Standing up to cancer

At 36, Ms Yvonne Boon will strike you as someone who is at the prime of her life. A financial life planner and a mother of three children, she has everything to look forward to. And, that’s what Yvonne has been telling herself since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Not one to be easily cowed, she has adopted a positive outlook towards life. Yvonne took only three days to overcome the initial shock when told of her illness. Cancer is not new to her as she was caring for her sister with has cancer, and they had already lost another sister to the disease.

Calmly and confidently, she got down to the business of living life the way she knew best. She continued to care for her family and work.

Accessing Advanced Therapies

Yvonne began battling her lst stage cancer with the help of her health insurance, which paid the $2000 needed for each of the 18 Herceptin doses she had to undergo since discovering her illness in February 2006. The treatment was prescribed after she underwent a mastectomy early in the year.

Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody treatment. It uses antibodies to bind to cancer cells in order to prevent cell growth and division. It is effective in about 25 to 30% of breast cancer patients who have HER2 (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) positive disease. The presence of HER2 can be confirmed by performing laboratory tests on the biopsy specimen.

Herceptin has been shown to prolong survival in breast cancer patients when used in combination with chemotherapy. Unlike chemotherapy, immunotherapy is more specifically targeted at the cancer cells. Thus Yvonne does not experience side effects.

Yvonne is coping well with the everyday stress and frustrations of the effects of her illness. In her journey through cancer, she was rewarded with several profound insights regarding life.

Despite the overcast cloud on her health, she has a new respect for the sanctity of life. She believes that her illness will serve a higher purpose in the greater scheme of life.

“Everything happens for a purpose. If we live fully, living once is enough,” said Yvonne, who has been helping other patients make sense of their cancer.