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Mellons Bay icon dies Team McMillan, charity work his legacy Page 3
A NAME YOU CAN TRUST! Thursday, May 4, 2017
Vol 46, No 18
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Eva: My cancer hell By LAURA BROOKES
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he was 26 years old when the diagnosis came. It was February 11, 2013, and the words ‘triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma’ meant life was about to dramatically change for Eva Wong. Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common form of breast cancer, and at grade three, the tumour was already fast-growing. It was the beginning of an arduous battle. It was the kind of battle Eva never expected to face. With no family history in breast cancer, it was a shock to return from a camping trip and discover through self-examination the dull ache she had been experiencing
was due to a three centimetre lump in her breast. She booked an appointment with her doctor who initially thought it may have been an infection, because tumours are not often associated with pain, but after the tumour was picked up through an ultrasound, Eva was immediately referred to a breast surgeon. Two weeks later, she underwent a full mastectomy and TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis) flap reconstruction, which takes a portion of the underlying abdominal muscle to reconstruct the breast with the patient’s own tissue. Six rounds of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation fol-
lowed during a tumultuous time in Eva’s life that she says felt like being stuck on a moving train with no way to escape. “When it’s all happening, you really don’t get a chance to breathe,” she said. “It’s like being on a train with lots of stops and you can’t get off. You’ve just got to keep going and going through the motions until it’s over [but] I had faith in the surgeon, and my faith in God cemented everything. I trusted that it was all going to be okay.” Four years on, the Pakuranga resident is cancer-free, a devoted wife to husband Joshua and proud mother of 15-month-old son Joseph. When a patient goes through
chemotherapy, a couple is usually offered a free round of IVF treatment due to difficulties conceiving, but Eva and Joshua decided to try for a baby naturally. It wasn’t long after they got married in April 2015 the couple fell pregnant with a healthy baby boy. “Being able to have Joe first time round was a miracle,” she said, her statement filled with gratitude. She’s thankful for the support she had around her during her struggle with cancer – including her parents who flew up from Christchurch to be there during and after her surgery – and wants to see more awareness of the issue for young women. ➤ Turn to Page 11
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