How a breast cancer survivor helps women advocate for their health

In June 2020, Nalini Sharma’s mammography results led to a breast cancer diagnosis. After working with a cancer coach during her treatment, she decided to give back to her community and help women take control of their health too.

4 min. read

As an active mom who split her time between Toronto and Spain, Nalini Sharma hadn’t been feeling like herself for months. When she went to the doctor, she was asked if she’d ever had a mammogram. Because she lived a healthy lifestyle and had no family history of cancer, Nalini never thought she needed one.

Getting a mammogram increases the chances of finding breast cancer early, and for most cancers, the earlier the cancer is found, the better chance there is of survival.

And so, with encouragement from her doctor, Nalini decided to get a mammogram. A few weeks later, the results showed a lump in one of her breasts. In June 2020, Nalini was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Healthy and strong, Nalini didn’t think she needed to worry. When she was given the diagnosis, she was shocked.

"You absolutely need to look after yourself, but when you have kids, family and a busy life, you sometimes put yourself last," says Nalini.

If you are eligible for breast screening, don’t put it off – it’s such an important tool to help you take control of your health. If it hadn’t been for my mammogram, who knows where I would be today.

Nalini Sharma standing in front of a tree with her arms behind her back. — Nalini Sharma

Working with a cancer coach

Scheduled to begin chemotherapy shortly after learning the news, Nalini was still in shock. During this time, she learned about cancer coaches – people who offer support to those diagnosed with cancer by helping them work through their emotions and decisions.

Nalini’s husband reached out to his colleague whose wife had also been through breast cancer and was now trained as a cancer coach. As Nalini went through treatment, she met with her coach every few weeks to talk about how she was managing.

"At first, I didn't think it was for me," says Nalini. "But she reached out and asked if I wanted to work together as I started treatment. Looking back, having her in my life at the time helped me continue my journey in the best way possible."

Giving back to her community

After her own treatment, Nalini’s cancer coach felt that it was her calling to help other women through cancer. When Nalini heard this, she realized that it was something she wanted to do too.

Nalini learned about BETTER Women, a health promotion program that offers women free access to a volunteer health coach who is trained to help them maintain their health and cancer screening goals. BETTER Women is made possible through joint funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, Women’s College Hospital Foundation and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Nalini found a peer health coach position at the Summerville Family Health site, where all coaches are from the South Asian community. Most of the people at the site represent diverse South Asian backgrounds, and Nalini felt it was a perfect match.

“When I saw that the Summerville site was looking for South Asian women aged 40-65, I knew this was the right opportunity for me,” she says.

To be able to give back to your community and help another woman make even one lifestyle change to live a healthier life – that feels good.

After a year of treatment, Nalini is now cancer-free and empowers women to take control of their health to prevent chronic diseases, including cancer.

I’m excited to help women make lifestyle choices that benefit their wellbeing. It’s so important to take care of yourself and listen to your intuition if you think something’s wrong. You have to be your own advocate.

Nalini Sharma sitting on a beach shore. — Nalini

The importance of breast cancer screening and early detection

With funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society’s breast cancer screening campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of regular screening mammograms to detect breast cancer.

For most cancers, finding it early and starting treatment at an early stage can help improve survival.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in Canada, with 1 in 8 estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

But since 1986, the breast cancer death rate has been reduced to half through research and improved methods for finding and treating it early. Now, about 89% of people diagnosed with breast cancer can survive at least 5 years after a diagnosis.

If you are between the ages of 40 and 74, you may be eligible for screening mammography, depending on the province or territory you live in.

By getting screened for breast cancer, you can improve your chances of finding it at a stage when it’s easiest to treat.