Breast cancer survivor Shahreen Othman was pregnant with her fourth child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Survivor Shahreen Hazaline Othman was 12 weeks pregnant with her fourth child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36.
Now 45, the former secondary school teacher from Johor says finding out she had cancer was devastating, “as if a bomb had been dropped on me”.
Shahreen had gone to see her gynaecologist when pregnant with her fourth child. At that time, she was still breastfeeding her third child.
“There were lumps in my breast and I thought it was due to blocked ducts. But my gynaecologist sent me for an ultrasound, and upon getting the results, referred me to a breast surgeon for a biopsy,” she recounts.
“They drew out the liquid and sent it to the lab for testing. And when the breast surgeon gave me the results, she was so careful as she didn’t want to upset a pregnant woman. She just said: ‘there’s something wrong with the liquid, we need to remove the lump, not now but at 16 weeks when the baby is fully formed,” she shares.
Shahreen with her son Muhammad Zhafran whom she was pregnant with when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Photo: Shahreen Othman“But I already knew. It was surreal, I felt like I was in a movie as I came out of the doctor’s office. I cried and cried uncontrollably. I had difficulty accepting the fact that I had cancer because I believed that if I breastfeed my kids, I wouldn’t get it. I’ve had four kids and breastfed three of them. Furthermore, I was healthy, ate properly and exercised regularly. I also don’t have a family history of breast cancer,” says Shahreen.
“Breast cancer can affect any woman – regardless of their background. People think it only affects those who aren’t healthy or who have a family history of breast cancer, but that’s not necessarily true,” she says.
The doctor referred Shahreen to a hospital counsellor who introduced her to a cancer survivor – an artist who was having an exhibition on ‘Life after cancer’ at the hospital.
“She was the first cancer survivor I’d ever met in my life. I asked her a lot of questions and she told me that cancer isn’t a punishment and it’s not because I did something wrong. And that I can make good come out of it,” says Shahreen.
Meeting that survivor changed everything for her.
Support, she says, is very important, especially from those who’ve gone through similar experiences. And so, she decided to become an advocate and educate the public on breast cancer.
“Many women get breast cancer but rarely while they’re pregnant.
“And, most don’t know we can go for cancer surgery and treatment while pregnant because in the 16th week (fourth month) of pregnancy, the baby is already fully formed and won’t be affected. I’m living proof that it’s possible and I gave birth to a healthy baby boy who’s now eight years old – my son Muhammad Zhafran Muhamad Shukor,” she beams happily.
The journey
Shahreen accompanied by her husband Muhamad Shukor Jab during the BCWA's Pink Power Bowling event. Photo: Shahreen OthmanShahreen says she just “did whatever needed to be done to get rid of the cancer”.
“I wasn’t worried it would affect my pregnancy because I trusted my doctor. She sees hundreds of patients so she should know what to do.
“The lump was removed, then I had to go for treatment. The doctor informed me there’s medication suitable for pregnant women where the molecules are bigger so it won’t penetrate the placenta,” she says.
Shahreen recalls with amusement her doctor’s incredulous response when she asked if she could give birth normally: ‘Of course, it’s not connected – one is the upper part, the other is the lower part. But you just can’t breastfeed.’
She did six rounds of chemo while pregnant. The first time, they admitted her for observation to be on the safe side. By the third day, Shahreen who is a housewife and helps her husband Muhamad Shukor Jab part-time with his business as a unit trust consultant, had already returned to work.
Two weeks after she gave birth, she went for a PET scan and had to be away from her baby because of the radiation.
Then she had to do another four rounds of chemo with a different medication. There were different side effects from the first (nausea, hair loss, nails turning black) and second (body aches, tiredness) treatments. After that, she had 50 cycles of radiotherapy.
Shahreen’s prolonged treatment lasted until 2015.
Strong support
Shahreen says her husband was her strength and support during her breast cancer journey. Photo: Shahreen OthmanShahreen says that her husband, who is disabled from an accident when young, has helped her a lot in terms of managing her emotions.
“He’s very understanding. I learnt how to be a good caregiver from him. He was calm and handled everything for me.”
“Also, when you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you’ll be bombarded with tips and advice from all sides. It can be very daunting because while people may be well-meaning, some advice is neither valid nor helpful.
“But I didn’t take any advice from anyone except my doctor.”
Shahreen advises survivors to “clear your head, get support, don’t simply follow any suggestions from people or believe everything you read from unverified sources, but trust your doctor”.
But she does recommend that survivors get support from NGOs such as Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA).
“BCWA showed me you can still enjoy their life after cancer. They offer many activities for survivors such as bowling, dragon boat racing, singing, and sewing (prosthesis). Some of these help to reduce lymphoedema which often happens to breast cancer patients.
“Survivors can volunteer to support other survivors and training is provided. They learn how to do hospital visits, teach the public how to do breast self-checks, and more.”
Shahreen also joined a bunch of survivors to hike Mount Kinabalu in 2017.
“I’ve done a lot of things that I’ve never done before I had breast cancer,” she says.
