Cancer gave her an opportunity to know what she’s made of… “It might sound cliché, but, whatever happens, you’ll overcome it; it can destroy you only if you let it. You need to see it not as an eternal war, or as your cross; but as something that lets you test what you’re made of. Also, you need to control your mind.”

“Someday, Someway, Somehow, it was going to end,” the pain, the nausea, the sessions of her feeling ill due to chemo, she didn’t know how/when, but she knew one thing- this was all going to pass.

Meet the dynamic Human Resources head of the Dominican Republic’s offices of Doral Health & Wellness…. Ms. Mibra Diaz Reyes.

A lawyer by qualification, she was always more interested in the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work and that’s where the Universe got her into HR… working with and for the people. She worked with the HR department of the Dominican Republic’s prestigious construction firm when she started working, and 10 years of HR experience led her to join Doral on December 29th, 2022, and she’s been overseeing the HR & recruitment department.

How she found out

It can be devastating when a loved one battles cancer and earth-shattering when you lose them. It happened in December 2021 when she lost her maternal aunt to Breast cancer. The doctors recommended every female in the family get breast cancer screening twice every year, which they diligently followed. She had an appointment in November 2021, which was completely uneventful.

She was 34 when she found out that she had breast cancer. She woke up on a lazy Sunday in May 2022 and felt a weird pain in her left breast area. She shrugged it off, ‘Oh, it might be PMS.’ It didn’t hurt much, but it was kind of a bother the entire day. She still had the pain on Monday, and something told her she needed a mammogram. She took an emergency leave from work on Monday and booked an appointment for a mammogram at the center where she had her annual check-ups done. Her brother took her there, but he had no clue what was going on.

After the procedure, she felt there was something wrong because, unlike the previous times, the tech said to wait for the results- “There’s something, we need to take it to the doctor.”

The doctor said, “It’s nothing to worry about… But let’s get a biopsy.” His words gave her comfort, “let’s take it easy,” he said. This offered her rational grounds for not worrying and she decided not to tell anyone till she got the biopsy results.

She went in on Wednesday for the biopsy… The office told her that they’d send the results to the doctor on Friday. The office called her on Friday, and they said, “We need other evaluation/tests, it’s not very clear in this test.”

On Monday, she finally got a call for a visit to the doctor’s office. By this time, she had informed her mom and brother. Her mom and aunt went with her, and the moment she entered the doctor’s office, she could see from the doctor’s face that it wasn’t good… He said “It’s unbelievable, we’re surprised… but we are right on time” … and he started speaking about the diagnosis. She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t remember anything that happened after that… The only thing she remembers is that she said, ‘What do we do now?’

Read about the story of her fight with breast cancer here!

LIFE HAS CHANGED

She was always thankful about the fact that she had options, and she was very aware in her understanding that this disease affected her emotionally, physically, or psychologically; “nobody prepares you for it… there are no guidelines for this type of thing,” she says.

Chemo was especially difficult on her body; some days she was okay, some days she had no appetite, but the worst part of chemo- she didn’t feel as active. She’d been active since she was 15: going to the gym, playing volleyball, and swimming. During her chemo, she wasn’t able to walk, was too tired, and didn’t even have the strength to keep her eyes open. It also was extremely painful, she had constant back, joint, and chest pain. Another thing was the constant nausea, but she fought it because it was necessary to nourish her body.

She cried a bit when she felt low and then picked herself up… “It was okay to not feel okay,” she said to herself.

Emotionally she didn’t feel unbalanced. The first thing she prayed when she found out was, “God I’m not alone in this, I’m gonna go through this. And I know this because you are the first thing on my mind.” She spoke to her mom, brother, best friend, and aunt whenever she needed to let out thoughts, fears and feelings.

She’d lost her dad in 2021 to COVID-19… very recent loss and was still in the first stage of grief when she had this monster of a disease facing her. But she’s glad that she had such an excellent medical team. She created a bond with her oncologist in the process and they still talk… it’s as if they are friends and not a patient and her doctor.

She didn’t know if she could make it…. But she knew she wouldn’t stop. She gave herself to the doctors, they were forthcoming, and they were willing to tell her everything.

Life has changed- even though she started every treatment, she had the fear that she’d die, and she started getting ready with some funeral plans on her own. She believes, “We have too much stigma around death, everything else is unsure, only death is certain.”

Cancer was a reality check for her. She was losing her focus in life. Now she’s back on her original track. She sees life differently; every moment is an opportunity. What’s the knowledge she could get from this? Every scenario was colored with pessimism before her battle with cancer, now she’s more realistic in terms of her perspective.

The thing that helped her the most- though she was afraid, she knew she’d be able to overcome it. “Don’t be afraid to face things…. do it with fear. But do it.” Her words of wisdom!

You can ask our doctors anything you’ve been afraid to ask—all the awkward and frightening questions. To ensure that you get the proper care you require, make an appointment with Doral Health and Wellness – Women’s Health Center. Our experts strive to provide the best possible care. Together, we diagnose conditions and create customized therapy regimens for our patients. You can reach us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212; call us on 347-868-1016 / 13473845690; or log on to www.doralhw.org for further information about Breast cancer.