16 chemotherapy sessions: M’balia Batchily recounts her fight against breast cancer

A simple gesture, a mass discovered in time, sixteen chemotherapy sessions. Guest of the show The Impertinents, on La Guinée Fréquence, M’balia Batchily, breast cancer survivor, recounted her journey, from the discovery of the disease to what it taught her.

One day, lying in the room with her mother, M’balia Batchily feels her breasts, as she is used to doing. Under his fingers, a mass in the left breast. “I told my mom: we have to see this. She told me, it's just inflammation caused by hormones. »

This gesture, she is convinced, allowed her to receive treatment in time. In this month of October, dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer, the most common disease among women in the world, she looked back on her journey.

“I collapsed instantly”

Back in Kamsar for his work, M’balia takes anti-inflammatories, but the mass is still there. His sister advises him to come to Conakry for an ultrasound, which leads to a biopsy. Here again, his sister is categorical: “you shouldn’t do that here…”. M’balia therefore leaves for Ivory Coast. A month later, the result came: stage 2 breast cancer, triple negative type.

She learns it alone. “I collapsed instantly. I tell myself, at my young age, I'm getting sick. » The questions assail him: “how did I get this, what did I do? » Then she thinks of her mother, of her big sister, and pulls herself together: “I’m not dead yet, I can fight.”

What is triple negative breast cancer?

He is deprivedof hormone receptorsforestrogensandprogesterone, and produces little or no proteinHER2. In other words, it is negative for all threebiomarkers .

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents approximately 15% of all breast cancers according to data published on the national cancer institute. It is usually diagnosed at a later stage, grows more quickly, and has a higher risk of recurrence than other types of invasive breast cancer. Due to its rapid growth, TNBC is rarely diagnosed asductal carcinoma in situ(stage 0) and is almost always invasive. His was detected early. " Thank God. I discovered it in time…” says the young lady

Sixteen sessions, and a family to hold

Doctors judge the tumor “ manageable »: we operate first, then comes chemotherapy. Sixteen sessions in total. M’balia loses her hair, her taste, her nails, and struggles with nausea. “ This is the most difficult phase in cancer treatment “, she summarizes. She does not hide the pain: “ it hurts a lot. Not to lie. »And there are moments of discouragement, which she keeps to herself: “ you don't want to worry those around you. So, you have to be strong for yourself and for others. » What keeps her going? “ It was my family who helped me get through treatment. »

What illness took from him along the way

The ordeal is not just medical. Having left to seek treatment in Ivory Coast, M’balia loses her job. She learns it at the very moment the diagnosis falls: “ I learned that I had lost my job too. At the same time. » Next come friendships. “ I lost some friends because of my illness “, she confides. The outlook of others changes: “ There are some who pity you. There are those around you who think it’s over. »

The fear of returning, then the desire to help

Just recently, an examination raised fears of a recurrence. “ It upset me and I didn't even want to live anymore. » When she then learns that she is cured, “ I was very happy ". But she remains cautious: “ I can't say that I'm completely cured, but I'm fine today, if it continues like this. »

Today, M’balia has resumed her job search, even if returning to professional life is not easy. From this ordeal, she learned a lesson: “ I learned to be strong, to rely only on myself and my family. » She would now like to serve others: “ If I have the opportunities, I want to help a lot of people around me, because it is very difficult to live with cancer. »

Breast cancer results from a disruption of certain cells, which multiply uncontrollably and most often form a tumor. The WHO estimates that in 2024 cancer Breast cancer caused 694,000 deaths worldwide and was the most common cancer among women in 164 out of 186 countries. It is the most common cancer among women in 157 out of 185 countries. One in 20 women are diagnosed with it during their lifetime. In Guinea, the number of new cases is estimated at 11,592 in 2022, including 7,746 deaths according to the national cancer control program.