Pregnancy
The fact that the cancer is only in her chest and armpit is only made clear by a pet scan a week after the birth of her son Otis. “That was unthinkable, that a week after you give birth to a child, you lie alone in a dark room with radioactive substances and then hear whether you can be treated or not. The production of breast milk was also combated with pills. I barely took care of Otis during that period, my family did. I was paralyzed, but luckily the results showed that the cancer had not spread any further.”
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After intense chemotherapy, immunotherapy, major surgery and hormone therapy, the cancer has now disappeared. “But I’m still alert. For the past five years I have lived very much in fear. I can never go back to those early days with my son. When I look at photos now, all I see is sadness. His first birthdays were also so difficult for me, because that marked the tipping point of our lives after which everything changed. That is of course very sad for such a child. I feel so guilty about that.”
Consequences
In the last year, Gertie has been doing better. “I am no longer dealing with it on a daily basis, with the cancer. But I still bear the consequences of it. I’m forty and I’m going through menopause and I’ve had both breasts removed. I have to learn to live with that too. And the cancer has put a lot of pressure on the family and the relationship with my partner. We are now receiving guidance from the Helen Dowling Institute, which specializes in psychological care after and with cancer.”
It has now been almost five years since Gertie’s breast cancer was discovered. Her son Otis is five and has grown into an independent boy. “With a spicy character. He really got that from his mother,” laughs Van Es. “Whether this has done anything to him as a person, I don’t know. He’s doing really well.”
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2023-06-30 06:12:21
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