How brachytherapy successfully treated my cervical cancer

My name is Antonella. I was born 62 years ago. I was born in Rome but I live in a small village near Rieti, in the middle of the woods.

I have been married for 40 years, I have 2 children, a boy and a girl and a 3 year old grandson from my daughter.

I am very satisfied with my life, with the work I do, with my family, with the place where I live so let's say I am a very positive person.

I live in a wonderful place surrounded by nature, I work surrounded by nature so I would have expected anything but this.

There is no cancer history in my family. When I found out I felt sad, sad because I didn't expect it because I have a healthy diet. It took me a while to digest it.

But then I was offered a therapy that could even leave me intact, it wouldn't even take a piece of myself, of my body and this immediately heartened me. I mean, I thought that however hard a therapy can be, to remain with your body intact it is a very important thing, to not undergo surgery.

Three types of therapies have been proposed to me, chemo, external beam radiotherapy and the so called brachytherapy. The staff who looked after me, who followed me gave me information on what I was going to face. I was happy with it because all the staff were there, all the personnel, from the doctors to the medical staff, everyone was very close to me and they participated in this difficult struggle, this fight against the tumor.

I finished the treatment in July. I am doing routine checkups, I feel great! Great perhaps because the tumor gives you the idea that you could die at any moment. You get up one morning, they call you and tell you: "You have a tumor". And this is terrible because you have a life ahead of you, many things still to do, so you start living your life.

One day I was in the woods and I thought that my life had no more tomorrows or days after. It was just step by step.

I would recommend the brachytherapy because it ends there and then, you do it and then it ends there apart from the bother at the moment but then it is over.

I want tranquility and serenity, it is clear that these have been difficult, very difficult months. I would like to stop fighting with an invisible enemy, that's what I want.

What I definitely recommend is to take it well, to live, especially in this period, your own passions and not to live it in isolation.

I think that in moments of discouragement and sadness there is a need for loved ones close by.

Among other things, they also advised me not to stay in bed all the time. They told me this here in the hospital, they've told me: "Do not stay in bed". And I have never done it.

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