Breast Cancer: Belén's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Belén’s breast cancer experience began in summer 2007, when she moved from knowing the oncology clinic as a Roche employee to entering it as a patient. Because she already knew oncologists and understood breast cancer information, she could ask questions and make decisions quickly. After the holidays, treatment started with chemotherapy, which continued through December. Her next step was hormone therapy for 5 years. Belén also had a mastectomy, and she later said that the cosmetic side was never her main priority. Her focus was simpler and more urgent: completing every prescribed chemotherapy cycle and getting well. She was careful about infection risk and would ask visitors not to come in if they had a cold because she did not want anything to delay treatment. Her son was her greatest concern and also her main reason to keep going. Hair loss and the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes were part of the experience, but Belén handled them with style, choosing scarves, hats, and sunglasses instead of the wig her mother gave her. After treatment, she described attending follow-up visits with calm and confidence, carrying the same optimism that helped her through diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, and recovery.