“Cancer awareness is always important…this is not a seasonal thing. The more we raise awareness the more people will want to get checked out and who knows we might be able to stop more cases…”By Sharmain GraingerRaising awareness about cancer, a disease that has had alarming fatal outcomes the world over, is notOncology Nurse,Sister Singhsomething that can be put on hold; not even for the holiday season.Fifty-two-year-old Rajkumarie Narine embraces this notion wholeheartedly.? But she didn’t always feel this way. Things however changed about a year ago.In fact it was around the Christmas season of last year that something strange started happening to her.The mother of five and grandmother of 12, recalled an incident which she’d only later realised was an alert to something that would turn out to be one of the most traumatic experiences of her life.It was in the month of December, and of course preparation for Christmas Day was in full swing. Narine, who resides at 27 Best Village, West Coast Demerara, had however taken some time out to play with one of her young grandsons. During their playful exchange, she recalled that her grandson’s little elbow connected to her right side breast. It ached for a bit but the pain soon subsided.It didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary. But a few days later the very breast that ached for just a bit had a painful lump. The days went by and the lump kept increasing in size, Narine recounted.“I say man is just a lump and was probably because this child accidentally hit me and it swell,” she noted. But the lump would increase in size throughout the Christmas holiday.By the beginning of this year, the lump had reached worrying proportions.Even her family members were ready to rush Narine to see the doctor. She did not protest and before long was gaining medical attention at the closest hospital – the West Demerara Regional Hospital.It was clear that the medical workers who attended to her at the regional hospital were suspicious that Narine was the victim of a very dreaded non-communicable disease.? They however did not want to be the bearer of bad news and before long she was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The prognosis was definitely not good.Rajkumarie Narine (with hat) in the company of her daughter-in-law Vannie and grandson Naresh at the GPHC on Friday.Several examinations including a biopsy later, at both public and private hospitals, Narine was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.? This meant that the cancer was at an advanced stage where it had spread throughout the breast.This was all new to Narine. She, up to this point of her life,Cheap Jerseys China, hadn’t even given cancer a thought. She wasn’t aware of anyone in her family who’d suffered from the disease, and so she certainly didn’t expect to be subjected to its brutal effects. “I didn’t know about cancer, but I know it was something to worry about. I was stressed out and scared, and my pressure went right up,” she related.Her family was right there with her and, according to Narine, “there is nothing like your family being there for you. One of my sons he made soup for me every day…they wanted me to fight this thing.” And it was just this she did.Narine was required to undergo surgery on May 20, last, and has since undergone two bouts of chemotherapy at the GPHC’s Oncology Unit.Chemotherapy is a standardized cancer treatment regimen that uses chemical substances containing anti-cancer drugs.On Friday, Narine, in the company of her daughter-in-law,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, Vannie, and grandson Naresh, was calmly seated in the waiting area at the GPHC. She was there to see the doctor. She will shortly have to undergo a third bout of chemotherapy, but has mixed emotions about this.Her reason for this, however, is justifiable.As she attempted to find a comfortable position on the hard bench in the waiting area, she reminisced how great she felt after undergoing the first bout of chemotherapy. The second round was the complete opposite.“After the second one I felt so sick…I couldn’t do too much. I would start cooking and just have to stop and go and lie down. It was nothing like the first time and I’m never sick, so I know it was the chemo making me sick,” she admitted.She has been accessing all of her chemotherapy treatment, as directed by the Oncology doctor she sees at the GPHC, free of cost. And according to her, “for a free service the care here has been good. I have absolutely no complaints. I am satisfied with the treatment and I am so happy that we have such a good service available right here.”She has however not only been spreading the word about the service offered at the GPHC, but she is keen on informing people, especially women, that they should never take their bodies for granted. “This thing can be really painful and I can tell people, i