The two-time breast cancer survivor, who has also been a cancer caregiver and is now a cancer coach, shares her journey and what she hopes others can take away from it
When Isabel Galiano was in her late 20s, she was the main caregiver to her mother who was fighting colon cancer. At the age of just 32, Galiano herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, two years after completing her treatment, she suffered a recurrence. The fear she felt the second time around was profound as she wondered what she could do differently this time to battle the cancer and ensure it didn’t return.
Sixteen years on from that second diagnosis, she believes she has kept her breast cancer at bay by ensuring she looks after her physical, mental and emotional well-being, something she did to support her medical treatment following that second diagnosis. She is also helping others to do the same through her work as a cancer coach. Here, she shares what her job entails, what she did differently following her second diagnosis, and the advice she has for those battling the disease—and for women in particular.
How did your reaction to your breast cancer diagnoses differ?
The first [diagnosis] came completely out of the blue. I was 32 years old and had just come back from my honeymoon. It was a shock, but I immediately went into action mode. And I was lucky that my brain switched to constructive and positive thoughts. It was all about, ‘I need a plan. Tell me what to do and I'm going to follow it to the letter and I will be fine’. So, the first time around, I was confident that I would get through it. I was aware that the journey was going to be very difficult, but I had no doubt in my mind that I would survive.
With the second [diagnosis], the fear was much more intense because I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I did everything’. I had followed everything the doctors told me. I did six months of chemotherapy, three months of radiotherapy and had hormone therapy. I took care of myself. And I thought, ‘If I didn't beat it, does that mean that I won't be able to survive this?’ The feelings were really different from one journey to the other. But the good thing that came out of my fear from the second diagnosis was a strong motivation to do everything I could to support my health. Medical treatments are crucial and you can’t go without them, but I had an intense sense that more needed to be done, and that’s what started this journey.