Lina el-sharif, is a 31-year-old, working mother of a 2-year-old boy from Palestine. Sharif was diagnosed with Breast Cancer last year. She talks to us about how her experience was beautiful, because it was a journey that allowed her to discover her internal strength. She explains to us that her sharing her story isn’t about fear, but a story of determination, passion, faith, and love of life. On Valentine’s Day last year, Sharif went on a date with her loving husband, got dressed, had a romantic dinner, and as a treat, we went on a couple massage; life was so beautiful. During her massage she felt something strange, “I felt a tiny lump, smaller just as small as the top of a pencil’s eraser or more specifically, the size of a lentil.” She says and goes telling us that she paid no mind. The next morning, the thought didn’t get didn’t leave her head, so she went for a for a check up. check up.hearing those stories about young women who got Breast Cancer and all those awareness campaigns in October, so I guess this was a situation where I needed to go and check.
The doctor diagnosed her with fibroadenoma, a solid, non-cancerous tumor that sometimes comes to women who breast feed and it goes away. A couple of months later, she went for a second opinion and read it all over her doctor’s face. “She asked me to go for an ultrasound, as it only looks ‘suspicious’. Ok, so far nothing to worry about, no one said the “C” word.”
Sharif found herself getting an ultrasound, mammogram, biopsy, MRI, and a genetic test, and that’s how the was diagnosed. “I was completely blank. My doctor started talking about the procedure, and I didn’t hear a word. The questions that sprung up my mind were: Why now? How am I going to tell my family? Life was just starting to get better.” The panic took a couple of days to settle. Then, calmer, she decided she had to gather herself, not only for herself, but also for the people who cared about her. Then came the tough process of dealing with their concerns and bits of friendly advice. She tells us, “My concern at that point was how to get ahead with my life”, she explains.
It was a chance for her to look into the past, evaluate her current, and decide on her future. “It was time to take some decisions” she says in a tough voice and continues, “I realized even in the worst situations, we are still blessed to be able to take choices.”
Losing her long thick beautiful hair was a game changer for Sharif. “One of my breast cancer friends suggested that I get rid of it before it started falling off. Instead of sounding tough, it sounded sensible to me.” She says with all agreement, “It helped me deal better with this as I was the one in control.I felt liberated. The cancer had not taken it but, I did! Now I don’t wear anything to cover my head, I am being myself. Plus, I realized that hair is really overrated. Life is easier when you shower in 2 minutes and you don’t have a bad-hair day,” Sharif tells us with a smirk.
Sharif thanks Breast Cancer for giving her a chance to follow her passion and doing something about it, “I always dreamed to use my crochet talent to make a difference. So I finally launched my Instagram page:@Hookin_Good where I sell my pieces and donate to support Breast Cancer Awareness events,” she says with a smile. One of the hardest parts Sharif talks to us about is how to believe that good things can still happen. “Once you reach this mindset, life will have a completely different flavor and your view of life will change for the better no matter of the obstacles. Don’t ignore the signs, try to listen to your body, trust your gut, check yourself, and always put your health first.”
They’re not just words after all “to be true in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.” When things get rough and you have a partner there for you by your side; you know that you can do anything. After two years of being diagnosed with bone marrow failure and becoming globally known in the tennis world, Anwar proposed to Olia and she said yes. Bone marrow failure occurs in individuals who produce an insufficient amount of red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. Red blood cells transport oxygen to be distributed throughout the body’s tissue. White blood cells fight off infections that enter the body. Bone marrow also contains platelets, which trigger clotting, and thus help stop the blood flow when a wound occurs. This disease is said to be much worse than cancer and has the same chemotherapy treatment. Anwar and Olia met in Spain where he had a competitive tennis tournament in the sports club she went to. “It was love at first sight” says Anwar. After winning the match he built up some confidence to ask Olia out and she gladly accepted. From then on they never left each other’s side. A couple of months later, with all the health problems that Anwar was going through, he wasn’t sure if she would accept his hand in marriage even though he knew that she was the one. “My disease was getting worse and my love for her was increasing. I wasn’t sure if I was good enough for her or even my career...I had to make a bold move,” says the tennis player.
Anwar has been a successful Egyptian tennis player for a couple of years; he has won over five international tournaments and more than three nationally. Even though he started playing at a very late age (25) in his life he still managed to challenge society, making him now a very popular athlete around the world. “As my disease got worse, I had to stop playing to get treated to play again,” Anwar continues, “I felt like my career and romantic dreams were bullying me, so I gained the courage to stand up to both of them.” Olia’s love for Anwar grew as she saw him fight his battle making it easy for her to say yes to marry him. “He went to Ukraine to have my mother’s blessing, who does that these days?” she says with joy. With all the odds against the couple they stood by each other’s side and got married. “My mom kept telling me to think wisely because it was a serious disease and that marrying him would be a life decision.” Olia continues with no hesitance, “I never thought twice about marrying him because it didn’t matter what he had, I still wanted to be with him.”
After five years of their marriage, going back and forth to doctors and a lot of chemotherapy, Anwar is now cured. “It was a tough ride, I wasn’t allowed to see my family for months during my treatment, they were only allowed to wave from the window because part of having this disease meant that I didn’t have an immune system and getting a cold could have killed me within seconds” says Anwar. During his isolation, all Anwar could think about was getting better for his wife, family and his love for tennis. “Olia has struggled a lot with me, I can’t imagine going through all of this without her” Anwar says in a broken voice and continues, “she kept me going when I felt like giving up; she saved me.” This is a perfect time to say “relationship goals” don’t you think?
People tend to forget that loved ones also go through emotional complications, they feel pain and agony too. It was very hard on Olia, “it was heartbreaking seeing him that way and I had nothing in my power to make it all better. Sometimes I wish I had a magic wand to sooth his pain,” Olia continues, “I tried most of the time to be positive and not show any sadness or cause drama because I knew it would bother him. But, I had to be strong ... strong for the both of us.” Nowadays, you can find the couple in Sharm El-Sheikh; Anwar training for the next competition in Spain and Olia supporting him. We tend to forget that no relationship is easy and perfect, but having those moments of hardship make you appreciate what you have and why you made those vows in the first place.
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