It was a day of gloom and disbelief on April 6 of this year, when Neleta Powell-Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The leading cause of cancer deaths among Jamaican women, breast cancer has wreaked havoc in the lives of many warriors and that of their families. But, for Powell-Wilson, she does not plan on allowing the disease to diminish her quality of life, nor does she plan to allow it to win.

For the 49-year-old, her journey with breast cancer is suspected to have begun at least two years prior to her diagnosis. She told OBSERVER ONLINE that she initially felt a lump in her breast around 2019 but it would disappear then reappear and, as a result, she ignored it. By 2020 the lump got bigger and Powell-Wilson said she started to experience some symptoms, which she reported to various doctors before turning to Google.

“I realised through Google that I was going through premenopausal symptoms. It also said that changes of the breasts are hormonal and you might find lumps where the textures might be different, however they did say do not take it for granted, go and check with your doctor. But I didn’t because I was experiencing so many things and doctor didn’t tell me it was premenopausal, it was Google. So I didn’t pay it any mind,” Powell-Wilson recounted.

She added that she started to experience some swelling where her breast “got so large”. But, once again, she turned to Google where she found that her experience reflected premenopausal symptoms.

“In 2021, I was overseas on my vacation and I remember in August the left breast had become so large, so huge, very painful and tender. To the left side, the lump had become so huge because I could feel it as hard as a tennis ball and it was tough. The area was very red. I was even getting a fever from it and, for couple weeks, it was the same thing; very painful, very heavy. But I kept saying it was the same thing because whenever I referred to Google they say it can get heavy, painful and all of that,” Powell-Wilson recalled.

After her vacation, she returned to work in September with the intention to do her annual pap smear soon. But in preparation for that procedure, Powell-Wilson said she remembers getting an urging from God to do a mammogram as well.

“In January I went to the doctor’s office and I told him I wanted to do a pap smear and a full check. So he did the pap smear in the office and he gave me the document to go to the lab to do the executive test. Now while I was doing the blood test I was talking to the lady who was drawing the blood. So I said to her ‘if I do this executive, if there is anything going awry in the body would it pick it up?’ she said yes, it should because this is a check of the body. So I said ‘alright then me nah bother do any mammogram then because this will suffice,” Powell-Wilson disclosed.

She said that the results from the pap smear and blood tests came back and everything was okay, which left her in superb spirit. She went on with her daily business until about a month later when, she said, she heard the voice of God again telling her to get a mammogram done. This time, Powell-Wilson said listened to her conscience and travelled to Spanish Town from Manchester, where she was working that day, to have the procedure done.

“When I got the result, they did see the tumor in my left breast but it wasn’t clear. They also saw a smaller one in the right but most of the attention was placed on the left and they referred me to do an ultrasound. I did it but it still was not clear. So it was advised that I do the biopsy. I asked them to email me a copy of the result and I got it on April 4,” Powell-Wilson stated.

Continuing, she said: “When I got the email and checked it and saw certain words I felt something hit me in my heart and me say ‘what me just see? Cancer?’ but I was telling myself to calm down because I am not a doctor. I went in to see the doctor on April 6 and that’s when he confirmed that I have breast cancer. It was later confirmed to be stage three.”

This is not the news that Powell-Wilson wanted to hear and, though she held it together while in the doctor’s office, the floodgates opened once she got outside and was relaying the news to her husband.

“By the time I left out of his office and went to the front, the floodgates open; tears were running down my face and all I could picture was me lying down in a casket. I could feel the end of me right there. And I went on the phone and called my husband and I told him. I cried and cried on the phone. He was in more shock than me, questioning who have cancer, when dem tell you so? How come? I was weak, my knees were weak, I was shaking,” Powell-Wilson recalled.

Powell-Wilson revealed that she had a mastectomy of her left breast done. She wanted to have a double mastectomy as a preventative measure but was advised against it as the lump in her right breast was not cancerous.

She explained that chemo therapy started in October and she will be undergoing a total of six months of treatment before going on to do radiation.

When asked how her diagnosis affects her way of life, Powell-Wilson said that she is just doing “more”.

“The diagnosis changed my outlook on life. I was always an easy–going person; love to laugh, love to smile but now I laugh more, I don’t take things that much to heart anymore, it makes me appreciate life more because, when I got my diagnosis, I kept questioning God. I said ‘God you mean when me really ready fi start my life, me life ago end just so’ and it made me realise that there are things that I maybe could do better, there are things I might be putting off which don’t make sense because you don’t know when your number will come up. I appreciate life more, I appreciate people more, I don’t stress over things anymore, it will work itself out,” Powell-Wilson said, smiling.

The breast cancer warrior is now an ambassador for early screening as she believes if she had gone to get a diagnosis earlier, she would be at a lower stage than stage three.

“Do not wait! Anything at all you find going wrong with the breast, any little changes at all, jump on it and check it out,” she said.

As for her fellow warriors, Powell-Wilson had this to say: “Be strong. It rocks you emotionally but stay strong within the process, lean on family and friends because positive support is what will take you through as well as prayer. Don’t forget prayer, it doesn’t fail. When you pray, believe and have faith,” she said.

“Fear is our greatest enemy so stay positive and faithful and know that we can make it, we can win this fight,” Powell-Wilson added.