About me
My name is Nakida.  I am 31 years old and was diagnosed at age 29.  I am a single mother to three children aged 12, 9, and 8.  I am of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage. While undergoing breast cancer treatment, I graduated from college with a diploma in esthetics, but I am unable to work as an esthetician because of my health.

My breast cancer story
It took almost a year for me to get my diagnosis, all the while my breast cancer was growing. When I first noticed an area of discolouration and thickening in my breast, I knew it was not normal. When I saw it worsening, I went to Emergency at my local hospital. The doctor gave me a script for antibiotics and told me it was likely a problem faced by women with large breasts.  I told the doctor I didn’t believe that, but was told to take the antibiotics and check back if not better.

After the antibiotics, I went to my local walk-in clinic and the doctor there wanted to refer me to a dermatologist. I said I didn’t think it was a dermatologist issue but I followed the advice. I waited for the referral and it was a couple of months before I got the dermatologist appointment. The dermatologist wanted to put me on medication but also wanted to check my white blood cell count. My count came back very high and the dermatologist did not know why.

I went back to the walk-in and the doctor referred me to a hematologist about the white blood count. The hematologist checked my blood for everything and gave me a chest x-ray. I was told the results were inconclusive and that I might just be a person with a high white blood cell count. I said I didn’t believe that.

I decided to try another walk-in clinic and the doctor there took one look and ordered a breast ultrasound. That ultrasound led to a mammogram and a biopsy within a month. I was diagnosed initially with Stage 3 breast cancer. After I went through chemo, further tests found I was Stage 4. My cancer had spread to my liver. I am getting treatment by infusion every 3 weeks.

It is very hard for me to find a job given the physical effects I am experiencing and the continued treatment every 3 weeks, which also takes a toll. I am not as mobile as I want to be. The work of an esthetician is hard physically with a lot of bending. I also can’t feel my fingertips properly due to neuropathy from chemotherapy, making it hard to work with my hands. I get tired very easily – by 3 pm my body shuts down with fatigue.

I do not have a lot of support. I faced my appointments and treatments alone. My community does not understand the severity of breast cancer and I mostly get support only if I am hospitalized. The attitude is often, “Oh, you’re fine.” I am grateful to the support worker at the PYNK Program for young women with breast cancer at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton.

I want other young women to know that you need to listen to your body. You know your body. You know who you are. Not all doctors are right or care.