F E AT U R E 專 題 故 事
Although the first round of chemotherapy had slowed the growth rate of the remaining lumps in her armpits, the cancer was still in her lymph nodes. Doris prepared for a second round of chemo, this time with four injections of Adriamycin Cytoxan at two-to three-week intervals. She finished last April, followed almost immediately by 25 sessions of radiotherapy throughout May. “I was really worried that I’d be isolated,” she recalls. “I love interacting with people, talking to others. But I couldn’t go out much because it was too dangerous [due to the risk of infection]. It felt like a prison.” Doris found a healthy outlet through Facebook. She started documenting her journey on the platform, sharing informative, honest and often humorous posts. “No one really talks about breast cancer in depth... the best diet, surgery options, dialogues with doctors, insurance... I feel like I’m sharing something useful with others.” It resonated. Her “bald is beautiful” campaign, for example, garnered more than 200,000 views. While Doris found a productive way to channel her pentup energy, she crept closer to the finish line. In July 2018, she embarked on the last step in her treatment programme: oral chemotherapy. She took eight cycles in total – one every three weeks. It has been her most difficult treatment yet. “[The oral chemo] has been really hard for me. I developed hand-foot-syndrome [a side effect of chemo], so my feet are really red, dry and swollen,” she says, pulling down her sock to reveal a patch of flaky skin, so red it looks as if it’d be hot to touch. “Sometimes, I can’t go out without a walker to support me, because my feet hurt so much.” In February, Doris started her last round of oral chemo. And as her treatment comes to a close, she’s been reflecting on her journey. “I think it’s very meaningful to talk about my change,” says Doris. “I didn’t know how to stop before, but now I understand what’s really important.” To that end, she’s made a series of pivotal shifts in her lifestyle. Now, she follows a plant-heavy diet, eats less meat, eschews dairy (research shows that foods containing hormones, like dairy, are considered a cancer risk), tries to get at least eight hours of sleep per night, and has drastically reduced the amount of stress in her life. 60
ARIANA 2019
已進入第三期，左邊乳房中有個九厘米闊的腫瘤，更 有數塊腫塊在她的左邊腋下。 因為Doris早前已自行購買了優質的健康保險，一 個乳癌姊妹鼓勵她盡快安排私家腫瘤科醫生做化療， 否則在公立醫院要排期最長六星期。她聽從了建議，但 她要為此做另一個艱難的決定：辭去在鑽的的職務。她 說：「我知道我要專注於治療上，我知道我要學會放 下。」 這時，Doris找到了一位代理行政總裁，在她接受治療 的時候打點公司事務。腫瘤科醫生開了六次泰素和卡鉑針 劑（局部乳癌的常見化療療程），旨在使腫瘤在三個月內 縮小，便於切除。 Doris說道：「我當時真的很幸運，使用一次劑量 後，我的乳頭就回彈了，乳房也變軟了，而且沒有出現 很多副作用，只是皮膚出了一些會發癢的疹子。」
“Bald is beautiful.” 「光頭就是美麗。」 – Doris Leung
