the story of Ariana Prado

Ariana Prado’s story certainly reads like a movie script. In 2016, in the middle of Pink October, Ariana discovered that she would need to embark on a difficult journey. She would have to treat breast cancer, and even after suffering from the diagnosis of a malignant tumor in her breast, at the age of 31, she did not lose her faith. The woman’s life was transformed after cancer. Thus, she proved to everyone that, in addition to overcoming, the process and all the obstacles along the way formed a beautiful story.

It all started in October 2016, during routine exams. By chance, in the oncology wing of the laboratory where she was, Ariana saw the Pink October campaigns, and according to her, imagined herself as a breast cancer patient. However, days after her thought, she received news that the dream had come true. The impact of the discovery of the disease led Prado to make other valuable discoveries. In this sense, the woman received a new perspective on life, as well as extreme optimism.

Check out Ariana Prado’s story and her transformed life after cancer below, as well as the lessons that the disease left for the patient and what she tells about her journey.

A transformed life after cancer

Ariana’s case is unusual: her nodule was discovered by chance. Already 31 years old and with no case of breast cancer in her family, she was not in the habit of having annual exams. However, when touching her own breast, she felt something strange. Even though she was used to leaving her gynecological exams until the last minute, she decided to see a doctor. That would be the first appointment of many that she would have over the next 6 months.

According to his first doctor, at first, nothing seemed serious. According to the professional, if Ariana didn’t want to investigate her situation, she could rest assured. However, the woman did not give up, and she returned to seek care. Two months later, another mastologist noticed something different in her exams, which told her that the growth of the nodule was unusual, not even in terms of shape or speed of growth.

So, Ariana decided to investigate her case further, and even though she wasn’t in the habit of opening results before a consultation, she wasn’t able to stop herself. She talks about how she received her exam: after printing, it was placed on the counter. Because the envelope was transparent, she was able to read the word right away: “carcinoma”. Prado was extremely nervous and told her boyfriend who was waiting for her: “it’s cancer”. For her, “it’s not news we ever expect to receive, and at 31 years old, even less so.”

Ariana’s day

Even with so many future plans and dreams, Ariana faced a common notion for most cancer patients: the fact that the word “carcinoma” could be the end of her. She says that, when she received the news, she thought she might die. “One day, taking a shower with the diagnosis, I thought: ‘My God, am I 1 year old? Or 6 months?’” Breaking the news to her parents was also difficult.

Furthermore, the woman was still forced to make important decisions in a very short period of time. Her doctor, still at the beginning of treatment, advised her to freeze her eggs, as chemotherapy could compromise them. Ariana only had 15 days to make a decision. However, she said: “I want to live. Whether I’m going to have a child or not, I’ll see later.” For her, you are the priority, but after a while, “life takes its toll on you”. The woman’s reality, however, has always been different: her journey was not the same as that of many who face cancer.

The treatment

The analysis of Ariana Prado’s tumor classified it as Luminal B. According to professionals, this type of cancer is not common, and its prognosis is not as encouraging as the Luminal A subtype, for example. Even so, Ariana did not lose strength, always supported by her friends, family and medical team. This made her gain confidence and fight against the current of her illness all the time, receiving good news from the beginning of her treatment.

One of the advantages of Ariana’s case was her early diagnosis. After carrying out the tests, the doctor identified that she would have to undergo a quadrantectomy, that is, a case where she would not need to remove the entire breast, and the symmetry of the breasts would be achieved during the operation. Other situations, such as having to perform an axillary dissection due to the invasion of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, were also not necessary for Ariana. “Several factors contributed,” commented the woman.

Likewise, during her treatment, Ariana Prado sought to maintain good health, despite the common side effects. She tried to eat well all the time, and when she couldn’t, she forced herself to eat. She recounts a case of one day when she was sensitive to light and had to stay in a dark room, feeling sick. She asked her mother: “Blend whatever you have and make a puree. Even if it takes me 4 hours, I’ll eat it all.” Even though she ate a spoonful every 20 minutes, she finished it all. She thought that if it would make her better, she would do it.

Help from friends

An important point in Ariana’s journey was her constant search for new ways to have fun, even while undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Even though she couldn’t go to closed spaces, the beach and do several things she liked, she looked for new alternatives with her friends. Thus, she managed to get plans to start a thrift store among friends, and had support even from those who were not involved in the case.

Ariana Prado says that to this day she is moved by the situation, as she realized how her friends really were real friends. “It was Saturday, Sunday, weekend, where they could have been doing other things, but they were there with me, on a project that was mine, so I would be okay.” Furthermore, she continued going to bars, exchanging beer for water, keeping up conversation with her friends. There, they never talked about the disease, but rather about banal subjects. This way, the treatment passed without her noticing.

Returning to work

In July 2017, Ariana was discharged from the first stage against cancer. In her new phase, she found herself transformed by everything she had experienced. On the other hand, she was also afraid of not being able to return to work in her area of ​​expertise, Public Relations. Likewise, she was distressed by not knowing what she could or could not do. However, it didn’t take long for her to receive good news and surprises again in her days.

She says that even though she thought companies wouldn’t hire her because of her history, her former boss called her and asked: “your treatment is over. Shall we work?” She returned performing the same role as before her treatment, but her new way of seeing life made her take exciting paths. “From then on, only good things happened. I got a good job, moved to a new city, broke up with my boyfriend. Various transformations.”

End of treatment for a transformed life after cancer

Another situation in Ariana’s life that could become an obstacle also gave her new reasons to believe. After chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the next six years of her life will be spent taking medication before she is truly cancer-free. However, for her, this is not an affliction. Monitored every 6 months to check for any new signs of the disease, she finds herself increasingly motivated to live her life, transforming possible restlessness into security.

For her, as difficult as it is, monitoring makes everything easier, as it is possible to identify any changes and deal with them in advance. She also talks about how she is no longer terrified of anything happening, even though she doesn’t want to go through that again. Four years later, Ariana Prado has many lessons to share. “Have faith that it can work. Live each day and do everything you want to do. What are you putting off?”