Pinay in UAE survives stage 3 cancer, now leads advocacy campaign

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A stage 3 breast cancer patient told by a doctor to just go home and wait for her time has miraculously survived in just 10 months and is now actively leading awareness campaigns.

Dr. Sharon Mendoza-Dreisbach, assistant professor at Skyline University College in Sharjah, UAE, was devastated upon learning she has the Big C in October 2015, but was even more fuming than frightened upon hearing her doctor’s advice.

“The surgeon told me, ‘Go back to the Philippines and spend your remaining time with your family.’ Instead of being scared about what she said, I got so furious that she handed me a death sentence,” Dreisbach told GMA News Online.

“I confronted her and told her, ‘You are not God to tell me I am dying. I only underwent mammogram and breast ultrasound not even a biopsy. You cannot convince me that I am dying.’”

She sought a second opinion at a hospital in Al Ain, again underwent mammogram, a breast ultrasound, plus this time, a biopsy. “Ten days later, the biopsy result came out and it was, indeed, stage 3-breast cancer,” said Dreisbach, who hails from General Santos City.

But as her insurance was not accepted at the hospital, Dreisbach was referred to another one in Abu Dhabi, where she went through more lab tests and an MRI. The results likewise confirmed a stage 3 breast cancer.

Dreisbach, who arrived in Dubai in July 2006, had a mastectomy in December 2015. As her insurance coverage has already been maxed out by then, the Dar Al Ber Society, an Islamic charity in UAE, paid for her chemotherapy. 

“The academia, where I was working at, also extended financial support. After my chemotherapy, I underwent radiation treatment for a month. After radiation, I did the PET scan, and in August of 2016, just 10 months from when I was diagnosed, my oncologist and surgeon were so happy to inform me that I finally was cancer-free,” said Dreisbach, who holds a doctorate degree in management major in Human Resource Management from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University.
    
Dreisbach, who said she also grew up in a hostile domestic environment that had subjected her to abuse, stressed she won her battle against cancer because “I never questioned nor complained to our Almighty Creator why He had given me  this disease.
 
“Instead, I asked Him in my prayers, to tell me His message. Day by day, He spoke to me by using my profession in inculcating values to my students and to be the voice of those suffering silently in cancer and domestic violence.” 

Dreisbach said the most important lesson in healing is not only the physical aspect but psychologically, emotionally and spiritually as well. 

“My advice for cancer patients is to be courageous to accept the reality. Never question our Almighty Creator. But instead seek His guidance to understand His message. Never doubt that you will not win your battle against cancer. Hold on to your faith, and God will make it easier for you. Be an inspiration to others by being authentic to yourself. Humble down by doing self-forgiveness, self-compassion, self-care and self-love,” said Dreisbach.

She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her advocacy.

There are many cancer support groups in the UAE like Majlis Al Amal, The Blessed, Friends of Cancer Patients, Filipino Cancer Warriors and Shades of Pink Society, among others.

There are approximately 1,100 new cancer cases diagnosed among Filipinos in the UAE every year, according to Dr. Mohanad Diab, medical oncology consultant who has been in the country for the past 10 years.

Approximately 250 of this number, he said, were new breast cancer cases diagnosed also annually, and most of which were documented in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi.

The most common types of cancers recorded among Filipinos in the UAE are breast cancer, being the top one, followed by cervical cancer, colon and lung cancer, according to the specialist.

There are four cancer stages. Stages 2 and 3 mean the cancer has become larger and has grown into nearby tissues or lymph nodes. Stage 4 means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. —KBK, GMA Integrated News