Woman, 33, Learns of Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis From an AI Chatbot
Dace, a 33-year-old mother of a five-year-old in Latvia, has been diagnosed with first-stage breast cancer. Later this November, surgeons at Stradiņš Hospital's Breast Health Centre are due to remove both of her breasts.
Dace, 33, a mother of a five-year-old son, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease was found at the first stage, when it can be treated successfully. After many rounds of chemotherapy, she is scheduled for surgery at the Breast Health Centre of Stradiņš Hospital in Riga at the end of November, when both of her breasts will be removed. She shared her story in an interview published by the Latvian outlet Delfi, and its main message is to listen to your intuition and act without delay.
The decision to remove both breasts
From the outset, Dace told her doctor she wanted the tissue of both breasts removed during the operation, not only the one where the tumour was found. She says she thought the decision through carefully. She does not want to spend the rest of her life in constant fear, checking every change and worrying whether something suspicious has appeared in the other breast. She explains that she wants to protect herself as much as possible and does not want to go through all of it again.
Doctor Pēteris Loža initially told Dace that such radical decisions should not be made immediately and that all tests and analysis results should be awaited first. It is now known that both breasts will be removed during the operation.
What the surgery involves
The planned procedure is a skin-sparing operation with immediate reconstruction, in which a plastic surgeon will also take part. Dace admits she first assumed it was a simple matter of removing tissue and inserting implants. After a consultation she understood the process is far more complicated.
The diagnosis divided her life into the time before and after, but early detection gives hope for successful treatment.
