Pink October - Portraits of women
Lili Sohn is a comic book author. At 37, she is the mother of two boys aged 3 and a half and 1 month, the nights are short...
At what age did you discover your breast cancer?
At the age of 29, I discovered one morning the tip of my nipple as if it were “inside”...I went to consult. Upon receipt of the results, I am told that I have a tumor the size of a ping-pong ball in the middle of my breast, which prevents me from feeling it...it is cancer.
I did a genetic test which told me that I carried a “predisposition gene” and that it came from my mother's side. Indeed, my grandmother fought two breast cancers, but as she devoted herself entirely to her work, no one had really been aware of her illness.
Did doctors underestimate the disease?
My doctor was not worried because of my age, he still prescribed me a breast ultrasound as a precaution. I myself underestimated it because I did not think it was possible to have cancer so young and I had little information on this subject, apart from the hair loss during the treatments.
Did you feel accompanied and supported?
Expatriated to Montreal at that time, I felt surrounded by my friends. On the family side, the announcement of the disease was quite complicated, it was necessary to manage their emotions and reassure them. That's when I had the idea of opening a blog on the theme of the disease, with a humorous tone around illustrations, to tell my story and reassure my loved ones.
Precisely, what brought you the opening of this blog?
First, having the status of creator allowed me to occupy myself and devote myself to something. There was also a therapeutic side, because the doctors gave me a lot of information that I could assimilate, transcribe into drawings and better accept.
Subsequently I was contacted by several publishing houses and I released three comic strips "La Guerre des Tétons". So I changed jobs to make a living from my passion.
Since then, I have released other comics related to the female body and I do a lot of popular science to talk about the disease in a relaxed way. I collaborate with researchers, the Curie Institute and associations, because this is a subject that needs to be more visible. I also opened my mind to other subjects, such as feminism, gender inequalities, the relationship with medicine and gynecological violence.
Today, I'm happy to be alive, rubbing shoulders with death has allowed me to uninhibit myself, to embark on my dream job and to be able to live from it.
A message to convey?
Do not force yourself to be positive but live as you can. I don't really forget the disease, especially with the scars and the fact of having children, which adds an additional fear. But life is a bit like a roller coaster.
Mélanie Loule has been from Marseille for more than 20 years! At 43, she is the mother of two daughters, Lila, 15, and Thaïs, 18. She created her illustration brand Minimel.
At what age did you discover your breast cancer?
On the evening of my 34th birthday, going to bed, I feel a lump in my breast the size of a cherry. When the diagnosis was announced, I was flabbergasted! I carry the BRCA1 gene, the same as Angelina Jolie! It represents a higher risk of cancer of both breasts and ovaries. After the treatments, I had a regular follow-up, every six months and then once a year. But six years after the first, doctors discovered cancer in the other breast.
Did doctors underestimate the disease?
It was a friend who forced me to see a doctor, I was not worried. My gynecologist insisted that no one had cancer at 30 but to eliminate suspicion she ordered me a mammogram and ultrasound. The radiologist also reassured me but the verdict fell following the examinations...
Did you feel accompanied and supported?
I felt very surrounded by my family and my friends. When I had my first cancer, I received a lot of gifts, including an Ipad which allowed me to get back to drawing on a tablet and that's how I started to take care of myself and create my brand of stationery " Minimal".
What has the disease brought you?
I felt the need to talk about the disease, but I found few testimonials apart from those of women aged 60 and over. So I started talking about it on the internet. Little by little I got feedback and testimonials from women affected by breast cancer, of all ages...some were 20 years old. And we started to exchange without taboo and without discomfort.
The illness made me understand that I loved the woman I was and that “I cared about myself”. This is what pushed me to look for what could make me happy and create the life I dreamed of.
A message to convey?
It is important to talk about breast cancer and to highlight the testimony of women affected by this disease. Cancer affects many people but it is a disease that can be cured well, if it is taken care of in time.
Julie Meunier is a bubbly 34-year-old young woman. She lives between Toulon and Nice, she is the founder of the brand "Les Franjynes" and author of the book "To my sisters in combat".
At what age did you discover your breast cancer?
