Britta Bürgers had just become a mother when she lost her husband to cancer. Nine years later, she was also found to have a tumor. Here she tells how she coped with her life with breast cancer and how she managed not to lose heart.
CANCER DESTROYED MY YOUNG FAMILY
“I was confronted directly with cancer for the first time at the age of 27. My son was just six weeks old when my first husband was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away six months later. My husband played hockey and so the little bump in his thigh was initially mistaken for a harmless muscle hardening. However, he suffered from a sarcoma , which doctors initially wrongly diagnosed as a sports-related hematoma. Nine years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself. Again I found myself across from a doctor who could barely look me in the eye and could not tell me “anything specific”. “It doesn’t look good,” were his sobering words. “
DEFINITELY DON’T GIVE UP
“I was shocked, discouraged and scared, at first I didn’t know what to do next. But I didn’t want to give up and fight for my now two sons. I have always believed that everything in life somehow has its meaning. It is often the case that particularly severe crises show that something is not going well in life and offer the opportunity to change something. So there is a chance to grow from it. “
RADICAL CHOICES
“After various discussions with the attending physicians, it was clear that my chances of survival were not too high and so in the end I decided on the radical solution. It had to be done quickly because I didn’t have much time … And so I decided to amputate first one breast and then the other, as well as chemotherapy and radiation. As difficult as the decision was, it certainly saved my life and gave me the opportunity to go on living and to be there for my family. “
LIVING WITH BREAST CANCER AND THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
“While I was still in hospital, I began to understand that cancer isn’t just about physical factors. The psyche is of central importance. I started to think about whether I am happy in my life, what life is like for me and what fulfills me. I cut everything else out of my life. I moved to Spain with my family for two years, then moved to my adopted country and now work as a therapist, which fulfills me a lot more than my old office job. I also wrote a book in which I pass on my experiences and want to encourage and help other affected people and their families. I shape my life much more consciously and enjoy every day more intensely. “
BREAST CANCER NEEDS MORE ATTENTION
“I’ve been healthy for twenty years now. I am grateful that I saw cancer as a challenge back then and did not give up. It is very important to talk about your own experiences and to share them. In order to draw attention to the important topic of breast cancer, I will again take part in the breast cancer run run by the German Cancer Aid this year . It is a wonderful opportunity to give the disease more visibility and to support one another. “