At age 49, Sarita Rampersad had to make a tough choice – a chance to live or to lose her left breast. She chose life.
The Diego Martin resident was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2020 and did a mastectomy. HER2-positive is a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein that promotes the growth of cancer cells. And although there is no indication that the cancer has or will develop in her right breast, she has decided to remove the right breast, with no reconstruction.
“I’m taking in front. The risk increases in the other breast if you’ve had it in one. I’ve decided not to do reconstruction and stay flat.”
Rampersad's fight with cancer began with a nagging pain under her left arm that felt like a pulled muscle. It went on for two weeks before she decided to see a doctor.
[caption id="attachment_918697" align="alignnone" width="720"] Sarita Rampersad was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in September 2020. -[/caption]
“I had no other symptoms, but the pain was so bad I went to see a doctor.” She was sent to do an ultrasound and the next day a mammogram, raising red flags for her.
“I knew there was a problem because they wanted it done right away.”
Shortly after she was then sent to do a full-body CT scan, followed by an MRI.
“The CT scan showed an area of suspicion on the lining of my brain, but thankfully the MRI showed that it was clear. The cancer had not spread.”
Following her diagnosis, Rampersad, going through the experience amid the covid19 pandemic, was prepared for the worst.
“The funny thing is I didn’t even feel sick at all. I didn’t know how cancer kills you, if you will shut down and not power back up. For first two weeks I went through with the tests and tried to figure out a plan of action, but I felt like a ticking time bomb. I didn’t know if I was going to make it to Christmas. I was horrified and depressed, not sure if every sunrise was my last. And to make matters worse, covid felt like it was stealing my time, preventing me from doing what I wanted to do. I was googling cancers like a mad woman, with no direction. Looking back now, I realise how unhealthy it was.”
It was only when she had a clear picture of the type of cancer and what her treatment options were was she able to do proper research and come up with a plan of action. She was scheduled to start six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy a month and a half later to shrink the tumour as much as possible before surgery, and she decided she would go into it giving her body more than a fighting chance.
“I cleaned up my diet, ate only lean meat, lots of veggies and fruits. I cut out dairy and sugar. I ate like a champ! Anything good you could think of, I ate it. I had heard horror stories about chemo and I wanted to start healthy and to keep myself strong to withstand it.”
After the first cycle, she said, the lump felt softer and her doctors told her she was responding well to the treatment. By the time she was ready for surgery at the St James Medical Complex, the tumour had shrunk signific