6 years ago my doctor felt a cyst in my breast and recommended a hormone cream. I pay no attention to it but, three weeks later, I feel a ball rolling under the whalebone of my bra. I go back to the doctor who prescribes an ultrasound and a mammogram. After a series of examinations and a long wait, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 27 years old. My type of cancer was being studied in France, so I was offered a clinical trial which was very long and cumbersome...18 months, 24 chemotherapy sessions, 2 operations, 45 radiotherapy sessions and 5 years of hormone therapy.
Did doctors underestimate the disease?
Yes because my doctor was not worried. The screening center didn't want me to have a mammogram at first because I was young and there was no history in my family.
Did you feel accompanied and supported?
During the treatment, I had a lot of support and kindness from the medical team.
At the level of the entourage, it was more complicated...cancer is scary and leads to strange reactions and prejudices. I got some thoughts about my tattoos. But there is also something positive, the people who accompanied me throughout the process, some...unsuspected.
What has the disease brought you?
My cancer made me want to find an alternative to traditional wigs. Les Franjynes is an alternative to the wig for women, little girls and men following alopecia, that is to say, hair loss linked to an illness or a burn. This project was crowdfunded with over 1,000 backers! The adventure was on!
I also collected many testimonials from sick people and I decided to free the floor in my book "To my fighting sisters". I'm talking about the unspoken in the disease, the difficulties it can cause even after recovery, the stigma that we keep, but also the physical and mental pain.
Today I realize that this protocol was "worth it" and that I finally feel good after these long years. Chemotherapy, I took it as my best friend because it brought me to recovery despite heavy consequences.
A message to convey?
In the disease, courage does not exist, it is the survival instinct that takes over. It is in each of us and helps us to face heavy trials. And I take up the phrase of Philippe Croizon, “the impossible does not exist, because in impossible, there is possible”.
Caroline is a 32-year-old woman full of humor who set up the association "Le Gang des Crânes Rasés"! For the past year, she has been creating videos on the theme of breast cancer with humor on social networks.
At what age did you discover your breast cancer?
During the confinement of March 2020, I realize that my breasts are swollen. I'm waiting for June to see my gynecologist who prescribes an ultrasound and a mammogram. Seeing that my breasts still do not deflate, I decide to do these exams in September. Very quickly, the doctors evoke the possibility of a cancer and invite me to make a puncture. After more than a week of waiting, on September 22, 2020, I was told I had breast cancer and in November the treatments began. In April 2021, the chemos end, I am told about the operation and it scares me very much. In May, I had surgery, with total removal and immediate reconstruction of my breast.
Did doctors underestimate the disease?
No, because the doctors knew that I had lost both my parents to cancer and took my case seriously. It was rather me who postponed the exams, because I wanted to enjoy my summer after confinement.
Did you feel accompanied and supported?
There is a lack of listening on the part of doctors. They do not take the time to explain to us the consequences of our disease and do not prepare us for the possibility of losing a breast. In addition, the Covid complicated things and delayed my operation.
On the side of my entourage, my friends support me enormously, in particular one, who had the right words following the announcement of my cancer. But he's above all my boyfriend, the real pillar, he's the only one who shares my daily life. For me, the key is to surround yourself with positive and attentive people who lift you up.
What has the disease brought you?
My upbringing was based on humor and positivity, that's why I started laughing my head off and sharing jokes on social media.
The association of the Shaved Heads Gang was born following a video where I was walking in the street with my shaved head to accept myself and confront myself with people's gaze.
I interview people on the street, to find out what they think of my hairless head and repeat the experience in chemo. I was surprised by the benevolence of the people who pushed me to continue. I then decided to organize parades, everywhere in France where the wigs would be thrown away at the end, and I talk about it to Amandine and Justine who wanted to follow me in this project. The goal is that women with cancer causing hair loss feel beautiful! But the goal is also to prevent breast cancer, which also affects people under 40.
It gives me a lot of good and allows me to talk about the disease. I also take stand up classes, where I talk about breast cancer with humor.
A message to convey?
People with cancer need to educate themselves and take an interest in their case. It is important to always take two doctors' opinions. And especially to pay attention to its feelings, because it is not the doctors who feel the effects.