When Rowena Enriquez was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, she did not know where to go to ask all the questions that clogged her mind.

You have to keep fighting and live your life

She eventually joined the Breast Care Support Group, where she found invaluable support but all the women there were older than her. She was 29 at the time.

“The needs of younger cancer patients are different to those of older women.

“Young women have young children and may have more financial commitments,” said Ms Enriquez, who is now 32.

The mother-of-two, who is now on the road to getting stronger, decided to set up a group that will help women in her situation, to have someone to talk to and share their experiences, concerns and fears.

“For example, one woman asked me if it was normal that her nails turned black after chemo… I could tell her it was since I went through it,” she recalled.

Ms Enriquez will be heading the new support group specifically for younger women, which has been set up by the Breast Care Support Group that falls within Europa Donna Malta.

The first meeting of the group was to be held this morning with a workshop organised at the Blata l-Bajda offices of the National Council of Women. The aim is for women to meet and share their experiences so that they do not feel alone, Ms Enriquez said.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Younger women generally do not consider themselves to be at risk.

Some five per cent of all breast cancer cases occur in women under 40.

Ms Enriquez was one of those five per cent. She was diagnosed in December 2010 after she noticed a lump when accidentally brushing her hand over her breast while playing on the bed with her two young children.

She went to get a mammogram and results showed a fast-growing cancer. In January, she had surgery to remove the tumour.

Discovering the lump early meant the prognosis was good. But she still had to undergo eight sessions of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.

Now, two years on, she is doing well and undergoes routine check-ups.

“You have to keep fighting and live your life,” she said as she encouraged women of all ages to check themselves regularly.

The group can be contacted on info@europadonnamalta.org.mt or by calling 9999 4666 or 7925 1180.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.