techniques. I hope to start working on a self-employed basis in this area.

There were days when I found it very hard to be positive during my sickness, but when I did my breathing exercises I became positive again. What really helped me was going out for walks every day in the forest and being in nature. I found it really helpful and relaxing to see how beautiful nature was. It takes you out of the “poor me, I’m sick” negative pattern.

If I find out I’m dying tomorrow, I will choose not to be sad and crying, I choose to laugh. After being sick and recovering, it came naturally to me to try to help others. I went to Cancer Care West with the idea of setting up a support group for other young people with cancer to share their experiences and concerns.

I realise that not everybody can be so positive and I want to try to help them to see another perspective. It’s okay to feel negative about your illness as well, there’s no point in feeling guilty about that but you can’t let the negativity take over. Acceptance is the main thing, accepting where you are.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. Lymphomas are divided into two groups – Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Lymphoma cells generally grow in lymph nodes (glands) and make them enlarge. Hodgkin’s lymphoma often begins in the lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or chest. Sometimes the cancer may spread to other lymph nodes nearby or cells may enter the bloodstream and be carried to other organs.

The treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, even when it has spread from the original site, is usually very successful. Most people can be cured, or their disease controlled for many years.

The Young People’s Support Group, for people aged 18-35, held its first meeting at Cancer Care West on November 4th at 5pm, and will take place on the first Wednesday of every month. Contact the Cancer Support Centre at 72 Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, Galway at 091-540040 or visit www.cancercarewest.ie.