As a single parent with two children, fulltime physician and cancer awareness spokeswoman, Dr. Samia has been strongly campaigning for increasing an awareness and highlighting the urgent need for enhanced medical care, even as she is involved in her own treatment of the dreaded disease. “A woman’s silence can quickly lead to death if cancer is ignored, or if she does not have access to care and treatment,” says Dr. Samia who has authored several books on the disease and her experiences.
In her book on “Breast Cancer Survivors in Saudi Arabia,” published two years ago, Dr. Samia says she was shocked when she was self-diagnosed with breast cancer the year before. “I was diagnosed in advanced stage — stage three. My tumor was of the worst kind.” Even though she was seeing and examining women patients every day and encouraging them to do their own breast exam, Dr. Samia never bothered to do one on herself. “I don’t’ want people to suffer the way I did. I want everyone to learn from my experience,” says Dr. Samia who was determined to turn her tragedy into a lesson that might help others. She has since been writing books and articles on breast cancer, and appearing on television to spread an awareness of the disease.
Only 10 days after she discovered she had breast cancer, Dr. Samia spoke to a support group and admitted her mistake of not getting a mammogram done. She is considered a pioneer in terms of touching on a subject very personal. She is also considered an invaluable resource, as she has been talking about breast cancer. One big change she finds is that women who never dared to speak about the subject now come to see her, with some of those suffering from the disease saying Dr. Samia had given them the strength and the courage to battle it out. “I pray to God to bless me long life, long enough to bring up my two children,” says Dr. Samia.
Now, Dr. Samia ranks fifth among the top 100 names nominated from the Arab world by Arabian business magazine in its issue of March 28, 2010. Their contributions, according to the magazine, have positively impacted change in their societies. Dr. Samia’s contribution is immense considering she is herself a breast cancer survivor and has taken up her life’s mission to increase awareness about the importance of early detection. The US-Saudi Arabia Partnership of Breast Cancer Awareness is contributing a great deal in the ongoing campaign. She was awarded in March 2007 “The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award” for her willingness to share her personal battle against breast cancer in order to break the silence on issues critical to women’s health in Saudi Arabia. She has been honored with many other Arab and international awards.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. Almost one-fifth of all women with cancer in Saudi Arabia have been diagnosed with breast cancer. In fact, breast cancer accounts for maximum deaths among women cancer patients. Hundreds of thousands of women die every year from this disease. In the West, the death rate has decreased by 25 percent in the past two decades due to early detection and research. “We should not waste time, since we cannot wait for another 25 years to reach the position that we have achieved. Losing time means losing lives,” says Dr. Samia.
“I believe that women’s issues are essentially the same everywhere. I want all of us to put our hands together to challenge and overcome this disease so that no woman anywhere will suffer as I did, or lose her breast or hair and be terrified that she might die and leave her children without a mother. It becomes my mission in life to ensure that all people in our society understand and address the heavy toll breast cancer takes on our society, our families, our economy and future,” Dr. Samia says.
In medical terms, breast cancer refers to cancers originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas. Those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas. There are many different types of breast cancer, with different stages (spread), aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. Survival varies greatly depending on those factors. Treatment includes surgery, drugs (hormonal therapy and chemotherapy) and radiation.
