Oncology nurse Laura Da Silva was struck by breast cancer a few years ago. A difficult life test that she knew how to turn into a strength in her personal and professional life.
Ten years ago, Laura Da Silva was only 41 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A shock for this professional nurse who “did not think she would one day be affected by this disease”. And yet, during a self-examination in the shower, she feels a lump in her breast. “I said to myself, we’re going to wait another month. But the ball was still there. She then consults a doctor who orders a mammogram. “I was told to wait because they thought it was a cyst. Unfortunately, the cancerous tumor grew quickly. I had stage 4 triple negative cancer,” she recalls.
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An announcement that she experiences as a real upheaval, like her entire family. “My children were very young. They were six, ten and twelve years old. I was the one who told them the bad news. Since I was a nurse, I knew exactly how I should talk to them about it. I did it in an open, honest and age-appropriate way.” Upset, his three children all react in a different way. “I remember the oldest telling me that I was going to lose my hair, but that it would quickly grow back afterwards. The littlest was wondering who was going to take her to the ballet. And the second asked me if I was going to die,” says Laura Da Silva, moved. “I never hid anything from them and I explained that I had a team and treatments that will allow mom to heal,” she confides.
I know even more what’s happening on the other side
So, as quickly as possible, she began the first treatments, very heavy chemotherapy. “As a nurse, I knew that you could have significant side effects. And that’s what I got. I went into anaphylactic shock. For the first time, I told myself that I could die.” Long before this new ordeal, Laura Da Silva had already thought about her possible disappearance. She then wrote several letters for her children, at every moment of their lives. “I threw them all away, five years later.”
A new chapter in his life
Ten years have passed since Laura Da Silva was diagnosed with cancer. Today, the fifty-year-old, smiling and positive, says she is “fine”. A difficult life test which also taught him several life lessons. Hope, on the one hand. But also to review your life priorities. This is precisely what the oncology nurse did. After her fight against cancer, she decided to train in support and advice for women affected by cancer.
Today, she has developed a company, at home in Bridel, where she welcomes sick women, but not only. For women affected by breast cancer, the fifty-year-old performs paramedical tattoos for breast reconstruction and scar camouflage. “It is an artistic tattoo technique which will allow the nipple or areola to be reconstructed. This is the final point towards healing. From there, the former patient will be able to begin a new chapter. And often she says to me: « I’m complete again« .»
Laura Da Silva also supports women affected by cancer through image consulting. With the effects of chemotherapy, loss of hair and eyebrows, the patient’s confidence and self-esteem can quickly deteriorate. “JHe gives them advice on eyebrow makeup and wigs (…). It’s a way of reconciling with yourself and your body. But also to say that femininity and beauty do not come from hair or breasts, but from who we are inside. And that even if our face reflects an illness, we are still a woman, a wife, a mother,” confides the nurse.
Laura Da Silva also shares these tips on her blog dedicated to cancer, but also on social networks. “We need to raise awareness and remove taboos. Social media is a great way to do this. We reach a lot of people and not necessarily just young people.”
Today, Laura Da Silva continues her path by combining her multiple passions. At the hospital, she always meets women who have also been affected by breast cancer. “Being faced with this ordeal has somewhat changed my vision of the nursing profession. I have always been close to patients. But having also experienced the illness, I know even more what happens on the other side.”
Under chemo, she will parade to support the cause of breast cancer
Marcia, 60, will participate in a fashion show for the first time this Thursday. A challenge for this retiree who started a new chemotherapy treatment a few weeks ago.
“I was told about my second cancer when I retired,” confides Marcia. It has been eleven years since the Luxembourger left the hellish sphere of treatments and the fight against breast cancer. Eleven years ago, she faced aggressive breast cancer. After several months of chemotherapy, she managed to get through it.
But four months ago, during an MRI check, doctors detected “hypofixation” in his left lung. A massive blow for the sixty-year-old, who did not expect to return to the hell of chemotherapy. “I finished my fourth chemo a few days ago. I have a very tough immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. Because, unfortunately, I have metastases.”
Despite this second ordeal facing illness, the Luxembourger does not want to lose hope. “Apparently the treatments are working very well and I have very good results. Even though I am very tired, I always remain positive. It is necessary, I think, to heal.”
A parade for cancer prevention
Still under the effects of chemotherapy, Marcia still decided to take part in a fashion show which is taking place today at the Aquasud aquatic complex in Differdange. “This is a first for me. I think designers will have a hard time finding something for me, because I have a very small size,” she smiles. For the Luxembourger, this parade represents above all a challenge and a way of paying tribute to women victims of cancer.
With or without a scarf, she will parade on the podium feeling proud of herself. “Femininity is not just about hair that will grow back after cancer anyway.” A strong gesture for the sixty-year-old who has not always come to terms with her hair loss. Indeed, during her first cancer, Marcia refused to take off her scarf in front of her children. “They didn’t want to see me without hair. I understand them completely, because they were very young.
